2015–2016 Process · Public Event 1 “Launch!” ... Waller Creek LADY BIRD LAKE havez havez E...
Transcript of 2015–2016 Process · Public Event 1 “Launch!” ... Waller Creek LADY BIRD LAKE havez havez E...
Thanks to the active participation of many Austinites like you, we are moving full speed ahead towards defining the future of Congress Avenue. In this document, you will find a sample of what we’ve discovered and what you have told us about Congress Avenue. You will also see how we are beginning to transform your thoughts and ideas into goals and potential strategies.
2015–2016Set Project
Direction
2016–2017Select & Contract
Consultant
SPRING 2017Project Survey
SUMMER 2017Stakeholder
Focus Groups
MAY 2018Alternatives
SUMMER 2018Draft Project
Report
FALL 2018Final Project
Report
Public Event 1“Launch!”
Public Event 2“Transform!”
Public Event 4
Public Event 5
Community Engagement
“What We Heard”Urban Design Analysis
“What We Found”
Confirmed Vision
Goals
Potential Strategies
Alternatives
The vision guides the development of the plan.
Goals set out what we hope to achieve, and reflect the community’s vision.
Strategies describe specific actions to achieve the goals.
Alternatives will be unveiled at Public Event 3.
Process
http://www.austintexas.gov/congressavenue
Public Event 3“Imagine!”
What We Heard & What We Found
Through your input and our urban design analysis, we developed a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and
opportunities facing Congress Avenue around the themes of social equity, mobility & connectivity, culture & history, economics, and environment.
E 10th
E 9th
E 11thWhat We Heard & What We Found
Social Equity
Do you think Congress Avenue can be made more welcoming to racial and other minorities? (1 = no, 5 = yes)
Do you or someone you know ever experience difficulties physically navigating Congress Avenue?(1 = never, 5 = very frequently)
Get in ADA compliance and install benches every block so folks can have a resting spot
Ensure that there are public spaces that are free, accessible, and welcoming to ALL...
Average of 113 responses2.5
Average of 137 responses3.8
Sample community input
South Central Waterfront
E Riverside
Cong
ress
Ave
.
2nd
Cesar Chavez
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
State Capitol
Barton Springs
LADY BIRD LAKE
San
Jacin
to
Braz
os
Lava
ca
Color
ado
ADA Accessibility Issues* Sample (above)*Issues to resolve in order to achive wheelchair-accessible and walkable sidewalks for all
Accessible parking is non-compliant
Push button reach range or level clear floor is non-compliant
Horizontal opening on walking surface exceeds 1/2”
Cross-slope exceeds 2%
Curb ramp slope exceeds 8.3%
Places where respondents go to exercise freedom of speech
Our Congress Avenue Survey (left)
What We Heard & What We Found
Mobility & Connectivity
Bicycle median
Shared lanes
Circulator
For one thing, I think we need to move toward incentivizing the usage of mass transit (plus adding mass transit to get people around town)...and charge for the [parking] spots we do have.
Fully connected sidewalks and bike lanes with no breaks, better directional signage, and beautification along the entire corridor...widen the sidewalks to allow for more street cafes and public events...
0’ 5’ 10’ 20’
Section 3
Section 2
Section 1
2
1
3
8’ Pedestrian
Path
4’ Café
Seating
18’ Parking & Landscape
Buffer
20’ Active Pedestrian
Path
10’ Restaurant Seating
10’ Landscape
Zone
5’ Pedestrian
Path
15’ Drive and Bike
Lane
Pedestrian Right-of-way (above right)
Not accessible to pedestriansPedestrian path
Sample community input
Samples from “Build Your Avenue”
120’ ROW
120’ ROW
120’ ROW
Existing Conditions
Key DestinationsNodes of activityKey Districts
Paramount Theatre
City Hall
Butler Park
The Contemporary
State Capitol
Mexic-Arte Museum
Convention Center
6th Street District
Red River District
‘Nightwing’ Bat Sculpture
Congress Ave Bridge
Auditorium Shores
SeaholmDistrict
Waller Creek
LADY BIRD LAKE
W Cesar Chavez
E Cesar Chavez
E 7th
W 4th
W 3rd
W 2nd
W 5th
E 5th
E 4th
E 3rd
E 2nd
W 6th
E 6th
W 7th
W 8th
E 8th
W 9th
E 9th
W 10th
E 10th
W 11th
E 11th
Old Bakery & Emporium
State Theatre
To Light Rail
To Butler Hike and
Bike Trail
6th Street
2nd St and
Seaholm District
To Capitol Complex
& UT Austin
To South
Congress Ave
I-35
Republic Square
BrushSquare
Wooldridge Square
Palm Park
What We Heard & What We Found
Culture & History
We should be very ambitious to create a great avenue worthy of a world class city. We should be looking towards the great avenues of the world for inspiration and example
Identify the history and make it more visible and obvious to the public. Incorporate building signage, incorporate elements of diverse culture that funded and developed and contributed to Austin history.
