The Role of Transporta/on in Fostering Placemaking in ...

The Role of Transporta/on in Fostering Placemaking in Benton Harbor MDOT Southwest Region Denise A. Smith June 2, 2017 4th Annual Summer Conference on Livable CommuniEes

AGENDA

• Placemaking •  DefiniEon •  Role of TransportaEon

•  The Rebirth of Benton Harbor •  Brief History •  TransportaEon Improvements •  Efforts to Revitalize

•  Future Research •  Economics •  Equity

PLACEMAKING

• Placemaking - “the process of creaEng quality places where people want to live, work, play, shop, learn, and visit”1

•  Involves public

1 Wyckoff, Neumann, Pape, & Schindler. 2015. Placemaking as an Economic Development Tool

Types of Placemaking

Standard Incremental approach

TacEcal Changes to physical environment and to

uses of exisEng spaces

CreaEve arts and culture

Strategic talented workers and

businesses

PLACEMAKING & TRANSPORTATION

• What role does transportaEon play in transforming a community into a more desirable place? •  Public places •  Rightsizing •  Traffic calming •  DesEnaEons

• How do transportaEon investments help to spur economic development?

h^ps://www.pps.org/reference/reference-categories/transportaEon-arEcles/

EXAMPLES OF RIGHTSIZING PROJECTS Project & Loca,on Before A1er

Stone Way North in Sea^le, WA 4 lanes 3 lanes and bike lanes Philadelphia, PA parking lane public plaza

Raymond Avenue in Poughkeepsie, NY 4 lanes 2 lanes, roundabouts, pedestrian infrastructure Prospect Park West in Brooklyn, NY 3 lanes 2 lanes and protected bike lanes

Edgewater Drive in Orlando, FL 4 lanes 3 lanes and bike lanes East Boulevard in Charlo^e, NC 4 or 5 lanes 3 lanes with bike and pedestrian improvements

Broadway Boulevard in New York, NY Varied configuraEons

Pedestrian plazas, [separated/protected] bike lanes, pedestrian crossing signal phases, turning

regulaEons, extended sidewalks Bridgeport Way in University Place, WA 5 lanes 4 lanes, bike lanes, and sidewalks

Nebraska Avenue in Tampa, FL 4 lanes 3 lanes and bike lanes Main street in Bridgeport, CA 5 lanes 3 lanes, parking, bike and pedestrian improvements

Park East Freeway in Milwaukee, WI Elevated freeway Boulevard and urban grid Octavia Boulevard in San Francisco, CA Elevated freeway Boulevard

h^ps://www.pps.org/reference/rightsizing/

BRIEF HISTORY OF BENTON HARBOR

Early History 1830 1840 1850 1860 1870 1880 1890 1900 1910 1920

1836 160 acres of land

purchased in Benton

Township

1866 incorporated as a village

1870s became a

busy lake port

1891 incorporated

as a city

1905 industries

a^racted by land grants

1920s development

conEnued

BRIEF HISTORY OF BENTON HARBOR

Decline of Benton Harbor • Change in technology, foreign compeEEon, slowdown in the

automoEve industry • Plagued by race issues in the 1960s • High unemployment, deplorable housing condiEons, closing of

factories and businesses •  Stark contrast between demographics in Benton Harbor and its twin

city, St. Joseph • Designated as an enterprise zone in 1986 (incenEves for businesses) •  Increased unemployment, drug use, violence, and tension with police • An emergency financial manager was put in place to take control of

the city (last emergency manager exited in 2013)

TRANSPORTATION IMPROVEMENTS

Project Summary • MDOT’S 2009 redesign and reconstrucEon of Main Street •  Full reconstrucEon of a 1.7 mile-stretch along I-94 Business Loop (i.e.,

Main Street) from Riverview Street to North Fair Avenue •  Two disEnct secEons: •  commercial area (from Riverview Street to Paw Paw Avenue) •  residenEal area (from Paw Paw Avenue to North Fair Avenue)

•  $12 million (FHWA, MDOT, City of Benton Harbor) •  Extensive community involvement


Project Aspects •  roundabout installaEon •  lane removal •  driveway consolidaEon and access management •  street lighEng and landscape enhancements in the commercial area •  streetscape improvements •  lighEng poles and fixtures replacement •  sign and pavement marking replacement, new sign installaEon •  traffic signal modernizaEon •  pavement, sidewalk, and curb and gu^er reconstrucEon •  uElity reconstrucEon and replacement (storm sewer reconstrucEon, watermain

replacement, sanitary sewer reconstrucEon, water service loop, private uElity relocaEons)


B E F O R E


Public Involvement •  Southwest Michigan Planning Commission… • Public MeeEngs • Benton Harbor Walkability Audit by Dan Burden – 2006 • Benton Harbor Main Street Charre^e

BEFORE IMAGES (2)

Previous Roadway Design New Roadway Design The commercial district had a total of five lanes, total 64’ of pavement. The residenEal district had three lanes with a total pavement width of 54’.

The project narrowed the roadway to three 11’ lanes with a 5’ bike lane on both sides of the road for the enEre length of the project.

Both the commercial and residenEal districts included intermi^ent parking lanes along both sides of the road.

In the commercial district, intermi^ent 8’ wide parking lanes are located outside of the bike lanes.

The posted speed limit along the stretch varied between 35-40 mph.

In the redesign and reconstrucEon, a design speed of 5 mph greater than the posted speeds was considered.

The previous stretch included five signalized intersecEons.

Four of the signalized intersecEons were replaced. The other intersecEon was eliminated due to the construcEon of a roundabout in its place. Two roundabouts were included with this project: one at 5th Street and the other at Riverview Street.

SUMMARY TABLE: MAIN STREET BEFORE AND AFTER

REDESIGN - HISTORIC DOWNTOWN

REDESIGN - RESIDENTIAL

REDESIGN - ROUNDABOUT


AFTER


AFTER

Source: Google Maps

EFFORTS TO REVITALIZE

“Over the last decade, the troubled city has seen the successful transforma7on of its former lakefront brownfield into Harbor Shores — a $450 million resort-style development that includes a Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course, a hotel, plus retail and business space, along with dozens of new homes. Another welcomed addi7on to the city is its Arts District with its galleries, restaurants and shops. And Whirlpool — the corporate giant that’s been firmly rooted in Benton Harbor for more than 100 years — is finishing the final phase of its $85 million, three-building administra7ve complex called Riverview Campus at 600 W. Main St.”


THE ARTS DISTRICT


WHIRLPOOL CORPORATION


HARBOR SHORES

From “Twin CiEes Harbor: A Study PotenEal in Benton Harbor & St. Joseph, MI” (Andrews University & SWMPC) h^p://www.swmpc.org/downloads/twin_ciEes_harbor_final1.pdf

FUTURE RESEARCH

• QuanEfying the economic impacts of transportaEon improvements • Placemaking and equity

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