Andre Johnson: Urban Planning / Design Portfolio

Andre Johnson Portfolio

Urban Planning Urban Design Architecture Photography

Updated September 2019

Andre Johnson 513-509-9494

johns6ae@mail.uc.edu

Personal Statement Having lived in many cities throughout my childhood and into my adulthood, I’ve found an interest in the factors that go into designing livable, functional, and aesthetically appealing places. The built environment is powerful in altering not only the human experience, but the economy, transportation, and the environment. It is my goal to design beautiful, functional places that positively effect the built environment and its affected elements.

Education

Experience

Bachelor of Urban Planning University of Cincinnati August 2015 - Present Cincinnati, OH Certificate of Classical Architecture Institute of Classical Architecture & Art June-July 2019 New York City, NY High School Diploma Walnut Hills High School August 2011 - May 2015 Cincinnati, OH

Design Intern Michael Watkins Architect, LLC January 2018 - Present Gaithersburg, MD Working closely with urban designers, dedicated to designing and implementing walkable and public realms that foster community.

Assisting in design of neighborhoods, hamlets and town extensions, preparation of design guidelines and zoning ordinances, and participating in urban design charrettes.

Recreation Specialist Cincinnati Recreation Commission August 2018 - December 2018 Cincinnati, OH Working closely with civil engineers, and an architect. Designing renovations to Cincinnati’s recreation sites. Organizing and hosting community engagement sessions. Interacting with contractors and participating in meetings. Surveying sites to provide preliminary data for design.

Pool Manager, Aquatics Supervisor, Lifeguard Instructor Various Locations September 2013 - Present Cincinnati, OH Supervising patrons and staff in pools; Rescuing and performing necessary care to distressed, injured or passive swimmers; Teaching and organizing swim lessons; Instructing and re-certifying lifeguards.

Skills InDesign Photoshop Illustrator Excel Word PowerPoint SketchUp ArcGIS AutoCAD

Achievements March 2018 Published plan drawing in The Town Courier, Gaithersburg, MD independent newspaper

October 2017 DAAP E2C Blitz “Implement It Tomorrow” Award

2016-2019 The University of Cincinnati Dean’s List (All Semesters)

CONTENTS

Research Grocery Store Suitability Analysis.......................... 2

Site Design Planned Unit Development.................................. 4 Studio Designed PUD.......................................... 8 Blythe Oldfield Master Plan................................ 10

Architecture Pavilion Entrance................................................ 14

Photography Photo Collage.................................................... 18

Grocery Store Suitability Analysis Individual Introduction to Geographic Information Systems Spring 2017

RESEARCH

Project Overview

2

Given the task to create a Land-Use Suitability Analysis for Hamilton County, I chose to create a suitability analysis for the development of a new grocery store, from the developer's standpoint. Using the MCE (Multiple Criteria Evaluation) technique of land-use suitability, I used five criteria which were analyzed by distance or value.

After determining the polarity of the data, based on its affect on the placement of a grocery store, the data was ranked by distance from points, or value of a given census tract. After ranking and weighting each criterion, they were combined into one unified map.

More Information Suitability for the placement of a grocery store dwindles with distance from Cincinnati’s downtown. Downtown Cincinnati clearly has the highest suitability for the placement of the grocery store, with its high population density, and easy access to transportation systems. Transportation systems were ranked the most important criteria to consider when placing a grocery store; without easy access to the store, the clientele will be limited. As a result, the locations outside of the range of highway exits or bus stops likely lack the accessibility to make the placement of a grocery store profitable. A couple months after I completed this assignment, Kroger released their plan to develop a grocery store in Downtown Cincinnati to serve the Downtown, Over-the-Rhine, and West End. It was great to know that my combination map was accurate enough to predict where the development of a new grocery store would be chosen.