Do you consider Congress Avenue an arts and culture destination? (1 = disagree, 5 = agree)
Average of 163 responses
3.2
What is the most memorable civic event you’ve attended on Congress Avenue?
March / Protest ParadeOut of 150 responses
46% 20%
Key Destinations
Sample community input
What We Heard & What We Found
Economics
How do you rate the quality of Congress Avenue as a working environment? (1 = not good, 5 = very good)
How important is it that local and small businesses can afford to stay on Congress Avenue? (1 = not at all, 5 = very)
...Build walking traffic on Ave. Activate abandoned buildings for more synergy and less holes in the landscape.
Offer rent subsidies or other financial incentives, including free or low cost business training for local entrepreneurs.
Average of 146 responses4.1
Average of 50 responses3.1
W 10th
W 9th
W 8th
E 10th
E 9th
E 8th
Paramount Theatre
Old Bakery & Emporium
Barto
n Spr
ings R
d
YETI Store
South Central Waterfront
E Riverside
Cong
ress
Ave
.
2nd
Cesar Chavez
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
State Capitol
Barton Springs
LADY BIRD LAKE
San
Jacin
to
Braz
os
Lava
ca
Color
ado
Study AreaOffice/Commercial LobbyRetail/HotelCulturalVacant/Construction
Publicly Accessible Ground Floor Use on Congress, north of Lady Bird Lake
Publicly Accessible Ground Floor Use on Congress, south of Lady Bird Lake
Publicly Accessible Ground Floor Use (above)Ground Floor Use (left)
Sample community input
What We Heard & What We Found
Environment
The bridge is SO HOT and we were almost run over by cyclists on the sidewalk
How important is it to protect the bats? (1 = not at all, 5 = very)
How important is it to control flooding and use rainwater wisely? (1 = not at all, 5 = very)
I wish South Congress could have more green space or pocket parks. The North Congress re-design from the state looks awesome.
Would love to have more nature integrated and more of Austin’s history reflected
Average of 153 responses Average of 150 responses4.4 4.6
E 10th
E 9th
E 8th
E 11th
Wounds on trunk
Bluejay spotted in this area
Seven grackle nests in this tree!
2nd
Cesar Chavez
3rd
4th
5th
6th
7th
8th
9th
10th
11th
LADY BIRD LAKE
Quercus fusiformisLive Oak
Quercus polymorphaMonterrey Oak
Quercus shumardiiShumard Oak
Quercus virginianaSouthern Live Oak
Condition - Fair
Condition - Bad
Fraxinus velutinaArizona Ash
Quercus muehlenbergiiChinquapin Oak
Ilex VomitoriaYauponUlmus Crassifolia Cedar Elm
Taxodium distichumBald Cypress
Condition - Good
Sample Tree Survey (above)
Comfortable
UncomfortableShadySunny
Summer Shadow Analysis (left)Average amount of shade during the longest days of the year
Sample community input
Goals
Strategies
These goals reflect the issues and challenges that we uncovered during the community engagement process and urban design analysis, and represent tangible outcomes of this process.
These are examples of potential specific actions to achieve the goals. Come help us imagine other possibilities at our next public event on October 25!
Re-balance mobility options along Congress Avenue
MOBILITY & CONNECTIVITY
• Bike lanes• Pedestrian zones
and crosswalks• Circulator• Accessibility• Parking
management• Signalization• Ann W. Richards
Congress Avenue Bridge improvements
• Right sizing vehicular right-of-way
CULTURE & HISTORY
Enhance Congress Avenue as a destination
• Lighting• Public art• Wayfinding and
signage• Place branding• Interpretative
markers• Events and
performances• Cultural anchors
(north and south of Lady Bird Lake)
• Great design
ECONOMICS
Amplify the economic strength and diversity of Congress Avenue
• Ground floor activation
• Diversity of retail options
• Pop-up food & beverage / retail opportunities
• Enhanced café zones
ENVIRONMENT
Celebrate biodiversity and urban habitat in a functional, resilient streetscape design
• Shade and thermal comfort
• Street trees• Stormwater
management• Permeable paving • Connection to Lady
Bird Lake ecology• Habitat diversity
SOCIAL EQUITY
Ensure a welcoming, accessible, and representative space for all
• Accessibility• Telling the stories• Diverse programming• Connectivity to
neighborhoods• Civic engagement
(protest and representation)
Are these the right goals? Tell us what you think!
