URBAN DESIGN OPPORTUNITY ATLAS
2014
2014 AIA|LA URBAN DESIGN OPPORTUNITY ATLAS
Public / Private Partnerships for Downtown Streetscapes
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The Circle at Venice
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Small Lot Subdivisions in LA
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Provide the Path
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Ribbon Gardens
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AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
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PUBLIC / PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS FOR DOWNTOWN STREETSCAPES Architects, Landscape Architects and Urban Designers don’t always expect a warm reception when we reach out to City Officials with opportunities to collaborate. Sadly, our relationships with agencies are often adversarial as designers grapple with their code requirements and ordinances. So when the Bureau of Sanitation eagerly embraced LOHA’s effort to integrate their “Green Streets” initiative with the design of one of our Arts District projects, we realized that new forces are at work in the city. Indeed, as Los Angeles’ economic recovery continued to gain momentum through 2014, two parallel public programs, aimed at improving the quality of urban life in the city’s burgeoning downtown, began gaining momentum as well. Mayor Eric Garcetti’s “Great Streets” initiative and the L.A. River Watershed Protection Program both represent multi-agency efforts to shape various aspects of downtown Los Angeles’ future streetscapes. A streetscape in West Hollywood - which has a cohesive policy for street design.
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
A SEAMLESS TRANSITION BETWEEN PUBLIC AND PRIVATE REALMS
Potential Partners Bureau of Sanitation | LARABA | Councilman Huizar’s Office 3
PUBLIC / PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS FOR DOWNTOWN STREETSCAPES
Cohesive Streetscapes depend on the seamless integration of public and private space in downtown Los Angeles.
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
However, both Great Streets and Green Streets are limited to the public side of the Property Line. Conversely, the work of Architects and Landscape Architects are on the owner’s side. With the renewed interest – and in some cases explicit directives – by city agencies to contribute something more than blank concrete to L.A.’s pedestrian experience, it is imperative that we designers look for ways to integrate their work in hopes of achieving a seamless transition from the public realm to the private. For instance, Watershed Protection’s bio-swales can blend seamlessly into the private-side sustainable landscapes of future urban in-fill projects. The possibilities are intriguing, and recognizing this opportunity is the first step in creating what could be a uniquely L.A. way of making Great Streets!
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THE CIRCLE AT VENICE At the convergence of Windward Avenue, Grand Boulevard and Main Street, a large swath of concrete not far from Venice Beach sits underutilized and full of potential as a neighborhood asset. One hundred years ago, this was the site of a grand lagoon, which served as the junction of a number of canals inspired by the waterways of Venice, Italy. It was a fine meeting space. Locals and visitors alike came to lounge and enjoy the sights. Later, the lagoon was filled in and today, a sparse, pedestrian prohibited, patch of landscaping stands isolated, separated from the bustle of nearby shops by a wide traffic circle. Reconfiguring the streetscape and connecting the circle to its surroundings can yield a new meeting place for the community and visitors alike.
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
A NEW CENTER FOR VENICE
Potential Partners Council District 11 Office | Venice Neighborhood Council Amplify LA | Silver Pictures | Hama Sushi | Lambert Investments 7
THE CIRCLE AT VENICE
A large, central public space can be created by converting the present traffic circle to a bend in the road.
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
At full buildout, a large, public square could assume the place. Under current conditions, the space is underutilized, as shown at right. Depending on public support, the public space could assume a variety of identities, including simple curb extensions and landscaping lending to pedestrian safety, or a hybrid scheme that could involve more roadway space converted to community use. In all cases, the public realm improvements capitalize and build upon the primary assets of the circle: its location at the heart of the community, and its centrally focused and historic buildings, including the historic Venice Post Office.
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SMALL LOT SUBDIVISIONS IN LA In 2005 the City of Los Angeles created the Small Lot Ordinance to meet the growing need for new housing and lower the barrier to home ownership in the city. By introducing compact single-family housing types on smaller-sized lots, the Ordinance was intended to encourage moderate residential density as a strategy for infill development based on smart growth principles. Over the past decade, the implementation of this unique ordinance has revealed opportunities for design-based approaches that embody smart growth principles and address socio-economic needs through sustainable, situational and outcome-based solutions.
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
SUBDIVISION FOR SMART GROWTH AND SUSTAINABLE DESIGN
Potential Partners LA Department of City Planning 11
SMALL LOT DEVELOPMENTS IN LA
Small lots can be subdivided to provide additional housing and increase home ownership.
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
Small lot subdivison affords benefits at three scales: the scale of the specific site itself, the scale of human occupancy, and the construction scale. Site specific advantages include pedestrian friendly frontages, shared infrastructure and a diversity of green spaces. Benefits to occupants include increased affordability, adaptable structures for growing families and improved environmental sensitivity. Construction scale improvements include the ability to maximize ventilation and day lighting opportunities, integrate thermal mass and solar improvements and introduce recycled building materials.
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PEDESTRIAN RIGHT TO SAFE AND CONVENIENT ACCOMMODATION We talk about streets and plan streets for people: people streets, great streets, accessible public spaces, public transportation, affordable housing, mixed use development, outdoor shopping malls. However, the built environment in Los Angeles and beyond is often hostile and even dangerous to pedestrians. Required by code to design to street, driveway, and parking standards for vehicles, we design curb ramps with truncated domes, two percent slopes at doorways, and five percent slopes at sidewalks in the direction of travel for pedestrians. Yet none of these standards create safe and convenient pedestrian paths around the city. We need to spend as much effort designing for pedestrians as we do for cars. We need more thoughtful design and a higher performance standard to meet pedestrian needs for safe and convenient accommodation.
