WTS Guest Column
12/10/2025

A Transit Architect’s Glance Forward

Author:

Kevin Rockey, RA

Director of Design

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It is hard to believe that we are coming to the end of 2025 - but as we prepare to close one chapter, another begins. Collectively as an office, Sowinski Sullivan has started a conversation about what we, as transit architects, are looking forward to as we turn towards 2026. The common thread we heard was that of hope and excitement about the positive impact we as designers have on our communities and the importance of a strong public transit system.

As debates over the value of public infrastructure continue, transit architecture has a critical role to play in making transit an undeniably positive experience. Our goal is to design spaces that people actively look forward to using—welcoming, intuitive environments that feel safe, dignified, and enjoyable at every step of the journey. By reshaping public transit, we can strengthen everyday mobility while generating enthusiasm around our communities' shared infrastructure.

We have been encouraged to see firsthand how cities in which we practice, agencies with whom we work, and passengers we serve, are advocates for and are advancing improvements to existing infrastructure, expansions into new neighborhoods, and experimentation with new modes in public transit throughout the country. It is exciting to see how these improvements shape the built environment and influence how people live their lives. Over the last several years we have experienced an unprecedented overhaul of how we live our lives.

We are hopeful that the work we are doing today will inspire future generations to do the same.