Link Independence

Acknowledgments Table of Contents

The Drury University Center of Community Studies team would like to thank all the community members for their support and their participation throughout the development of this document. Their input was essential in making this project a success.

We would also like to thank the Visioning Committee of Independence, which we have worked closely with in constructing this vision. Throughout the stages of this project they have been helpful, supportive, and deeply involved in shaping the vision developed.

City Officials:

Don Reimal, Mayor

Marcie Gragg, 1st District

Curt Doherty, 2nd District

Myron Paris, 3rd District

Eilleen Weir, 4th District

Jim Schultz, At-Large

Chris Whiting, At-Large

Project Administrator:

Jay Garrott, Director and Professor, Center of Community Studies

Staff Members:

Jennifer Clark, Director of Community Development

Ann Smith-Tate, Economic Development Manager

Cori Day, Director of Tourism

Heather Carpini, Historic Preservation Manager

Contributors:

Independence Tourism Department

McClain Enterprises

Independence Square Association

Fairfield Inn

Committee Members:

Terry Berkbuegeler

Randall Pratt

Mikeleane Evans

Cindy McClain

Ken McClain

Dan Pierce

Amy Knipp

Marcie Gragg

Steve Gragg

Muriel Ludemann

David Lyons

Julie Lyons

Audrey Elder

Brent Schondelmeyer

Doug Cowan

Scott George

Drury CCS Members:

Julia Dicus

Shahad Sadeq

Chris Sokolowski

Andrew Montasser

Tamara Cartwright

Pema Wangzome

Danny Loza

Kalvin Cundiff

Maggie Wilmes

Bader Alshawaf

Introduction

Issues and Concerns

Vision Recomendation

Parks

Existing Site surrounding Landmarks

Benefits of Parks

Osage Trail

Lansdcape and Vegittation

Harry & Bess Community Gardens

Walking Trails

Civic Art

Othia Sculpture Park

Buffalo Run Sculpture

Elevated Walking Trail

Colonial Market

Spearhead Amphitheater

Independence Natural

Consultants:

Ronda Headland, Community Conservation Planner, Missouri Department of Natural Resources

Jernay Jackson, Landscape Architect, Great River Engineering

Bob Hosmer, Senior Traffic Engineer, City of Springfield Planning & Zoning

David Hutchinson, Senior Traffic Engineer, City of Springfield Planning & Zoning

University of Missouri Extension:

Jeff Barber, LEED AP, Housing and Environment Design Specialist

INTRODUCTION

Preface

During the spring semester 2013, the Community Studio of the Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University worked with the City of Independence, MO to explore design ideas for the physical connection or pathway between the Courthouse Square and the National Frontier Trails Museum. In addition to that design challenge, the studio was also asked to consider strategies for increasing the resident population in the city center area of the community. In response to those design challenges, the Community Studio established a collaborative community problem-solving approach that involved a number of citizens and officials from the City of Independence and various landscape, engineer, planning and sustainability consultants from the City of Springfield. Many of those people have been recognized on the acknowledgment page and some will be more specifically recognized below.

The culmination of this community collaborative process was the development of this document and the more than 60-presentation boards and 3-PowerPoint presentations that were generated during the semester. This document Link Independence: Envisioning Connections 2040 presents the student design team’s recommendations based upon the collaboratively developed long-term vision for the design responses to the two given design challenges.

It is important for the community to remember that the student’s recommendations herein ARE NOT the community’s vision, rather this is merely

a “visioning tool-kit” that the community’s Vision Advisory Committee should utilize as they prepare the community’s vision for linkage of the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum and the strategies for increasing the resident population in the city center.

It is recommended that the Vision Advisory Committee take this document and as a group review the document in detail; accept, reject, modify and create anew the planning and design recommendations for these design challenges. The committee should develop a new community vision for the connection and population increase that can be implemented over the next 25-years. This community vision should be presented to the community at large in public forums to solicit input and generate support for the vision.

Once a vision is reached, it is recommended that it be presented to the City Council with a resolution requesting that it be accepted. Further, it is recommended that the resolution state that the city is charged with giving an assessment of the vision’s implementation every 5-years and that implementation priorities for the next 5-years be published at each review.

Collaborators:

Of the many participants in this collaborative process, several individuals and groups desire special recognition:

Ms. Jennifer Clark Community Development Director, has been instrumental in setting up, overseeing and facilitating this community collaborative process between Drury University and the City of Independence. Ms. Clark’s knowledge, support, kindness and generosity with regards to this project and her relationship with the Drury student team cannot be overstated.

Ms. Ann Smith-Tate Economic Development Manager for the City of Independence has also been a valued and integral member of this collaboration. Ms. Smith-Tate served as the contact within the city and answered, coordinated, located resources, arranged accommodations, and hosted the numerous meals and public events that took place during this process. Her knowledge, support, kindness and encouragement were greatly appreciated by all involved.

Ms. Cori Day Tourism Director, City of Independence provided wonderful support throughout the collaboration. Ms. Day’s knowledge of the history of the community, her assistance in getting into a number of historic sites to develop a greater understanding of the community, and her advise and feedback pertaining to the connector between the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum was extremely helpful and insightful.

Mr. Jeff Barber State Specialist-Environmental Design, Housing and Sustainability, University of Missouri-Extension. Mr. Barber served as

an invaluable consultant to the design team and community throughout this collaborative process. His breadth of knowledge specifically in sustainability, Co-Housing, and community development was extremely valuable to the process. His experience as a community facilitator, design critic, architect and educator assisted in helping the students translate and incorporate what they heard, saw, and learned into their design recommendations.

And, special recognition must go to the ten thirdyear architecture students who took on this large and complex design challenge and collaborative process and succeeded in preparing a vision for the City of Independence that is state of the art, exciting, and achievable over the next 25-years.

It has been my pleasure to work with this wonderful group of community members, academics, and professionals on this important project.

Jay G. Garrott Professor and Director Center for Community Studies

June 2013

Issues and Concerns

Introduction Challenge, Issues and Concerns

The project challenge presented to the design team by the City of Independence was:

• To create a physical connection between the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum that would encourage residents and visitors to circulate between the two sites

Both of these sites are of great historical importance in the city center and to the city’s revitalization. The courthouse is currently undergoing a major renovations and the National Frontier Trails Museum is starting a $10 million capital campaign for the renovation of an addition to the current museum.

Additionally, the city asked the design team:

• To explore strategies to increase the number of people living in the city center

At the beginning of the design process, the design team spent a considerable amount of time in the City of Independence observing the community and talking with the Advisory Committee, city officials, and public. The team photographed all the buildings in the city center between Main Street, Pacific Street, Pleasant Street and Truman Road, assessed the building condition and documented the building’s current function, walked and biked the downtown area and visited the historic sites and buildings to developed a “feel” for the community and the community’s needs, wants and desires. From these insights, the team identified a number of issues and concerns that helped to structure their thinking about the design challenge given.

Those issues and their accompanying concerns are briefly stated on the following pages.

The Comprehensive Vision section that follows presents the team’s recommendations for responding to the identified issues and concern. The specific components of the vision plan have been presented in detail in the four sections:

• Parks

• Complete Streets

• Transit and Parking

• Housing

INTRODUCTION ISSUES AND CONCERNS

Figure 1.1

Issues & Concerns

Excessive Hard Surface and Lack of Vegetation

Issues & Concerns

• Promotes Heat Island Effects

• Unattractive and Uninviting

• Results in Abundance of Polluted Water Runoff Contaminating Streams

• Decrease Air Quality

• Lack of Shade

Excessive/Non-Programmed Parking

• Parking Lots are Underused Except for Santa-Cali-Gon Festival

• Lack of Urban Edge

• Adds to Excessive Hard Surface Issue

Poorly Maintained Sidewalks

• Does Not Promote a Walkable Environment

• Inconsistent ADA Accessibility

• Safety of Pedestrian

70 Foot Drop in Site Elevation

• ADA Accessibility

• Traveling Back up the Slope, Challenging for Elderly

1/2 Mile Distance Between Sites

• What Would Encourage People to Walk Instead of Drive?

• How to Encourage Community and Visitors to get out of Their Car in Order to Experience and Explore the Community?

Santa-Cali-Gon Festival

• How to Enhance Festival Within City Center Through Urban Repair?

• Enhance Pedestrian Movement During Festival

Wayfinding

• Human Scale of Signage is Lacking

• Lack of Consistency

• Making People Feel Comfortable Enough to Explore and Wander

• Locating the National Frontier Trails Museum by Foot, Bike, or Car is Difficult

Mindset of Community

• Citizens Must be Ready for Change to Make a Difference

Traditional Zoning

• Restrains the Development of Certain Areas Due to Current System

Historical Buildings

• Maintenance and Up-Keep

• Preservation of Historic Character

Absentee Landlords Vacancies

• Can Lead to Run-Down Property

• Unsupervised Tenants

• Creates an Eye-Sore

• Poor Use of Property

• Trolley Currently Operates at a Loss and Only Runs Seasonally

• Bus System Needs Organizational Improvements

• Bike Lanes Need to be Marked

• Inefficient Transit

• Changes Projected for the Next 30-Years

• The Cost of Fuel Increasing

• Change Toward Less Driving and More Biking and Walking

• Population Movement to City Centers in Order to be Close to Amenities

• Multimodal Transportation Connecting Urban Centers Through Rail Linkages

INTRODUCTION ISSUES AND CONCERNS

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Comprehensive Vision

Comprehensive Vision

Concept and Objectives:

From the initial analysis of the design and site challenges, the design team posed a working hypothesis or concept to guide them in their investigation of design responses and recommendations. The team chose to state the concept for the long-term vision of linkages within the City of Independence as follows:

Concept:

The connection of the City of Independence’s Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum celebrates the linkage of the city’s historic roots with its contemporary vitality and seeks

• To create a vision of renewal that is respectful of the past and understanding of the challenges confronting modern society as the community seeks to increase the resident population and use of the city center.

Objectives:

To implement the concept, the design team believes that the City of Independence should promote:

• The Development of Urban Parks and Green Spaces

• Mixed-Use Development

• A Diversity of Urban Housing Types in the City Center

• Improved Mass Transit Opportunities

• Sustainable Best Practices

• Universal Design

• Complete Streets

• Smart Growth Development Principles

• The Establishment of Form-Based Codes

Transit Hub

Research related to urban trends suggest that over the next 30-years people in America will continue to move from exurban and suburban areas into urban centers. This movement is stimulated by numerous factors, some of which are: the rising cost of fuel, changing lifestyles, a desire for a more socially vibrant community environment and improved public transit options. In the coming years, people will be more inclined to walk and bicycle for short trips and use the public transit for longer trips.

The design team supports the city’s efforts to develop a light rail link to Kansas City and encourages the city to further study the connection of the light rail to Independence along the Truman Road corridor. Truman Road is the main entry into the city and such a light rail link would bring people into the city center in close proximity to Courthouse Square. We recommend that the city develop a multimodal transit station or hub at the current bus stop on Truman Road across from City Hall. This hub would connect the city center bike paths, trolley and bus routes and light rail station within one transit hub. This transit hub should be conceived of as a gateway feature for the City of Independence.

COMPREHENSIVE VISION

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Routes: Bike , Bus and Trolley

Transportation routes around the city center currently lack organization and consistency. The design team recommends the proposed routes below, which improves the city center transit organization. The dotted blue line indicates the proposed light rail link along Truman Road. The proposed bus route, highlighted in red, circulates around the perimeter of the city center to reach more people. The orange dotted line indicates the proposed trolley route, which circulates around the Courthouse Square and through the park to the National Frontier Trails Museum. The proposed bike routes, highlighted in green, are designated bike routes; we advocated that all streets be marked and designed to accommodate bicycling. The design team has proposed bus and trolley stop shelter designs that fit the complete street design guidelines, are accessible, comfortable, and promote social interaction. These shelters have been integrated into the streetscape through the use of materials, landscaping, seating areas, and their symbolic and recognizable canopy form. The design team has chosen to raise the bus and trolley stop up to the level of the bus for easier access. These raised shelters would have a ramp for people who cannot negotiate stairs.

Parking

The design team recommends that parking be provided adjacent to the transit hub along Truman Road and throughout the city center.

The current arrangement of parking in downtown Independence is inefficiently utilized. These parking lots are remnants of the urban renewal efforts of several decades ago. Combined with the pervasive American parking culture where everyone seeks to park directly in front of their destination, this has led to the perception that there is insufficient parking in the city center.

The diagonal parking spaces around the Courthouse Square optimizes the number of spaces available, but creates a situation that is unattractive, projects the impression of vehicular dominance within the zone, and creates a parking hazard due to the poor sightline while backing out. Research suggests that by replacing diagonal parking with parallel parking reduces traffic accidents by 14%. An alternative that has proved successful in cities that wished to retain their diagonal parking has been to require only back-in diagonal parking where the drive is located near the traffic lane when pulling out of the space.

The design team believes that the amount of parking around the Courthouse Square needs to be reduced to give the pedestrian dominance within this zone. We recommend changing the parking from diagonal to parallel so that the sidewalk area can be enlarged to create a more comfortable, socially conducive environment within which pedestrians would wish to linger.

We further recommend the development of public parking lots along the Truman Road corridor into the city center. Between Main and Osage Streets along Truman Road we also propose the development of two half-block parking garages with housing on top; one on the north side and one on the south side of Truman Road.. These are shown on the adjacent map in beige. The first level of the parking garage and a portion of the second level will be public parking. The remainder of the second level will be private parking and storage space for the housing above.

Parking lots in the city center must be well maintained to provide the drivers with a sense of safety and to assure that these lots follow sustainability best practices. These lots should be well lit, contain trees and shrubs that shade the cars and hard surfaces, and include measures to control the water runoff from the parking lots. The design team suggests that materials such as pervious concrete, perforated pavers or grasscrete be used in these lots to allow rain water to percolate into the ground rather than run off straight into the storm drain system full of pollutants. Defining the boundary and medians of the parking lots with vegetation that the water runoff can flow through before entering the storm drain system is also recommended. Additionally, we believe that the parking lots should be spatially designated either by a hedge or fence and that a sense of a semiformal gateway should be used to distinguish the lots and to help them blend into the urban fabric.

COMPREHENSIVE VISION

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Gateways

Truman Road and Noland Road are the two main entries into the City of Independence. With the development of the light rail link to Kansas City along Truman Road, as we suggest, the principle gateway into the city center and the Courthouse Square district will be from the north. The design team envisions Main and Liberty Streets becoming the two gateway corridors off of Truman Road and from the proposed transit hub.

The development of gateway marker to indicate the transitional and arrival point into a city or place is an important spatial and perceptual indicator that helps people orient themselves in the environment; especially a new environment. Currently, Main Street at Truman Road serves as the gateway into the city center and Courthouse Square. Unfortunately, the existing gateway element lacks a sense of importance and prominence and, therefore, does not provide a distinctive sense of arrival. The two brick pillars, that are located on either side of the street, that mark the entrance to the city center now, are too understated for the area and purpose and do more to block the traffic sightline than signify the importance of the historic zone one is entering.

We recommend adding onto the existing brick pillars and turning them into a more substantial and dignified gateway element worthy of this historic section of town. In the sketch below, we have added another tier of brick to the top of the small brick pillar to give it more stature and presence. Then on top of the second tier of brick we have added a metal archway with metal lettering saying Independence, Missouri.

Furthermore, we recommend that Liberty Street at Truman Road as be considered a gateway point into the city center and Courthouse Square. At this location we recommend that a second set of brick pillars with a metal archway be erected to mark the prominence of the space.

Both Main Street and Liberty Street will become important pedestrian corridors for people entering Independence from the transit hub on Truman Road and from the new housing that will be developed around the transit hub north of Truman Road. These pedestrian and bicyclist routes need to be enhanced to provide a welcoming, shaded, stroll-able environment within which people will wish to linger.

Courthouse Square

The spatial design of the Courthouse Square district gives preference to the motorist and projects a perception that the pedestrian is of less importance. This creates a spatial setting that is uncomfortable to the pedestrian because of the abundance of cars, the lack of sidewalk amenities that provides relief from the vehicular dominated environment, the visual distraction of the cars that are always in the foreground of your view and the overall lack of human scale.

The design team recommends that the Courthouse Square district be redesigned to emphasize the importance of the pedestrian and not the motorist. In so doing we believe the city center will become a much more enjoyable space to visit, live in, and return to year after year. We recommend removing the diagonal parking around the Courthouse Square, redistributing the public parking lots within the city center, improving the design of those lots so that they are more inviting and environmentally sustainable, and developing the integrated multimodal transit system throughout the city center. By switching to parallel parking the hazardous diagonal parking spaces will be eliminated, the street lanes could be narrowed to slow traffic, the saved space can be added to the sidewalk area to create a pedestrian zone that is more comfortable with street furniture that promotes socialization, space for street landscaping that can add beauty, excitement and shade and space for outdoor sidewalk cafes.

We also recommend that the sidewalks throughout the Courthouse Square district be paved with brick to visually and tactilely unify the pedestrian area and that the crosswalks and intersections be elevated to further signify the pedestrian dominance and improve pedestrian accessible. These elevated intersections would act as traffic calming devices to slow down the motorist and make the zone safer. Within the center of these intersections would be commemorative murals.

As seen in the diagram below, the brick paving on the sidewalks extend throughout the Courthouse Square district and along Liberty Street south towards Osage Park. The unification of the sidewalk materiality with the Osage Trail between the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum is the principle strategy for developing the connector between these two important historic sites. Reinforcing this design concept is the re-vegetation of the Courthouse Square district. Through the brick material and the vegetation we believe that the Courthouse Square and Osage Park will come to be extensions of one another and help to tie the two ends of the connector together; Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum.

COMPREHENSIVE VISION

Figure 1.14

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Courthouse Lawn

Tourist will begin their experience of Independence at the Tourist Center located in the courthouse on the square. This is the beginning point of the connector that the design team has been asked to envision between the Courthouse Square and the National Frontier Trails Museum. However, the visitor to Independence that comes to the Tourist Center will visit sites throughout the community, not just the National Frontier Trails Museum. For this reason, the design team suggests that the spatial and perceptual linkages that have been proposed for the connector to the National Frontier Trail Museum be consider a prototype for possible connectors that might link to other important sites within the community.

At the Courthouse Square, the brick paving focuses all attention onto the square. The elevated intersections and crosswalks allow the sidewalk to flow uninterrupted around the Courthouse Square district and give priority to the pedestrians within the space. As the visitor follows the paved walk across the street to the square the sidewalks draw you past the sculptures of President Truman and President Jackson and up to the main entrances to the courthouse. In so doing the proposed alignment of the sidewalks encourages interaction between the visitor and the sculptures. Around the sculptures have been placed benches, elevated planters, and shade trees to further encourage the visitors to stop, rest and reflect. These highlighted sculpture spaces along the sidewalk will promote socialization and activity among the visitors and residents and add needed “life” to the Courthouse Square; which currently portrays an image of “look, but do not utilize”.

