(Bus) Transit centers

Uptown Transit Center, Minneapolis. Note the quality brick facade and clock. Photo from the Metropolitan Council website.

I don't think there's a good example in the DC region of a bus-oriented transit center that is both attractive and capable of accommodating a large amount of bus service. Most of the centers I am familiar with are attached to subway stations.

And judging by the renderings, the coming Silver Spring Transit Center looks to be a behemoth with no comparison to the grand (train) stations of old, despite the comparable size.

Rendering of the planned Silver Spring Transit Center. (Parsons, Brinckerhoff, Quade & Douglas Inc.-Zimmer, Gunsul, Frasca Partnership)

Union Station, Washington, postcard. Granted the architect for Union Station was given a lot more money to design a grand building...

Minneapolis is a bus-based transit system and has produced a fair number of relatively attractive bus stations that provide comfortable accommodation in relatively attractive settings.

I bring this up because the process is moving to create a (bus for now, bus and light rail later) transit center at the Takoma/Langley Park Crossroads at New Hampshire Avenue and University Boulevard on the border of Takoma Park (Montgomery County) and Prince George's County. See "Md. Proceeding With Transit Center at Takoma/Langley Crossroads," from the Montgomery Extra section of the Washington Post.

This piece from the Metropolitan Council in the Twin Cities region, "Transit centers help attract new riders, boost system efficiency: Large facilities provide more frequent service, customer amenities," explains the Transit Center concept there.