REVEALING THE UNSEEN RIVER - A RIVERCENTRIC...
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REVEALING THE UNSEEN RIVER - A RIVERCENTRIC LANDSCAPE EXPLORATION Sanja Martic - MLA - Master Thesis - Department of Landscape Architecture RIVERWALK DESIGN PLAN 500’ 250’ 0’ Programmed Lookout Lookout Point Enhanced Existing Vegetation Planted Grasses 9’ Wide Path 14’ Wide Path River Access Cleared Vegetation Views Sensory Connectors Pedestrian/Bicycle Ramp Albany Street Bridge Railroad Bridge Lynch Memorial Bridge Landing Lane Bridge Rt18N Exit Ramp Raritan River Embankment Riprap Trench 6’ Chain Link Fence 14’ Retaining Wall Volunteers 9’ N N N N Typical Perspective Rivercentric Perspective New Brunswick and Raritan Raritan and New Brunswick New Jersey’s Raritan Watershed Raritan Watershed in New Jersey - 3. URBAN STREETS - 4. GREEN STREETS - 5. BLUE CORRIDORS 5 LEVELS OF INTERVENTION: - 1. RIVERWALK - 2. WATERFRONT ACCESS POINTS WATERFRONT ACCESS POINTS New Brunswick City Limits NE Corridor Train Tracks Train Stations Boyd Park Bucchelow Park Commercial Avenue Joyce Kilmer Ave D&R Canal Park Rt 27 Delavan Street Johnson Park Raritan River Hamilton St. Loretto St. Deiner Park New Street Vorhees Mall College Avenue Rotation gives the river graphic dominance on the map and triggers a new understand- ing - it shifts the perspective from a typical view where focus is on the city with the river run- ning along its edge, to the plan view dominated by the river’s vertical axis and a city on its banks. 0 2’ 4’ 8’ Rt18N Raritan River Embankment Riprap Riverwalk 6’ Chain Link Fence 14’ Retaining Wall Volunteers 70’’ Pipe D&R CANAL BEFORE FILL 9’ Rt18 Raritan River Johnson Park Johnson Park Change of Perspective BRUTALIST SECLUSION BRUTALIST STRUCTURES HIGHWAY OVERLOOK HIGHWAY BUFFER Evaluation is applied to the five site typologies organized according to their distance and connection to the river. These are areas iden- tified as having the best opportunity for creating connections be- tween the city and the river: Riverwalk, Waterfront Access Points, Key Connector Streets (Urban Streets and Green Streets), and the Blue Corridors – formed by enhancing access to the river’s tributaries. SLINKY SPRINGS TO FAME OBERHAUSEN, GERMANY PHOENIX-SEE DORTMUND, GERMANY Source: Google Antilles Field Rt 18S Entrance Ramp Rt 18S Rt 18N Rt 18N Exit Ramp Boyd Park Raritan R D&R Canal - Historic Southern Terminus MEDIAN RETAINING WALL River Access Boat Ramp Sidewalk Sidewalk MEDIAN TOWPATH Evaluation and Typologies Riverwalk Typologies: Abstract: Background: Methods: Results: RIVERCENTRIC DESIGN INTEGRATED PLANNING EXPERIENTIAL ANALYTICAL ECOLOGY HISTORY ADOPTED “ROOM FOR THE RIVER” APPROACH Rivercentric Approach - Focus is on the river landscape with all of its cultural and ecological layers with the city integrated within it. - Design builds out from the river itself. - River is considered a core rather than an edge. - Perspective shifts from a city-centric to the river-centric. - Framework considers Dutch Room for The River approach. - Accent is on increasing visibility of the river within the community. - Approach could be applied to any river - city. - Everyday experience guides design decisions. End goal of the design process is integrating engagement with the riverine ecosystem into everyday experience in the City of New Brunswick. Ultimately this leads to improved visibility of the Raritan riverscape in the city and develops an appreciation for water as an asset and not a threat that needs to be controlled. The process is capturing quality of every day, human scale experience in the currently invisible riverine landscape, exploring ways to visualize and represent this experience and finally enhancing it. Thesis answers the following questions: -How can designer apply an integrated river centric planning approach in an urban riverscape design? -What does it take to shift our thinking from river as an edge to river as an