By creating a more inviting, comfortable and interesting Courthouse Square district, visitors to the area will wish to linger and stroll along the widened, landscaped sidewalk. By improving the Courthouse Square itself and its surrounding context, visitors and residents will seek out the city center of Independence as a destination for shopping, housing and entertainment.

Housing: Downtown Lofts

Currently, the building owners in the city center are utilizing the upper floors of their buildings sparingly. There are a few housing units and offices, but mainly the areas are used for storage or are vacant. When these buildings were built, these upper floors were full of activity: housing, offices, mercantile, entertainment and social organizations. People lived above their place of business. The downtown community was vibrant and close-knit. That change after World War II with the development of the highway system and affordable cars and cheap gas.

However, in recent years, America has seen a trend towards a return to urban living. The stereotype of only college students or young professionals living in urban lofts is changing and the full demographic spectrum can now be found living in the city center housing.

The design team recommends that the City of Independence and the downtown building owners work together to develop this emerging housing market. The upper floors of the downtown buildings need to be saved and restored to housing, offices and entertainment uses. This will improve the economic return for these building owners, increase the downtown population, save the buildings from falling into disrepair and generate more activity in the city center 24/7.

We particularly recommend the renovation of the Bank of America building at the corner of Lexington and Liberty Streets into a multistory housing complex at some future date. When this is done, we would recommend that the newer exterior façade be removed and the original Art Deco façade be restored. This facility and location is ideal for higher priced housing.

COMPREHENSIVE VISION

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Liberty Connector

From its starting point at the Courthouse Square the Osage Trail proceeds down Liberty Street to Kansas Street where it enters Osage Park on its journey to the National Frontier Trails Museum. This one block segment of the Osage Trail along Liberty Street is a crucial gateway segment between the Courthouse Square and Osage Park. This segment is the gateway point to and from the Courthouse Square and Osage Park. To accentuate this block of Liberty as the gateway and connector the design team recommends that this section of Liberty Street be narrowed, the parking removed from along the street, the sidewalk and vegetated buffer be widened, light pole with banners be added, that the urban edge along the street be strengthened by adding medium density housing up to the sidewalk edge and that the same brick paving used around the Courthouse Square be used on these sidewalks to unify the spaces. Further, we recommend that raised intersections be incorporated at each end of this segment of Liberty Street: Liberty and Lexington, and Liberty and Kansas. In the center of these raised intersections, we recommend that commemorative murals be added. There are five intersection murals in the city center, we recommend that each mural be design to commemorate one of the trails that passes through or departed from Independence: Lewis and Clark, Santa Fe, California, Oregon and Mormon.

When the Liberty connector reaches the Osage Park at Kansas Street, the Osage Trail flows off to the southwest towards the event stage and Colonial Market. It is crucial to conceive of the Osage Trail as an extension of Osage Park and that the walk surface and vegetation along it should remain consistent. This is why the design team has recommended the brick paving on the sidewalks around the Courthouse Square and along Liberty Street. Conceptually, the design team encourages the city to conceive of the landscaping along the sidewalks as extensions or tendrils of Osage Park reaching out and lacing the city together in a network of green.

As the visitor exits the Liberty Street connector into Osage Park or Courthouse Square the spatial change from the confines of the connector dramatically shifts to the open expanse of the square and park adding to the excitement and memorable views.

Brick Trail System

The Osage Trail system is the element that connects the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum. The trail originated in the Courthouse Square district, extends down the Liberty Street Connector to Osage Park and then meanders through the park before reaching the National Frontier Trails Museum. To mark the Osage Trail the design team recommends that it be surfaced with the same brick pavers as in the Courthouse Square district and along the Liberty Connector. The design team further recommends that brick pavers be used on the trail throughout the park, but given the expense, understand that alternative materials might be used, such as: color stamped concrete, concrete with brick edging, limestone pavers with brick edging, asphalt with brick edging. The Osage Trail should be constructed with a varying width of from 10 feet to 15 feet to allow for pedestrians and cyclist to use the trail simultaneously.

The trail has been designed to mimic the various trails that began their journey west out of Independence. The Osage Trail within the park has many trails and sub-trails to explore; visitors will have numerous choices of routes to take to get to their destination based upon their interest and the daily events in the park. The trails have been design so that there are points of interest located regularly to draw you along your half-mile journey to the National Frontier Trails Museum.

Because of the 70-foot drop in elevation between the Courthouse Square and the National Frontier Trails Museum, the design team has aligned the trail perpendicular to the topography; taking the longest distance between contours and, thus, allowing for the least sloping route. This has created a trail system that is ADA accessible.

COMPREHENSIVE VISION

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Osage Park: Formal Area

Upon exiting the Liberty Connector and entering Osage Park, the visitor will come into the formal part of the park that contains the Othia Sculpture Park, Colonial Market, Multipurpose Event Pavilion, Multipurpose Event Stage and Plaza and Spray Fountain. This part of the park is bounded by Kansas, Liberty, Walnut and Osage Streets. Currently, this one-block area is a large public parking lot that is seldom utilized, except during the Santa-Cali-Gon Festival one week a year. This parking lot is a remnant of the urban renewal efforts of several decades ago. This large expanse of patched concrete and asphalt is devoid of vegetation and detracts from the beauty and functionality of the city center.

The design team recommends that this negative spatial and functional area in the city center be converted to an asset by developing the Osage Park functions mentioned above. The design team conceives of the park as transitioning from formal to informal as one progress from the Courthouse Square district to the National Frontier Trails Museum.

The Othia Sculpture Park and Osage Park Events Area is the most formal section of the entire park. As the visitor enters this section of the park the Osage Trail gracefully flows around the edge of the Event Plaza and Fountain/Stage and invited the people to explore either the sculpture park displays, participate in events that might be taking place on the Event Stage or play in the Spray Fountain, tour the Colonial Market or stop for a snack in the market restaurant or browse the displays at the Multipurpose Event Pavilion or merely rest in the shade. During the Santa-Cali-Gon Festival this area could house numerous vendors and displays, host performances on the stage, sell refreshments and snacks in the market and restaurant and provide a central location for the festival organizers. The development of Osage Park sought to enhance the Santa-Cali-Gon Festival, not detract from it in any way.

This is the highest point in Osage Park and from here the rest of the park spreads out in a panorama of vegetation and civic art. Because of the beauty of this section of the park and the amenities that are located here, the design team envisions that the adjoining blocks will, in time, become prime locations for more high-end, medium density urban housing units. These surrounding areas could easily be envisioned as mixed-used housing and retail developments that complement the existing retail establishments in the city center’s Courthouse Square district.

Medium Density Housing

The map at the left shows the areas that the design team envisions developing into medium density housing due to the proximity of Osage Park and its amenities, the integrated multimodal transit system that would operate within the city center, and the city center. The medium density housing types envisioned for these areas would include rowhouses, townhouses, mixed-use housing with retail and condominium apartments.

The design team recommends that the areas immediately to the east and west of the Osage Park Event Center be developed as mixed-use housing with retail. The diagram below is suggestive of how the mixed-use housing to the west of the Event Center could be developed. The slope of the land between Kansas and Walnut Streets allows for the consideration of one level of under structure parking. The block would be excavated from the Walnut Street elevation back towards Kansas Street. A plaza platform would be constructed over the parking level at the same level as Kansas Street. Upon the plaza platform would be constructed two multistory buildings with retail on the ground floor and housing above. One building would be oriented to face the Osage Park Event Center on the east side of Osage Street and the other to face the long sloping view of Osage Park as it descends towards the amphitheater and National Frontier Trails Museum. On the rooftop of the building overlooking the Event Center we envision a fitness center and on the other building an upscale lounge/restaurant. The plaza over the parking would be open to the public and could be used for outdoor dining, cocktails, and strolling among the landscaping. At the north end of the plaza would be additional retail shops.

The diagonal circulation that is created by the positioning of the buildings on the plaza lines up with the major civic art piece of the group of Osage Indians that is located in Osage Park on the southeast corner of Walnut and Osage Streets. This diagonal axis is mimicked in the proposed design for the mixed-use housing/retail on the east side of the Osage Park Event Center. All of the medium density housing complexes surrounding the Event Center reinforce the importance of Osage Park by developing a diagonal circulation axis that ties everything back to the park.

COMPREHENSIVE VISION

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Osage Park Pedestrian Bridges

As the visitor travels southward through the Event Center area and past the Othia Sculpture Garden they will come to the Osage Park pedestrian bridges. At this point the visitor can choose to progress along the path following the natural grade of the site and cross Walnut Street at the intersection or they can proceed over Walnut Street via the elevated Osage Trail pedestrian bridges. In studying the topography of the site, the design team determined that the pedestrian bridges could extend level from a point further up the slope and over Walnut Street without having to construct an approach ramp or stairs. As the park site continues to slope downward on the south side of Walnut Street these pedestrian bridges would then gracefully slope back down to grade within the park.

The design team wanted to keep the area below the pedestrian bridges as unobstructed as possible so as not to disrupt the views of the park or create a separation between the park area north of Walnut Street from the park area on the south. To create this seamless flow of park space, the design team chose to utilize a suspension bridge system. To further minimize the structure, the team chose to only use one “A-frame” structural tower for each bridge and to connect the suspension cables in such a manner as to mimic a stylized Indian teepee. The webbing of thin cables provides stability for the A-frame towers and rigidity for the bridge deck. The inspiration for these suspension bridges comes from the work of Spanish architect, Santiago Calatrava.

Osage Park: Semi-Formal Area

The visitor traveling south through the park will cross the pedestrian bridge over Walnut Street and enter the semi-formal area of Osage Park. This section of the park changes in spatial character and programmed spaces. The Osage Trail sweeps down from the suspension bridge by way of a long graceful ramp. Depending on which of the pedestrian bridges you crossed you will either access the ground at a large open field or within a grove of trees near one of the specialty garden developments.

Your arrival point next to the large open field allows you to enjoy the “meadow”. You can run through the field, throw a Frisbee, lie in the sun and relax, or continue walking along the Osage Trail. If you follow the trail westward you will cross the tree-lined and canopied section of Osage Street and enter the western section of the park. Here you have an array of trails to explore and additional specialty gardens to tour. Located among the landscaping are various monuments, markers and civic art pieces. Anywhere you wish you can stop and rest in a bench alcove or on the grass.

If your descent from the pedestrian bridge brought you down at the eastern specialty gardens you would be enticed to stroll through the specialty gardens developed by the many area garden clubs. As you strolled along the Osage Trail you would skirt the open “meadow” and come upon the Buffalo Run Sculpture piece near the railroad.

The design team refers to these specialty garden areas as the Harry and Bess Gardens. As mentioned, these gardens would be developed and maintained by volunteers from the various area garden clubs, such as: the Rose Society, Hosta Club, Tulip Club, etc. The overall operation of Osage Park would be managed by the Independence Parks Department and area clubs that wished to develop displays in the park would have to present their plans to the park to receive approval and to be assigned a space. The park’s department would establish guidelines for the development and maintenance of these specialty gardens and have the authority to rescind any club’s permit that does not maintain their garden.

COMPREHENSIVE VISION

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Osage Park: Osage Axis

The Osage Street axis is of paramount importance within Osage Park. The plans for the renovation of the National Frontier Trails Museum propose the new entrance to the museum to be located off of Osage Street. This implies that visitors who drive to the museum will most likely travel there via Osage Street. The design team was very concerned that the width and increased use of Osage Street would have a detrimental effect upon the spatial integrity of Osage Park and, therefore, has sought ways to minimize the intrusiveness of the street within the park and to design the park in such a way that it spatially and functionally flows seamlessly from north to south and east to west as it descends the hill.

Thus, the design goal was to create a unified park’s sensorial experience while still keeping Osage Street open to traffic. This was achieved by implementing traffic calming strategies that would slow the traffic and spatially and perceptually place the importance on the pedestrian, instead of the motorist. The section of Osage Street between Walnut and Pacific Streets was narrowed and the on-street parking removed. This section of the street was raised to the level of the adjacent park so that it appeared that Osage Street was merely a lane within the park. Along both sides of the street trees have been planted that will, in time, create a canopy of vegetation or tunnel of trees along this section to further reinforce the linkage to the park. The surface of this section of Osage Street will have a civic art installation of LED lights to add to the interest of the vegetated canopy at night and to attract pedestrians to the site/sight. Along the side of the street will be rain garden installations of native plants that will help to filter the water runoff after a rain event before it flows into the storm drain system.

Along the axis of Osage Street, as it runs through Osage Park, it is important to note and develop the terminal views: the Bingham-Waggoner Estate to the south and the proposed Charles Curtis Park to the north. From the center of the park at Walnut Street a visitor will be able to look along Osage Street southward and see the Bingham-Waggoner Estate highlighted at the end of the tunnel of trees. When that visitor looks northward they will see the large brick or stone columns at the Charles Curtis Park on the crest of the hill in the city center. At night these terminal axis views would be illuminated to further highlight the Osage Street axis.

Osage Park: Informal Area

At the southern end of Osage Park is the informal area. This area nearest the National Frontier Trails Museum includes the Spearhead Amphitheater, Natural Spring Site, Picnic Pavilions, and Buffalo Run Sculpture Park.

The Spearhead Amphitheater is located near the National Frontier Trails Museum in an area of Osage Park that has a natural bowl shaped landform. This location will require minimal excavation to develop the amphitheater, thus, limiting the cost and disruption to the natural landscape. This amphitheater can host musical and theatrical events, lectures, speeches, graduations, reunions, weddings, movies in the park programs, and National Frontier Trails Museum activities. Between the amphitheater and the museum near the location of the original spring, the design team has proposed a large symbolic water feature to commemorate the site’s spring and its importance as why the settlers gathered at this point to form the wagon trains for the journey west.

The picnic pavilions located to the north of the amphitheater can be used in conjunction with the amphitheater events or reserved by the public for large gatherings. These pavilions could be used for reunions, graduations, sport organization gatherings, wedding receptions, or family reunions.

On both the east and west sides of Osage Street and running along the railroad tracks is the Buffalo Run Sculpture Park area. This civic art piece is both a wayfinding element within the park that directs the visitor to the National Frontier Trails Museum and also a history lesson about how the advancement of the railroad across the plains lead to the demise of both the buffalo and Indians.

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Osage Park: Water Retentions System

The vast number of parking lots, streets and buildings in downtown Independence creates a great deal of water runoff during a rain event. This rain water flushes off the built up contaminants on these surfaces and washes them down the hill and into the closest storm drain. Another benefit of Osage Park is that it converts a lot of that hard surfaced area into pervious lawn.

The design team has developed a series of retention basins throughout Osage Park to take advantage of the slope and lawn areas. The design team has drawn inspiration from the buffalo wallows that the settlers saw as they crossed the prairie. Over time, so many buffalo would wallow or take their “sand baths” in one spot that a depression in the ground would be formed. These depressions became important prairie micro-ecosystems for various plants and animals. After a rain these depressions would fill with water and slowly allow the water to seep back into the soil instead of running off into the streams.

If you study the diagram below you will notice that the design team has developed a series of interconnected shallow basins or “buffalo wallows” in Osage Park that collect and direct the rain water through the site. Each retaining basin slows the flow of the water down and allows it to percolate down through the vegetation and into the soil. Each time the water runoff flows down the slope to the next basin it flows through the park vegetation. Each time it becomes more and more purified. By the time the water reaches the bottom of the park it has lost most of it contaminants.

At the bottom of the park, the retention basin system channels the water towards the water feature south of the amphitheater and then on into the small stream that runs under Pacific Street and through the Bingham-Waggoner Estate. This system of retention basins cannot handle the large quantity of rain water runoff that pours off of the parking lots, streets and buildings in the downtown area, but it can keep a large quantity from flowing directly into area streams. With the addition of more vegetated areas and with the use of pervious parking and street materials more rain water runoff can be allowed to seep back into the ground and help preserve the quality of area streams.

Housing: Neighborhoods

Surrounding Osage Park and the medium density housing are an array of other urban housing types: single-family detached, single-family detached with an accessory dwelling unit, and multifamily dwellings. These housing types have been arranged in various neighborhood settings: traditional, pocket neighborhood planned developments, and co-housing neighborhoods.

The area north and west of the National Frontier Trails Museum has been proposed as a cohousing neighborhood area since there is currently an individual organizing a neighborhood group to implement such a development. The design team believes that this area works well for this type of neighborhood setting and that it should be allowed to expand to encompass this entire block.

The housing area to the east of the National Frontier Trails Museum is comprised of a mix of traditional and planned pocket neighborhoods. Throughout this area we recommend that every effort be made to preserve as much of the housing stock as is feasible given its condition and architecture significance at the time of the neighborhood development. These retained homes should be integrated into the neighborhood plan to add diversity, richness of housing stock, historical context, and to maintain the social neighborhood networks as best as possible.

The design team recommends that the newspaper building northeast of the National Frontier Trails Museum be renovated into a community hub or retail village. The central location of this building makes it viable as a hub for community services: a fitness center, day care, café, bike rental, community meeting rooms, and small offices. This hub or village center might have a central courtyard where people could relax, have a cup of coffee, connect to the wifi, and talk with friends and city visitors.

Within these neighborhoods there is a need to establish support services, such as: corner markets, barbers and beauticians, doctors, pharmacies, restaurants, etc. These support services should also include easy access to public transit and the commercial establishments in the city center area. The neighborhood service centers should augment the downtown business rather than compete with them since the distances between the neighborhoods and city center in no greater than three-quarters of a mile. Yet, it is important to enrich the neighborhoods and give them identities by developing the local village centers.

COMPREHENSIVE VISION

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Parks

Osage Park System

The design challenge was to create a connection between the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum (NFTM). The design concept, presented herein, physical links these two sites through the development of Osage Park and its support spaces. The primary connecting element is the multi-trail system that starts at the Courthouse Square, travels through Osage Park and terminates at the NFTM. These trails metaphorically represent historic elements and characteristics that the early settlers might have experienced traveling west along the trails out of Independence, MO, for example: the large width (10-15 feet) of the park trail reflects the great exodus to the west; the brick surface reflects the materiality of the early roads and sidewalks in Independence; and the splitting of the trail into multiple pathways to explore reflects the five diverging trails that have passed through or emanated from Independence.

Another concept underlying the layout and functionality of Osage Park is its transition from formal to informal spaces as you journey from the Courthouse Square to the NFTM. These transitions of spaces were also metaphorically conceived to represent the transition the pioneer settlers made from the “settled” west, Independence, to the “unsettled” western territories and the transition from contemporary Independence back to its early “free-spirited” frontier days. This formal to informal transition of park spaces and functions as you travel towards the NFTM provides a programmatic framework that helps define the placement of activity within and around Osage Park.

