Urban Design – �鶹��Ƶ

Designing National City

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:39:04 +0000

Five teams of graduate students in the Urban Design and Land Use Planning Studio class at San Diego State University prepared design concepts for various project sites around National City, California. In this project, students and faculty collaborated with city representatives to identify core areas of potential “smart growth” development opportunities within National City. The paper provides a description of existing conditions within National City, including land use and socio–economic conditions. These data were analyzed as part of the design process, along with input from National City personnel and design professionals. The designs generated in this class were intended to provide a vision of what existing areas of the city could look like in the future with funding initiatives and correctly implemented smart growth development techniques. Several key themes emerged while preparing the designs for each site, including the importance of National City’s need for historic preservation of important sites and roadway, a lack of affordable and available housing for all population demographics, a lack of employment opportunities within the city, safety issues associated with auto–dominated roadways and underutilized public transportation, and a lack of parks and green space for residents and visitors.

Ten major design recommendations are provided, based on an analysis of the five groups’ project site designs. These recommendations include the creation of transit–oriented–development sites, affordable housing units, green streets and park spaces, pedestrian corridors, and pedestrian paseos. Similarly, designs advocate for the creation of a lifestyle center, access and activity to civic and historic areas, and redesigns of several roadways and intersections. The designs also stress the importance of natural resource restoration to attract residents and visitors to the city. A brief discussion describes funding mechanisms for smart growth initiatives, and an analysis of existing and underutilized resources within National City. Specific funding alternatives, such as a military private–public partnership, smart growth grants, and Low Income Investment Funds are described. The paper concludes with a section that contains feedback from the design jury panel with their specific recommendations for the student projects and development opportunities within National City.

The Sage Project Contact Info
Kristofer Patron
Program Administrator
kpatron@sdsu.edu
(619) 594-0103

University Faculty Contact
Bruce Appleyard
Public Affairs

Local Government / Community Contact

City of Tigard Civic Ecology, Planning, and Urban Design

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:38:23 +0000

This report describes a new vision for the city of Tigard; one that can realize the city’s goals in the downtown area and could conceivably chart a new path for growth centered around the possibility of light rail transit. The students participating in the PSU Urban Design Workshop were encouraged to think radically and imaginatively in order to see beyond current trends in suburban development. To this end, students identified contextual forces within the downtown Tigard area, on both on a regional level and on a broader societal scale in general. These forces, which are detailed below could be coupled with the city’s goals and inspiration from planning theory to yield a set of defining principles that we believe could inspire a new standard of suburban livability.
Once established, the students refined their principles in an iterative process of data gathering, observation, research, mapping, and sketching. That exercise resulted in the creation of resource flow diagrams and the development of a new land use framework for downtown Tigard. The land use concept proposes an innovative model of mixed-use zoning concepts, density via a massing gradient, and a reimaging of street design and natural spaces within the existing urban fabric. The downtown was divided into five districts with varying design elements and uses. Using these concepts for the entire downtown, students developed individual subarea concepts exploring the design of specific elements of the study area. Two students chose to study downtown districts, which they called “The Innovation District” and the “Red Rock Creek District,” respectively. Additionally, a concept was developed for the integration of natural
spaces, which was subsequently named “Green Fingers” by the students. Finally, a new concept for street development was proposed for downtown Tigard that catered to pedestrians above all other modes of transportation.
Subarea concepts, in conjunction with the land use framework developed for the downtown area, were chosen for their potential for future development in area after the planned light rail transit project is developed. The students assumed that public investment could be leveraged to develop a livable, walkable, and sustainable future for Tigard if city officials could take action on a new pattern of development. This would require significant public and private investment; however, by developing a broader framework for growth, piecemeal investments could eventually yield the visionary outcomes set forth in this report.

Transit Station Area Placemaking

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:38:22 +0000

This project would complement the Pierce Transit High Capacity Transit feasibility and design study by working with local businesses and residents within a walk distance of two key intersections along the Pacific Avenue corridor at S 38th and S 56th, to explore place-making strategies that could be implemented in conjunction with transit station construction and future land use development. Place-making elements could include façade improvements, tree canopy, signage and wayfinding, public spaces, streetscape design, as well as route-directness and connectivity improvements that help facilitate the growth of transit-oriented communities and 20-minute neighborhoods.