Cultural events / installations
Strategies
Social Equity
Civic engagement
Celebrate arts and culture
Women’s March, Austin
2013 Day of the Dead Parade
• Accessibility• Telling the stories• Diverse programming• Connectivity to
neighborhoods• Civic engagement (protest
and representation)
Ensuring a welcoming, accessible, and representative space for all
Diverse programming
Accessibility
Tell the stories6th Street Yoga, Austin
ADA-friendly walkway, 2nd Street, Austin Mademoiselle Maurice origami installation, France
These are some initial ideas...do you have others?
These are some initial ideas...do you have others?
Strategies
Mobility & Connectivity
Bicycle or pedestrian bridge
Pedestrian-focused intersections
Bike Bridge, Copenhagen
Street Color, Chicago
• Bike lanes• Pedestrian zones and
crosswalks• Circulator• Accessibility• Parking management• Signalization• Ann W. Richards Congress
Avenue Bridge improvements• Right sizing vehicular right-
of-way
Re-balance mobility options along Congress Avenue
CirculatorWider sidewalks
Parking Management Bike Lanes
The Avenue, Washington DC
SFPark Prospect Park West, New York
Circulator, Bethesda
These are some initial ideas...do you have others?
Strategies
Culture & History
Interpretative markers
WayfindingLegible London wayfinding system
Pitt Street, Taiwan
• Lighting• Public art• Wayfinding and signage• Place branding• Interpretative markers• Events and performances• Cultural anchors (north and
south of Lady Bird Lake)• Great design
Enhance Congress Avenue as a destination
Distinctive lighting Engaging public art
Interesting design Connection to cultural anchors
18 Nuances de Gai, Montreal Market Street, San Francisco
Parklet, WMB Studio Walk signs, Raleigh
These are some initial ideas...do you have others?
Enhanced café zones
Strategies
Economics
Food truck space
Market Street, Philadelphia
Klyde Warren Park, Dallas
• Support small, local businesses
• Ground floor activation• Diversity of retail options• Pop-up food & beverage /
retail opportunities• Enhanced café zones
Amplify the economic strength and diversity of Congress Avenue
Street festivals Temporary plazas
Temporary retail Support small, local businesses
South Street Spring Festival, Philadelphia Lawn on D, Boston
Le Fashion truck, Los Angeles Royal Blue parklet, Congress Avenue, Austin
These are some initial ideas...do you have others?
Strategies
Environment
Plant diverse, native species
Rainwater sculpturesHarbor Pavilion, Boston
Pollinator garden, Portland
• Shade and thermal comfort• Street trees• Stormwater management• Permeable paving • Connection to Lady Bird
Lake ecology• Habitat diversity
Celebrate biodiversity and urban habitat in a functional, resilient streetscape design
Shade structuresUse permeable pavers
Tell the water story Shade treesUptown Circle, Illinois Las Ramblas, Barcelona
Passeig de Saint Joan, Barcelona Houtan Park, Shanghai
2015–2016Set Project
Direction
2016–2017Select & Contract
Consultant
SPRING 2017Project Survey
SUMMER 2017Stakeholder
Focus Groups
MAY 2018Alternatives
SUMMER 2018Draft Project
Report
FALL 2018Final Project
Report
Public Event 1“Launch!”
Public Event 2“Transform!”
Public Event 3“Imagine!”
Public Event 4
Public Event 5
Vision
Values
Join us in May as we continue to imagine and shape the future of Congress Avenue! Stay tuned for further details on Public Event 3 “Imagine!” where we will explore different design alternatives. And in the meantime, please see the full results of our Analysis and Public Outreach, which will be posted to the project web site:
IMAGINE!Save the Date: Tuesday May 15th at 800 Congress AveMorning Open House: 7 am to 9 amEvening Open House: 5 pm to 8 pm
http://www.austintexas.gov/congressavenue
Our Congress Avenue is a great Texas people place – the cultural, historic and commercial spine of downtown Austin where people come to share, celebrate and create a bright future.
The Vision will be achieved and maintained through loyalty to a set of Values related to Character, Function and Management. A great street needs to do many things well but a street asked to perform too many tasks is likely to perform none of them well. Our efforts to achieve the Congress Avenue Vision will adhere to these Values that will guide what we ask of the Avenue and how we direct our work.