A significant design challenge for creating the connection between the Courthouse Square and NFTM is the (70) seventyfoot drop in elevation and the horizontal distance of (1/2) one-half a mile. This vertical drop and horizontal distance raises several important issues: accessibility for all users (universal design); and the need to make the experience of traveling between the two sites so physically, perceptually, and socially rewarding that people will choose to walk the connecting trail instead of driving. Thus, the Osage Park connector has been conceived of as a series of spaces and events along a path that draw you from one to the next, “like beautiful beads along a necklace of green”.

The development of an urban park, such as Osage Park, has numerous benefits for the City of Independence: it replaces the abundance of hard surfaced landscape left over from the days of urban renewal with a positive greenscape amenity in the heart of downtown; research shows that property values increase near parks and greenways and crime decreases, thus raising the property value and livability in the city center; the urban park would be a catalyst for reinvestment in the city center and would stimulate the renewal of older homes and the development of new urban neighborhoods; in addition to adding beauty to the city center, urban parks become the lungs of the city and help to clean the air and cool the urban environment; and urban parks attract people, encourage them to linger and explore and spend more money in the local economy.

Another environmental benefit of the Osage Park is as a water runoff filtration area. The abundance of hard surfaced area in the city center causes a large amount of water runoff during a rain event. This runoff picks up the contaminants from the streets, parking lots and building roofs and flushes it directly into the storm drains and area streams. The design of Osage Park has once again metaphorically used a reference to the pioneer days when the buffalo roamed the prairie in vast herds. As settlers traveled west, they would encounter large depressions in the land where water would collect during rains. These depressions were caused by the buffalo rolling to take a “sand bath”. These depressions were called “buffalo wallows”. In the design of Osage Park a series of interconnected retention depressions, or “buffalo wallows”, have been constructed to capture and allow the rain water to slowly seep into the soil through the park’s vegetation. Each time the water passes from on retention area to the next, it is further purified and allowed to seep into the ground before being channeled to a local storm drain or stream.

Osage Park is more than a connector; it has been conceived of as a catalyst for the renewal of Independence’s city center spatially, economically, environmentally.

Figure 2.1

Existing Site

The photograph to the left shows the parking lot bounded by Osage, Walnut, Liberty and Kansas Streets. The parking lot is very unattractive because of its cracked concrete surface with asphalt patches and lack of vegetation to soften the view. This parking lot is most used during the annual weeklong Santa-Cali-Gon festivities.

Surrounding Landmarks

The Public Library Technology Center is located on the proposed site for Osage Park. It is recommended that within the 30-years time frame of this vision study that the technology center be relocated to a different site within the downtown area.

The old mill’s water tower at the NFTM is a physical and cultural landmark for the City of Independence. Although the water tower is in poor condition, it is imperative that it be retained as a prominent landmark within the city and proposed park. If the current water tower cannot be restored, then a replica of the water tower must be built in its place.

The heart of Independence’s downtown is its Courthouse Square. The courthouse within the square is the starting point of the Osage Trail that will travel through Osage Park to the NFTM. This historic courthouse is significant because within it Harry S. Truman served as the Presiding Judge of the Jackson County Court.

The construction company property located north of the NFTM was left in very poor condition. This site, which is currently for sale, should be acquired by the city either for the expansion of the NFTM or the development of Osage Park.

Within the area of the proposed Osage Park are some singlefamily detached and multifamily dwelling units. These dwelling units vary in condition from well maintained to substandard. It is recommended that within the 30-year time frame of this vision study that these dwelling units either be removed or moved to a different location and renewed.

The residence on the BinghamWaggoner Estate is an important historic landmark in the community and major focal point and visual terminus looking south along Osage Street. In the conceptual design for Osage Park, Osage Street becomes the prominent axis linking the NFTM in the south with the proposed Charles Curtis Park on the city center hilltop to the north. This visual and physical axis is an important design element of the park that helps to unify the Bingham-Waggoner Estate, Osage Park, Charles Curtis Park and the city center together.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

At the south end of the proposed Osage Trail and Osage Park is the NFTM. The NFTM is the only museum in the nation registered to interpret 5 frontier trails: Lewis and Clark, Santa Fe, California, Oregon, and Mormon. Designs for the renovation of the NFTM have been developed and a capital campaign to raise money for the construction will soon begin. The proposed renovation will allow for expansion of the museum and improvements to the site.

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Benefits of Parks

Introducing urban vegetation would create a “softer” atmosphere in the downtown by adding shade, color, texture, aroma and the rustle of leaves. Such an environment would encourage people to linger and socialize, while reducing the heat from hard surfaces and cleansing the air. Research has shown that vegetated urban environments generate higher economic incomes for businesses in the area and reduce crime. People enjoy relaxing in the shade of trees. This can create a cascade effect, the more people that linger in the shade, the more people will gather.

The impervious surfaces within cities create an abundance of water runoff during a rain event that flushes the street, parking lot and roof top pollutants off those hard surfaces and directly into storm drains and streams. Urban parks can serve as valuable filtration systems within cities if they are utilized properly. By allowing the rainwater to flow slowly through the parks, the vegetation and soil can filter out the pollutants, allow the water to seep into the ground and add beauty to the landscape by way of water features.

According to the U.S. Forest Service’s (itree.com) site, during a single tree’s 50-year lifetime it will generate $31,250 worth of oxygen and $62,000 worth of air pollution control. Parks act as a natural filter to help absorb pollutants from human activity and enhancing air quality in the surrounding area.

Many studies have shown that an increase in parks and vegetation density leads to a reduction to crime. A study in inner-city Chicago grouped houses into three equal groups according to density of vegetation in the surrounding area. Houses in higher density vegetated areas reported 52% fewer crimes, 48% fewer property crimes, and 56% fewer violent crimes.

Open park spaces boost local economies by attracting tourists and outdoor enthusiasts. A figure in 1993 estimated that more 10 billion dollars were directly and indirectly contributed to local economies nationwide from park tourism. Placing a park within downtown Independence will promote growth of a different type of tourist, while creating also a connection to all tourist spots; from the city’s Truman connections to the historic Courthouse Square to the Osage Park to the NFTM. The development of this tourism connection is a key for economic growth.

According to a 2001 survey conducted by the National Association of Realtors, 57% of residents said that they would be more likely to select a neighborhood due to its close proximity to a park or greenway. Research further shows that homes located close to parks and greenways hold their value better and are assessed 15-20% higher than comparable homes not located near parks and greenways. With the emerging trend with America of people moving back to urban centers due to lifestyle changes, transportation costs and city amenities, Independence should include Osage Park as one of those amenities.

Parks create large and enjoyable green space that are conducive to social gathering and interaction. Downtown Independence lacks major outdoor social areas where citizens can gather. Osage Park would provide a diversity of outdoor social gathering area, foster community pride and communal trust. Outdoor places where people like to gather promotes a sense of identity and belonging, creates a safer environment by having more “eyes-on-the-street” and promotes a pride of place that people self-regulate.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

The development of Osage Park is a multi-generational endeavor that will involve the knowledge, muscle and money of many people. The creation of a park is unending. To keep it going and community excitement high, it is important that the community develop a shared vision for the park. There can be not comprehensive delineated plan of what it will look like in 50 or 100 years, but there can be an articulated vision for what it will be in that time. The park will need to become a labor of love for many in the community; and as such it help bond the community together.

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Osage Trail

The Osage Trail is the main physical linkage between the Courthouse Square and NFTM. The trail follows the natural contours of the land and provides ADA accessibility (universal design) to all areas of the park. See Figure 2.19.

The most prominent feature of the trail is the elevated pedestrian bridges that cross Walnut Street. The trail was elevated to provide an unobstructed physical and perceptual connection within the park for pedestrians and to separate the pedestrians and motorist at this major north-south transition point.

The half-mile journey along the trail to the NFTM can be strenuous for some people. However, the park was designed as a series of interesting points and rest areas that break up the path into manageable segments. The spacing between the various points of interest does not exceed 50 yards so that people can see what lies ahead and can traverse the trail at a measured pace. The trail is made of brick pavers that harkens back to the traditional materials of the wagon train era. These pavers bring a historical character to the trails and helps differentiate it from the other trails and sidewalks in the downtown area.

As the trail flows further southward through Osage Park it encounters Osage Street. Here the design for the trail and the park itself seeks to physically and perceptually connect the east and west halves of the park together by narrowing the width of Osage Street, creating a flush transition of park and street by removing the curb, moving the bike and pedestrian paths to the outside of the tree-lined street corridor, and by planting a colonnade of trees to create a canopy of vegetation that frames the view. This area is intended as a pedestrian promenade area that is accessible to cars along a narrow park lane.

Landscape and Vegetation

When considering the landscaping and vegetation to be placed in the park, greater attention was given to the sensorial qualities that certain plant types can created, rather than the selection of specific plants. The seasonal variations of plants and the landscape were considered to create a park that would optimize the visitors experience throughout the year. An important recommendation to consider in the creation of this park is the use of xeriscaping whenever possible because native plants are naturally acclimated to this growing zone and, thus, require less water, fertilizer, and maintenance to thrive.

From the topography analysis it was observed that the most level and accessible alignment for the trail was on a diagonal from northeast to southwest across the large open parking lot and that the steepest section of the site was located along Osage Street between Walnut and Lexington.

You will note that the consistent gradient north of Walnut Street made it feasible to allow the elevated pedestrian bridge to level out and span the street before gradually sloping back down to the ground on the south side.

Furthermore, you will also note that the placement of the Spearhead Amphitheater just north of the NFTM and railroad corresponds to a natural bowl shaped contour. This bowl shaped area will make it easier and less costly to excavate for the amphitheater.

A major design challenge for the design of Osage Park was to create a clearly differentiated separation between the pedestrians and motorists traveling within and around the park. The diagram above shows the vehicular access streets and parking around the park. The section of Osage Street between Walnut and Pacific Streets has been modified to become a pedestrian promenade with vehicular access through the use of traffic calming strategies, such as: narrowed lanes of traffic along Osage Street, zero curbs to accentuate the uninterrupted flow of the park across the street, and the colonnade of trees that form the canopy of vegetation along this length of street.

And, as mentioned previously, the elevated pedestrian bridges over Walnut Street.

The plants shown at the right represent a sampling of the plant types we would recommend for consideration in the park. Particular attention should be given to the selection of the large trees that would line the streets and walks and shade the park. We recommend that as you create this park that you consider oak or aspen trees that would provide exciting seasonal variations in color and texture. During the winter season cypress and cedar trees would provide an elegant setting to view among the other plantings. Plants that would provide a more personal, up close, experience for the visitor through their aroma, texture, sounds, and the wildlife that they attract could be plants similar to Azalea, Rusty Blackhaw, and St. Andrews Cross.

We further recommend xeriscaping because these native plants are the species that the westward travelers would have encountered on their journey through Independence. These native plants could be used to create scenic vista and views within the park that could be reminiscence of a grass prairie or woodland covered by tall, beautiful oak trees. In this way it supports and enhances the historic qualities of Independence and seeks to give a glimpse of the frontier past to the people visiting the park.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

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Harry and Bess Community Gardens

One of the ways that we have sought to enhance the community’s interaction with the park was through the creation of small specialty gardens. These spaces would be utilized by the Independence botanical clubs, such as the Roses, Lilies, Hosta or Tulips Societies to create display gardens for the education and enjoyment of the community. We envisioned that these groups would approach the city with a plan and request for an area in the park to develop their society’s garden. If approved by the Parks Department or Board, these groups would be allowed to implement their specialty garden. The Parks Department would monitor the performance of the garden groups and have the right to rescind any agreements with gardens groups that do not maintain their spaces or comply with park policies.

We recommend the development of two areas within the park for such society gardens; one on the west side of Osage Street the other on the east side. In this conceptual Osage Park

Walking Trail

plan these strolling gardens have been named the Harry and Bess Gardens. Within the Harry and Bess Gardens would be a variety of small gardens composed of both annuals and perennials, with strolling paths, and areas for sitting and reflecting among the diverse aromas and colors. The creation and upkeep of these gardens by the various garden societies and the numerous strolling paths and sitting areas has the potential to foster greater socialization within the park. We recommend that the city encourage the various garden societies to emphasize the seasonal change that will occur within the park and to develop gardens that take advantage of the seasons so that interest can be maintained throughout the year.

Adjacent to both the Harry and Bess Gardens is the Osage Walking Trail. This adjacency allows the visitors walking along the main park trail to easily divert their journey and explore the specialty gardens before continuing along their journey.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

The more “forested area” of Osage Park on the west side of Osage Street has a series of winding paths that intertwine among the vegetation. These paths are placed on a gentle slope to accommodate the needs by all visitors. These paths are easily accessed, but are tucked away so as not to disturb the park’s main walk. At the southern end of this “forested” walking path is California Point, which offers private seating areas for the visitors to relax and reflect. California Point has two sister areas, Oregon Point and Santa Fe Point, which are located, respectively, on the north and south borders of the open fields of Osage Park on the east side of Osage Street. These paths provide the visitors with a diverse park experience because of the more secluded nature of the setting within the park landscaping. The material of these paths would change from the brick pavers of the main walking trail path to a stamped or colored concrete to signify the change in spatial hierarchy. These areas would be heavily shaded and surrounded by different types of vegetation, making it a relaxing and more comfortable place to sit in the summer. By allowing people to take multiple routes to their destinations provides them with a variety of scenery and choice. This is important for several reasons. It allows users to explore and maintains their interest so that they will return and it is analogous to the frontier settler’s journey to the far west.

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We recommend the integration of civic art throughout the park, and city center, to commemorate and express the community’s culture and historic roots. Such civic art pieces would add beauty to the city and landscape, serve as spatial activators to attract people and to stimulate interaction, and to serve as landmarks that would help to draw the visitors along Osage Trail from one installation to the next.

1. Osage Indian Statues

These statues would serve as the welcoming party for visitors and inform visitors of the significance Osage Nation’s culture that thrived in this region prior to the founding of Independence. These life size sculptures would allow visitors to interact with them and should be conceived of as an extension of the adjacent Othia Sculpture Park.

Othia Sculpture Park

2. Tensile Tower Sculpture

Placed at the corner of Osage and Walnut, this sculpture shares a strong connection to the pedestrian bridges. The Tensile Tower Sculpture reflects the verticality and tensile character of the adjacent suspension pedestrian bridge. The sculpture will have two distinct views. One will be up close, exaggerating its height and the other from within the park where it act as a landmark to demark this import transition point.

3. Informal Park Entrance Sculpture

Located at the northwest corner of the park, this art piece makes a strong connection back to the wire frame forms of the Tensile Tower Sculpture and pedestrian bridges because of the commonality of materials. This area of the park relates closely to the neighboring residents and is, therefore, more informal. The form is also of an Osage Indian, however, the features are abstracted and the scale exaggerated in a symbolic manner. This sculpture would project a monumental scale and sense of awe over the park with outspread arms.

4. Interactive Abstract

This piece is influenced by its proximity to the theater and neighboring housing. The form plays off the theater’s column backdrop and encourages visitors to interact with the artwork. It is placed at point where the trails merge and direct views to the surrounding park spaces by its trusting elements.

5. Restored Water

The water tower at the NFTM is one of the iconic sights of Independence and should be preserved. We recommend that the water tower be restored and stay in its current location. The water tower should be a daytime and nighttime visual cue to mark the location of the museum. The tank itself might incorporate a mural depicting the pioneer era and lighting should definitely be included to illuminate the tower at night, similar to the adjacent example.

Othia, which is the Osage word for “wagon”, was used as the name of this sculpture park because of the significance of the pioneer wagons in the opening up and settling of the western territories. The Othia Sculpture Park has been developed in a formal manner with rock formations and wagons “traveling” through the area. The design intention for the Othia Sculpture Park was to create an interactive area that encouraged visitors to explore the rock formations and wagon train by climbing on and sitting in the various displays. The rock formations are proposed so that they range in difficulty from easy to difficult to climb similar to different sections along the trails experienced by the pioneers that left out of Independence. Furthermore, we would propose that the wagons be displayed in various settings allowing for various levels of accessibility. For example, a wagon might be displayed sunk deep into a quagmire of mud so that it’s lower and more easily accessible, while telling the story of the ordeal that the travelers had to endure. Or, possibly the wagon might be displayed with a broken wagon wheel so that it is leaning precariously to one side with its contents spilling out onto the ground. Or, it might be displayed with the oxen pulling strongly and the family walking alongside. All of these settings and more should be considered for the Othia Sculpture Park wagon train display.

Another design intention of this display was to highlight the technology of the era and how daily life has changed in the past 175 years. Therefore, by creating an area that was not dependent on modern technology gives the visitors, especially the children, an insight into what life along the trail was like. This playful sculpture park is located in the city center just one-block from the Courthouse Square and provides parents with an opportunity to bring their children to play and explore among the displays after shopping. There are a series of sealed gravel path within the sculpture park that have a more rugged texture, reflective of the terrain that the wagon trails traveled, which is still accessibility to all users.

Tower

Pedestrian Bridges

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Buffalo Run Sculpture

Sculpture Precedents

At the southern edge of Osage Park, running along the railroad line next to the National Frontier Trails Museum, is another large interactive sculpture display. This sculptural display is of a herd of life size buffalo that are making their way towards the museum. This large interactive sculpture symbolically tells the story of the plight of the plains buffalo and the Native Americans that depended upon them for their existence. At the eastern end of the procession of buffalo, near the railroad and Liberty Street, the sculptural herd is sparse and spread out similar to today. As the visitor walks along the trail and among the buffalo towards the National Frontier Trails Museum the herd becomes denser. This transition from the sparseness of the herd of today to the denser herd as you approach the museum references the reality of the buffalo as you progress back in time. The herd’s relationship to the railroad is a key component of this symbolic story of the “taming” of the west. As the railroad drove further into the plains it brought with it the destruction of the buffalo herds and Native Americans in the form of the buffalo hunters who indiscriminately slaughtered the buffalo for their hides, tongues or sport. As the sculptural herd crosses the rail line and enters the museum campus the history of how the “white-man” pushed the Native Americans from their native land would be told in the National Frontier Trails Museum.

The Buffalo Run sculpture is conceived of as an interactive play and learning area. Visitors of all ages would be encouraged to walk and run among the buffalo, climb on and crawl under the buffalo and to sit and rest among the buffalo and reflect upon their meaning. The display supports the park concept of placing points of interest at 50 yards interval along the Osage Trail to draw visitors from one place to the next.

Pioneer Courage Park Omaha, NE - Blair Buswell

The Pioneer Courage Park built by Blair Buswell (2005-2009) depicts four pioneer families departing from Omaha, NE in their wagons. Important themes of the western migration are portrayed in the sculpture, such as guidance, wayfinding and the gravity of hunting and gathering to replenish the group’s food supplies. In the sculpture, this new wagon traffic has agitated a nearby group of buffaloes resulting in a stampede that has caused a flock of geese to take off.

The Pioneer Courage sculpture helps to invigorate six city blocks of downtown Omaha by creating a detailed and dynamic story, which is vital to the success of any sculpture park. The sculptures in the park also serve as wayfinding devices that direct visitors to the First National Bank Tower. This same idea of sculpture as signage should be implemented throughout Osage Park to direct visitors between the National Frontier Trails Museum and the Courthouse Square.

Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive Dallas, TX Robert Summers

Built in 1992 by Robert Summers, this sculpture park honors Dallas’ cowboy past by imitating a cattle drive. The park is placed in a 4.2 acre area that was once a deserted railroad and warehouse property. The scene portrays a herd of 70-longhorns being driven by three cowboys on horseback. The site was originally part of the Shawnee Cattle Trail, which give the area historical importance. A feature of the sculpture plaza is the native

landscaping with flowing stream and waterfall. Interestingly, the steers are larger than real life—six feet in height. This scale creates a playful and dynamic area where these sculptures become “jungle gym” for the visitors. The uniqueness of each sculpture also adds to the feeling of kinetic space, even though there are no moving parts. Characteristics that should be considered for Osage Park sculptures are the scale, quantity, and uniqueness of the pieces.

It is important to note that the Pioneer Plaza Cattle Drive is the second most visited tourist attraction in downtown Dallas.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

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Elevated Walking Trail

A prominent feature of Osage Park is the pedestrian bridges that cross Walnut Street and seek to provide spatial and circulation continuity between the sections of the park north of Walnut Street with the sections south of the street. It was the desire of the design team to seek ways to provide a cohesive spatial and perceptual flow at all points throughout Osage Park and most specifically at the transition from the north side of Walnut Street to the south side of the street. It is recommended that Walnut Street remain open to traffic and that pedestrian crossings at grade level be provided and given priority over the car. It is further recommended that there be no parking on Walnut Street between Osage and Liberty Streets, that the street width of Walnut Street at this point be narrowed and that the street texture of Walnut Street be changed to accentuate the area as a pedestrian zone.

Because of the topographic opportunities at this point within the park, the design team recommends that two pedestrian bridges be created that allow the Osage Trail to flow over Walnut Street. These pedestrian bridges would begin to level out back up grade north of Walnut Street and flow over the street with a slight arched profile before descending byway of a gradual ramp to the ground on the south side of Walnut Street. These elevated pedestrian walks would provide ADA accessible routes separated from vehicular traffic.

These pedestrian bridges would be suspended above Walnut Street by steel cables in a form that is stylistically reminiscent to the shape of the teepees used by the plains

Elevated Walking Trail Diagram

When designing the pedestrian bridges it was necessary to see how they relate to the other pedestrian and vehicular traffic in the vicinity. The diagram to the left illustrates how the two bridges pass over the pedestrian and vehicular traffic along Walnut Street. As can be seen, more of the right-of-way is given over to the pedestrians and the vehicular traffic is constricted using traffic calming strategies.

Indians. The tensile suspension bridge structure would provide a span without the need for numerous structural columns which would distract from the visual and spatial flow of Osage Park.

In these perspectives of the bridge system you can see how the tensile structure works, wrapping itself around the main supporting columns. The design concept of the pedestrian bridges is to maintain the north and south park cohesion and make Osage Trail safer to use when crossing Walnut Street. In addition, the pedestrian bridges provide the visitors with a different vantage point to view the park and surrounding buildings.

Elevated Walking Trail Precedents

Architect, sculptor, and structural engineer Santiago Calatrava is most well known for his unique style of structural bridges. Calatrava makes use of tensile structure in order to create feelings of motion within his bridges. Each piece of tensile structure is individually placed at unique angles so that each piece has a different relation to the structure as a whole. As a result, the use of straight pieces of tensile steel are able to express ideas not normally associated with the material, such as geometry, density, and curvature.

Calatrava’s Zubizuri Bridge opened in 1997 in Bilbao, Spain. The resulting design was a curved walkway supported by an overhead arched that curved opposite to the bridge. The arch has two sets of suspension cables linked at each side. The resulting form creates a dynamic space within which to walk.

The Jerusalem Chords Bridge was completed in 2008 to accommodate the planned light-rail system within the city. The bridge consists of an s-curved deck elevated over two major roads. The cables supporting sections of the bridge further

from the cantilevered tower are connected lower on the tower, culminating in a gently curving triangular form. Although the scale of the project is much larger, it is important to note the cables’ pattern in order to create a curved form using only linear pieces and the ability to have varying degrees of density within that form.

In Independence the key factors that were explored in the pedestrian bridges were the sense of scale in relation to the pedestrian and the use cables to create a different sense of space within the linear space.

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Colonial Market

The formal section of Osage Park bounded by Kansas, Liberty, Walnut and Osage Streets and is comprised of the Othia Sculpture Park area and the Colonial Market, Event Stage and Fountain and the Multipurpose Event Pavilion. In response to the design challenge to establish the linkage between the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum and to seek ways to promote an increase in number of people living in the downtown, the design team sought to create facilities within the urban park that would provide the requisite amenities to stimulate urban living: parks and outdoor play areas, shopping, festival centers, and entertainment.

The components of the Colonial Market area of the park serve multiple uses. The market building houses year round organic produce and meat, specialty herbs, florist, wines and spirits, bakery vendors and the like. On the second floor we recommend a restaurant; possibly one specializing in entrées made from the freshest items from the first floor vendors. We further recommend that this restaurant have a rooftop dining area that can be opened and closed depending on the seasons, but that provides a prominent viewing and dining venue overlooking the park.

Adjacent to the Colonial Market is the Multipurpose Event Pavilion. This pavilion could be used to host a weekly farmers market or craft shows, art displays, food vendors or the Santa-CaliGon Festival activities, etc. The pavilion could be used by people as a place to eat their lunch out of the sun or inclement weather.

Between the two buildings is the Event Stage area and Spray Fountain. When events are not going on, the fountain can be going and providing an interactive play area to cool off or space to “people watch”. When events are scheduled, the fountain would be turned off and the area converted to a stage for musical groups, speeches, plays, group gatherings, etc. This event area follows the slope of the land in a series of interlinked tiered platforms. Curving around the event area is the main path of the Osage Trail. Thus, visitors moving through the park along the trail system will all pass through this space. The features of this park space give it distinction and will help to make it a destination within the downtown area for both the local residence and visitors.

Since this portion of the park is so close to the existing and proposed urban neighborhoods the design team paid careful attention to developing the multimodal transportation linkages between the neighborhoods and this section of the park. The design team envisions that this section of the downtown will see a tendency towards less dependence upon private vehicles and a greater tendency towards pedestrian or bicycle movement within downtown.

The diagram to the left illustrates the pedestrian flow throughout this portion of the park. The relation to the main trail allows easy access to the adjacent plaza.

Market Precedent

One of the market precedence that was studied during the design of the Colonial Market and Multipurpose Event Pavilion was the Soulard Market in St. Louis, Missouri. Not only was the form of the Soulard Market studied, but also the functioning of the market spaces. Our design intention was to eliminate the corporate identify within the market and to accentuate the sense of a local, hometown market; even to the point of having local and home grown foods sold in the market. We want the people of the area to produce, sell and manage this market and building. Where each vendor is responsible for his or her own store, but where each vendor is also part owner and manager of the Colonial Market.

The images to the right of the various markets studied convey the essence of what we envision for the Colonial Market: an open, colorful, active sales zone full of activity, noise and aromas. We envision the inside of the Colonial Market as being a social space where sellers and buyers establish friendships and bonds of trust, where visitors to Independence will be welcomed and treated to a “colorful performance in sight, sound and smell” and where you meet and socialize with your neighbors. In the Colonial Market, the quality of the goods is of equal importance to the quality of the space and the quality of the social exchange. This type of market/social center in downtown Independence would help promote the urban lifestyle that is emerging across America and support the active living lifestyle that the City of Independence is promoting.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

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Spearhead Amphitheater

The name for the Spearhead Amphitheater was derived from several root meanings related to the historical context of Independence. The first root word comes from the Osage Indians and how they used the spear as their primary instrument for hunting food. The second root word comes from how the pioneers spearheaded their way into the west to start a new life.

The Spearhead Amphitheater provides the City of Independence with a new venue to hold a number of events throughout the year. Events such as, theatrical performances, musical events, speeches, lectures, Santa-Cali-Gon activities, movies in the park, reunions, weddings, and the like could all be easily accommodated at this venue. As proposed, the amphitheater can hold 700 people. Parking for the amphitheater would occur in its designated lot across Spring Street south of the co-housing neighborhood and along Spring Street.

Another aspect of the amphitheater is that the tensile structure stage backdrop allows it to become a versatile space that can be changed very easily to accommodate the needs of the event taking place.

The seating is arranged so that it fits into the contours of the land so that there is minimal disturbance of land within the park. The seating is constructed by alternating native stone retaining walls and grass seating/lounging areas to create a tiered seating area that follows the natural curve of this part of the park. The slender trees that would be planted and that currently exist in this area of the park would provide ample shading for people watching the performances.

The amphitheater seating allows for a dynamic circulation system that can be changed depending on what best suits each theater event. During public events all circulation paths can be opened to allow and invite patrons from anywhere in the park. During private and paid events, the pavilion entrances can be closed and either both entrance hubs can be operated or only one, depending on the projected amount of customers or if there is a preferred path the event holder desires. For example, if the event is part of a bigger event held in the park, the primary entrance might only be opened to bring patrons through the park. Additionally, the secondary entrance could always be opened to allow for the handicapped to access seating without hassle.

The seating’s structure would operate as a series of mini-retaining walls. The seating is built into a natural hill, so that it can be easily implemented. The structure would also require a very minimum amount of materials, which would result in a reduction in building cost, maintenance, and water runoff. The minimal use of impermeable materials allows natural vegetation to be planted within the amphitheater seating. Trees would shade attendees during the warm seasons and as they change their color and texture throughout the year, creating a dynamic space that changes along with the seasons.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

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Amphitheater Precedents

Scott Outdoor Amphitheater

The Scott Outdoor Amphitheater located on the Strathmore College campus exhibits many of the qualities that would be implemented in the Spearhead Amphitheater. One of the qualities that can be clearly seen is the trees that provide shade to the seating area. The tree type is characterized by a tall slender trunk with a high canopy of vegetation that does not block the view of the stage. Another quality is the style of seating, where it alternates between a flat green space with a stone bench built along the same arc as the stairs. This feature allows for a variety of styles for people to sit or lounge depending on what is most comfortable to them. This feature also works because of the low impact it has on the existing site contours. Our design used a similar use of the existing contours minimizing the need for excavation. This will minimize damage to the park and lower the construction cost.

Independence Natural Spring

During the days when Independence was the main jumping off point for the wagon trains heading west, the area around the National Frontier Trails Museum was the assembly point for many of those wagon trains because of the abundance of animal fodder and the natural spring that was located near the current museum provided an abundance of fresh water. That spring has since been buried and capped with concrete. Yet, the significance of this spring for the town’s prosperity and its heritage as the trailhead for the four trails that left for the west from here can never be overstated.

For this reason, the design team recommends that the spring be

symbolically recognized by the creation of a large pond between the Spearhead Amphitheater and railroad tracks. We recommend that this location is ideal because it is located near the original site of the spring, it would provide a beautiful backdrop for the amphitheater, it creates a distinctive terminus to the Osage Trail that flows through the park between the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum, and would help to tie the water retention areas within the park together before they are discharged into the adjacent creek.

The diagram below illustrates how the water retention pools flow through the park. The concept for these interconnected retention areas

comes from the idea of the “buffalo wallow”. The buffalo wallows are depressions where buffaloes have taken “dirt baths” to rub the parasites off their skin and scratch. In time these wallows can become quite large and during rain events collect water. These shallow depressions on the prairie were important to the ecosystem. They became places where migratory birds found water, they were micro habitats for wildlife and they allowed the water to seep slowing back into the soil. We have included symbolic buffalo wallows in the park in the form of a series of interconnected storm water retention basins. As the water collects in each basin it is slowed down and allowed to seep into the soil. As it naturally flows through the park and through the vegetation, the water is filtered and purified. By the time the storm water reaches the bottom of the park and the pond that represents Independence’s Natural Spring, the water is well cleansed of pollutants and ready to be released into the adjacent creek.

The diagram above shows the seating arrangement in relationship to the stage. This setback provides a buffer zone for the stage and its performers. Also you can see the trails that connect to the seating area, which creates an ADA accessible area for seating. There is also an area behind the seating that provides public restrooms. This is important in an event space that is outdoors because a separate building is needed to house the restrooms and storage areas..

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

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Pavilions

These pavilions are essential to the operation of the amphitheater. These pavilion spaces create an area that protects the users from the elements during times of severe weather. The pavilion form would maintain the traditional park pavilion design.

The cluster of pavilion spaces adjacent to the amphitheater could be used in conjunction with amphitheater events or separately. These pavilions could be used as pre and post-performance event spaces where receptions, diners and/or cocktails. These pavilions could be rented out for large group events such as reunions, weddings, arts and craft shows, community picnics, festivals, sports club receptions and the like. They could be rented for small family gatherings: Memorial Day and Fourth of July gatherings, birthday parties, picnics, and graduations. Or they can just be used as a refuge from the sun or rain storm or as a place to rest.

Ralph’s Wagons

The design team believes that Ralph Goldsmith and his wagon and his two mules, Harry and Bess, are an important feature of Independence’s downtown and that it should be expanded upon over time. Further the team believes that the city can do more to integrate Ralph Goldsmith and his wagon or future entrepreneurs and their wagon and mules into the downtown environment and Osage Park. The diagram to the left illustrates the area at the northeast corner of Pleasant and Pacific Streets. We recommend that the city purchase this land to be a part of Osage Park and that it be utilized as the location for keeping

the wagons and mules for the tour company or companies. We envision that this area could become an area of interest for visitors walking or biking in the park. We recommend that a tack area, feed barn, and mule barn be built on this site to accommodate the wagons and mules. We recommend that the brush be cleared from the area and a pasture established where the mules can be kept. We believe that visitors would pay to tour the tack room, feed the mules and pet the animals.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

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Charles Curtis Park

We have recommended naming these two small parks the Charles Curtis Park in honor of Mr. Curtis being the only Native American, Osage, to be elected Vice-President of the United States. No other Native American has ever attained a higher office in America.

The Charles Curtis Park occupies the two current parking lots located on Osage Street between Maple and Lexington Streets. This park is recommended for several reasons: it would serve as an important visual terminus and landmark within the city when viewed along the Osage Street axis. When walking along Osage Street within Osage Park, one would see at the north terminal view the Charles Curtis Park sitting on the crest of the hill marking the center of Independence and at the south terminal view the BinghamWaggoner Estate. To mark the terminus at the top of the hill along Osage Street would be four tall brick or stone columns. These columns would be visible due to their size during the daylight hours and at night would be illuminated to mark the terminus.

This park has two different functions. The half of the park on the east side of Osage Street would house a cafe, pub, lounge and outdoor dining area that would cater to day and evening patrons. The half of the park on the west side of Osage Street would be designed as a place of respite with a 20-foot water wall the full width of the block, tables and chairs, benches, food vendors and fragrant vegetation. The inspiration for this mini park is Paley Park in downtown New York.

The brick walks and patios of the two parks flow out of the parks and fill the section of Osage Street between Maple and Lexington Streets. This unification of materials signifies that this section of Osage Street must be considered a part of the Charles Curtis Park. This section of street would be used by the community for street dances, festivals, holiday displays, Truman Days and Santa-Cali-Gon activities.

Surrounding Park Extensions

As the capital campaign for the renovation of the National Frontier Trails Museum progresses, we would recommend that the city administrators and architects involved in that project review this Link Independence Study to ascertain if and how the NFTM should modify it’s planning so that the complex might respond better to the linkage with the Courthouse Square.

We also recommend that the city reconsider its current plans for the Courthouse Square and the surrounding streets and sidewalks with an eye towards how the Link Independence Study might strengthen the linkage between the Courthouse Square and the National Frontier Trails Museum through the selection of materiality, sidewalk widths, raised intersections and intersection murals, and wayfinding signage.

We recommend that social gathering spaces be developed in the downtown area, similar to those found in Osage Park. We believe that the Osage park and the downtown socialization areas would be a key factor to increasing pedestrian circulation within the downtown. The Courthouse Square should be considered a “green” tendril of Osage Park, which could potentially then develop additional green areas throughout the downtown.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS

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Complete Streets

Complete Streets

What are Complete Streets ?

Complete Streets are streets that are designed and operated to enable safe access to all users; whether it is a pedestrian, cyclist, or motorist. It is necessary for the community to direct their transportation planner to design and operate the entire right of way if they adopt the complete street policy.

Every complete street should consider the following elements, from facade to facade across the public thoroughfare: (See the figure at the right)

• Urban Edge Component (Building Facade)

• Building and Furnishing Component

• Pedestrian Component

• Vegetated Buffer Component

• Bicycle Component

• Parking Component

• Driving Lane Component

• Stopping Traffic Component

• Curbside Management Component

Building Scale

If not modified by elements such as the awning, tree canopy and balcony structure will create a sidewalk environment that is out of scale to the pedestrian.

Vegetated/Awning Canopy

To promote a more walkable city, pedestrians need to be provided with shading elements such as street trees and awnings.

Public/Street Zone

This motorized traffic zone should also consider the needs of pedestrians and cyclist by providing crosswalks and an arranged traffic system that will benefit all users.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

Pedestrian Zone

This zone should be wide enough to accommodate sidewalk activities and provide space for street furnishings and vegetation.

Figure 3.5

Showing the Complete

Crossing the Street

Shading Elements, such as Awnings and Street Trees, Help Improve the Walkability of Streets

Figure 3.6

Figure 3.7

Section of a Complete Street Showing Zones

Section of a Complete Street Sidewalk Showing Tree/ Awning Canopy

Human Scale

Defined here by the overhead plane of the awning and tree canopy.

Design Considerations

Complete Streets

Roadways will be designed to help protect the environment by reducing water runoff and reducing erosions caused by flooding. Green street elements will also help by filtering storm water and reduce the heat island effect caused by the amount of pavement.

Technological advances should be taken into account in the design of these streets. Roadway signs and lane allocation will be coordinated with signal timing and intersection design to enhance the flow of all user traffic.

Examples of Complete Streets

Pedestrian Oriented Environment

It is crucial to accommodate the needs of the pedestrians over all other users that share the street. This requires a shift in design thinking from vehicular-dependent development towards more traditional design practices that provide safe, convenient opportunities for walking, biking and accessing essential destinations such as schools or work places.

Pedestrian-Oriented Environments can and should incorporate pedestrian circulation into site layouts by providing not only sidewalks and walkways, but also human-scale landscaping, lighting and other features that promote a sense of safety and encourage people to make use of pedestrian amenities.

Bicyclist-Oriented Environment

Street

space will be

optimized to balance the needs of pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists and not just cars. A higher priority will be given to the pedestrians and bicyclers to promote that lifestyle, which means wider sidewalks and designated bike lanes.

