Kounkuey Design Initiative and SunLine Transit Agency Host Unveiling of New Shade Structure Bus Stop Prototype in the Oasis

(Thousand Palms) On Monday, October 3^rd, a new shade structure bus stop prototype was unveiled in the unincorporated area of Oasis, California. Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI), SunLine Transit Agency (SunLine), and the community-based group, Oasis Leadership Committee (OLC), have partnered to introduce this new prototype display in this East Valley community.

For the past two years, KDI, Luskin Center for Innovation at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA), and the OLC have joined forces to develop a heat impacts study, seeking to understand how drastic heat changes are affecting the residents of Oasis.

Through this work, the team identified scarcity of shade to be a major cause for various known heat related health issues. They also determined that developing a shade structure would demonstrate that access to shade can help alleviate some of the problems caused by extreme heat in Oasis.

KDI and SunLine are excited to partner on this month-long demonstration project in the Eastern Coachella Valley, and gather feedback from residents who utilize the bus stop to access SunLine’s Route 9. Prototypes like this provide an opportunity for SunLine –known for being innovative in its approaches to rolling out a variety of transit services – to explore options for infrastructure in the future.

KDI and UCLA hosted various community design workshops with the OLC to develop their desired shade structure. Various elements were considered in the design process, including heat resilient features, space, the current pandemic, safety, age diversity, and art. KDI’s community-driven decision-making and design processes gave power to residents of Oasis to make decisions on how this shade structure should look and what features it should include.

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About KDI

KDI is a community development and design nonprofit that partners with marginalized, under-served communities to advance equity by building healthier, more connected neighborhoods. We are deeply embedded in low-income communities of color in Los Angeles and in the Eastern Coachella Valley.

About SunLine Transit Agency

SunLine provides public transit services in California’s Coachella Valley spanning 1,120 mile-service area and carrying approximately 4.2 million riders. It has pioneered zero-emission bus deployments, particularly for hydrogen fuel cell electric buses (FCEB). In 1993, SunLine’s Board adopted a voluntary policy of pursuing alternative fuel solutions that provide the lowest possible emissions, which led to SunLine becoming the first transit agency in the state to convert its entire fleet to compressed natural gas (CNG). SunLine is committed to transitioning its entire bus fleet to zero-emission by 2035. SunLine Refueled is a multi-tiered initiative that brings exciting new transportation alternatives to the Coachella Valley. To learn more about SunLine Transit Agency’s services and policies, go to SunLine.org.