New York City gave a bus shelter in Brownsville a green purpose — adding vegetation above riders that officials say could help with both heat and stormwater.
The test site is on Pitkin Avenue in Brooklyn, where people waiting for the B12 or B14 now stand beneath a planted canopy instead of a standard shelter roof.
Here's what to know
According to Gothamist, the shelter outside Bargain Hunters supports native grasses and other plants. The city's transportation department said the installation can capture up to 16 gallons of rainwater and may also provide natural cooling.
Officials noted the shelter is a pilot meant to determine whether green roofs could work on more bus stops across the five boroughs. The transportation department said the project took shape after two years of community input.
As she boarded the B14, mother of four Sabrina Desir said she liked the addition.
"I think flowers and having green stuff in general is actually amazing because we don't really see that on bus stops," she told Gothamist.
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Jennifer Sta. Ines, who runs special projects at the transportation department, told Gothamist that the nonprofit Resilient Cities Catalyst funded the project and hired contractors to maintain the plants.
More background
The shelter project is part of a larger effort to make city infrastructure more comfortable and resilient as neighborhoods deal with heavier rain and higher temperatures.
Elizabeth Adams, Mayor Zohran Mamdani's senior adviser charged with making buses "fast and free," said street conditions can differ sharply depending on the neighborhood.
"At one bus stop it might be 90 degrees outside. In another neighborhood, it's 15 degrees higher because of a lack of trees, lack of greenery, and a lot of concrete," she told Gothamist.
If this upgrade works, it could make waiting for the bus safer and more bearable during heat waves while also limiting pooling and localized flooding in heavy storms.
JCDecaux builds and maintains the city's bus shelters, Gothamist reported. Instead of charging taxpayers for the structures, the company makes money by selling ads on them.
What's being done?
Brownsville is the site of another bus-stop cooling test. Along with the planted roof on Pitkin Avenue, Gothamist reported that reflective film had been added to the tops of three nearby bus shelters, which the transportation department said could lower pavement temperatures underneath by as much as 25 degrees.
According to Gothamist, the transportation department expects the green-roof shelter to stay in place. The nearby reflective-roof pilots are set to be monitored through May.
Where can I learn more?
These stories cover cooler bus stops, electric buses, energy storage at bus garages, and the health effects of transportation electrification.
• In Seville, officials installed a solar-powered bus stop that cools pedestrians during extreme heat.
• Dutch manufacturer Ebusco put an ultra-efficient electric bus into serial production for transit fleets.
• Across the U.S., transit agencies are eyeing bus garages as energy hubs with battery storage.
• In New York City, researchers found transportation electrification could deliver major public-health gains.
• Brisbane launched a new EV bus system with rapid charging.
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