When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Design It Themselves

By Stacy Straczynski, Associate Editor

We’ve all heard of do-it-yourself projects, but this self-designed rail station project takes the cake. For years, residents in the small village of Tajnagar, India, located just outside Delhi, were in need of a local rail station.  Although the tracks passed right by their homes, the townspeople had to travel seven miles to catch a ride at other stations. After many denied requests to the transit authorities, they teamed up to save money ($45,000) and build their own. Overall, the construction took a little under a year, and the station opened this past January.

See the Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_HDMG06iUg

While the station is by no means aesthetically inclined—the whole station consists of a small ticket counter and two basic platforms, lacking an actual building—the minimalist design gets the job done. What a great example of teamwork and ingenuity!

What other stories have you heard about where local communities banded together to create their own design solutions?