A New Look for LA: Reimagining Bus Shelters
Architecture alum Carlos Madrid III ’91 is leading a major redesign of Los Angeles' bus shelters to bring shade, comfort and dignity to the city’s transit riders.
Photo by James Juarez, courtesy of SOM.
Los Angeles is famous for its freeways and car culture, yet thousands of residents rely on buses every day. For many, that means standing in up to triple-digit heat without a seat or shade. Only one in four of the city’s 8,000 bus stops offers shelter, with most concentrated in neighborhoods that attract higher advertising revenue.
Carlos Madrid III ’91, senior associate principal at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), is leading a project to change that reality. Through the Sidewalk and Transit Amenities Program (STAP), which aims to modernize LA’s public spaces, the city will add 3,000 new and upgraded bus shelters and 450 shade structures across LA. More than 150 have already been installed.
The effort is simple but profound: bring shade, comfort and safety to the riders who depend on transit most. Its impact has already gained global attention, earning recognition as one of Fast Company’s 2025 World Changing Ideas.
“This project focused on the needs of the individuals actually utilizing the system,” Madrid said. “It wasn’t about the glamorous part of LA you see on TV. It was about the people who depend on the system every single day.”
Madrid’s team transformed that vision into reality with a design elegant in its simplicity.
A Kit of Parts
Residents rest at one of the over 150 new bus shelters built in Los Angeles. Photo by James Juarez, courtesy of SOM.
Residents can quickly read the weather forecast and bus schedule on an e-reader screen while at the bus shelter. Photo by James Juarez, courtesy of SOM.
The new shelters were designed as a flexible “kit of parts” that can be configured in more than 170 ways. Canopies, modular seating, lighting, trash receptacles, digital bus-tracking displays and e-reader panels can be mixed and matched to fit each location. The result is a system that adapts to different sites while maintaining a recognizable citywide identity.
The look draws from California Modernism, a style Madrid describes as part of LA’s DNA. “As an architect, I think what anyone should do is really understand the environment they operate in and the history behind it,” he said.
The design was shaped by more than style. Madrid spent time at bus stops during the pandemic, observing conditions firsthand. His team worked closely with city planners, transportation officials and residents to ensure the shelters reflected community needs. Collaboration extended to multiple firms, including Designworks, Studio One Eleven, Horton Lees Brogden Lighting Design and Fehr & Peers.
“It was a great experience just letting everyone operate in their own lane,” Madrid said. “No one was ever competitive. The best idea wins.”
The process reinforced lessons that connect back to his time at Texas A&M. He described the project as an exercise in humility, empathy and teamwork, mirroring the Aggie core values. “This project taught me to sit back, listen and bring people along,” he said.
The Person Behind the Project
Carlos Madrid III ’91, a Texas A&M College of Architecture alumnus and designer of Los Angeles’ new bus shelters. Photo courtesy of SOM.
Madrid grew up in San Antonio and studied architecture at Texas A&M, where he developed the skills and perspective that guide his work today. Leading a world-class design project in LA has been a professional milestone, but he views it as part of a larger journey.
His advice to students reflects that outlook: “Travel. Put yourself in the most uncomfortable situation and stay quiet and try to learn from it. Eat dinner alone somewhere you feel out of place, you’ll become enlightened and educated by understanding people from all levels of life.”
Madrid is already preparing for his next project, which involves designing urban furniture for a new city outside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The work will include shelters, seating, lighting and other elements of public space, further extending his influence on how communities around the world experience daily life.
Whether in LA, Riyadh or back in Texas, Madrid continues to approach design with the same mindset, shaped by his education at the Texas A&M College of Architecture. He believes that good design starts with empathy for the people it serves.
“It was never about me,” he said. “It was about creating something that serves people where they are.”