(via) A cultural organisation in the little Austrian village of Krumbach recently invited several international architect to design a series bus stop shelters. Their fee? A holiday in the region.

Each also partnered with a local architecture office, who acted as an intermediary between the designer and the local craft-based businesses who built the structures.

Would such a project ever fly in Vancouver? It’s doubtful. Our bus shelters are advertising billboards first and people shelters second. A project this interesting is just not in Translink’s DNA. However, the basic premise of trading holidays for ideas and foreign collaborations with local artisans is something our civic overlords and cultural organisations should definitely look into.

[hat tip: Michael Schwartz]

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