The Bright Light of the City: Public transport will take you there

By Daria Kuzmina, Rail Manager at UITP

With the UITP Global Public Transport Summit just over a month away, at UITP the excitement to kick off our first Summit in four years feels more palpable every day. Together with colleagues from every department and expertise, I can already say we have built an impressive programme that is as diverse, innovative and as relevant as our sector.

For us at UITP, but I bet also for the visitors, the UITP Summit is inextricably linked to its location, which of course this year is Barcelona. Apart from its obvious beauty and history, it is a city with great ease of access, making it a perfect location for our largest event. Because one vitally important element allowing people the opportunity to embrace the magic of this great city is its well-connected public transport system.

Looking at it that way, this year’s theme ‘Bright Light of the City’ fits Barcelona like a glove. Public transport is the ‘Bright Light of the City’ by giving passengers the freedom to commute, to meet loved ones, or to simply head on a discovery tour exploring the city.

By creating a unique theme for each edition of the UITP Global Summit, it allows us to not only best reflect the event and location, but to then weave the artistic feeling of the theme throughout our programme.

Because public transport is a lot more than ‘just’ getting people from A to B. It is an important part of our daily lives and therefore has to be accessible, safe and inclusive. Public transport has the unique ability to make an entire city more attractive: some countries’ most famous landmarks are located in stations.

Also this aspect of public transport will be covered at the UITP Summit. Below, I highlight some sessions that will look at public transport a bit differently, appreciating the links between the artistic, aesthetic and functional.

Stations of the Future

On 6 June, the session ‘Stations of the Future: Safer, smarter and more inclusive’ will explore what is in store for our stations in the years to come, acknowledging the central place that public transport stations have in our society. With new technology and insight available, we can see more inclusive station design and ultimately, an improved passenger experience. The session will also look at station trends, including the ones identified in the Stations of the Future project, which was launched last summer in collaboration with KONE, a global leader in the elevator and escalator industry. Stations of the Future looks at different aspects of station design: from connecting modes, people, and places, to facilitating commercial and social activity.

The (he)art of public transport

Art has the power to make our lives and surroundings more beautiful, and this applies equally to public transport. Art in public transport makes stations and vehicles more attractive and welcoming as part of a city’s cultural landmarks. But to be impactful and achieve their purpose, artwork should be an integral part of a station or vehicle design. In the session ‘Art at the heart of public transport: making passenger journeys a cultural experience’ (5 June) our speakers will discuss how the inclusion of world-class contemporary art is changing the nature of our cities, and the positive impact it can have on passengers, tourists and the city’s prestige.

How lighting can make all the difference

In addition to art, lighting also plays a major role in creating a safe, welcoming environment in public transport. On 5 June, the session ‘Bright light of the city: Lighting the way for our passengers’ experience’ puts the spotlight on the importance of improving the passenger experience with wayfinding, accessibility and safety. Connecting to the “Bright Light of the City” theme, presentations will showcase different, innovative and sustainable usage of lighting to show its relevance for stations, stops and vehicles.

Explore the full programme

I can continue this article for much longer, with the abundance of sessions and an outstanding exhibition full of the latest innovations, but I invite you to explore the programme yourself.

With so much rich content up for discussion in our sector, there will be something for everyone in our summit programme. Because what we know for sure is that public transport is for everyone. It’s for the people, for our pities.

https://uitpsummit.org/