Collisions 36,000+ Angelenos injured or killed in motor vehicle collisions per year = 100 every day 48% of traffic fatalities are pedestrians & bicyclists 1/3 of collisions in the City are hit-andruns, double the national average pedestrian fatality rates for children under age 4 and seniors over age 70 5% of pedestrians die when hit by a vehicle moving <20 MPH 80% of pedestrians die when hit by a vehicle moving >40 MPH Mobility Plan 2035
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
PEDESTRIAN MANIFESTO Provide the Path: make the connections during project planning
1. Pedestrian rights to safe and accessible passage are equal to vehicle rights 2. Pedestrian rights shall be universally adopted and not limited to “Pedestrian Priority” zones, streets, or areas or restricted in “Vehicle Priority” zones, streets, or areas 3. General, specific and community plans shall include or reference Pedestrian Safety and Access Plans 4. A Pedestrian Safety and Access Study shall be a standard component in any environmental analysis, weighted equal to a traffic study 5. Crosswalks shall be boldly marked at intersections and at 1000 foot intervals where no intersections occur, on all collector streets, streets with transit, at all transit stops 6. Crosswalk and signal design shall be flexible and innovative, customized to the pedestrian volume and path of travel demands of each location 7. Pedestrian walk signal shall automatically display when traffic signal changes without the need to request a crossing signal. Crossing signal request buttons, where provided, shall be custom timed for the length of that crossing and also include the option to request more crossing time by qualified individuals.
Potential Partners Council Offices | LACP | LADBS | CEQA | Metro 15
e Maps
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PEDESTRIAN RIGHT TO SAFE AND CONVENIENT ACCOMMODATION Sure
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Zigzag path designed for the convenience of vehicles, not pedestrians
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
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Facilitating effective, safe, and convenient pedestrian interaction is at the core of urban design. To further a urban design in Los Angeles, we recommend the following considerations: –– Connect the opposite sides of the street –– Connect transit to sidewalks –– Connect plazas and parks to sidewalks and transit –– Connect building entrances to sidewalks –– Do not route pedestrian traffic through parking or other areas designated for vehicles –– Correlate sidewalk width with adjacent uses and subsequent pedestrian activity –– Avoid blocking sidewalks during construction. If necessary, provide a safe, covered path
SAFETY
FUNCTION
COMFORT
Elements of the pedestrian environment 17
RIBBON GARDENS: DIY FOOD DESERT MITIGATION Ribbon Gardens aim to transform lost public space - the commonly barren parkway strips in front of houses in LA’s food deserts - into functional areas for food production. This strategy is in direct response both to LA City Council’s August 2013 15-0 vote to allow urban gardening to take root in public parkways (the area between sidewalk and curb) as well as Mayor Garcetti’s numerous statements regarding the implementation of urban gardening as a strategy to combat food scarcity in Los Angeles. A series of eight planting structures, ranging from simple raised planting beds, to benches with embedded planter spaces, to raised tree planters with built-in storage units, have been custom designed to fit within these parkways. Each planter has been designed with cost, ease of fabrication, and replicability in mind. As a result, each structure costs significantly less than commercial products and all lumber cuts are either 90o or 45o, and can be performed free of charge at most hardware stores.
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
TRANSFORMING UNDERUTILIZED PLANTER STRIPS IN LA FOOD DESERTS
Potential Partners Council District 13 Office | Elysian Valley Neighborhood Council 19
RIBBON GARDENS: DIY FOOD DESERT MITIGATION
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30â&#x20AC;&#x2122; x 6â&#x20AC;&#x2122; 180 sf
24 /block
4,200 sf / block
A street tree provides pleasant shade, captures stormwater and helps promote a walkable neighborhood
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Planted benches offer a place to rest and catch up with friends
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Raised planter beds enable any cook to easily spice up their meals
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Standing p l a n t e r s a-frames provide more working space for more robust food production
A f u l l y realized Ribbon Garden can provide about 70 lbs of fresh food a year and serve as a community anchor
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The range of Ribbon Garden components enables residents to fine-tune their participation to suit their needs
AIA|LA Urban Design Committee
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Many parkway strips in Los Angeles average 180 square feet, and with roughly 24 open strips per block, there is nearly a basketball courtâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s worth of planting space each. Using a conservative .3 yield, roughly 1,300 pounds of fresh food per block per year can be produced; a significant contribution towards a healthier diet in neighborhoods lacking access to healthy foods, and assuming an average produce price of $2 per pound, a significant cost savings as well. Recognizing that each resident has their individual set of needs and interests, the Ribbon Gardens proposal allows for a broad range of integration and participation. As this network of food production facilities grows, so too does the resilience and independence of Los Angelesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; residents who live in food deserts.
Raised Bed Planter
Tree Box Planter
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Bench
American Institute of Architects | Los Angeles
Urban Design Opportunity Atlas
AIA Los Angeles
Will Wright, Hon. AIA|LA Director, Government & Public Affairs will@aialosangeles.org
3780 Wilsihre Blvd. 800 Los Angeles, CA 90010 www.aialosangeles.org
2014
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