New Street Typologies/New Street Types

Getting more out of the same R.O.W.:Overlap Space Street Types

CNU 17June 12, 2009

Gregory Tung, PrincipalFreedman Tung & SasakiSan Francisco, California

www.ftscities.com

Street Types and New UrbanismThe body of work of new urbanists (and in recent years, working with partners like the ITE) has been instrumental in laying out a range of street types and elements tied to the urban transect.

Source: SmartCode v9.0

From The Lexicon of the New Urbanism

From The Lexicon of the New Urbanism

American street designers (and users) have often been “jealous”of what European street designers achieve as apparent “standard practice” – e.g. various types of shared & multimodal street spaces

Gothenburg, Sweden

Gothenburg, Sweden

Photo: John Marshall Mantel, NY Times

Photo: Hiroko Masuike, NY Times

But we’re seeing that type of “adaptive re-use” of American street spaces starting to happen

YET: one of our biggest challenges is the retrofitting of suburbia (and of suburban forms imposed on our older cities)

Life Magazine

City of Huntington Beach

Single-purpose, “zoned” street types are deeply embedded in our engineering, design, and maintenance cultures

Forces of economic and demographic change create needs and opportunities for restructuring of focal places and streets

As we retrofit our suburban districts and corridors, streets need to be similarly “retooled” to support the desired multimodal, alive,

beautiful and loved public places we know they need to be

Source: AASHTO

Source: AASHTO

“Street Type must match Development Type”

“Street Type must serveDevelopment Type”

Let’s assume that your property frontages are correct for the district…

Does your street type serve your development type / place type?

It takes few vertical elements to effectively buffer pedestrians from traffic

...and with plenty of $$$ and space, a great street can readily be created

Source: ITE

The “turfs” of the street section – pedestrians vs. automobiles

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

East 14th Street (CA-85) in San Leandro, CA 1991

EXISTING:• Wide enough sidewalk, few pedestrians• 4 lanes• Curbside parallel parking• No bike lanes• Almost no trees or furnishings

East 14th Street (CA-85) in San Leandro, CA TODAY

CHANGE:• Continuous Street Tree Canopy Planting• 4 lanes to 3 lanes + narrowing• Added Bike Lanes• Basis for sidewalk “zones” established

NO CHANGE::• No R.O.W. expansion• Same curbside parallel parking• No curb reconstruction• No changes to drainage

East 14th Street (State Highway 185) in 1991

Enhanced Corridor Street Type as a condition for new Corridor

Development Type

East 14th Street Today

New Senior Housing -linked to corridor transit

Building prototype in corridor design guidelines

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

…But what if you need to do more with the R.O.W. than the existing width allows?

Two Techniques of Existing ROW / Street Modification that can

squeeze more functions –especially the usually minimal

pedestrian “share” - out of the same right-of-way:

1. Spatial Overlap2. Use Overlap

The usual “share” of street use zones

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Source: ITE

The Strategic Placement of Street Verticals – the

“Strong Force” in streetscape design

Whittier Boulevard in “downtown” Montebello, CA circa 2003

(relinquished segment of State HIghway 72)

Corridor Revitalization Concept and Streetscape Support

Streetscape Plan with Segmentation

“Broad Brush” Concept Diagram

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Auto-dominated space

Building architecture “armors” itself - becomes less permeable, more inward-focused - in response to unpleasant setting

H E A V I E R T R A F F I C

Sparse street tree planting has limited buffering effect

CONVENTIONAL ARTERIAL STREET DESIGN

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Auto-dominated spacePedrealm

Pedrealm

STREET TYPE MODIFICATION: SPATIAL RETROFIT OF THE EXISTING CONVENTIONAL ARTERIAL STREET DESIGN

Existing 80’ R.O.W.