Combination Diagram

Proximity to Grocery Stores

Hamilton County, OH

Median Household Income

Proximity to Highway Exits

Population Density

Proximity to Bus Stops Suitable 100 50 0 Unsuitable 3

SITE DESIGN 4

Planned Unit Development Co-op Michael Watkins Architect, LLC Spring 2018 Project Overview On my first co-op with Michael Watkins Architect, I was tasked to design a PUD as part of a design auction hosted by a city. Several other Urban Design firms were asked to participate in submitting a design for the space, and the best one will be chosen for implementation. A planned unit development (PUD) is a type of building development that groups together land uses in one contained development.

More Information With help from Michael Watkins, I used AutoCAD to design a site with the existing conditions (shown on the right) kept in mind. Existing around the site are garden apartments and a day care to the north, undeveloped space and a shopping center to the south, and single-family residential homes to the east. Circulation into the site exists through the shopping center, and the bordering thoroughfare to the west of the site.

Existing Site Illustrator

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Garden Apartments Day Care Shopping Center Undeveloped Single-Family Residential Site Site Circulation 5

The Proposal AutoCAD

1 7 Units

10,000 SF Retail

Stormwater Pond

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RESIDENTIAL The COMMERCIAL proposal for the planned unit development includes 10,000 square feet ofOR retail space at theCOMMERCIAL main entrance Retailof the site. The commercial 10,000space SF here MFcontributes Units 84 Retail to the shopping center to the southwest. It also plans for 84 10,000 SF Multi-Family units, each with a porch or balcony.

streetsSFspaces, but also has parking lots for84 theUnits commercial and residential separately. The Total The parking prioritizes10,000 Total Total street parking in total accounts for 74 of the site's parking spaces. The residential head-in parking lot is hidden Parking required Parking required Parking required behind the buildings with alley access, as to be not immediately visible.

Retail: 5/1,000 SF

50

Residential: 2/unit

168

Retail: 5/1,000 SF

The main thoroughfare into the site enters from the street to the west of the site, and is tree-lined all the way

10,000 SF

50

Total: Total through to the parking.50 Spaces Totalcreating a contained The street terminates on a civic space 168 andSpaces a residential building, sense of place.provided The end of the street allows for a Parking potential connection with the undeveloped space Parking to the southParking provided provided

50 Space

east Parking Lotof the site.

17 Spaces Parking Lot 130 Spaces Parking Lot Street 31 Spaces Street 43 Spaces Street The site also has access from the commercial site to the south, and enters on a tree lined thoroughfare, providing Total 48 Spaces Total 173 Spaces Total more street parking and a connection to the main thoroughfare.

Difference -2 Spaces Difference +5 Spaces Difference

17 Space 31 Space 48 Space -2 Space

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30'

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*Building 120' 8 is 3 stories.

RESIDENTIAL Program Information

MF 1 Bed: 48 MF 2 Bed: 24 Commercial MF 3 Bed: 12 Total Retail 10,000 84 Units SF Parking required

0

Parking Required Residential: 1.5/unit + .5/add’l bed Retail: 5/1,000 SF

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Total:

es es es es

4

150

50 Spaces

150 Spaces

Residential Multi-Family Units

84 Units

Parking Required Residential: 2/unit

168 Spaces

Parking Provided Parking provided Parking Lot 17 Spaces Street 31 Parking Lot 130 Spaces Spaces Total 48 Street 43 Spaces Spaces

Parking Provided Parking Lot 130 Spaces Street 43 Spaces Total 173 Spaces

Total 173 Spaces Parking Difference Difference +23 Spaces-2 Spaces

Parking Difference 0'

30'

N

+5 Spaces 60'

120'

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SITE DESIGN 8

Studio Designed PUD Individual Site Planning & Design Fall 2017 Project Overview In Site Planning & Design, we were given a client to design a residential planned unit development for. The first step of our process of creating a conceptual design for the client, was gathering inventory of research on the sites of interest. Next, we analyzed the sites to decide which was most ideal for a new residential development. With the site chosen, we were each tasked to individually design a proposal for the site.

More Information My proposal makes use of as much space as possible, avoiding steep drops in topography, and preserving the pond near the street of access. The streets are only 24 feet wide, which is tight but allows for street parking on one side. The sidewalks are five feet wide to allow for a more pedestrian prioritized traffic. The residential townhouses are 20x40 and have detached, rear-loaded garages, accessible by alleys. The streets are lined with street trees to beautify the street life.This design embraces New Urbanist concepts, by prioritizing walkability and keeping the built environment compact and diverse.

Proposed Site AutoCAD, Photoshop

3D Rendering

0'

62.5' 125'

250'

2-Foot Contour Residential Mixed-Use Civic Building 9

SITE DESIGN 10

Blythe Oldfield Master Plan Co-op Michael Watkins Architect, LLC Spring 2018 Project Overview On my first co-op with Michael Watkins Architect, I had an amazing opportunity to go on a Charrette in a Cleveland, TN neighborhood called Blythe Oldfield. The goal of the Charrette was create a master plan for the neighborhood, including design goals, and addressing improvements to neighborhood aspects such as civic spaces and thoroughfares. The master plan also addresses new initiatives and funding. On this week-long charrette, I had an opportunity to participate in hands-on urban design, and interact with the community of Blythe Oldfield neighborhood.

More Information Blythe Oldfield is a neighborhood in Southeast Cleveland, Tennessee. The neighborhood has a blue-collar industrial history that was once rich in manufacturing, but when many industries moved out, the quality of the neighborhood declined. City Fields, a non-profit organization based in Blythe Oldfield, is committed to reinvesting in the neighborhood. The principles that guided this master planning process can be found in the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) Charter. The CNU is a non-profit organization which promotes walkable, mixed-use and diverse towns, neighborhoods and cities and the CNU Charter is a summary of the principles by which well designed towns and cities are built.

Existing Site Photoshop

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250'

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Study Area Boundary 10-Foot Contour Flood Plain Electric Easement Property Line Existing Buildings 11

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Master Plan

80 40 0

Blythe Oldfield Neighborho

Lang Street

Master Plan

nue Ave

Hand-Drafted, Photoshop

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Proposed Buildings

Collectively, the improvem dividual blocks surroundi square will help to create a defined neighborhood squa

Existing Buildings

Property Line

Overhead Electric E

Flood Plain

2-Foot Contour

Study Area Boundar

Master Plan

Big Springs Square, The Collective Whol

Proposed Master Plan

Big Springs Square, Thoroughfares Big Springs Square, Thoroughfares

Study Area Boundary 14th Street

Study Boundary 2-FootArea Contour 2-Foot Contour Flood Plain

14th Street

Flood PlainElectric Easement Overhead Overhead Electric Easement Property Lines

Typical Proposed Thoroughfare Section

8' 5'

32'

5' 8'

The master plan is a representation of what the community demand for 8' 5'wants. There 5' 8' 32'was a strong 58' more places in the neighborhood for the community to gather, so we designed for areas to become 58' civic spaces. There was a strong demand for more places to shop, so we designed new commercial 14th / 15th / Wildwood areas.We also redesigned thoroughfares to be more Condition pedestrian adding sidewalks in areas to 14thfriendly, /Ideal 15th / Wildwood create a safer walk to school, street parking to keep 58'Ideal Right-of-Way Width cars off of front lawns,Condition and lined streets with trees Pavement Width to beautify 58' the34' neighborhood.

Right-of-Way Width 12

Movement 34'Slow Pavement Width 2 Travel Lanes Slow Movement

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school on the south border of the neighborhood.

blocks surrounding theAvenue” square� on page 68 Also see “Wildwood for more informationAvenue” on the recommendaAlso see “Wildwood on page 68

Michael Watkins Architect, llc July 17, 2018

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Hardwick Street

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Property Lines Perhaps the most important improvement to this area updating the thoroughfares to 15th Street Perhaps the ismost important improvement bethis more and walkable� Of particular to areaurban is updating the thoroughfares to importance are 14th Street, 15th Street and be more urban and walkable� Of particular Wildwood Avenue� addition of parallel importance are 14th The Street, 15th Street and parking, street trees and sidewalks will calm Wildwood Avenue� The addition of parallel trafficPlan and provide for pedestrians Plaza Detail parking, street treeseasy andaccess sidewalks will calm 16th Street from the adjacent neighborhoods� In order trafficwas and provide easy access for pedestrians The design created to re-solidify the neighborhood's to add parking, street trees and sidefrom theparallel adjacent neighborhoods� In order relationship with downtown Cleveland, by removing the walks bothparking, sides of street the street, some priadd on parallel treesreplacing and sidefactorytoseparating it from downtown, and it vate property may need to be acquired� with awalks park. The Blythesides Oldfield Regional on both of the street, Park, somelocatpri-It may not beborder possible to neighborhood have parallel ed at the northern the isparking meant vate property mayof need to be acquired� It and trees everywhere, but it is the goal� Big to be this solution, including many recreational resources. may not be possible to have parallel parking The factory is within themust floodplain, making a park the Springs have parking and treesSquare everywhere, butfactory iton-street is the goal� Big best useinoforder this space, now that the is abandoned. for themust proposed commercial uses Springs Square have on-street parking to order be viable� Urban retail expert Bob Gibbs in the The "Plaza DetailforPlan" isproposed a plan for commercial an intersectionuses in says, “No on-street parking, no of on-street rethe neighborhood, depictsretail the location new Gibbs buildto be viable�andUrban expert Bob tail�”“No Shown here parking, is conforming the ideal for ings, spaces, and thoroughfares, to constraints. says, on-street no condition on-street rethe “New Street” it may instead be More tail�” detail plans were done(though locations in the Shown here isfor thespecific ideal condition for neighborhood that have been redesigned. a single travel lane) as well as 14th the “Newone-way Street” (though it may instead be and 15th Streets� Adjustments may need to a singleProposed one-way travel lane)Section" as well just as 14th The "Typical Thoroughfare repbe made to accommodate the may right-of-way Adjustments need to resentsand one 15th of theStreets� many proposed thoroughfare sections. width that is actually available; however, onThe new the previously thoroughbe plan madetransforms to accommodate thelarge right-of-way street parking should be prioritized ononthe fares, into more pedestrian friendly ones. We focused on width that is actually available; however, blocksparking surrounding the thoroughfares that would serve main routes on to the the street should beassquare� prioritized

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Study Area Boundary Proposed Buildings 13

ARCHITECTURE 14

Pavilion Entrance Summer Studio Institute of Classical Architecture & Art Summer 2019 Project Overview In the summer studio I attended with the ICAA, I was given the assignment of a final presentation of a classically designed pavilion entrance for Prospect Park in NYC. These were individually designed by each student, producing vastly different results from everybody. The project began with an Esquisse; it was a conceptual design process, used to quickly design and settle on a Parti for the pavilion entrance and site. We were given just over an hour to design and choose the Parti that then fleshed out for the final Charrette process. My Esquisse conceptual drawings are shown on the right, and the final Charrette drawings are shown on the next page.

More Information In my Parti I decided to have a hierarchy that emphasizes the center passage. The side structures protrude forward to create a welcoming entrance by creating a more enclosed space. The building is placed strategically on the site to "fill in the missing teeth" of the surrounding area.

The large existing columns in the front are utilized to provide a frame to the building, and help create a sense of place in the plaza. The two side structures can accommodate a park welcome center, and a meeting room, and have windows on the sides to maintain privacy, while accepting natural light.

Entry Pavilion: Esquisse Hand-Sketched

Front Elevation - Concept (1/16''=1'-0'')

Floor Plan - Concept (1/16''=1'-0'')

Side Elevation - Concept (1/16''=1'-0'')

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Entry Pavilion: Charrette Hand-Drafted

Front Elevation (1/8''=1'-0'')

Site Plan (1/132''=1'-0'')

Floor Plan (1/16''=1'-0'') 4'

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0' 4' 8' 12' 1 16

Side Elevation (1/16''=1'-0'')

8'

12'

16' 1/4''=1'-0''

16'

24'

32'

Section (1/16''=1'-0'')

1/8''=1'-0'' 17

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PHOTOGRAPHY

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Andre Johnson 513-509-9494

johns6ae@mail.uc.edu