Universal Design

Universal Design accommodates all members of society regardless of their abilities, age or health. It encompasses these seven principles:

Equitable Use

Flexibility in Use

Simple and Intuitive Use

Perceptible Information

Tolerance for Error

Low Physical Effort

Size and Space for Approach and Use

In summary, Universal Design is the process of embedding choice for all people in the things we design.

Bicycles are a healthier, green method of transportation; they do not burn non-renewable fossil fuels or produce harmful emissions. The U.S. Census estimates that about half of all Americans live within five miles of their workplace and that 80 percent of carbon monoxide and about half of the nation’s nitrogen oxide emissions year produced annually is by motor vehicles; the better choice for the environment is clear.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

Figure 3.8 Rain Gardens

Figure 3.11 Clever Sidewalks

Figure 3.9 Smart Parking Meter

Figure 3.13

Figure 3.10

Seoul Bicycle Lanes

New Street, Birmingham, England

Figure 3.12 Diagram Explaining Universal Design

Figure 3.14

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Figure 3.18 Figure 3.19 Figure 3.20

Baltimore, MD Denver, CO Denver, CO San Jose, CA San Jose, CA San Jose, CA San Fransisco, CA Alameda County, CA

Proposed Streets Modifications

Implement Traffic Calming Strategies

The sidewalks around the Courthouse Square were replaced with brick pavers and the crosswalks and intersections have been raised to the level of the sidewalk to emphasize the pedestrianoriented environment.

The section of Osage Street between Walnut and Pacific Streets has been narrowed and the street raised to the level of the sidewalk. This has created no curb street to spatially connect Osage Park and to emphasize the pedestrian-oriented environment.

Modification of Parking

To enhance the walkability of the Courthouse Square district the design team has changed the diagonal parking to be parallel parking and extended the sidewalk to accommodate pedestrians activities, additional vegetation and street furnishings.

Narrowing of Streets

Some streets were considered too wide for their current use, such as the section of Osage Street between Walnut and Pacific Streets. The design team proposes that this section of Osage Street be narrowed to strengthen the spatial and perceptual flow of Osage Park. By narrowing the street it deemphasizes the vehicular traffic and emphasizes the pedestrian-oriented environment.

Addition of Bike Lanes

Although, conceptually, the design team envisions all streets to be biker-friendly, it is still important to provide designated bicycling lanes throughout the community. For those riders that are uncomfortable sharing the road with automobiles, a defined bicycle lane provides the riders with a safe and comfortable riding experience.

Widening of Sidewalks

The current sidewalks are not welcoming to pedestrians because they are not buffered from the streets, are not wide enough, do not have sufficient street furnishings and are not properly maintained. By widening the sidewalks a vegetated buffer and street furnishings can be added that will make the sidewalks more comfortable to occupy, stroll along and socialize.

Addition of Vegetated Buffer Zones

To insure the safety of pedestrians vegetated buffer zones has been added along the street edge. These vegetated areas add to the physical and perceptual safety of the pedestrians, as well as add color and interest to the street.

Addition of Bus and Trolley Shelters

The bus and trolley shelters should be accessible, conveniently located, integrated into the streetscape, be attractive, have good visibility and lighting, have ample seating, good shade and ventilation and promote socialization. The design team recommends raising the bus and trolley stops up to the level of the bus for ease of access and egress.

Improvement to the Street Lighting

The street lighting should be designed to provide good light levels and coverage at night for both pedestrians and motorist, avoid light pollution and light infiltration into second story windows and have a standardized appearance. Consideration of lighting along the street for the vehicular zone, pedestrian zone and storefront zone should seek to optimize the lighting coverage with minimum energy usage.

Improvement to Wayfinding Signage

Wayfinding signage should consider who the observer will be, the speed at which they will read the information, their scale and their capabilities. A consistent and well-organized wayfinding signage system is necessary.

Standardized Materials Palette for Sidewalks and Paths

Sidewalks: Courthouse Square: Red Brick

Liberty Connector: Red Brick

All Others: Concrete

Paths:

Osage Park: Red Brick

Stamped Colored Concrete

Colored Asphalt w/ Brick Edging

Courthouse Square: Red Brick

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

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Bike Routes on Comprehensive Map

Section Cut Through Osage Street Showing Addition of Bike Lane

Section: Osage Street Between Walnut and Pacific Streets

Plan View of New Parking Layout Around the Courthouse Square

Sidewalk Modification Courthouse Lawn

Perspective View Looking North on Osage Street

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Even Spaced Street Lighting Diagram

View of Accessible Trolley Shelters

Dimensions of a Typical Downtown Street Section Liberty Street at the Courthouse Square

New Wayfinding Signage

Figure 3.33 View of Accessible Bus Shelters

Analysis of Existing Conditions: Facades

Independence currently has interesting facades in its city center. However, consistency in building materials, detailing, scale, and style are missing. Continuity between these will visually link together the facades and convey a stronger community sense.

Development of guidelines for facades should follow the format of form-based codes: they should allow for creative expression, while providing basic continuity. In the Courthouse Square, facades should be considered in three parts: the cornice, upper facade, and storefront. This three-part design should be kept intact.

Around the Courthouse Square, awnings should only be added to windows and doors facing the east, west, and south, unless the building originally had an awning prior to 1940. Awnings should be placed carefully and not hide architectural details. Canvas is the best material for awnings; however, if an original awning consisted of another material, it should be kept. More height consistency is necessary for awnings; a basic guideline is eight feet minimum above finished grade.

Buildings around the city center that are vacant and have boarded windows and doors [Figure 3.34] should be improved to give the appearance of life around the city center. Plywood boards should be removed and replaced by weatherproof windows and doors. Installing these and assuring that the roof is kept in good condition will prolong the life of the building and make it more attractive to investors.

Guidelines for signage consistency should also be developed. Any historic signage should be kept

Sidewalks

intact and visible, but should not be “touched up” even if the business advertised no longer exists. In the Courthouse Square, colors should complement those already present on the facade. A guideline of font choices should be provided to keep a consistent look across all signage. Sign materiality should be considered, as it affects the look of the sign and maintenance needed over its lifetime. Neon signs should fit the historic character of the square and promote nightlife.

Some existing wall signage in the Courthouse Square [Figure 3.35] is uncoordinated and made of temporary materials. The signage of the buildings in Historic Downtown Madison, Indiana, [Figure 3.36] have colors that complement the buildings. There is font coordination and size consistency of words.

As seen in [Figure 3.37], the Courthouse Square has hanging signs perpendicular to facades that are placed too high and project too far for pedestrians to easily see as they stroll. The hanging signs of downtown Newark, Ohio, [Figure 3.38] are at a comfortable level for pedestrians, between eight feet and ten feet above finished grade. Hanging signs should be placed below awnings.

Some storefronts in the city center have too much window signage, as in [Figure 3.39]. Signs applied to store windows are easier to remove when business change, but too many becomes confusing and an overload of information. This storefront in downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire, [Figure 3.40] is simple and uncluttered by too many signs.

Existing sidewalks fail to emphasize pedestrians’ needs and comfort. Because they lack shaded resting areas, they do not promote lingering and strolling in the city center. The sidewalks are too narrow and greater care needs to be given in the selection and placement of street furniture to avoid cluttering the walkway. Instead, street furniture should encourage socialization.

Most sidewalks are in great disrepair and streetscaping maintenance has been neglected over the years. Dangers present themselves along streets and sidewalks because pedestrian crossings are unsafe and unmarked outside of the Courthouse Square district. Railroad crossings have no barrier as trains pass. Storm drains have wide, unobstructed openings, posing a danger especially to young children who could easily fall into them and drown.

Improper street lighting, which currently exists in the city center, allows light to pollute the sky and project onto buildings. This light pollution discourages the development of downtown buildings into hotels, lofts, and apartments as the glare from street lights is an annoyance when it enters through upper story windows.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

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Uncoordinated Wall Signage in City Center Historic Downtown Madison, IN

Hanging Signage in Newark, OH Hanging Signage too High in City Center

Vacant Building in City Center Excessive Window Signage in City Center Storefront in Downtown Portsmouth, NH

Light pollution from existing street lights can be seen around the Courthouse Square.

Sidewalks are too narrow and, often, not wellmaintained. They do not encourage walking.

Old City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, exemplifies activated sidewalks. They promote lingering with specific seating areas and shading, as well as strolling through changes in materiality and an overall comfortable setting.

The wide and open storm drains are a safety issue for young children.

There are no warning sign of the railroad crossing or of trains passing and the sidewalk is crumbling into the ditch, the remains of this sidewalk on Osage Street are dangerous and unsightly.

Figure 3.42

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Lack of Vegetated Buffer

While the sidewalks themselves need improvement, the city center lacks a physical and perceptual separation between the pedestrian and the motorist. Vegetation is needed to soften the landscape and add a sense of nature. The vast hardness lacks shade for pedestrians and instead contributes to the heat island effect.

The Courthouse Square lawn is one of the few spaces featuring greenery in the city center. However, the lawn is perceived as “offlimits” and is not used as a social space. Trees and planter boxes will significantly add to the environment of the city center helping to beautify it and purify the air.

Parking

The city center currently has an abundance of parking. Available parking is poorly used as some lots are used only annually for the week long Santa-Cali-Gon Days festival. These underused parking areas present an environment of hard surfaces and portray an image of abandonment. Such an image discourages walking in a culture that already prefers to park at the “front door” of establishments.

Streets

The streets in the city center place too much emphasis on the vehicle. Many streets are difficult for pedestrians to safely cross due to the high speeds of cars on them and lack of marked pedestrian crossings.

Streets are wider than necessary for the amount of traffic that travels along them and contribute to the hard, impervious vastness. Water runoff from streets is also not well controlled in some areas of the city center.

Conclusions

Without strong complete streets organization, the city center of Independence lacks linkage. The abundance of hard surfaces in the city center exacerbates the heat island effect and makes being outdoors uncomfortable. No protection from the elements can be found due to the lack of shade or shelter along sidewalks. Excessive water runoff from these surfaces carries pollutants into the storm drains and area streams.

The lack of vegetation in the city center also exacerbates the heat island effect and does not provide shelter for pedestrians from the sun or wind. Without vegetation, water runoff is flushed rapidly from the hard surfaced areas and dumps the polluted water directly into the storm drains. The addition of urban vegetation purification is needed to mitigate the heat island effect and to help purify the water runoff prior to entering the storm drain and area streams.

From a visual standpoint, the lack of vegetation diminishes the beauty of the city center. Research shows that city centers with beautiful vegetation generate greater economic returns and that more trees equate to less crime.

In the city center, parking needs to be reconfigured. Areas for parking should be redistributed based on the needs of users in the vicinity.

The city center environment needs to be re-conceived as a pedestrian-oriented zone, not a vehicular-oriented zone. This guideline should be at the forefront of all decisions related to the city center and help to change the culture of the community.

New and coordinated wayfinding signage is needed throughout the community. Strong connection between signage pieces will further link the city and build a stronger community image. Most importantly, it will allow visitors to feel that they can wander about the city center while knowing that signage will guide easily and effectively.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

The Courthouse Square Lacks Vegetation to Add Shade and Beauty

This Street Lacks a Defined Edge and a Drainage System for Storm Water Runoff

The Lawn of the Courthouse Square is Perceived as Unwelcoming, as the Main Sidewalk Pushes Visitors to the Very Edge of the Lawn

Current Streets are Unnecessarily Wide. This Unused Parking Lot Encompasses an Entire Square Block

An Underused Parking Lot with Little Vegetation is one of the First Sites Seen by Visitors upon Entering the City Center Along Truman Road

Figure 3.46

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Precedents: Smart Growth

To understand Smart Growth you have to understand urban sprawl and its negative conditions. Urban sprawl stimulates development at the periphery of the city where the land is less expensive, but where the public amenities are lacking and, thus, a trip to the market or school may require a long commute. Smart growth is a way to build and maintain towns and cities that encourage the planning and design of communities where housing and transportation choices are located next to jobs, shops and schools. The Smart Growth approach protects the environment and supporting local economies.

The Different Scales of Smart Growth

Regional Scale

• Plan according to the rural-to-urban transect

• Seek community consensus for all plans

• Map development priorities and green prints

• Re-establish the missing American intercity railway

• Organize car and bicycle sharing programs

Neighborhood Scale

Create neighborhoods that enable diverse activity

Design public spaces around existing trees

Preserve hydrological patterns where possible

Provide natural areas close to dwellings

Link green areas into continuous systems

Provide the potential for jobs within each neighborhood

Develop as much housing as the market will bear.

Plan neighborhoods and corridors to support transit

The Street

• Do not allow dead end streets

• Establish distinct network of walkable streets

• Design complete streets to accommodate for pedestrians, bicyclists as well as cars

• Allow on-street parking in all but rural areas

• Design local thoroughfares for slow flow

• Provide street trees along thoroughfares

• Provide streetlights appropriate to the location

• Provide a range of storm water systems

• Enclose street spaces with building fronts

• Adjust parking requirements to reduce car dependency

The Building

• Provide live-work buildings in appropriate locations

• Design the buildings with the sun in mind

• Design buildings to have good air quality

• Select plants that require less watering and care

• Renovate historic buildings

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

Figure 3.52

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Sketch Describing Smart Growth Non-Smart Growth Urban Sprawl

Figure 3.51 Principles of Smart Growth

Figure 3.53

Example of a Smart Growth Community

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Transportation Choice Managing Storm Water Street Trees

Principles of Smart Growth

Mix Land Uses

Multiple uses of the same space or the same building are considered an effective method of creating a vibrant community. Residential, commercial, institutional and open spaces provide opportunities and convenience for pedestrians who like to have mixed use districts to accommodate for their needs are encouraged to walk shorter distances rather than driving.

The Eighth and Pearl development in Boulder, Colorado supports retail, second-story offices and residential townhouses on the roughly halfacre site of a former gas station. This project exemplifies the potential of successful mixed-use project on small parcels.

Compact Building Design

The conversion of unused or abandoned buildings that lend themselves for development to residential units or shops and offices can help communities thrive once more. Compact development helps create communities with a variety of uses and transportation options.

Create Walkable Communities

A walkable city center is a favored experience by both the community members and visitors. Often cities have buildings surrounded by large parking lots that force pedestrians to navigate through a sea of parked and moving cars to reach their destination. Smart Growth encourages concentrating critical services near homes, jobs and transit stations or hubs. Connecting walkways, parking lots and greenways is essential to provide the pedestrians with a flowing, pleasant experience.

Strong Sense of Place

Smart Growth supports the idea that development should not only respond to basic commercial and housing needs, but should also help create communities that are distinctive. Smart Growth helps induce a sense of civic pride through its physical environment. Facilitating sidewalk service is one of the easiest ways to provide support for the expanded business along pedestrian-oriented commercial thoroughfares.

Preserve Open Space/Critical Areas

Communities across the United States are realizing that open space preservation is an important component to achieving better places to live. To maximize the utility of green spaces, communities must ensure a network of trails and allow for a multifaceted approach to land conservation and park planning by serving for recreational and conservation functions.

Variety of Transportation Options

Traffic congestion is worsening across the country and people are seeking communities where a wide range of transportation options exists, public transportation preferably, to ease movements throughout the city without having to deal with the psychological impacts of traffic jams. When implementing a multimodal transportation system the key factor is to establish an effective coordinated system.

Decisions Predictable/Cost Effective

For a community to be successful in implementing Smart Growth it is necessary the catch the attention of the private sector because their financial support is crucial to the support of this movement. Government investments usually decide the type of development that is being created. The major decision makers within the city will consider the economic benefits and cost estimations based on research of similar projects from around the world and, more specifically, in the United States.

Community/Stakeholder Collaboration

Smart Growth can create great places to live, work and play if the planners and designers respond to a community’s own idea and suggestions. However, it is hard to make a simple decision on how the vision can reflect the ideas of a wide variety of community members. Through hearings and community meetings, such collaborations can be organized and be inclusive of a variety of plans that the community members and stakeholders have in mind. It is necessary to identify the concerns and needs of those community stakeholders’ and members’ early.

Strengthen Existing Communities

Range of Housing Choices

Ensure a variety of housing options and prices since as people age they go through different stages of life and they need options to choose a living unit that fits their lifestyle.

The post World War II era witnessed a rapid expansion of communities with a divestment in the city center and the abandonment of housing units at the core in favor of low density housing in the suburbs. Smart Growth acknowledges these old city center houses as having a great potential for renewal.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

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Mix of Development Creates a Smooth Transition

Mix of Development Creates a Smooth Transition

Scattered Parks offer Recreational Opportunities

Overcrowded Bike Racks Outside of a School

Small Shops Encircle Large Movie Theatre

Shared Public Spaces Increases Density

Wide Sidewalks make the Shops Inviting The Illusion of a Single Family House

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Storm Water Run-Off Management

Pedestrian Plaza Leads to Entrance

Shuttle Bus Serves the Metro Station

Passage Connects Parking Behind Shops

Discovery’s Headquarters Located Downtown

Artwork by Mexican-American Artist

Self-Guided Tours Technology

Independence, MO has a rich history that attracts thousands of visitors each year. From pioneer trails to the home of former President Harry S. Truman visitors can enrich their knowledge by coming to Independence and visiting its many historic sites. There are currently trails around the city that have the potential to become the new precedent for self-guided historic trails with the implementation of some new and exciting technologies. There are endless amounts of information about the different historic sites around Independence. However, on a self-guided tour the information currently provided is extremely minimal. The use of Smartphone apps and audio tracks is a great way to share information with visitors. The small plaques currently located in front of most historic sites are limited to the amount of historical information that it can contain. By using technology to share information the visitor can learn much more on their self-guided tour and Independence can gain many more visitors each year.

The London Science Museum has teamed up with James May to create a virtual guide for some of the museum’s key exhibits. In order to view this guide the visitor must first download the Smartphone app from Google play or the app store. Then after launching the app the visitor can point the device at exhibits (as if to take a picture) and a miniature James May will appear on the device’s screen to tell the visitor about the exhibit. This app is driven by the Vuforia augmented reality system that recognizes the target through the device’s camera.

Australia’s self-guided tours have be enriched through the use of MP3 downloads and apps. The MP3’s do cost money, but the App is free. Audio tours are a great supplement to self-guided tours, but are not for deaf and hearing-impaired individuals. Smart Auslan translates audio tours into Auslan sign language and captions. In order to use Smart Auslan the visitor must obtain a Smartphone. Download the Smart Auslan App that reads Quick Response codes. Next the visitor scans the bar code and the phone will play the Auslan translation video with captions.

The Louvre and The Museum of London contain much history and can sometimes be challenging to navigate. They have recently created selfguided tours for Nintendo 3DS handheld devices. These devices have two screens, one for maps and the other for tour options and lists of exhibits. The Louvre also has Smartphone apps that allow the visitor to design their own tour. The Museum of London has begun using Near-Field Communication (NFC) tags to embed information into exhibits. The NFC tags allow the visitor to learn more about the exhibits, check in, tweet or “like” what they are viewing, which provides exposure for the museum.