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Whittier Boulevard in Montebello – “before” (2004)

Whittier Boulevard in Montebello – retrofit concept

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Whittier Boulevard in Montebello – retrofit concept built (2007)

Whittier Boulevard in Montebello – retrofit concept built

Whittier Blvd in downtown Montebello, CA TODAY

SUCCESSES:• “Healed” street proportions

(though not as emphatic as on narrow main street type)

• Recognizable downtown segment along strip

• “Family of objects” furnishings & landmarks

LESSONS/OBSERVATIONS:• Some trees & pylons have

been hit by cars – arterial setting less tolerant than main streets

• Streetscape completed in 2007; infill development interest is present but proposals slowed by recession

School Street in downtown Lodi, CA today

School Street circa 1994

School Street sidewalk in downtown Lodi, CA today

sidewalk circa 1994

School Street in downtown Lodi, CA TODAY

SUCCESSES:• “Healed” street proportions• Larger tree canopies, better

shade in 100º sun• Sidewalk colors/paving help

define zones• “Family of objects” furnishings

& landmarks

LESSONS/OBSERVATIONS:• Bollard tree protection @

parallel parking tree islands didn’t work well (OK w/mature trees now)

• Remaining complaints about lost street parking due to trees despite new parking structure 1 block away

Mission Boulevard, Mission San Jose District of Fremont, CA

Auto-dominated space – before and after

SUCCESSES:• Improved street proportions• Modest cost, modest intervention• Lighting operates well • Reinforced pedestrian scale

Pedestrian realm – before and after

LESSONS/OBSERVATIONS:• Effect not as strong as trees in parking,

but still useful

1994: #1 Issue of Downtown Visioning – Lack of Pedestrian Friendliness

Key Streets in Downtown Phoenix, AZ: Second, Adams, Monroe

2nd Street’s verticals in parking lanes – pylon streetlight columns -reproportioned the street

Second Street before project

Other streets were reproportioned with palms and shade trees centered in parking lanes, and 1-way to 2-way conversions

Monroe Street before project

SUCCESSES:• Improved street proportions• Modest cost, modest intervention• Reinforced pedestrian scale

LESSONS/OBSERVATIONS:• Effect not as strong as trees in

parking, but less problematic for visibility

Summary – Spatial Overlap at the pedestrian/car interface (using verticals)

• Allows the reproportioningof ped/car “turfs” where no additional ROW is available & w/out curb moves

• Most effective overall at narrower streets (2-3 lanes), but sidewalk space always made better

• Efficiency of investment –“spend $$ on verticals, it’s what people see”

• Regular spacing important• Tree or pylon uplighting

recommended in focal areas

• Tree in pkg. feasibility a function of U/G utilities

• Trade-off of lost on-street “teaser” parking, may require district parking supply & strategy

• Trade-off of higher maintenance costs

• Snow area issues• Young tree trunk protection

@ parallel parking an issue• Tree pits may merit load

bearing design such as structural soils or “Silva cells”

The Strategic Placement of Horizontal Surface Types –

the “Weak Force” in streetscape design

Colored textured asphalt topping at center turn lane narrows visible roadway width, changes the “feel": State Highway 114, Barrington, RI

Colored textured asphalt topping at aprons narrow the visible roadway width, articulates bikeway/shoulder: State Highway 16, Capay, CA

Summary – Spatial Overlap at pedestrian/car interface (using horizontals)• No interference with

existing road space allocation

• Effect is purely visual - no safety conflicts, but effect also not as strong

• As such, more readily approvable by DOT’s

• Relatively new topping product treatments make this more affordable than unit pavers

• Topping products are only usable for low traffic applications (shoulders, “medians”) and do not have the lifespan of unit pavers or stamped concrete

• Pavers are expensive and require higher maintenance in most cases

…OK, but what if overlapped visual space is not enough –

what if I want pedestrian activity to expand –

especially if there isn’t enough R.O.W.?

