What we can learn from MBTA’s Manual of Guidelines & Standards from 1977

Design thinking from 1977

I have the luxury of using the Park Street subway station, which is the oldest train stop in America. Only just recently was I made aware of this when I read a plaque outside the station.

Sign at the Park Street entrance at the Intersection of Tremont and Winter Street (Boston, MA).

Of course the word “designed” jumped out at me. This is because:

1. I am a designer, so this word will always jump out at me 😎
2. I consider the MBTA, a.k.a. the T, to be decades behind other train systems, so the thought of any part of the T being “designed” sounded like a funny joke.

In an effort to prove myself wrong, I searched the web for documentation on MBTA design. I was very excited (and overwhelmed!) when I found a 518-page document on this:

The full document! 💪

As I started scanning through the manual I quickly realized how much worse the MBTA used to be, and came to a conclusion that I constantly need to be reminded of:

Nothing is designed by accident, or by a stroke of luck. If something is usable, it…