The UK has many historic cities with self-guided tours. For these trails there is an option to download Tourist Tracks, an MP3 download for an iPods, iPhone, or any digital music player. From the website, www.tourist-tracks.com, a visitor can print a map and download the MP3 files. The map shows the suggested path as well

as icons indicating which stops have MP3 files associated with them. These audio files inform the listener about their immediate surroundings and help with navigation to the next stop. For people that do not have an MP3 player Tourist Tracks has Mi-Vox Pre-loaded Audio Players that visitors can purchase.

The energy generated from the POWERleap system can be stored and used for a number of functions. This system creates a self-sustaining closed loop system that when used at a larger scale can feed energy back into the grid. POWERleap creates an intelligent environment that increases power efficiency. Things that can be powered include: battery, light, machinery, signage, sound, displays, and doorways. This technology is ideal for urban historic walking trails such as the ones in Independence, MO. There are many trails in Independence currently. This technology would be a very sustainable and innovative way to create an unprecedented system of trails powered by the users.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

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London Science Museum virtual guide exhibit

London Science Museum smart phone app

London Science Museum app

Audio Tours Australia MP3 Downloads

NFC Tags at The Museum of London

Nintendo 3DS at the Louvre

Smart Auslan App for Hearing Impaired

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UK Tourist Tracks MP3 Download UK Tourist Tracks

POWERleap System in Chicago, IL

Diagram of POWERleap System

Pavegen at the London Olympics (a similar system to POWERleap)

UK Tourist Tracks Map Indicating Locations with Audio

Self-Guided Walking Trails

Independence already has walking trails, such as the Historic Truman Walking Trail and the Missouri Mormon Walking Trail. On a self-guided trail there is no tour guide, visitors view and learn about the history on their own. Way finding plays a huge role in the success of a self-guided trail. Visitors must feel safe and oriented. There should be way finding elements leading visitors from site to site. The trail could be indicated by change in materiality, directional signage, or landscaping. There are many cities that can be looked at as

precedents for self-guided walking trails. The freedom trail in Boston, MA was very influential in our design of the Osage Trail. The freedom trail uses a change in materiality to directly guide visitors through the city to its historic spots. The trail is always marked by a red line; however, the material of that line varies from Brick with bronze medallions, stamped brick, a line 2 bricks wide, or sometimes just a painted red line.

the trail. The trail is signified by either 8 inch wide granite inlaid into the sidewalk or a painted blue line. This trail also uses historical markers, plaques, and interpretive signs tell the story of Rochester’s rich history.

Looking at these precedents and more will aid in better designing of the Current walking trails in Independence. Marking sites and leading visitors to these sites is important for these walking trails to be successful.

The 12 Neighborhood Heritage Trails in Washington, D.C. each have very unique history, but lie within the same general area. To guide visitors these trails are color coded. Informational signage leads visitors from site to site. Each sign has the color of the trail at the top, a map locating the suggested path to the next location and historical information and photos for the viewer to read and learn about each location.

The Heritage Trail, Rochester located in New York also uses a change in materiality to designate

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

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Boston Freedom Trail Bronze Plaque

Boston Freedom Trail Path

Boston Freedom Trail Red Painted Path

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Influence of the Kaw Trace

American buffalo once existed in large herds over much of the North America, until hunters and disease nearly made them extinct in the nineteenth century. The buffalo used paths to travel through the area they roamed. One would become known as the Kaw Trace, or Osage Trace, and passed through land that today is the City of Independence.

Later, the Osage Nation of Native Americans traveled the Kaw Trace as a trail through the countryside. They also used it to herd buffalo. As pioneers settled in the area and Independence was established, the path became one of the early westward routes from Independence. The first phase of the Santa Fe Trail followed the Kaw Trace in the 1830s. With the rise of the automobile the path became Lexington Avenue as it exists today.

The Kaw Trace forms part of the 2.2 mile primary bicycle route. The bicycle route will follow the Kaw Trace path along Lexington Avenue and into the Courthouse Square. Incorporating Lexington Avenue into the bicycle route allows bicyclists to travel along the same path utilized by Independence’s founding groups and experience the history themselves.

Native Plants and Tree Resources

Native plants are species that have been in the region prior to European exploration and settlement, therefore they harken back to the time of the Native American settlers. They have evolved naturally and adapted to the climate so that they can survive with little dependence on irrigation and reduced maintenance. The deep roots of these plants allow them to last longer during dry periods. Native plants are very sustainable because they do not require mowing which improves air quality and reduces maintenance. Storm Water Best Management Practices (BMP) look at how native plants can be used to control and improve storm water runoff. The deep roots of native plants create pores in the soil to allow for infiltration of rainwater reducing storm water runoff.

Preparing for planting and taking time to learn what is necessary for the survival of native plants is crucial. Choosing an invasive species can be very harmful to the native ecosystem and can

out-compete natives in the region. Testing soil to make sure it is adequate for planting will give reassurance that the plant will thrive in that area and require little maintenance. There are experienced individuals at the University of Missouri Extension that can analyze the results of the soil test to help in plant selection for the type of soil in that area. The next step in planting is to check for the correct amount of top soil, loosen any compacted soil, and test for infiltration capacity. Although native plants require little watering once mature, as they are being established they need water and care. Once established the maintenance is very minimal.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

A Herd of Buffalo Similar to Those That Would Have Been Encountered on the Kaw Trace

A Group of Osage Nation Dancers

The Route of the Kaw Trace Through Independence

The Kaw Trace is Shown as a Red Line as it Passes Through the City Center on the Map Above; Lexington Avenue is the Blue Line

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Diagram Comparing Native and Non-Native Plants Root Depth

Flowering Dogwood

River Birch

Eastern Redbud Shumard Oak River Oats

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There are many factors to be considered when designing landscapes. Rhythm, shape, color texture, seasonal interest, growth rate, and mature size are important factors to consider when choosing plants and placements. Indicating volume, velocity, and pollution of storm water runoff in areas will also inform which plants to choose. Remember that turf does not help with storm water management because the roots are short leaving little space in the soil for water to infiltrate. It functions like an impervious surface, requiring chemicals and mowing, increasing cost and maintenance. Also remember that not every location is great for planting. Where planting is not suitable, ornamental gravels and sands can also be used to filter pollutants as well.

These species are part of Missouri’s natural heritage and provide high aesthetic value throughout the year

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

Blue Lobelia Culver’s Root Southern Blue Flag Iris Wild Bergamot

Golden Alexander Copper Iris

New England Aster

Cardinal Flower

Lizards Tail Mountain Mint

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Little Bluestem Palm Sedge Goats Beard

Sideoats Grama

Sneezeweed

Short’s Sedge

Lance-Leaf Coreposis Switch Grass

Sweet Coneflower

Shining Bluestar Wild Ageratum Buttonbush

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Truman Road Improvements

Truman Road is one of the main ways to access the city center of Independence. With the inclusion of the light rail train system and the construction of a multimodal transit station along this road, Truman Road will become a grand entranceway for visitors traveling via many forms of transportation. How they perceive this arrival sequence will form their first impressions of Independence. For this reason, Truman Road should convey an inviting, beautiful community.

Truman Road will be narrowed from four lanes of vehicular travel to two lanes, because the amount of vehicles using it will decrease as more people are predicted to utilize pedestrian and bicycle routes and light rail system. Narrowing the street allows for more space for pedestrians so sidewalks will be widened and include brick pedestrian crossings at intersections. Bike lanes are provided along both sides of this section of Truman Road. Vegetated buffers provide barriers between the sidewalks, street, and bicycle lanes, keeping pedestrians and bicyclists safe.

Lining both sides of Truman Road with trees will create a dramatic entrance for visitors. It brings a parkway feel to the street and slows vehicles. The trees and vegetated buffer will soften the landscape that would otherwise be dominated by the roadway and light rail system.

Main Street Gateway

As shown in Figure 3.138] the pedestrian and bicyclist becomes the main focus around Truman Road. The light rail runs alongside the street and buffers are provided that separate the light rail from the vehicles from bicyclists and pedestrians.

[Figure 3.139] shows Truman Road as it exists currently. [Figure 3.140] depicts a rendering of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, showing the quality of a tree-lined parkway and additions of a light rail system and bicycle lanes. With similar improvements, Truman Road will become a welcoming entrance into the city center.

In the smaller scale [Figure 3.141] below, the emphasis on pedestrian ways and inclusion of bicycle lanes becomes important as Truman Road meets Main Street and forms an important gateway.

The axes created by Liberty Avenue and Main Street to the west and east of the Courthouse Square position these streets to become gateways into the city center. As the bus stop currently located on East Truman Road develops into a transit hub including the light rail system and bicycle station, visitors to the city center will likely travel from this hub or by vehicle along Main Street. From this intersection, they can see the arched gateway overhead and the raised intersections around the courthouse. The existing brick pillars at the intersection of Main Street and Truman Road are currently too small to be seen from a moving car. Extending these brick pillars and adding a metal arch and welcome sign that visitors pass beneath will creating a more pronounced sense of arrival into the city center.

Main Street is important as it continues toward the Courthouse Square. It is the street along which the proposed trolley system will travel from the transit hub to the square and National Frontier Trails Museum, further making it a gateway. Main Street also becomes a link as both the Missouri Mormon and Truman Walking Trails follow it, the only street where the two paths cross. These attractions draw visitors to Main Street, but without a comfortable environment with shading and seating, socialization will not be fully encouraged, nor people fully engaged.

Consideration should also be given to constructing a matching brick pillared gateway arch at Liberty Street and Truman Road.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

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Figures [3.145] and [3.146] Show the Existing Brick Pillars at the Corner of Truman Road and Main Street

A Rendering of the Intersection of Truman Road and Main Street with the Gateway Implemented

Improvements to the Existing Brick Pillars Create a Gateway over Main Street

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Courthouse Square

The Courthouse Square design caters to the vehicle rather than the pedestrian and is not a comfortable place to stroll and linger due to lack of vegetation and seating. Creating a safe and enjoyable environment for the pedestrian was the main objective when altering the Courthouse Square.

Safety for the pedestrian is most important. Elevated intersections and crosswalks were implemented as traffic calming devices. The brick path that covers the sidewalks and continues across the elevated intersections and crosswalks signifies the pedestrian zone or right of way. In

the center of these elevated intersections would be murals depicting scenes of Independence’s rich history. The diagonal parking was converted to parallel parking in order to create more room for the pedestrian realm. The driving lanes were also narrowed for the same purpose. This extra space allowed for buffer zones between the pedestrian and motorist. This buffer zone can be used for vegetation such as planters, trees, or rain gardens, or gathering spaces such as park-lets or outdoor dining areas. Creating green spaces such as park-lets will also benefit the people living in the lofts around the Courthouse Square in case they have a pet or want that back porch feel.

The Courthouse Square is intended to be a more formal area, especially on the courthouse lawn. This area has been designed so that pedestrians interact with the statues on either side of the courthouse. Seating and vegetation has also been placed around these statues to create gathering spaces where visitors can interact with these historic monuments.

The Courthouse Square is the first stop visitors will make on their journey through the city center. The brick path acts as wayfinding to the park. The character of Osage Park can be felt around the Courthouse Square due to the vegetation, gathering spaces, and brick path.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

Section Through Liberty Street Looking North

Perspective Looking Toward the Courthouse From Liberty Street

Courthouse Square Perspective Looking South on Main Street

Pedestrian Flow Around Courthouse Square Gathering Around Statue on Courthouse Lawn

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Streetscape Designed Intersection

Street Side Parklet

Intersection Repair Project in Portland, OR Street Side Parklet in New York

Brick Path Lined with Vegetation Bike Racks on the Street

Street Side Planters that Double as Seating and add Vegetation to the Streets

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Liberty Street Connector

Liberty Street plays a major role in connecting the courthouse square to Osage Park, whose trails link to the National Frontier Trails Museum. Wayfinding was very important along Liberty in order to lead visitors to Osage Park and the National Frontier Trails Museum. A wider buffer zone was implemented with vegetation to help visitors begin to feel the character of the park even more as they approach. The brick path also continues down the sidewalk and eventually becomes the trails of the park. At the intersection of Liberty and Kansas Streets is another elevated intersection with a mural in the center to act as an entry into Osage Park. This mural helps to

introduce visitors to the park. The urban edge was lacking along Liberty Street and made it unpleasant for people to explore down this street. Implemented along Liberty Street was medium density housing with a mix of retail. With housing and retail being on this road the introduction of seating areas such as park-lets is suggested. The facade of the parking garage at the corner of

Liberty and Kansas Streets has been converted into a green wall to add to the vegetation as one approaches the park and to soften the harsh concrete of the structure. Street lights with banners have been placed along Liberty Street to function as advertising for different events in the community. Having banners gives the street a feeling of importance making people want to explore it and see what the signs are about. Liberty Street is very important to the connection of the Courthouse Square and the National Frontier Trails Museum and should be given much attention.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

Diagram of Pedestrian Flow on Liberty Street Plan of Liberty Street Connector

Outdoor Seating on the Sidewalk to Enhance Socialization

Perspective Looking Toward Osage Park on Liberty Street

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Street with Vegetated Buffer, Seating that Promotes Socialization, Wide Sidewalks, and Human Scale Lights with Banners

Vegetated Street; Pleasant for Strolling Vegetated Buffer Zone Being Used for Gathering and Enjoying the Outdoors

Green Wall on Bridge Overpass

Intersection Repair in Portland, OR

Interesting Street Furniture Design

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Kansas Avenue

At the junction of Liberty and Kansas Streets the intersection is once again raised to the level of the sidewalk to mark the importance of this gateway point. In the center of the intersection is another of the commemorative murals that highlights one of the five trails that passed through or began its westward journey out of Independence: Lewis and Clark, Santa Fe, California, Oregon and Mormon. This gateway point is significant for several reasons, it marks the transition point from the Courthouse Square/city center district to the Osage Park district, the Missouri Mormon Walking Trail that runs down Kansas Street intersects the Osage Park Trail at this point, and the historic Log Courthouse is located one-half block east on Kansas.

As the visitor proceeds east towards the Log Courthouse form this gateway point they are directed to the historic site along the widened sidewalk or along the bike path. As they arrive at the courthouse the sidewalk widens further into a semicircular entry with benches, landscaping, and a raised informational plaque with historical information for both visually and hearing impaired visitors. This plaque would contain Braille and textural information as well as an auditory function for the self-guided tours. The aromatic vegetation and shade trees will create space where visitors will wish to linger, reflect and socialize.

The traffic lanes on Kansas Street have been narrowed and the sidewalks widened to promote a more pedestrian-friendly environment. The design team recommends that the lack of an urban edge be repaired by removing the parking lot and constructing a mixed-use retail and housing complex at the sidewalks edge. The parking garage to the north of Kansas Street should be upgraded by installing “Green Screen” and vegetation on its exterior.

Charles Curtis Park

The brick sidewalk pavers at the intersection continue to flow into Osage Park to mark the continuation of the Osage Park Trail. The design team would prefer that the Osage Trail be marked by brick pavers, however, colored stamped concrete can be substituted.

As seen in Figure 3.170, the sidewalks on Kansas Street are emphasized, because the pedestrian is give preference. One path leads behind the Log Courthouse to a network of paths between it and the mixed use development across from the park. Behind the Log Courthouse, a small brick plaza area creates a place for private receptions.

Precedent

We have recommended naming this park the Charles Curtis Park in honor of Mr. Curtis who was the only Native American, Osage, to be elected Vice-President of the United States. No other Native American has ever attained a higher office in America.

The Charles Curtis Park will replace the two parking lots located on Osage Street between Maple and Lexington Streets. The three parts of the park should be conceived of as on unified park. (See the plan diagram above) The two half of the park extend to the mid-block alleys. To block the view of the back of the buildings at the alleys the design team recommends that the eastern half of the park have a two-story full block width building constructed to house a restaurant, pub and lounge. The western half of the block should have a full block width water wall constructed similar to what is shown in the pictures of Paley Park to the right. The eastern half of the park should cater to food and spirits and outside dining. The western

half should cater to relaxation, contemplation, and solitude. The outdoor surfaces of the park areas should be paved with brick or stone. The perimeter of the park should be enclosed by a wrought-iron fence mounted between brick or stone pillars. Entrances into the park should be from each of the adjoining streets.

The design team further recommends that the section of Osage Street between Maple and Lexington be surfaced with the same brick pavers that are used in the east and west halves of the park. The flow of the brick surface from the adjoining park areas out onto Osage Street will visually and physically unify the three parts of the park and express the intent of the city that the street shall be seen as part of the park and periodically closed to vehicular traffic for community events. At these times, bollards will be placed at the end of this one-block segment of Osage Street to allow people and activities to flow throughout the Charles Curtis Park. We would also recommend

Charles Curtis Park is comprised of three parts, but conceived of as one park: the east half caters to food and spirits and has a restaurant, pub and lounge with outdoor dining, the west half caters to reflective pursuits and has a water wall, movable tables and chairs and solitude, the center section--Osage Street--can be closed off to unify the entire park for community events like: street dances, Oktoberfest, high school graduation or an Ole Time Christmas Village.

that the surface of Osage Street between Maple and Lexington Streets be raised to the level of the sidewalk to further reinforce the flow of activities and signify this section of Osage Street as a pedestrian zone.

At the corners of the park next to Osage Street we recommend that the four corner pillars of the fence be enlarged in height and illuminated so that they can be seen from anywhere along Osage Street between Truman Road and Pacific Street. These illuminated pillars will serve as landmarks and as a terminus view for the long axial view along Osage Street as it passes through Osage Park.

Brick paver or red stamped concrete similar to the surfaces in the Charles Curtis Park would extend down the sidewalks along Osage Street and connect into the Osage Trail system within Osage Park, thus, tyeing the two parks together. The same sidewalk treatment would link the park back to the Courthouse Square.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

Paley Park, NYC is a great example of the quality of space that the design team imagines for the Charles Curtis Park. But unlike Paley Park, which was constructed on an empty lot between two skyscrapers in downtown Manhattan, the Charles Curtis Park is located on two parking lots on axis with Independence’s Courthouse Square and Bingham-Waggoner Estate. The Charles Curtis Park is actually two parks stitched together by a one block segment of Osage Street between Maple and Lexington Streets. All three segments should be conceived of together as the Charles Curtis Park.

Figure 3.171 shows the Log Courthouse and its connection to Osage Park via Kansas Street.

Figure 3.172 shows the Log Courthouse as it stands currently. It lacks any area for socialization. The vegetation creates a visual barrier from the sidewalk and does not encourage interacting with the site. Existing signage does not engage the reader or convey as much information.

