NYC Subway: Enhanced Station Initiative (ESI)
Modernising New York’s Subway

As lead wayfinding consultants, we advised on the approach and development of the NYCT ESI (Enhanced Station Initiative) program, now known as the Station Improvement Program.

The program initially focused on the renovation and modernization of 33 stations across the NYC Subway system.

  • Our role was to support the design and planning of enhanced subway environments and to develop a comprehensive strategy for the design, planning and placement of information. The strategy presents a standardized approach to system information, art and advertising that is flexible and adaptable to the many environment types that feature across New York City’s 472 Subway stations.

    Outputs included a full suite of information products that respond to user needs, journey stages, and environments. A key component was the development of dashboards that enable the presentation of relevant information types in both static and digital forms.

    We also provided the client and project team with an indication of future workflows and requirements in order to further develop both the resources and multi-channel information elements.

    The holistic approach to wayfinding and customer information design has been recognized as a major component to the success of the project, with a particular focus on integrating other sustainable modes of transport such as walking, cycling, and the bus and rail networks.

New York City Metropolitan Transit Authority Client
City ID Wayfinding and Design Direction
Arup Engineering and Construction
Grimshaw Architects and Industrial Design
Via Collective Wayfinding Support