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

The “Flexible Zone” Main Street: A Use Overlap

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

First Street (CA-84) in 2004

First Street after streetscape (2006)

First Street (CA-84) in 2004

First Street today (with flexible zone café space)

First Street sidewalk today (with flexible zone café space)

First Street sidewalk in 2004

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Google search: Livermore permit "flexible zone"

Source: City of Livermore

Former slip lane and traffic median at crossroads…

…converted to a new town green with interactive fountain

New Investment: Shops, Offices, & Entertainment Anchors

The First Flexible Zone Main Street: Mountain View, CA (1989)

Castro St. in 1982

Castro Street

Shoreline Parkway

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

The Latest Flexible Zone Main Street: Plumas Street in Yuba City, CA (2008)

Plumas St. in 2005

Theatre Way in Downtown Redwood City, CA

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Middlefield Road in 2004

“Theatre Way” Today

Underground Public Parking Structure

“On Broadway”Multiplex Cinema-Retail complex

Fox Theatre & ground floor shop-fronts

“THEATRE WAY” - Section

Dining Terrace

Ground floor restaurants

Flexible Zone

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Flush (no step) flexible zone

San Jose Mercury News - August 2, 2007

Summary – Use Overlap at the pedestrian/car interface (Flexible Zones)

• Accommodates change of parking/pedestrian use per changing business needs, w/out construction

• Maximizes the visibility of pedestrian retail district assets – on street parking AND street life activity

• Relatively higher cost due to wall-to-wall re-do and regrading

• Requires a 2 step curb OR a flush transition between sidewalk and flexible zone, NOT a single level curb

• Trade-off of some lost on-street “teaser” parking -requires district parking supply & strategy

• Trade-off of higher maintenance costs

• Snow area issues• Needs permit procedures

& required furnishings for outdoor dining uses plus “early adopter” incentives

• Requires specialized furnishings (“level change devices”) and tree well detailing

Arterial Traffic4 lanes + left

turns

Slow lane, parking, walking,

shopping, outdoor dining

Slow lane, parking, walking,

shopping, outdoor dining

ANOTHER STREET TYPE WITH INHERENT FLEXIBILITY: THE MULTIWAY BOULEVARD

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Sammamish RiverPark at Bothell Landing

SR-522

Main Street

Historic Downtown Core

New Expansion Opportunity

SR-527

Downtown Bothell, WA – SR-527

SR-527 today

Realignment

Strategy: Don’t allow state highway to become a barrier within downtown

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Strategy: Apply a street design treatment that can transform state highway into a unifying

“seam” that is also a distinctive place

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Existing State Route 527

Rendering of Multiway Boulevard Concept© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

An essential factor in livability is “buffering” of fronting rooms of buildings from the effects of

fast traffic

Would you want your living room this close and this exposed to arterial traffic?Will this hold value over time?

Dwellings are buffered from fast traffic by 2 rows of trees and slow speed, pedestrian friendly environment

Avenue Daumesnil, Paris

Photo: Payton Chung

Ground floor shops activate a downtown pedestrian walking environment with curbside parking and a slow lane for cars and bicycles; also works well for residential ground floor

Ground floor storefront or residence

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

Octavia Boulevard, San Francisco, CA

Boulevard D’Arcole, Toulouse, France

Flexibility: Individual block-lengths of side lanes may be closed off to host farmers’ markets, street fairs, etc.

The Multiway Boulevard is a composition of two “opposite” AASHTOstreet types

Source: AASHTO

Rain Gardens

Pervious Unit

Pavers

MULTIWAY BOULEVARD DRAINAGE CONCEPT

The drainage concept for the Multiway Boulevard uses pervious unit pavers and rain gardens to reduce runoff for cost savings and sustainability reasons.

Unit pavers also contribute to the multiway boulevard concept by distinguishing pedestrian-oriented “slow lanes” from higher speed asphalt arterial lanes.

ImperviousPaving

Sheet Drainage

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

RainGarden

Pervious Unit Pavers

Pervious pavers at side slow lanes drain runoff water into structural soil beneath, and provide tactile and visual design cues for slow speed and pedestrian use.

LED streetlighting also reduces energy & maintenance

GOAL: Enable a broad taxonomy of street types, some plain, some specialized, that apply to existing AND new urban fabric.

© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

As we build more compact (and dense) communities, so must we increase the quality and variety of urban open spaces – including streets – to live up to promises we are making about urbanism

Gregory Tung, PrincipalFreedman Tung & Sasakigregory@ftscities.com

www.ftscities.com