epicenter? Current road and bridge design of Rt 18 creates a levee, shielding views to the Raritan and obstructing the river access. Raritan River is not wide enough to have a dominant, commanding presence in the landscape. Views to the river are further obstructed by buildings, and by wild urban nature itself. Delaware and Raritan Canal is partially filled in by Rt 18, with unsafe, underutilized bike path running along its side. Canal water is partially rerouted over a spillway and partially piped through an underground pipe. The river is INVISIBLE in everyday life of the city. Towpath Raritan River Rt 18N Rt 18S Rt 18N Exit Ramp NB Buffer D&R Canal Boyd Park Rt 18S Enter Ramp New Brunswick City Hyatt Buffer Method: 50 RARITAN RIVER MILE RUN N D&R CANAL Buccleuch Park Riverwalk Boyd Park Johnson Park CANAL PARK DEP - Access Commercial Avenue Joyce Kilmer Rt 27 - French Street Hamilton Street Franklin Boulevard ALBANY BRIDGE LANDING LANE A RAILROAD Deiner Park Rutgers 2030 EAST COAST GREENWAY Landscape typologies are established within the city building out from the river as a core: Riverwalk, Waterfront Access Points, Green Streets, Urban Streets and Green Corridors. Each typology is granted a design solution aimed at better facilitating connection to the river. Evaluation is performed before and aſter proposed design intervention, based on adapted Room for the River system representing landscape as a sys- tem of layers. e approach is influencing an institutionalized paradigm shiſt in planning and design, as well as shiſt in public perception that would consider mak- ing more room for the river basin rather than restricting it. A very first step is increasing visibility of the river. FLOATING DOCK, JOHNSON PARK - PROPOSED Change over Time
Transcript of REVEALING THE UNSEEN RIVER - A RIVERCENTRIC...
REVEALING THE UNSEEN RIVER - A RIVERCENTRIC LANDSCAPE EXPLORATIONSanja Martic - MLA - Master Thesis - Department of Landscape Architecture
RIVERWALK DESIGN PLAN
500’250’0’
Programmed LookoutLookout PointEnhanced Existing Vegetation Planted Grasses 9’ Wide Path14’ Wide Path
River AccessCleared Vegetation
Views
Sensory ConnectorsPedestrian/Bicycle Ramp
Albany Street Bridge
Railroad Bridge
Lynch Memorial Bridge
Landing Lane Bridge
Rt18N Exit Ramp Raritan RiverEmbankment RiprapTrench
6’ C
hain
Lin
k Fe
nce
14’ R
etai
ning
Wal
l
Volu
ntee
rs
9’
0 2’ 4’ 8’
NN
NN
NN
N
NTypi
cal P
ersp
ectiv
eRi
verc
entri
c Pe
rspe
ctiv
e
New Brunswick and Raritan
Raritan and New Brunswick
New Jersey’s RaritanWatershed
Raritan Watershedin New Jersey
- 3. URBAN STREETS
- 4. GREEN STREETS
- 5. BLUE CORRIDORS
5 LEVELS OF INTERVENTION:
- 1. RIVERWALK - 2. WATERFRONT ACCESS POINTS
WATERFRONT ACCESS POINTS
New Brunswick City Limits
NE Corridor Train Tracks
Train Stations
Boyd Park
Bucchelow Park
Comm
ercial Avenue
Joyce Kilmer Ave
D&R Canal Park
Rt 27Delavan Street
Johnson Park
Raritan River
Hamilton St.
Loretto St.
Deiner Park
New St
reet
Vorhees Mall
College Avenue
Rotation gives the river graphic dominance on the map and triggers a new understand-ing - it shifts the perspective from a typical view where focus is on the city with the river run-ning along its edge, to the plan view dominated by the river’s vertical axis and a city on its banks.
Typical View
0 2’ 4’ 8’
Rt18N Raritan RiverEmbankment RiprapRiverwalk
6’ C
hain
Lin
k Fe
nce
14’ R
etai
ning
Wal
l
Volu
ntee
rs
70’’ Pipe D&R CANAL BEFORE FILL
9’
Rt18
Raritan River
Johnson Park
Johnson Park
Change of Perspective
BRUTALIST SECLUSION
BRUTALIST STRUCTURES
HIGHWAY OVERLOOK
HIGHWAY BUFFER
Evaluation is applied to the five site typologies organized according to their distance and connection to the river. These are areas iden-tified as having the best opportunity for creating connections be-tween the city and the river: Riverwalk, Waterfront Access Points, Key Connector Streets (Urban Streets and Green Streets), and the Blue Corridors – formed by enhancing access to the river’s tributaries.
