The welcome here Project
The Welcome Here Project is rooted in Illinois communities, with an initial focus on Cook County, Lake County, and DuPage County suburbs and Metra-connected towns. Our approach is designed to support Illinois’ goals around walkability, transit-oriented development, and local economic vitality. Welcome Here Project installs clear, beautiful signage at transit stations featuring walkable-area maps and neighborhood highlights. Each map is co-created with local high schools and colleges, grounding the information in lived experience while giving students hands-on civic design experience.
2026 focus
In 2026, our team will launch our pilot rollout of signage installations to enhance walkability and support transit-oriented revitalization through targeted wayfinding installations at Metra and bus stations.
What if we could unlock existing transit-oriented places?
In many suburbs, transit stations are designed to move people through, not invite them in. They prioritize parking and efficiency, often overlooking the neighborhoods, businesses, and everyday destinations just beyond the platform. When stations function only as infrastructure, they disconnect transit from the places people actually want to go.
Treating stations as places means designing them as gateways—spaces that help people orient themselves, understand what’s nearby, and move confidently on foot. Through simple, durable wayfinding, transit spaces can feel connected, walkable, and alive—without waiting for large-scale redevelopment to happen.