The Current View Looking West on Kansas Avenue to Where Osage Park Will Replace the Existing Unused Parking Lot

The Parking Garage on Kansas Avenue as it Currently Exists

Diagram

Log Courthouse

Figure

Figure

Figure 3.175

Figure 3.171

Figure 3.173

Figure 3.174

Figure 3.178

Figure 3.177

Figure 3.179

Figure 3.176

Street Entrance of Paley Park, NYC Water Wall Visible at the Rear and Green Vegetation Walls

Plan of the Proposed Charles Curtis Park

Interior of Paley Park with Landscaping and Movable Tables and Chairs

View of Charles Curtis Park Looking at Osage Street Between Maple and Lexington Streets

Section Diagram Through Osage Street Illustrating Visual Connection Between Bingham-Waggoner Estate and Charles Curtis Park

The diagrams above and to the left describe the importance of the Osage Street visual corridor. Between the Bingham-Waggoner Estate and the Charles Curtis Park there is a 70 foot vertical rise in elevation and approximately 3/8 of a mile in distance. Standing anywhere along Osage Street and looking south you see the Bingham-Waggoner Estate beautify positioned as the terminal view. If you look north, currently the street just disappears over the top of the hill, there is not terminal view to this important axis. By placing the Charles Curtis Park on the crest of the hill and adding the four monumental brick or stone pillars to mark the park, the northern view now has an equally strong terminal view to mark the city center. It is important that these two axial terminus views be illuminated at night so that these important landmarks in the landscape can be seen.

Osage Street between Walnut and Pacific Streets

The section of Osage Street between Walnut and Pacific Streets has been modified to minimize the intrusiveness of the street within the park both visually and functionally. It is the desire of the design team to have Osage Park to spatially and functionally flow seamlessly from its northern most border to its southern most border. However, the design team does believe that the limited access of vehicular traffic along Osage Street is still require to provide convenient access to the National Frontiers Trails Museum for visitor that need to drive and that further those visitors deserve to also experience the beauty that Osage Park provides.

To accomplish this challenge, we propose to narrow the driving lanes of Osage Street, remove the on-street parking, raise the street to the height of the sidewalk, and plant a colonnade of trees along the side of the street

Narrowed Street

Osage Street has been narrowed to slow the vehicular traffic, accentuate the spatial flow of Osage Park, and place greater emphasis upon the pedestrians.

Sidewalk and Bike Lanes

The sidewalk and bike lanes have been placed on the outside of the tree line near the park and away from the narrowed canopied park lane.

Tree Canopy

The section of Osage Street between Walnut Street and Pacific Street has been conceived of as a pedestrian promenade, where the emphasis is placed on the pedestrian, not the cars. The traffic calming strategies utilized include the narrowing of the traffic lanes, the tree lined park lane, the zero curb, the tree canopy and the seamless spatial flow of Osage Park across the street.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

This street in Pasadena, California is a good example of the tree lined street with canopy experience that we envision for the section of Osage Street that runs through the Osage Park.

Figure 3.182

Figure 3.184

Plan Diagram Showing Visual Corridor Linking Charles Curtis Park and Bingham-Waggoner Estate

Figure 3.180

Figure 3.183

Figure 3.181

Figure 3.185

Figure 3.186

Outdoor Dining, St. Charles, St. Louis Axial View Through Pillars, Cheney, WA Street Ballroom Dancing, Beijing, China Lit Pillars, Downtown Toronto, Canada Framing Views, Limassol, Cyprus

Figure 3.188

Figure 3.187

Figure 3.190

Figure 3.192

Figure 3.191

Figure 3.189 Section Through Osage Street

Plan View Showing Tree Canopy

Perspective Showing Tree Canopy Pasadena, CA Tree Lined Walkway

Detailed Plan of Osage Street

to form a tree canopy similar to the ones shown on these pages. This colonnade would focus the terminal view upon the Bingham-Waggoner Estate at the south end of Osage Street and focus the view upon the Charles Curtis Park located on the crest of the hill to the north. This shaded canopy of trees would form a park drive like shown above that could be used by both pedestrians and motorist.

To the outside of the colonnade of trees we have placed the sidewalks and bike lanes so that the trees could be moved in closer to the street to form the canopy.

Residential Streets

Implementation guidelines and maintenance is the key to improving residential streets of the city center. Residential streets should carry the same emphasis for the pedestrian was as discussed for other streets around the city center. The street lanes should be narrowed and sidewalks should be widened to encourage strolling. On-street parking has been reduced, which provides additional space for pedestrians and vegetation. Crosswalks should be clearly marked at intersections to further emphasis the streetscape shift to the pedestrian.

Rain Gardens

Along both sides of the park drive we also recommend placing rain gardens to further help filter pollutants from the storm water runoff and to add patches of native planet for interest and beauty.

This segment of Osage Street, if developed in a similar manner as the Wormsloe Plantation Drive shown above, could achieve the seamless flow of the park, create a pedestrian promenade, and still provide a park drive for motorist.

Rain gardens such as this example from Portland, OR would be implemented periodically along Osage Street between Walnut and Pacific Streets to help filter the storm water runoff from the streets and parking lots further up slope. The existing storm drains along Osage Street would be retained and augmented by these rain gardens. After the storm water passed through these rain gardens it would be allowed to seep through the soil and into the existing storm drain system.

Light Strips

These lights at Zabeel Park in Dubai, UAE were the inspiration behind our design recommendations for similar LED Light Sculptures embedded in Osage Street along the tree canopied section of Osage Park. We believe that such light sculptures will create a more lively public space and helps illuminate the street at night.

The addition of vegetated buffer zones provides a safety barrier between the vehicles and pedestrians. These vegetated buffers also help control storm water runoff by providing more absorbent area and reducing the amount of impervious surface. The filtration of storm water runoff by these vegetated buffers helps clean the water before it percolate through the soil and returns to the water table.

Vegetated buffers also add to the overall appearance of residential streets. Trees

strategically planted in residential areas provide shade. The shade produced provides a more comfortable environment along the streetscape. With seating properly arranged along the street, pedestrians will be encouraged to rest and linger, thus promoting socialization opportunities.

Along residential streets, porches are an important component of the Complete Streets approach. Porches should be a feature of all new construction and well-maintained on the existing houses. Porches another important place for social interaction along the sidewalk and can help to strengthen the social network within the neighborhood.

Specific design guidelines for residential streets should be developed for the city center. Properly improved and maintained residential streets can improve the social aspect of the neighborhoods and promote the Complete Street character Independence’s is seeking.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

Figure 3.195

Figure 3.196

Example of Rain Garden in Portland, OR

LED Light Strips

Wormsloe Plantation Driveway

Section Perspective Showing Osage Street Between Walnut and Pacific Streets

Figure 3.193

Figure 3.194

Figure 3.198

Figure 3.199

Figure 3.197

Figure 3.200

The [Figure 3.198] rendering shows the improved sidewalks and spacious vegetated barrier of a residential streets in the city center. The distance between the porches and sidewalk encourages social interaction.

[Figure 3.199] below, the large porches become gathering spaces for families and friends in the neighborhood. Well-maintained vegetation complements the residences, and large trees provide shade and create comfortable places for interaction and activity.

[Figure 3.197] shows an existing residential street that lacks a buffer zone between the sidewalk and street, both of which do not currently meet evenly. The steps to a residence impede the pedestrian way, and the retaining walls are in disrepair. The trees have not been maintained and are planted too close to the sidewalk for their size.

[Figure 3.200] below shows existing housing that is situated too close to the street for sizable trees to be planted.

Wayfinding Signage

The current wayfinding signage within the City of Independence lack continuity and clarity; some signs are out of scale for their purpose or serve no purpose. Independence has a rich history, as the abundance of sites and attractions attest. However, many of these places and events are not well-marked or linked by a unified wayfinding system.

The design team recommends that a welldesigned and planned wayfinding system be developed that is scaled properly to the pedestrian, biker and motorist, conveys the necessary information those three groups of people need, provides the visitor with a satisfying experience, and possess clarity and continuity throughout the entire system.

This page show some of the signage that we encountered during our site visits to Independence.

This sign exemplifies signage around the city center that is outdated and unattractive. It has not been maintained and the surrounding area lacks beautifying vegetation.

Examples of Wayfinding Signage

Signage is great for branding, welcoming, directing, advertising, and informing. Signage should represent the city and be specific to a location. Representing the character of the place is important. Scale, color, shape, and frequency are things to consider. The scale depends on who the signage is intended for. Vehicular signage will be taller with larger font. A pedestrian sign will relate to the human scale; it will have smaller font and be viewable at

eye-level. When designing signage a palette of options should be created so that there are many options and designs for different uses. Information content should also vary as not to flood visitors with information. Kiosks can provide more information while directional signage along a road will be more direct with less to read.

This sign is beyond the scale of its audience, being too high for pedestrians on the sidewalk and too small for cars passing by at higher speeds.

Signs of this style are scattered about the city center, but are not informative or noticeable to drivers. Their placement is not helpful and the signs are too large for the scale of pedestrians. They appear bulky and as Figure 3.205] shows, they do not fit the context of the surrounding area.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

This monument commemorating the blacksmith shop that once stood in its place is much less than an attractive tourist destination today.

Existing markers for historical sites could display more information and be more engaging. They currently do not draw much attention to the sites.

Figure 3.202

Figure 3.204

Figure 3.205

Figure 3.206

Figure 3.203

Figure 3.201

Signage Designs for Novato, California

Signage Pallet for Historic Downtown Frederick, Maryland

Figure 3.207

Figure 3.209

Figure 3.208

Figure 3.210

Figure 3.211

New Wayfinding Signage

Consistency is important for guiding people somewhere. If the design of the signage changes too much, it can cause confusion and visitors will question their direction. The character of an area or along a designated path must show in the signage and remain consistent.

Clearly marking bike route makes cyclists more confident and comfortable biking because it reassures them they are on a path that has been designed for their safety and convenience. Bike routes should be differentiated in some way; color coding is effective because of the visual connection. Distances and times of travel

to important places are good to mark on bike signage to encourage biking and direct cyclists. Banners, medallions, and gateways are also great options to use. Banners along a street signify importance when placed with uniform spacing and can be a great tool for advertising the city and events. Bronze medallions in the sidewalk

Street Furnishings

help direct visitors to locations of significance, mark something of importance, and advertise as well. Gateways on entrances suggest importance, welcome visitors, and promotes the city.

Civic Art

Civic art can add beauty, excitement, and express the culture of a city. The art can be created locally or be works by world renown artist. The art work can become activators in the landscape that stimulate activity, interest and pride. The art work can be used to lead people along; to draw them from one spot to the next like has been suggested within Osage park. The art work be large monumental pieces viewed from afar or more intimate pieces that you can study while you are resting on a public bench. The idea is that the art can be whatever the city wishes it to be; it is an expression of the community. It becomes an identity of the city.

Walking Trail Medallions

These bronze medallions are a form of civic art and a functional part of the city’s wayfinding system. These medallions would be placed in the sidewalk to designate the various walking trails within the community. The two examples here are suggestions for the Missouri Mormon Walking Trail and Truman Historic Walking Trail. Associated with these medallions could be audio narratives that could be access by an MP3 or Smartphone.

Fountains/ Water Features

Water features should also be considered as part of the streetscape. Within Osage Park at the Event Center Stage area the design team has proposed a spray fountain like the one shown. But these fountains can be both large and small. Similarly, the water wall feature proposed for the Charles Curtis Park would not only add beauty, it would provide a pleasant background sound to mask the city noise and also help to cool the shaded area under the trees of the park.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

New Gateway for City Center at Main Street and Truman Road

Bronze Plaque to Mark the Mormon Walking Trail

Bronze plaque to mark the Truman walking trail

Informational Kiosk for City Center Signage Design for City Center

Banners are Great Wayfinding Elements Current Independence Banner

Figure 3.216

Figure 3.214

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Figure 3.221

Cow Parade, Kansas City, MO

LED Water Painting, France Painted Favelas, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil Truman Trail Medallion

Jordan Valley Park, Springfield, MO

Bellagio Fountains, Las Vegas, NV

Mormon Trail Medallion 3D Street Art

Wall Installation, Santa Monica, CA

Benches

Providing the pedestrians with a place to rest along the sidewalk is a necessity. Benches can be utilitarian or they can be whimsical pieces of civic art. Benches and their arrangement can stimulate socialization, dissuade socialization, be a place for rest, and be multi-functional. It is important to provide places for people to sit along the street either in one of the formal benches mentioned above or on one of the

found resting places such as a raised planter, low wall, or steps.

Think of furnishing the city streets the same way you furnish your home, with places to sit outdoors and socialize, shaded area where you like to drink your morning cup of coffee, that spot that has the great view, or where you do your people watching. The streets in the city need to be considered similarly; they should be places that people want to occupy.

Trash Cans

Providing trash recycling containers throughout the community is a key to promoting a clean city and a sustainable community. These trash containers should not be “trashy” looking, but should match the decor of the urban streetscape. A coordinated city plan for choosing and maintaining the city’s street furnishings is a key step in having a clean and attractive community.

Lighting

Lighting is one of the most essential elements in every experience and how that light is presented and perceived in a street defines the quality of the space. To enhance the quality and color of the trees and vegetation along the street and throughout the Osage Park, we recommended that LED street lights be used. LED light can save approximately 85% of the energy and reduces the CO2 emissions when compared to normal lighting solutions.

An important goal when designing the layout of street lighting and selecting lighting units is the prevention of light pollution. Light pollution is typically caused by all glass of street lights heads; a simple solution would be to replace these tops with a capped version that will direct the light downwards, thus preventing light pollution and increasing the illumination.

The street lighting layout and unit selection is especially important in downtown and multistory residential areas. Light pollution and light infiltration into second floor offices and dwellings should be avoided. The careful positioning of the lights and the addition of light shields may be required.

Accent lighting for dramatic effect should be considered as part of the evening streetscaping. The up lighting of trees, buildings, monuments, and landmarks, as well as the lighting of such features as fountains and water walls, should be incorporated within the City of Independence.

As mentioned in the section related to Osage Street as it narrows and flows through Osage Park, LED lighting can be placed in the street and sidewalk surfaces to create sculptural features. Sculptural light features would add excitement to the landscape, attract people, and serve as night lighting.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

Quick Stop Seating

Planter Bench

Comfort-Reading Bench

Multi-Category Recycling Trash Cans Colorful Trash Receptacles

Recycle Bins

Bench Around Trees Sculptural Bench

Figure 3.230

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Figure 3.233

Figure 3.229

Figure 3.228

Figure 3.239 Shows the difference lighting quality of the regular street lights in contrast with the LED light, with it’s clean, white light, it promotes a more vivid coloring of the object it emits light on.

Figure 3.240 is an example of a typical LED street light that has been slowly implemented around the states.

Figure 3.241 shows how these LED lights allow for a solar powered capability which helps reduce the electricity consumption.

Figure 3.238

Figure 3.237

Figure 3.239 Figure 3.240 Figure 3.241

Figure 3.236

Leaf Shaped Street Light

Diagram Showing Different Light Distributions LED Trees

Conclusion

Displays or Installation Art

Displays or installation art pieces have been created with the intention of the viewer using or interacting with the art piece. This could be as simple as an alcove along the street that has been created by a local artist as a place to rest and contemplate the events of the day, a view, or a historic plaque. It might be a secluded spot in the park that you happen to discover by chance that has been modified by an artist or another visitor through the way they have arranged the found rocks that were scattered around the area. Or, it might be a historical depiction of the assembled wagon near the site of the original spring in a semi-circular bas-relief sculpture.

These art piece could be informative, contemplative, whimsical, or utilitarian. Their intent is to enrich the landscape and the experience of the visitor.

LED

are

The design team recommends that the City of Independence seek to implement the principles of Complete Streets throughout the downtown area; and in time, throughout the entire city. Complete Streets promotes a balanced utilization of the streets by all. The pedestrian, cyclist, and motorist all share the street. The emphasis is returned to where it belongs, on the pedestrian and cyclist, but in a manner that still accommodates the motorist.

Cities that have embraced the Complete Streets principles have created a public domain that is user-friendly, inviting, comfortable, exciting, and economically vibrant. Complete Streets energize cities and create destinations where people want to be; want to live. Complete Streets make the city Walkable—Shop-able—Livable.

The design team has recommended strategies for the City of Independence that is integrative and practical. We believe that these strategies would improve the city center of Independence and make it a destination that people would want to go to, linger in, and return to year-after-year. Currently, Independence has an attractive historic city center that is undergoing significant renewal. However, there are remnants of the failed urban

renewal efforts of several decades ago that are hindering the city. Additionally, the current cultural attitudes of the downtown business owners are further limiting innovation.

To create a downtown environment that is accommodating to pedestrians we recommend the following changes. The downtown area should shift from an automobile-dominated environment to a pedestrian-oriented environment. The downtown area must shift away from the primarily 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. business cycle and embrace a full round the clock culture; or at a minimum earlier in the day and later into the evening. The sidewalks in the downtown area need to be modified so that they are more people-friendly, comfortable and safe to utilize, spacious so that they can accommodate street furnishings that will attract people to congregate and linger, and clearly marked with coordinated wayfinding signage. The downtown sidewalks need to be landscaped to soften the harshness of the excessive amount of concrete, to add color, texture and aroma, to provide shade, to freshen and clean the air, and to complement the beauty of the architecture. Research shows that cities with well maintained landscaped downtowns have a higher economic return per square foot than cities without landscaped city centers. People

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS COMPLETE STREETS

want to walk, shop and live in cities that embrace nature and its beauty.

To accommodate these changes, we recommend converting from diagonal parking to parallel parking. We also recommend that the driving lanes be narrowed to slow the traffic down in the city center. The area saved by modifying the parking and street should be reallocated to the pedestrian zone. The wider sidewalks should have coordinated street furnishings, outdoor cafes, places to rest and socialize, landscaping, improved lighting, a common material pallet to unify the appearance of the downtown, and elevated intersections to accentuate the pedestrian-oriented city center.

The implementation of the Complete Streets principles within the city center and the surrounding downtown residential neighborhoods will improve the area around the Courthouse Square and stimulate new development. In time, we would hope that the Complete Streets Principles would be applied citywide.

displays

seen in Figure 3.242 showing pillars that act as artistic billboards, using light-emitting diodes as a video display

In Figure 3.243 a historic mural describing the quality of the main street during the 1920s

Figure 3.244 shows an example of how a bench can become a piece of display making opportunities for the art community to be involved.

Figure 3.245 A painted mural turns a blank portion of the facade into a great perspective view.

Figure 3.242

Figure 3.243

Figure 3.244

Figure 3.245

“My vision for Independence?

It should become a community that is WALKABLE SHOP-ABLE LIVABLE.”

Truman Transit System

In order for the park, commercial and residential areas to work effectively, there needs to be a facilitator that connects Independence together. The Truman Transit HUB will be an integral part of the multimodal transit system because it is where all of the diverse modes of transportation services meet and transfer passengers.

The concept of this transit system is to tie the City of Independence together creating a closer knit community through implementing a well throughout multimodal public transit, thus, creating a healthier community. Also, this concept seeks to reduce the heat island effect by reducing the hard surfaces and increasing vegetation around the parking lots.