Livable City Year Contact Info
Teri Thomson Randall
Program Manager
terir@uw.edu
206.221.9240

University Faculty Contact
Anaid Yerena
Community and Environmental Planning
Professor
yerena@uw.edu
253-692-4910

Local Government / Community Contact
Stephen Atkinson

Planning Video Library

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:38:21 +0000

This project will create a sample Planning and Development Video library, with each video focused on a specific topic of interest to the community. Topics include a profile of the Planning and Development Services Department, a tutorial of the One Tacoma Plan, the vision for the City’s designated Mixed-use Centers, and/or a profile of the City’s Downtown Subarea Plans. This project will create a template for future expansion of the video library to help improve citizen and developer access to, and understanding of, the City’s plans and programs.

Livable City Year Contact Info
Teri Thomson Randall
Program Manager
terir@uw.edu
206.221.9240

University Faculty Contact
Rachel Berney
Community and Environmental Planning
Professor
rberney@uw.edu
(206)685-4057

Local Government / Community Contact
Stephen Atkinson

City of Tigard Paid Parking Policy

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:37:55 +0000

The Southwest Corridor Plan introduces MAX light rail to outer Southwest Portland, Tigard, and
other Portland-area suburbs along the I-5 corridor. As part of this project, TriMet and the city of
Tigard are investigating a Park and Ride facility near the MAX stop planned for Tigard’s central
business district (CBD). This report examines the viability of this Park and Ride, analyzes a
number of scenarios for its implementation, and makes broad recommendations for Tigard’s
parking strategy in light of its land use visions.
The report was produced in collaboration with University of Oregon’s Sustainable City Year
Program and TriMet’s Southwest Corridor planning. The research and writing for this report
was done by Portland State University students as part of the USP 544: Urban Transportation
Planning course. The project was led by Dr. Aaron Golub, Professor of Urban Studies and
Planning at PSU.
The report concludes that building a Park and Ride will be necessary to meet projected
demand for transit parking in the next 20 years, and that it will be most effective in conjunction
with an on-street metered parking program and shared parking in downtown Tigard lots.

Aurburn Alleyway

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:36:28 +0000

Our project involves the redesign of the alley located between the Auburn Avenue Theater and Auburn Arts and Culture Center and the surrounding landscape area to provide the community with functional spaces that relates to the programmatic components of adjacent businesses. Envisioned is a revitalization action plan that would produce a model for public gathering, public art and other programmed uses and contribute to the revitalization of downtown Auburn.

The goal of this project was to provide the City of Auburn with a designed plan for
a central alleyway in their downtown. Our partners at the city asked us to consider
different ways to activate the space: how to establish character and placemaking,
as well as to provide social and environmental functions. We established several
objectives for the design after our first meeting. Our goals included the creation
of an alleyway space that fits its historical downtown context while providing
flexible outdoor space that could be used for arts-related programming, as well as
provide space for sitting, eating, and gathering. In addition, we hoped to add green
space to Auburn’s downtown and manage stormwater runoff through Low Impact
Development (LID) practices.
As students, our personal goals were to complete this project in a professional
way and to provide Auburn with a design that could be built. To help us craft as
professional a project as possible, we enlisted the help of two landscape architects
to act as our mentors and guide us through the professional process of a landscape
architecture firm. This process entailed a period of analysis where we located our
site within the context of Auburn’s history, geography, transportation systems,
and local businesses. The analysis then informed three concept designs, which we
presented to the city at our first meeting. Based on their feedback, we combined
aspects of the concepts they liked most into a single design. Their feedback on that
design informed our final design. After finalizing the design, we worked to create
compelling images, diagrams, and research to help the city promote this design to
stakeholders and raise funding for its construction. By the end of the quarter, we
provided the city with a comprehensive report containing a critical analysis of the
site, a schematic design, design details, and strategies for implementation.

Livable City Year Contact Info
Teri Thomson Randall
Program Manager
terir@uw.edu
206.221.9240

University Faculty Contact
Jeff Hou
Built Environment
Faculty Advisor
jhou@u.washington.edu
206.543.7225

Local Government / Community Contact
Julie Kreuger

Rethinking the Edge City of Leander

Victor Manzanilla — Wed, 01 Nov 2023 03:36:17 +0000

In 2015, Mayor Backus formed the Blue Ribbon Committee with the goal of
transforming Auburn into the healthiest city in Washington by 2020. This was in
response to a King County assessment, conducted earlier that year, that revealed
that Auburn had low rankings for many health determinants including obesity
and diabetes. In alignment with the city’s goals and through the University of
Washington and Livable City Year program, a team of graduate and undergraduate
students developed a food policy plan that sought to improve community health
outcomes through better nutrition.

Read the final student report delivered to the local gov/community partner.

Livable City Year Contact Info
Teri Thomson Randall
Program Manager
terir@uw.edu
206.221.9240

University Faculty Contact
Richard Conlin
Built Environment
Affiliate Instructor

Local Government / Community Contact
Carol Barker