SLINKY SPRINGS TO FAME OBERHAUSEN, GERMANY
PHOENIX-SEE DORTMUND, GERMANYSource: Google
Antilles Field
Rt 18SEntranceRamp Rt 18S Rt 18N
Rt 18NExitRamp Boyd Park Raritan RiverD&R Canal - Historic Southern Terminus MEDIANRETAINING WALL
River AccessBoat RampSi
dew
alk
Side
wal
k
MEDIAN
TOWPATH
Evaluation and Typologies Riverwalk Typologies:
Abstract:
Background:
Methods:
Results:
3
RIVERCENTRIC
DESIGN
INTEGRATED PLANNING
EXPERIENTIAL ANALYTICALECOLOGY
HISTORY
ADOPTED“ROOM FOR THE RIVER” APPROACH
Rivercentric Approach
- Focus is on the river landscape with all of its cultural and ecological layers
with the city integrated within it.
- Design builds out from the river itself.
- River is considered a core rather than an edge.
- Perspective shifts from a city-centric to the river-centric.
- Framework considers Dutch Room for The River approach.
- Accent is on increasing visibility of the river within the community.
- Approach could be applied to any river - city.
- Everyday experience guides design decisions.
End goal of the design process is integrating engagement with the riverine ecosystem into everyday experience in the City of New Brunswick. Ultimately this leads to improved visibility of the Raritan riverscape in the city and develops an appreciation for water as an asset and not a threat that needs to be controlled. The process is capturing quality of every day, human scale experience in the currently invisible riverine landscape, exploring ways to visualize and represent this experience and finally enhancing it.
Thesis answers the following questions:-How can designer apply an integrated river centric planning approach in an urban riverscape design?-What does it take to shift our thinking from river as an edge to river as an epicenter?
Current road and bridge design of Rt 18 creates a levee, shielding views to the Raritan and obstructing the river access. Raritan River is not wide enough to have a dominant, commanding presence in the landscape. Views to the river are further obstructed by buildings, and by wild urban nature itself. Delaware and Raritan Canal is partially filled in by Rt 18, with unsafe, underutilized bike path running along its side. Canal water is partially rerouted over a spillway and partially piped through an underground pipe.
The river is INVISIBLE in everyday life of the city.
TowpathRt 18NRt 18SRt 18NExit Ramp NBBuffer D&R CanalBoyd ParkRt 18S Enter RampNew Brunswick CityHyatt Buffer
Towpath Raritan RiverRt 18NRt 18SRt 18NExit Ramp NBBuffer D&R CanalBoyd ParkRt 18S Enter RampNew Brunswick CityHyatt Buffer
Method:
50
RARI
TAN
RIV
ER
MILE RUN
N
D&
R CA
NAL
Buccleuch Park
Rive
rwal
k
Boyd Park
Johnson Park
CAN
AL P
ARK
DEP
- Ac
cess
Commercial Avenue
Joyce Kilmer
Rt 27 - French Street
Hamilton Street
Franklin Boulevard
LYNCH BRIDGE
ALBANY BRIDGE
LANDING LANE
A
RAILROAD
Dei
ner P
arkRutgers 2030
EAST COAST GREENWAY
Rutgers 2030
Landscape typologies are established within the city building out from the river as a core: Riverwalk, Waterfront Access Points, Green Streets, Urban Streets and Green Corridors. Each typology is granted a design solution aimed at better facilitating connection to the river.
Evaluation is performed before and after proposed design intervention, based on adapted Room for the River system representing landscape as a sys-tem of layers.
The approach is influencing an institutionalized paradigm shift in planning and design, as well as shift in public perception that would consider mak-ing more room for the river basin rather than restricting it. A very first step is increasing visibility of the river.
FLOATING DOCK, JOHNSON PARK - PROPOSED
Change over Time
