Bus Stop the Heat! In a pictorial twist Mark Bessoudo provides a photo essay to examine the humble bus stop and how this humble structure can provide shelter in a warming world.
As extreme heat risks are predicted to rise worldwide, access to shade is becoming an increasingly scarce resource—one that is crucial not just for comfort, but for public health and urban resilience. In a world that is becoming more urbanised, ensuring that people have access to shade, particularly in public spaces, has never been more important. This is especially true at bus stops, where waiting passengers can often be exposed to direct sun for extended periods. Bus stops may be humble elements of public infrastructure but they play a pivotal role in shaping everyday urban experience. Yet, many bus stops—especially in remote or low-income communities—have not been designed to address the basic human need for protection from the elements. The solution doesn’t have to be complicated or expensive. As the photos here show, design interventions can be straightforward, low-tech and inexpensive. Using Google Street View, the 360-degree visualisation tool in Google Maps, I navigated city streets and country back roads across the world capturing images of a diverse range of bus stop styles and designs. The images reveal that with just a little creativity, simple additions to bus stops, like canopies, awnings, vegetation or street furniture like benches can enhance the overall experience for public transportation users. These small interventions also have broader social and environmental impacts, potentially encouraging more people to use low-carbon modes of public transport.
18 Here & Now | AoU Journal | Spring 2025 | Mobility
This photo essay is an invitation to urban planners, designers and policymakers to rethink how they approach the mobility needs of their communities. It challenges us to look at everyday spaces through a different lens and consider how, with a few thoughtful interventions, we can improve not just transportation, but the lives of the people who rely on it. Bus stops are more than just functional spaces— they are opportunities to improve public health, provide better accessibility, and enhance the dignity of those who use them.
Mark Bessoudo is a writer, researcher and Chartered Building Engineer whose work explores philosophy, culture and the built environment. He is completing an MA in Architectural History at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL.