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An understanding of regional context is reflected in Community Design + Architecture’s design and planning philosophy. The region sets the economic, environmental, cultural, governmental, and design context for all scales of community planning and architecture. Regional planning creates opportunities to define policies and planning recommendations that can: ■ enhance the linkage between land use and transportation to maximize the effectiveness of investment in public transportation systems and minimize adverse impacts of growth; ■ set a path for sustainable growth taking into account the potential for appropriate new and infill development, preservation of valuable habitat, recreational use of open space, and agricultural and other economic use of land; and, ■ create a context for cooperation among local governments to implement regional policies and avoid unhealthy competition. Community Design + Architecture has worked on regional planning efforts for a variety of clients, including: regional governments and agencies, an ad-hoc bi-county committee of elected officials, countywide regional agencies, and a non-profit regional advocacy group. All of these projects required a different approach, but they have all been based in an understanding of regional economics, environmental conditions, transportation systems, local planning policies, and the values of the regions’ citizens.
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Vision Los Angeles
Los Angeles County Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and the Environmental Defense Fund
Subconsultant to Fehr & Peers 2009 - Present
Project Description Vision Los Angeles is an ambitious effort on the part of the Los Angeles Economic Development Corporation and the Environmental Defense Fund to advance a regional vision for enhanced mobility, economic development and environmental quality by working with public, private and non-profit partners to develop and implement a Strategic Transportation Plan for Los Angeles County. The Vision Los Angeles Strategic Plan for mobility will bring the full range of regional, local, business and environmental stakeholders to the table to help shape regional infrastructure funding into more efficient and sustainable forms. CD+A was asked to facilitate a subregional transportation and land use visioning workshop for the Vision Los Angeles Advisory Committee, which consists of stakeholders from the business, environmental, and local government communities. The workshop is using the Westside Cities and Gateway Cities subregions as test cases. CD+A, as a subconsultant to Fehr & Peers Associates, has prepared a highly interactive and high-level map-based visioning exercise to allow stakeholders to identify and prioritize regional and local-scale transportation and mobility improvements, as well as supportive land use and development, as they create a vision for access and mobility at the subregional level. Workshop materials include base maps and development types updated from the Southern California Association of Government’s Compass Blueprint project, a menu of transportation and mobility enhancements, and background on pending transportation and planning projects and planning and transportation-related greenhouse gas-reduction strategies and policies.
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San Benito County Transit Design Guidelines
San Benito County, California San Benito County Local Transportation Authority
Subconsultant to Nelson\Nygaard 2010
Project Description Community Design + Architecture (CD+A) worked with lead consultant Nelson\Nygaard Consulting Associates to prepare the Transit Design Guidelines for the San Benito County Local Transportation Authority (LTA). Mostly rural San Benito County is located 40 miles south of San Jose and includes a diverse range of transit environments. LTA’s fixed route bus service in Hollister, the county’s largest urbanized area, serves the city core with its gridded residential streets and main street as well as sprawling suburban residential developments and strip malls at the urban fringe. LTA’s significant paratransit service serves rural parts of the county and the historic, small town environment of San Juan Bautista. LTA’s primary goal for the Transit Design Guidelines was to have a document that helps to effectively communicate to developers, other County agency staff, and the broader public the authority’s requirements for the design of bus stop environments and recommendations for transit-friendly new development. During the initial stages of the project, CD+A conducted a comprehensive review of transit design guidelines and manuals used around the country and identified “best practices” for the organizational structure and content of the guideline document as well as peer documents that contained pertinent discussions of conditions applicable to the transit environment in San Benito County. CD+A furthermore authored the guideline sections “Designing for Access to Transit” and “Transit Facility Standards”. The section on access to transit focuses on guidelines for the design of transit-friendly streets and transitsupportive buildings and development of varying land use types. The transit facility standards provide general and specific guidelines and illustrations with regard to variations in the layout of bus stops and amenities selection based on differences in the context and local conditions encountered in San Benito County. The San Benito County Transit Design Guidelines were adopted by the LTA board in September of 2010.
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San Benito County Transit Design Guidelines
Photos of existing conditions
Concept ‘A’ Plan
Concept ‘B’ Plan
Concept ‘A’ Section
Concept ‘B’ Section
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Envision Utah Community Design Workshops
Wasatch Front, Utah Envision Utah
Project Manager (Calthorpe Associates) 1998 - 1999
Project Description As part of the initial outreach effort for Envision Utah, a pioneering regional visioning process aimed at keeping Utah beautiful, prosperous, and neighborly for future generations, Tim Rood led community workshops in six Utah communities while with Calthorpe Associates. As a neutral facilitator, Envision Utah brought together residents, elected officials, developers, conservationists, business leaders, and other interested parties to make informed decisions about how the region should grow. Beginning with a site tour and stakeholder interviews, the Community Design Workshops included site-specific workshops customized to each community to produce “Quality Growth” concept plans for new and redeveloping neighborhoods in a variety of urban, suburban, and small-town settings along the Wasatch Front. The sites included new growth areas in Brigham City/Perry, Transit-Oriented Developments around planned light rail stations in Sandy/Midvale and Salt Lake City and the commuter rail station in Provo, and infill and redevelopment sites in West Valley City and Centerville. During each workshop, participants were given the opportunity to plan the future of the specified area of their city by placing chips representing their ideas for ideal future growth on a city map. Chips included a variety of choices, such as a broad range of open space designations, residential types, mixed-use buildings, employment centers, cultural and civic centers, and retail space. For the third step in the Community Design Workshops, Mr. Rood took the input of each workshop and coalesced it into a single plan and design guidelines for that community, presented to stakeholders and participants in a final workshop. The final presentation of the workshops’ results was made to the last participating city in December 1999.
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Metro Rural Loop Feasibility Study
Fresno, California City of Fresno
Subconsultant to VRPA Technologies 2007-2009
Project Description Concerned about the expansive growth of the Fresno Region and within City of Fresno, the City embarked on envisioning the future of the larger region surrounding the Fresno-Clovis area, with the goal of making it a premier metropolitan region for the 22nd Century. The city commissioned a feasibility study for a regional land use and multi-modal transportation network, the ‘Metro Rural Loop’, which would look at absorbing over 9 million inhabitants by the year 2110 in a manner that will preserve prime agricultural lands, natural resources and quality of life standards, along with developing the economic competitiveness of the region and California. The project encompasses the four counties that include and surround the cities of Fresno and Clovis, including 30 cities, and is being regarded as a pioneering effort in regional consensus building in the Valley. CD+A has been involved with VRPA technologies in developing a regional transportation network and land use alternatives, involving several modes and technologies of mass transit and transit-supportive land use design. CD+A has defined an initial land use pattern of mixed use centers, residential neighborhoods, and employment districts. The ‘Metro Rural Loop’ land use alternative has been modeled by CD+A for Fresno County and has been included in their Blueprint process which is exploring 2050 growth alternatives. CD+A will be modeling the four counties individually to the year 2110 and will be helping the City of Fresno in the process to move the region towards a shared and prosperous future.
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Growth Allocation Evalutaion Metro Rural Loop Feasibility Study
The MRL growth modelling result mapping for the four county area consisting of Madera, Fresno, Kings & Tulare Counties
Zoomed in detail of growth allocation for the Fresno Metropolitan Area
Indicator results comparing the Metro Rural Loop alternative for Fresno County to the accepted Blueprint alternative and the Status Quo Runs done under the Blueprint Process
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Madera County Blueprint Process
Madera County Madera County Transportation Commission
Land Use Modelling Consultants 2006 - 2008
Project Description CD+A worked with VRPA to help the Madera County Transportation Commission (MCTC) execute their modeling and consensus building effort under the San Joaquin Valley Blueprint Planning Process with funding from a Caltrans grant. The planning process covered an eight county region, wherein each county was working to establish a vision for the growth of their region to the year 2050 through a stakeholder consensus process. The vision was utilized as a benchmark to evaluate different future growth scenarios that are being modeled based upon inputs from the stakeholders within each county. CD+A’s role in the project was to develop land use inputs and run the land use allocation modeling and evaluation tools for MCTC. CD+A gathered and standardized countywide GIS based data and managed the UPLAN modeling software runs of the different scenarios. CD+A also helped in detailing the specifications of the different scenarios that were desired by the County’s Blueprint Roundtable committee. CD+A ran three alternatives through the UPLAN model and measured their performances based on indicators used by other counties participating in the Blueprint process.
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Madera County Blueprint Process
Collection, Standardization and Assimilation of County wide GIS based data to provide inputs into the UPLAN modelling software
MADERA COUNTY UPLAN Growth Allocation 2050 Status Quo Notes: MERC ED
Community General Plans
COUN TY
LEGE ND
FRES NO
MAD ERA COUN TY
UPLA Transp N Gro orta wth tion Allo Infrast cation ructure205
0
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Awahanee CITY OF MADERA COUN TY
COUNTY LIMITS
Transit and Transportation Networks
CITY LIMITS
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UPLA Transp N Gro orta wth tion Allo Infrast cation ructure205
LEGEND
Oakhurst
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STATE HIGHWAY ARTERIAL
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MERCED COUNTY
0
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LEGE ND FRES NO
GROWTH ALLOCATION
City of Chowchilla
COUN TY 152
OPEN SPACE/NATIONAL FOREST EXISTING DEVELOPMENT NOTE: For illustration purposes only. Not intended to depict actual development footprint.
Fairmead
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Slo UPlanpe 3 GR 2.21b ID fro Run m
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LEGEND COUNTY LIMITS CITY LIMITS LRT STOPS
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CITY OF MADERA
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MERCED COUNTY
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41 99 145
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Low Change Scenario: Prioritizing growth in existing urban areas MADERA COUNTY UPLAN Growth Allocation 2050 Moderate Change Scenario Notes:
LEGEND COUNTY LIMITS CITY LIMITS LRT STOPS
Awahanee
BRT STOPS
CITY OF MADERA
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Oakhurst
49
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41
POTENTIAL LIMITED EXPRESSWAY STATE HIGHWAY ARTERIAL
North Fork
MERCED COUNTY
RIVER LAKE GROWTH ALLOCATION OPEN SPACE/NATIONAL FOREST
City of Chowchilla 152
Fairmead
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NOTE: For illustration purposes only. Not intended to depict actual development footprint.
152
41 99 145
April 6, 2008
City of Madera
Rio Mesa/ SE Madera County 0
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Miles 10
FRESNO COUNTY
145
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Moderate Change Scenario: Greater mix of uses, BRT transit system MADERA COUNTY UPLAN Growth Allocation 2050 Major Change Scenario Notes:
LEGEND COUNTY LIMITS CITY LIMITS LRT STOPS
Awahanee
BRT STOPS
CITY OF MADERA
ENHANCED REGIONAL TRANSIT STOPS
Oakhurst
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POTENTIAL LIMITED EXPRESSWAY STATE HIGHWAY ARTERIAL
North Fork
MERCED COUNTY
RIVER LAKE GROWTH ALLOCATION OPEN SPACE/NATIONAL FOREST
City of Chowchilla 152
Fairmead
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NOTE: For illustration purposes only. Not intended to depict actual development footprint.
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April 6, 2008
Rio Mesa/ SE Madera County 0
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FRESNO COUNTY
CITY OF CHOWCHILLA
Indicator results comparing the four scenarios modelled for the Blueprint Process
Major Change Scenario: Higher densities, greater mix of uses and, comprehensive BRT/LRT transit systems
Utilizing UPLAN land use modelling software to develop the four scenarios that were evaluated on selectector perfomance indicators.
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I-35W Corridor Coalition Build-Out Study
Twin Cities Metro Region, Minnesota I-35W Corridor Coalition, DCAUL
Principal-in-Charge (Calthorpe Associates) 2002
Project Description Timothy Rood was Principal-in-Charge of Calthorpe Associates’ contribution to this corridor build-out plan, designing and leading three subregional land use/transportation workshops for city staff and officials in the North Metro I-35W Corridor Coalition. The project was led by the Design Center for American Urban Landscape at the University of Minnesota, now known as the Metropolitan Design Center. Increasing development, traffic and population pressures in the greater Minneapolis-St. Paul region prompted the Coalition’s formation by seven suburban communities to better address common concerns such as transportation issues, changing demographics, an aging housing stock, and shifting economic development patterns. As a coalition, they collaboratively plan their subregion’s future. At the first workshop, participants used a variety of base maps to identify existing and potential neighborhood, town, and subregional centers, or “nodes.” At the second workshop, participants distributed game pieces based on existing Twin Cities development prototypes to create their own growth scenarios. For the third workshop, Mr. Rood’s team analyzed the results of the preceding workshops and presented three alternative land use scenarios to accommodate projected growth to 2020. Each scenario was analyzed for its effects on land consumption and transportation, its mix of walkable and auto-oriented development, and its impact on ecologically sensitive areas. The Coalition used the livable communities scenario developed through this process as a model for their 2003 joint comprehensive plan.
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I-35W Consensus Map: In Workshop 2, each group used game pieces based on existing Twin Cities development prototypes to create their own development scenario for the subregion.
Scenar io Maps: 1 (above), shows conventional auto-oriented growth, consuming more land with lower intensity development. Scenarios 2 (middle) and 3 (left), show more livable community scenarios, consuming less land, featuring more infill/redevelopment, with higher intensity development.
Development Prototypes: Drawn from both established neighborhoods and newer suburban developments, these prototypes use local examples to demonstrate best development practices.The above ‘Neighborhood Civic’ example comes from New Brighton.
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Smart Growth Twin Cities
Twin Cities, Minnesota Twin Cities Metropolitan Council
Principal-in-Charge (Calthorpe Associates) 2000 - 2002
Project Description Timothy Rood was Principal-in-Charge of this innovative regional planning project, Smart Growth Twin Cities (SGTC), while at Calthorpe Associates. The project was initiated by the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council, a nationally unique governmental body in the seven-county area surrounding Minnesota’s Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. The Council’s responsibilities include operating regional systems such as transit, wastewater treatment, housing and redevelopment, parks and trails, and long-range planning for regional transportation systems and future growth. With the SGTC process, the Twin Cities region took steps to coordinate land use and transportation planning with public input to preserve the region’s unique quality of life. The process incorporated extensive input from public workshops, local officials and comprehensive plans, business associations and regional transportation policy, creating three alternative development Scenarios for the Twin Cities Region. Each alternative future illustrates a distinct way for the Twin Cities to grow. The land use variations in each Scenario have different implications with respect to regional housing diversity, transportation choice, air quality, public infrastructure costs, agriculture and environmental preservation. A Current Plans Scenario based on local comprehensive plans accommodated most new growth in auto-oriented commercial areas and low-density, single-family residential development. Significant proportions of prime agricultural land and sensitive environmental areas were developed in the Current Plans Scenario. Two alternative scenarios based on input from a series of workshops balanced more compact, auto-oriented development with a greater amount of development that is walkable, particularly along the Twin Cities’ planned 2025 Transit Network and on underutilized land in existing urban centers. These scenarios provided greater housing choice than the Current Plans Scenario, reduced traffic congestion, and preserved much more agricultural and environmentally sensitive land. The SGTC process addressed both region-wide and local planning. At the community level, six “opportunity sites” located around the region developed models of walkable, mixed-use neighborhoods with parks and open space, as well as transit options. Through a series of public workshops with local stakeholders to develop options and identify a preferred option, detailed site plans, designs and implementation strategies for each site were developed based on local as well as regional considerations. Several of the opportunity sites, including Ramsey Town Center and The Heights of Chaska, are currently being developed.
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Contra Costa: Shaping Our Future
Contra Costa County and 19 Cities
Principal-in-Charge (Calthorpe Associates) 2002 - 2004
Project Description Timothy Rood was Principal-in-Charge of this regional growth management strategy while at Calthorpe Associates. Contra Costa: Shaping Our Future was an ambitious and far-reaching project to develop a future vision for Contra Costa County, a fast-growing suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area. The County’s varied and distinct communities include economically challenged older neighborhoods, affluent enclaves set amid protected open space, and maturing suburbs served by highways and rail transit. Developing a shared vision for where and how growth should occur provided local governments with tools to preserve healthy, stable neighborhoods, revitalize ailing areas, and create high-quality new neighborhoods and commercial areas. Mr. Rood designed and led three types of workshops, including a countywide workshop and a series of subregional workshops, one held in Richmond, that allowed participants to work together in small groups to discuss their visions for the part of the county they knew best. Based on the results of these workshops, the study team developed a preferred growth scenario for the county using development types based on local examples. The team measured the performance of this scenario on a wide range of indicators, from open space per capita, to acres of wetlands affected by development, to the percentage of households within walking distance of transit services, as compared to a baseline scenario based on current plans and development trends. The policy committee used these indicators as a foundation for discussing the trade-offs between the growth vision and the overarching goals of the county. In addition to the regional workshop process, “Test Sites” workshops in four areas (Richmond Hilltop, Downtown Martinez, Downtown Walnut Creek, and East County) further engaged communities in the creation of neighborhood-level designs to illustrate the regional growth concepts. An extensive outreach program included informational presentations by Mr. Rood to a wide variety of community and civic organizations, including the North Richmond Municipal Advisory Council. The outcome of the Shaping Our Future study was a set of Principles of Agreement addressing areas of common interest between the jurisdictions and encouraging ongoing communication and coordination. The Shaping Our Future preferred scenario also formed the basis of Contra Costa’s vision in the Bay Area regional agencies’ Smart Growth/Footprint project.
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Contra Costa: Shaping Our Future
Richmond Hilltop Workshop Map
Richmond Hilltop Land Use Analysis
Richmond Hilltop Existing Aerial
Richmond Hilltop Illustrative Plan
Richmond Hilltop Workshop
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MTC TOD Policy Implementation Support
Sonoma County Marin County Metropolitan Transportation Commission
Consultant 2005 - Present
Project Description This project involves two distinct and related components: (1) an evaluation of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) Transit Oriented Development policy for transit expansion projects in the San Francisco Bay Area; and (2) ongoing technical assistance for Bay Area communities currently completing a pilot cycle of Station Area Planning grants to implement the TOD policy. Community Design + Architecture is leading an assessment of station area development capacity in the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) corridor north of San Francisco. The MTC TOD policy conditions the release of discretionary capital funds on demonstrated compliance with corridor-wide thresholds for housing units within 1/2 mile of the planned stations. CD+A principal Timothy Rood, while with Calthorpe Associates, worked with Reconnecting America’s Center for Transit-Oriented Development to develop the adopted thresholds through case studies in several transit corridors, as part of the original TOD policy development for MTC. The capacity assessments developed by CD+A are being used to establish a baseline for future assessments and to evaluate the TOD policy and recommend potential modifications. The capacity assessment evaluated three alternative scenarios that vary in terms of aggressiveness towards opportunity sites and potential development densities, working with local jurisdictions as well as the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, the Transportation Authority of Marin, and SMART. CD+A will also be providing ongoing technical assistance to local jurisdictions completing Station Area Plans in a pilot cycle of funding to assist corridors to meet the TOD Policy thresholds. Technical assistance will be based on needs identified by the jurisdictions throughout their planning process and may range from workshops on land use policies to best practice information on multi-modal street design.
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Marin Transportation Planning and Land Use Solutions Program
County of Marin, California Transportation Agency of Marin
Lead Consultant 2003 - Present
Project Description The Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) selected CD+A to lead a consultant team to support the Agency’s work on the Transportation Planning and Land Use Solutions Program (TPLUS), a planning program sponsored by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), the Bay Area’s MPO. The TPLUS Program supports Bay Area counties and their local jurisdictions in developing locally-based solutions to issues that arise from poor linkages between transportation and land use planning. In Marin, segregated and spread-out land uses, a limited range of housing choices that poorly matches the income of the county’s workforce, and discontinuous networks of roads, sidewalks and bicycle paths, all combine to increase the number and distance of vehicle trips, the perception of omnipresent congestion, and reduced livability. To address these challenges, the CD+A Team developed a program description and rules for a local version of MTC’s popular Transportation for Livable Communities Capital and Housing Incentive Programs, both of which support local efforts to implement pedestrian, bicycle, and transit-oriented transportation improvements. The CD+A Team worked with an Advisory Committee to develop the goals and policies of the project and outline the local challenges to address in a Pedestrian and Transit-oriented Design (PeD and TOD) implementation Toolkit for Marin County. The Team’s recent work has included TAM staff support on the administration of the local housing and capital grant programs and finalization of the Toolkit, which was recently published online. The toolkit includes sections on TOD/PeD policies, the planning and design of multi-modal streets and circulation networks, land use choices and densities, and urban design. The TOD and PeD approach reflects the fact that, at this time, transit service in the County is limited to local, commuter, and some high-frequency bus routes. In the coming year, CD+A will lead outreach efforts including the organization of workshops throughout the county with local jurisdiction staffs to develop solutions to local challenges based on Toolkit resources. Additionally, CD+A will coordinate with on-going planning efforts, developers, and local advocacy groups to encourage the countywide adoption of the goals, policies, and designs developed in the Toolkit process.
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TOD and PeD for Small Towns
Parking tools, such as shared parking even for small communities, were an important focus for many cities
Traffic calming and the prevention of cutthrough traffic was a focus for many small towns and neighborhoods
Marix A: Place Types/Mobility Matrix 11/10/06 Transit Mobility Types (x) Multiple Transit High-Frequency Local/Secondary Services Bus/BRT Bus Service
Commute Service Place Type Characteristics
City
Highest Ped Activity
Examples "Downtown" Center (includes Large Employment Mixed-use, high density and Regional Retail Centers) residential and/or office Residential with sporadic local-serving Medium/High-Density Neighborhood (multi-family) retail
Mixed-Use Corridor
Town
Medium-Density Residential with Neighborhood (Townhomes, sporadic local-serving Small-lot single family) retail
Place Types (y)
Lowest Ped Activity
Village Rural
Fixed-route, commute-oriented terminal areas (1/2mile station areas)
Transfer stations and/or hubs (bus only?) (1/3-mile station areas)
15-minute headways max. (1/4 to 1/3-mile station areas)
Potential Future Commuter Rail Stations
Larkspur Ferry Terminal; Tiburon Ferry Terminal; Sausalito Ferry Terminal
Downtown San Miracle Mile, San Rafael; Potential Rafael-San Novato and Marin Anselmo. East City centers Francisco, SR-Canal lots of examples
Express Bus
Peak and offPeak-hour service peak service (1/4- only (no discernable mile stop areas) station area)
No or Minimal Transit Service
No or minimal transit service.
Current: Local pickup areas. Future service could focus on Parkand-Rides. lots of examples
Downtown San Rafael; Downtown Novato Specific Plan
Neighborhoods around Downtown San Rafael Sir Francis Drake in San Residential w/local- and Anselmo, Bridgeway in community-serving retail Sausalito
Town Center (includes Small Employment Centers and Clusters of Mixed-use, high density Groceries & Services) residential and/or office
Local-Serving Commercial Corridor
Fixed-route heavy or light rail (1/2-mile station areas)
Midsized downtowns: San Anselmo, Mill Valley Periphery of many larger towns and cities, including San Rafael, San Anselmo, etc.
Residential w/local- and community-serving retail Miller Ave., Mill Valley
Mixed-use, medium density residential "Main Street" Village Center and/or office
Fairfax, downtown Tiburon
Low/Medium-Density Neighborhood (single-family Residential with detached—small and sporadic local-serving medium lots) retail
Lucas Valley, Terra Linda
The colored fields should be interpreted as a gradient along the arrow and not as finite groupings of place and mobility types.
Various hilltop highdensity residential pockets, such as Donahue Dr., Marin City; Eliseo Drive area, Larkspur
Suburban Corridor
Major roads passing between neighborhoods
Rural Center/ "Crossroads"
Small scale retail/mixeduse All West Marin towns.
Low/Rural Density Neighborhood (large lot single-family
Low-density residential
Ross, Sleepy Hollow, Bel Marin Keys, Peacock Gap
Rural corridor
Rural roads w/ little to no development
Most of West Marin
The Place Types/Mobility Matrix tracks the applicability of TOD/PeD concepts and tools based on land use intensity and transit/mobility amenities
Elements that create a pedestrian friendly-intersection
Low density and topography are challenges that can be overcome by giving pedestrians a “leg up”
Safe Routes to School tools are important to all communities
Tools focused on sensitivity to local context in both planning and design.
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San Joaquin Valley Growth Response Study, Phase III
Fresno and Madera Counties, California California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 6
Subconsultant to VRPA Technologies 2002 - 2005
Project Description The San Joaquin Valley Growth Response Study Phase III was the third phase of a larger effort sponsored by Caltrans to examine how smart growth concepts can address growth impacts that are expected in the valley over the next 50 years. Phase III focused on showing jurisdictions in the Fresno/Madera County region the utility of two GIS-based models for evaluating the transportation, land use, and air quality impacts of various growth scenarios. These planning tools made the impacts of growth more apparent to decision-makers and the public, and the GIS tools were made available to the jurisdictions for on-going land use and transportation planning to focus on reducing the negative effects of rapid urbanization (i.e., poor air quality, growing congestion), while encouraging more sustainable growth. CD+A was a subconsultant to VRPA Technologies in a multi-disciplinary team. CD+A was the primary land use and GIS consultant and was responsible for developing the land use/transportation scenarios with project stakeholders, processing the scenarios through the GIS tools, working with the transportation consultant to prepare inputs to the regional transportation models, and presenting the scenarios and their results to local decision-makers and stakeholders. CD+A collected, assembled, standardized, and reconfigured GIS data from 2 counties; 17 incorporated communities; and several unincorporated communities, new towns, and developments. Scenarios were first prepared for input into a land use allocation model (What If?) that distributed projected employment and population growth to areas designated with future land uses. Results were then processed for input into the region’s transportation models and a visualization/indicator model (INDEX) to evaluate the effects of the scenario against key indicators chosen by local decision-makers and stakeholders. An “Initial Run� of the models assessed the potential impacts and benefits of existing land use and transportation policies and practices. Two alternative scenarios explored the impacts and benefits of different approaches to compact and mixed-use land use patterns, and major investments in transit. This analysis illustrated how these GIS-tools could help decision-makers and stakeholders understand the implications of growth and transportation policy choices. Since project completion, CD+A has worked with various communities and in multi-country efforts to model smart growth scenarios utilizing the datasets assembled for the GRS. Working with the same consultant team, various transportation options were developed, including an enhanced system of inter-community bus service, Bus Rapid Transit, Light Rail, and Commuter and High Speed Rail, to model future growth patterns in the Valley.
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Initial Run and Alternative Scenarios San Joaquin Valley Growth Response Study Phase III
Alternative Scenario 1 shifts growth to areas surrounding a proposed High Capacity Transit route
Alternative Scenario 2 shifts growth to a network of nodes surrounding a BRT-enhanced transit system
Initial Run results showing existing conditions at 2003 and allocated land based on current General Plan land use policy to 2034
INDEX model result showing population and employment density at 2003 and 2034
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Treasure Valley Futures
Canyon and Ada Counties, Idaho COMPASS (Regional MPO)
Subconsultant to Strategic Economics 2000 - 2002
Project Description The Treasure Valley region of Southwestern Idaho includes two counties and 14 cities, including the state capital of Boise, and in 2000 was identified as the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States. For over a decade the communities and stakeholders in the region have been concerned about the rapid growth as a threat to their high quality of life. A group of agencies and advocacy groups were successful in competing for a Transportation and Community Systems Preservation planning grant which funded the Treasure Valley Futures project which is aimed at building the capacity of local, regional and state decision-makers from the public, private, and non-profit sectors to better understand the linkages between land use, transportation, local and regional economics, and quality of life and cooperatively reshape their future. Working as a subconsultant to Strategic Economics of Berkeley, California, CD+A was responsible for developing land use and urban design concepts and policies. Given the Treasure Valley’s fragmented political framework and deeply held beliefs around the importance of property rights, CD+A’s role in creating discussions which incorporated both a regional and a local perspective was critical and innovative. Stakeholder participation was initiated with a Bus Tour that allowed nearly 100 participants to see a variety of local development patterns in the Valley, and educated them about the patterns contribution to the sustainability, livability, accessibility and mobility of the region. As a part of the bus tour participants were also given the opportunity to evaluate the effectiveness of the patterns in several locations regarding the relationship to regional and local quality of life. This successful tour built the groundwork and the momentum for a “Barriers Forum” which allowed regional stakeholders to identify barriers to “smart growth.” CD+A prepared the booklet that was the basis of the Forum illustrating design alternatives for sites throughout the region. The Forum was then the starting point for the development of a tool kit of strategies and policy recommendations for overcoming the barriers. CD+A was responsible for drafting key tools related to land use and development policies and planning methods, and also edited several other portions of the tool kit. CD+A worked with the team to prepare the final illustrative mappings of the two trend regional growth scenarios. Also, CD+A has taken part in several education efforts that followed the completion of the study which were sponsored by the Treasure Valley Partnership and the Congress for the New Urbanism.
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“Seeing the Treasure Valley” Stakeholder Bus Tour Treasure Valley Futures
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“Overcoming Barriers to Building Better Communities” Stakeholder Forum Treasure Valley Futures
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Helping Stakeholders Understand the Existing and Future Regional Patterns Treasure Valley Futures
Natural Patterns: Original Bill Morrish sketch study and Final GIS mapping by Spatial Dynamics
Residential Through 1994: Original Bill Morrish sketch study and Final Diagram
Residential Growth Through 2020:Traffic zone mapping and Final Diagram
Projected Residential and Employment Growth Through 2020: Treasure Valley Futures
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Valley Metro Rail Station Area Study and Valley Metro TransitOriented District Overlay Zoning Ordinance Phoenix Metropolitan Region, Arizona Valley Metro Regional Public Transit Authority
Subconsultant to SR Beard 2002 - 2008
Project Description Communities in the Valley of the Sun and the Regional Public Transit Authority are implementing the Central Phoenix/ East Valley light rail system connecting Phoenix, Tempe, and Mesa. CD+A assisted in developing a model overlay zoning ordinance and a palette of development types and “test fit” diagrams that illustrate development opportunities for the station areas. The model ordinance is a comprehensive document that discusses the benefits of TOD, provides case studies of public and private sector experience in implementing TOD, and describes the qualities that make a neighborhood transit- and pedestrian-friendly by offering quantitative measures for development and their qualitative rationale. CD+A also prepared a model TOD ordinance, for the cities to tailor to the unique context of their stations, and standards and guidelines that describe the design qualities desired of site plans and building designs for TODs. Since the completion of the project, the cities have been working to integrate TOD into their policies and ordinances. Following a General Plan update, Phoenix developed an overlay ordinance and conducted station area planning efforts around 21 stations to identify development opportunities. CD+A assisted in identifying opportunity sites through field research and meetings with city staff, and developed a matrix of “marketable” development types for a range of uses and building configurations. A second matrix detailed development prototypes (i.e., building types, scale of development, density ranges, etc.) and listed case studies, both from the region and elsewhere, to be used by Tempe and Mesa in education and outreach efforts with area stakeholders and the development community. CD+A prepared nearly 140 land capacity diagrams for the opportunity sites, illustrating the layout of marketable uses with appropriate parking ratios at two levels of intensity, which were used by Economic & Planning Systems for initial feasibility and programming analysis to present to staff from the three cities. Twelve final opportunity sites were identified and specific implementation strategies developed for each. Both the Model TOD Overlay Zoning Ordinance and the Rail Station Area Study received a Transportation Planning Excellence Award in 2004 under the larger Comprehensive Program on Transit Supportive Land Use administered by Valley Metro Rail. The award is sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration and the Federal Transit Administration, and co-sponsored by the American Planning Association.
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Route 5 Corridor Land Use and Transportation Study
Albany and Schenectady Counties, New York Capital District Transportation Committee (CDTC)
Lead Consultant 1998 - 2001
Project Description Community Design + Architecture led a multi-disciplinary team in studying the potential for intensifying land use along a 16.5 mile arterial corridor between Albany and Schenectady, New York. The Study started with an assessment of land use and transportation conditions and the growth potential given the Corridor’s market and policy context in the region and the five communities it passes through. Urban typologies were identified and representative sites were used to explore a variety of urban design approaches for intensifying development, ranging from renewal of inner-city neighborhoods to infill of surface parking lots to reuse of older suburban malls. Light Rail and Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) alternatives were evaluated for flexibility, cost, anticipated ridership, and fit within the land use and urban design context of the street. Street designs were developed to illustrate options for improving transit, pedestrian, and bicycle access along and across the street. The alternative scenarios, which varied by the extent of land use and transportation change, were evaluated with extensive public-involvement, including: stakeholder workshops; public open houses; newsletters and a survey distributed to over 14,000 stakeholders; a dedicated web site (www.ny5.org); neighborhood-specific posters, and a PowerPoint Presentation used by community groups and Corridor jurisdictions. The communities elected to move forward with more intensive land use and transportation improvements. CD+A then developed strategies to guide public investment in the Corridor and encourage private investment to revitalize the commercial districts and residential neighborhoods. In October 2001, the region’s MPO adopted the plan, guaranteeing an initial $40 million for construction of streetscape and other corridor improvements. The City of Albany has begun developing specific land use zoning for their portion of the Corridor and they are beginning design for street improvements to a one mile section of the Corridor. The City of Schenectady has begun street improvement for one neighborhood on the Corridor. Ultimately, the communities hope to develop a Corridor-wide business improvement district to shepherd the incremental public and private efforts to implement the Preferred Future Scenario. CDTC and CDTA began a study in late 2003 to undertake further definition of a BRT system in the Corridor.
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Corridor Existing Conditions Assessment NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study
Urban Schenectady
Suburban Colonie
Urban Albany
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Corridor Evaluation NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study
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Subcorridor Community Structure Map
Vacant & Underutilized Property Map
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Subcorridor Concepts Workshop & Open House NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study
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Neighborhood Revitalization Program In order to facilitate neighborhood development, we recommend the formation of Neighborhood Development Clusters to facilitate revitalization and stabilization in impacted and potentially impacted areas. Community stakeholders could qualify for packages of technical assistance by forming active neighborhood partnerships. These partnerships would include merchants, residents, faith-based organizations, health care providers, financial institutions, and property owners. Partnerships could apply for grants to support activities such as: Marketing programs focusing on transit access, services and sustainability.
Streetscape improvements.
Community events.
Transit stop integration.
Pedestrian enhancements.
Gateways and landmarks.
Signage program.
Facade improvements.
Reduced permit fees.
Home ownership incentives; the type of incentives could depend on the current community conditions.
Support for development activities to meet the needs of an aging population.
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“Urban Strip”— Urban Typology Charrette NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study
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Corridor Concept Alternative NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study POTENTIAL COMMUTER RAIL STOP
Rail Arrival/Transfer Area ■ Mixed-Use at Station Area ■ New Employment in Revitalized Industrial Park North Allen Street Revitalization and Neighborhood Stabilization
Neighborhood Center ■ Local-Serving & Specialty Retail ■ Small Office ■ Neighborhood Green/Square
Continued Improvements Through BID and Expanded Neighborhood Revitalization
Arbor Hill Redevelopment Expanded into Revitalization of Neighborhood to North of Henry Johnson Boulevard Townsend Park ■ Restaurants ■ Shops & Services for Downtown Employees ■ Facade & Streetscape Improvements
Downtown Revitalization Entertainment & Restaurants ■ State Office Buildings ■ Private Office Buildings ■ Downtown Residential ■ Waterfront Revitalization ■
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Grocery Store Urban Infill Site Studies NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study
Stimulated Growth
30,000 Square Foot Store
Retail “Liner” Buildings along State Street
Gradual Growth
20,000 Square Foot Store
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Vale Neighborhood Studies NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study
Mixed-Use Infill and Neighborhood Gateway
Traffic Calming Concepts: chicanes, bulb-outs, diagonal parking, and roundabouts
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After Mixed-Use Infill and Traffic Calming Improvements
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BRT Design Concepts & Prototypes NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study
A BRT station integrated into a local access lane can successfully integrate pedestrian, transit, and automobile access.
A future NY5 BRT station will include integrated rider information systems and automated ticket vending machines.
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Village Center & Boulevard Alternatives NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study
Initial Phase
Full Multi-way Boulevard
Incremental Village Center Development
Village Center Boulevard Sections
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Median “Gateways”
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Preferred Future Multi-way Boulevard Design NY5 Land Use & Transportation Study
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“I would love to s e e a p r e t t i e r, m o r e pedestrian/bicycle f r i e n d l y c o m m u n i t y, thus improving my quality of life.” -Albany Resident and Property Owner
“Economic redevelopment which is consistent with the historic nature of Albany is vital to the area.” -Albany Resident
“I would like to see: Utilities underground; pedestrian crossways; separating local and through-traffic where feasible; no loss of parking spaces for local businesses.” -Village of Colonie Resident and Property Owner
“So long as auto/trucks are used, traffic will remain heavy in the corridor. Anything to enhance the aesthetics of the area and improve pedestrian safety would be a major improvement.” -Village of Colonie Resident and Property Owner
“These are good ideas, but without cooperation from everyone, nothing will succeed.” -Schenectady Resident and Business Owner
“ I w o u l d l ove t o be less dependent on m y c a r. . . I f u l l y support any move in this direction.” -Schenectady Resident and Property Owner
“It would be a welcome improvement to our area to have sidewalks, bus stops, lighting, and landscaping in new business areas.” -Schenectady Resident and Business Owner
“There is currently a lot of vacant commercial land use in the Woodlawn area. Any improvements would be refreshing.” -Schenectady Resident and Property Owner
“I believe improved aesthetics are critical in giving the impression of safety and positive change.” -Schenectady Resident
“This plan would make working/owning a business in the Vale neighborhood much more ideal. It has great potential for improvements in that area.” -Schenectady Resident
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Sonoma/Marin Multi-Modal Transportation and Land Use Study
Sonoma and Marin Counties, California Sonoma County Transportation Authority
Associate-in-Charge (Calthorpe Associates) 1996 - 1997
Project Description This Study achieved its goal of reaching consensus amongst North Bay decision-makers for a Preferred Scenario of balanced multi-modal transportation improvements and compact/mixed-use land use policy recommendations to improve mobility and quality of life for the North Bay Region. The public process and analysis undertaken to achieve this consensus included:
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site specific study of mixed-use and compact land use policies employing a “stakeholders” workshop; analysis of five alternative land use and transportation scenarios that tested a variety of transportation improvements with two land use patterns; an ongoing public outreach effort of public meetings, outreach to local newspapers, and a tour of a light rail vehicle repre senting a possible rail technology; and development of implementation strategies for the counties which defined options for moving forward with countywide sales tax measures and the next steps for the planning of the rail service.
As Project Manager while with Calthorpe Associates, Mr. Erickson provided ongoing management of the consulting team’s 10 firms; and worked with the project’s public managers: the Marin County Community Development Agency, the Sonoma County Transportation Authority, and Caltrans. Mr. Erickson was the lead urban designer for the projects transit-oriented development case studies in Santa Rosa, Petaluma, and Larkspur. He coordinated the team’s transportation consultants work in defining the multi-modal transportation options for the corridor, including rail and bus transit, improvements to Highway 101, and major arterial streets throughout the counties. He took part in all presentations to the public and the sessions with the project’s Joint Executive Committee. An important aspect of this type of project is to provide opportunities for local, county, and regional decision-makers and staff to have input to the project and keep them informed. To this end, Mr. Erickson made special presentations to a variety of local jurisdictional elected-bodies and staff members.
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Prototypical Infill Site Public Design Workshop Sonoma/Marin Multi-Modal Transportation and Land Use Study
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Metro Vision 2040
Portland Region, Oregon Metro Regional Services
Urban Designer (Calthorpe Associates) 1993-1994
Project Description Metro Regional Services’ Vision 2040 effort utilized a series of focus group workshops to develop site plan alternatives for sites in the Portland Region. Mr. Erickson was involved in the land use programming and existing conditions analyses of the sites, the stakeholders’ working sessions, and directed the preparation of the final illustrative plans, as a Design Associate with Calthorpe Associates. The workshops allowed elected officials, city staff, property owners, special interests, and the general public to gain a better understanding of Portland’s potential future development patterns. There had been concerns that densities would be pushed too high within existing communities if the Urban Growth Boundary was not allowed to continually expand. The site specific studies allowed decision-makers to see for themselves that growth projections could be achieved with medium-density development of 3 to 5 story mixed-use centers and residential neighborhoods ranging from standard-lot single-family to small-lot single-family, townhomes, and up to 3 story multi-family. Village center designs illustrated how both modern retail concerns about auto access and visibility can be satisfied through site planning and urban design that also serve pedestrians and bicyclists. These design and public education efforts were an important starting point for the successful redefinition of the Portland Region’s growth strategy.
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Neighborhood Revitalization Concept - Hillsdale Neighborhood Metro 2040 Study