Developing Process Steps:

• Monitor existing conditions

• Forecast future population and employment growth, and identify major growth corridors

• Identify current and projected future transport problems and needs and various projects and strategies to address those needs

• Evaluate and prioritize potential improvement projects and strategies

• Develop long-range plans and shortrange programs identifying specific capital projects and operational strategies

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

INTRODUCTION

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ISSUES AND CONCERNS COMPREHENSIVE VISION VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PARKS COMPLETE STREETS TRANSIT HOUSING PHASING

APPENDIX IMAGE APPENDIX BIBLIOGRAPHY

Figure 4.1

National Trends Urban and Rural Areas

In 2010 more than half the world’s population, 3.3 billion people, was living in towns and cities for the first time and that number is expected to swell to almost five billion by 2030, according to a United Nations Population Fund.

During this transition from rural to urban areas, cities in America should be prepared for a growth in the urban areas. In order for this to happen efficiently: jobs, transportation, fuel cost and technology should be considered.

People moving from the rural area to the urban area cause problems. What are these problems and how can they be solved?

There is concrete evidence that overwhelming numbers of people are leaving rural areas in hope of finding a better job and enhancing their life. According to the annual statistics report, city population grows five percent each year as a result of migration of rural dwellers to cities. The report of 2005 stated that although migration to cities may benefit the rural people in terms of job opportunity and improved life style, the problems of this migration cannot be overlooked. These problems can be classified as those which affect cities in short-term, such as air pollution and those with their profound effect on the whole society, such as loss of rural cultures.

Nowadays, one of the most important issues in cities is air pollution. Without a doubt, the more densely populated a city is, the more air pollution would be brought about. Air pollution as a byproduct of human activities has left its fingerprints on all aspect of the human life.

National Trends Fuels Costs and Renewable Alternatives

Now a day’s many people in countries such as Colombia use natural gas to keep the cost of operating their cars down. Even though natural gas seems to be the upcoming alternative fuels it still contain a certain percentage of CO2. Natural gas is not considered a renewable resource; it’s a temporary solution to decrease pollution in the environment. In the next 30-years natural gas is going to be the predominant fossil fuel in cities, although many other renewable fuels and technologies such as biofuels, electric vehicles, hybrid automobiles and increased public transportation will become more commonplace. Renewable alternatives will increase significantly in the next several decades and will be ready to take control over the transportation system by the middle of the century.

A major trend that will affect the City of Independence over the next 20–30 years will be the decrease in the use of automobiles. The usage of automobiles can be seen to have declined while public transportation ridership rose as the gas prices increased in the first decade of the 21st century. Additionally, the decline of the automobile usage can be attributed to the younger generation’s greater desire for new technological gadgets rather than having a new automobile to drive. These trends placed a higher emphasis on an infrastructure that supports public transportation at a micro and macro scale. The communities that do not evolve and accept this changing transit reality will decline like many towns did when the railroad was replaced by interstate transit and towns were cut off from the Interstate. So, for the City of Independence to include the light rail in its long-term multimodal transit plan is a positive sign for the future prosperity of the community.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Curitiba’s Bus Station

Figure 4.3

Figure 4.4

Chart of Urban and Rural Areas Worldwide Population

Vehicle Pollution Shown in Metropolitan Cities in the U.S.

Ethanol Alternative over Fossil Fuels

Figure 4.5

Figure 4.6

National Trends: Shift to high use of public transit in Urban Areas

Public transportation is an essential service for many Missourians. When surveyed, Missourians rated it the second most important investment need behind highways and bridges. Investments in public transportation will be guided by the following policies.

MoDOT will consider public transportation in its efforts to preserve and enhance Missouri’s overall transportation infrastructure, environmental quality and economic vitality. MoDOT will assist local communities in developing and maintaining public transportation systems that are safe, effective and cost-efficient. MoDOT will support the preservation, maintenance, expansion and enhancement of public transportation infrastructure including vehicles, facilities and other assets. It will partner with law enforcement and civic groups to incorporate safety and security in public transportation facilities.

MoDOT will work to establish stable and sustained funding mechanisms for public transportation projects and plan, facilitate, provide funding assistance and establish service level guidelines for public transportation services.

Public transportation needs were assessed separately for large urban areas, small urban areas and rural areas. In all three classifications, needs were defined as preservation and expansion needs. Preservation needs are those things necessary for continuation of the existing service levels. Expansion needs are the capital needs required to increase or expand service.

Large urban needs address the public transportation needs of the Kansas City and St. Louis metropolitan areas. Both areas face significant public transportation needs as they try to expand and maintain current services and make essential capital improvements such as replacing vehicles.

Public transportation agencies in small urban areas struggle to maintain service levels and do not provide service to their entire urban areas. Weekend and evening service is limited. Missouri’s small urban areas are Springfield, Independence, Columbia, Jefferson City and Joplin. The existing needs for public transportation include preserving the existing level of service and increasing the level of service.

National Trends Change in American Lifestyle

Public transportation in the United States is a crucial part of the solution to the nation’s economic, energy and environmental challenges—helping to bring a better quality of life. In increasing numbers, people are using public transportation and local communities are expanding public transit services for every segment of American society—individuals, families, communities and businesses.

Current Statistics of America lifestyle:

Obesity:

• Annual medical expenditures attributable to obesity have doubled in less than a decade, and may be as high as $147 billion per year, according to a new study by researchers at RTI International. According to the American Journal of Preventative Medicine, scientists forecast that obesity will reach the 35% mark by 2030 as seen in the graph on the right.

Car Dependency:

• There are a number of planning and design approaches to redressing automobile dependency, known variously as New Urbanism, TransitOriented Development, and Smart Growth. Most of these approaches focus on the physical urban design, urban density and land use zoning of cities.

Stress:

• Parks, garden spaces, street trees and landscaped traffic islands provide more than a pretty panorama, effectively reducing the stress of our daily lives by invoking a feeling of tranquility. Studies have shown that stressed individuals feel better after exposure to natural scenes. Accordingly, green spaces also reduce instances of aggression and violence.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Health Organization Banner

Figure 4.7

Figure 4.8

Figure 4.9

Figure 4.10

Chart of Demographic Projected in the U.S.

Existing Site and Attractions

Bus Station

There is a new bus station located in the corner of Noland and Truman Roads. This new transit hub will be incorporated into the undeveloped landscape to the west. This undeveloped area is enough space to provide a site for a multimodal transit system.

Lofts and Parking

Right now most of the downtown has empty parking lots. The implementation of lofts and parking structures on these lots can improve the efficiency and density of the downtown area.

Santa-Cali-Gon

The annual Santa-Cali-Gon Festival brings thousands of visitors to Independence each year. The festival occupies 20-blocks of the city center with the central attractions being located on the parking lot bounded by Osage, Walnut, Liberty and Kansas Streets.

Jackson County Board of Election Commissioners

Historic and important locations within the city will have sustainable and user friendly parking lots provided adjacent.

Courthouse Square District

The Courthouse Square district will attract people to live in the lofts because of the retail, employment, entertainment and transit facilities.

Log Courthouse

The original Jackson County Court facilities were located within this log structure, currently located on Kansas Street between Main and Liberty Streets.

Parking Lot

There are currently parking lots that are poorly organized and planned. This means that materiality, lighting fixtures and green spaces do not provide a proper support for the environment and users.

Locating Parking Lots

Open green areas are hidden and sidewalks are not inviting for the use of these spaces. To support the park area several of these empty lots should be used to provide new parking lots.

City Center Wagon Tours

The wagon tours within the city center are a big tourist favorite. The iconic covered wagon with its mule team provides a link to old Independence that should be preserved and expanded upon.

National Frontier Trails Museum

Bus stop shelters will be located close to historic and important locations such as the National Frontier Trails Museum and Courthouse Square to encourage tourism to ride the public transit and to reduce car usage.

Open Spaces

The existing open spaces within the City of Independence should be preserved and enhanced with landscaping and programmed activities.

Courthouse

Square

and Truman Statue

The Harry S. Truman statue on the Courthouse Square in Independence, MO commemorates President Truman’s life long association with the city.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Figure 4.11

Figure 4.12

Figure 4.13

Figure 4.14

Figure 4.15

Figure 4.16

Figure 4.17

Figure 4.18

Figure 4.19

Figure 4.20

Figure 4.21

Figure 4.22

Truman Transit Hub: Importance and Benefits of a Multimodal Transit System

Truman Transit Hub: Trolley and Bus Station Perspective

The Truman Transit HUB is located one block north of the Courthouse Square at the corner of Noland and Truman Roads. It provides system linkages for the light rail, bus, trolley and bike services and contains rest areas, a tourist store, parking lots and common area. This Truman Transit HUB has been designed to provide a gathering place where citizens can organize their travels to local and distant destinations.

The location of this transit hub in Independence’s downtown area will stimulate commercial activity due to the increased number of people passing through the city center on the light rail, trolley, bus, and bike transit systems. Additionally, integrated urban transit systems, like the one in Columbia, Missouri, which is similar to what we are proposing, actually decrease vehicular dependency and created less demand on parking lots that can be utilized as more beneficial commercial or park areas.

Red brick would be utilized for the base and end walls of the trolley and bus structure to provide a sense of solidity and permanence.

The perspective shows the proposed Trolley and Bus Station. This design proposal redefines Independence’s transit architecture through historic and modern materials and forms. This structure would replace the wood bus structure that is located on this site presently and expand the facility to accommodate the anticipated increase in ridership. The new trolley and bus station would extend from drive to drive, which will allow the trolley and bus to load and unload on both ends. To the west of this structure are the connecting stations for the light rail transit system and the service facilities for the commuters. Vehicular parking is conveniently located adjacent. The images below also express the character of the Truman Transit Hub as envisioned by the design team. The facilities would be lightweight and open structural systems to promote a sense of play and excitement. Throughout the structures we recommend that the structural ribs and membranes be exposed to reflect the character of the wagon’s structure with its ribbed supports holding up the canvas membrane.

Green metal roofing materials will be used to construct the barrel vault. The vault has been selected for its structural strength and its iconic reference to the wagon.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Plan of Truman Transit Hub

Circulation Diagram of Truman Transit Hub

Figure 4.23

Figure 4.24

W White Oak

Proposal Design for the Main Trolley and Bus Station

Circulation Diagram of Trolley and Bus Station

Figure 4.25

Figure 4.26 Millbrae, CA Bay Area Rapid Transit Station (BART)

Figure 4.27

Figure 4.28

Figure 4.29 Figure 4.30

Figure 4.31

Light Rail Precedents

Light rail transit is a form of public transport using a steeltracked fixed guide way that operates primarily along an exclusive right-of-way and has vehicles capable of operating as a single unit or as multiple units coupled together.

St. Louis MetroLink

The St. Louis light rail system, St. Louis MetroLink, consists of two lines, both running through the city center with 73.3 kilometers (45.5 mi) of track. There are terminals across the Mississippi River in southwestern Illinois, at Lambert St. Louis International Airport and in the southwestern part of the metro area.

The first part of the system (Red Line: Lambert/Shiloh) opened in 1993. The second line of the system (Blue Line: Shrewsbury/I-44) entered service in 2006. All tracks are in an independent right-of-way, mostly at surface level, but include several miles of subways and elevated track as well. St. Louis’s light rail system has no street or traffic running trains. The system runs more similar to a heavy rail system than most light rail systems in North America. All stations are independent entry and platforms are all level with trains providing passengers easy access on/off. In the downtown area, the system uses abandoned railway tunnels built in the 19th century.

Light Rail and High Speed Rail Linkage

According to USHSR (United States High Speed Rails Association) there will be a high speed rail running from St. Louis to Kansas City by the year of 2020. By looking at the route that it is proposed to take, it appears that it will follow the old rail right-of-way that goes through Independence. This will have a tremendous effect upon the businesses in and around the city, if this alignment is correct.

It is crucial for the City of Independence to promote the light rail link along Truman Road in order to connect to metropolitan Kansas City. The idea of a connection with other metropolitan cities like St. Louis, and even Springfield, will bring even more people to Independence.

The speed as well as the capacity of a light rail system is lower compared to the heavy rail and rapid transit systems, but it has higher capacity and speed compared to the traditional street-trolley system.

The downtown subway stations have an ancient appearance with rough hewn rock walls. The Shrewsbury/I-44 blue line also has a few portions in tunnels, which are large and of modern concrete construction. Since the line opened, expansion has continued, and the transit agency has future lines in planning stages.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Green line Trax at Gallivan Plaza

Sycamore Light Rail

Figure 4.32

Figure 4.33

Light Rail Route to the Transit Hub

Light Rail Path from Kansas City to Independence

Figure 4.34

Figure 4.35

Light Rail Station

In order for the light rail to have enough space to travel along Truman Road the design team has proposed changes to the vehicular lanes. Truman Road will no longer be a street providing four lanes, but instead it will provide two lanes of vehicular transportation. This will provide space for the light rail to travel and also allow the widening of the sidewalks on each side to 10’ to promoting walking.

Vision of Independence’s Transit

According to Vancouver’s Working Group, there are certain steps to develop a light rail successfully:

1. Establish a clear vision and confirm the community goals for the light rail system.

2. Engage the community in the planning, design, construction, and operation of the system.

The light rail station should be designed to relate sensitively to the context of the City of Independence. The design team suggests that the station be constructed of brick, concrete or masonry in keeping with the older structures in the area.

The light rail station should comply with all ADA guidelines to aid users of the transit system.

3. In neighborhoods adjacent to light rail, incorporate the neighborhood’s land use vision.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Figure 4.36 Figure 4.37

Figure 4.38

Figure 4.39

Circulation of the Light Rail Route

Figure 4.40

Figure 4.41

Figure 4.42

Figure 4.43

Figure 4.44

Figure 4.45

Bus Stop Precedents Curitiba’s Bus System

The popularity of Curitiba’s Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) has caused a shift from automobile travel to bus travel. Based on 1991 traveler survey results, it was estimated that the introduction of the BRT had caused a reduction of about 27 million auto trips per year, saving about 27 million liters of fuel annually. In particular, 28 percent of BRT riders previously traveled by car. When Curitiba was compared to other Brazilian cities of similar size, it was discovered that it uses about 30 percent less fuel per capita, which has resulted in it having one of the lowest rates of ambient air pollution in the country. Today about 1,100 buses make 12,500 trips every day, serving more than 1.3 million passengers—50 times the number of passengers from 20 years ago. Eighty percent of travelers use the express or direct bus services.

Best of all, Curitibanos spend only about 10 percent of their income on travel—much below the national average. The Curitiba bus systems provide a versatile form of public transportation, with the flexibility to serve a variety of access needs and unlimited range of locations throughout a metropolitan area. Since the buses travel on

urban roadways, the infrastructure investments can be substantially lower than the capital costs required for rail systems. As a result, bus service can be implemented cost-effectively on many routes. Yet, despite the inherent advantages of a bus service, conventional urban buses inching their way through congested streets do not win much political support. The essence of a Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) is to improve bus operating speed and reliability on arterial streets by reducing or eliminating the various types of delay.

The bus system of Curitiba, Brazil, exemplifies a model Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, and plays a large part in making this a livable city. The buses run frequently—some as often as every 90 seconds—and reliably, and the stations are

Bus Stop System

convenient, well-designed, comfortable and attractive. Consequently, Curitiba has one of the most heavily used, yet low-cost, transit systems in the world. It offers many of the features of a subway system—vehicle movements unimpeded by traffic signals and congestion, fare collection prior to boarding, quick passenger loading and unloading—but it is above ground and visible. Around 70 percent of Curitiba’s commuters use the BRT to travel to work, resulting in congestionfree streets and pollution-free air for the 2.2 million inhabitants of greater Curitiba.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

The new IndiBus routes and services provide an efficient mode of transportation for the residents of the City of Independence. Even though there has been an effort to increase bus ridership, there has not been any major change in the community’s bus riding habits because of the preconceived notion of the residents about buses and bus users.

It appears that the citizens of Independence do not feel comfortable riding buses and would still prefer to use their own vehicles. We believe that another obstacle is that there is no route to the Courthouse Square. For that reason we have recommended in our proposed integrate transit system to add a new route to the existing ones as shown in the diagram at the far left. Our proposed bus route will target the residential and commercial areas of the city center.

Furthermore, based upon our research, we are convinced the residents of Independence will become more accepting of public transit in the next several decades. When this occurs there will be a reduction in the use of personal vehicular and CO2 emissions and the creation of a healthier community.

Perspective of Curitiba’s Bus Station

Curitiba’s Bus Station Figure 4.46

Figure 4.47

Current Bus Route

Proposed Bus Route Figure 4.48

Figure 4.49

Bus Stop Shelter

The bus stop shelters will have a ramp that will be ADA approved that raises the bus user up to the level of the bus for easy entry/exit. To the left of the ramp there will be stairs. Each bus stop shelter will have places to sit and socialize and bike racks. We recommend that at several of the city center bus stop shelters that self-serve bikes rental areas be included, like those shown in the images at the bottom of the page.

Since the recommendation is to create a new bus route in the city center, there is a need to place bus stop shelters along the downtown loop. The idea is to have at least 5 bus stop shelters around the city center. Any resident of this area will have to walk at most 2 blocks in order to get to a bus stop shelter.

Bus Stop Shelter Locations

The concept behind the bus stop and trolley stop shelters are that they are accessible to everyone. The recommended bus stop shelter design will blend with the streetscape environment; the idea is to provide a streetscaping improvement rather than just a structure in the area. For that reason, outside the bus stop shelter we have integrated shade trees, landscaping areas for flowers and shrubs, bike racks and bike rental station and sitting areas.

The form of the bus stop shelter is based on the bus stop in Curitiba, Brazil. The design team believed that the raised circular form has multiple advantages. It improved the accessibility for entering and exiting the bus and the form strongly tied it back to the images of the covered wagons of Independence’s early days.

r:

In most American cities, the typical bus stop spacing is between 650 and 900 feet (200–275 m). The diameter of the circles used in the diagram at the left are approximately 500 feet and the average distance between one bus stop and another is 1000 feet. The design team has designed the bus stop shelter so that its placement along the street still provides ample space for pedestrians to pass; from 5 feet to 10 feet of unobstructed sidewalk, depending on location. Between the sidewalk and the

elevated bus shelter is a transitional zone that will contain seating areas, shading trees and planters and access to the stairs and ramp. The buffer zone will provide a short distance between the vehicle and the sidewalk. The elevated shelter waiting area will be covered and provide additional seating. Additionally, some of the bus stop shelters, depending on the localized vehicular traffic, will have bus pull in area for the bus to pull out of the traffic lane.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Legend:

Sidewalk

Transition System

Buffer Zone

Arrival/ Waiting Area Vehicle Circulation

Perspective of Proposed Bus Shelter

Bike Rack Precedent Study

Figure 4.50

Figure 4.51

Figure 4.52

Distance Between Bus Stops

Bus Stop Circulation

Figure 4.53

Figure 4.54

Trolley Stop Shelter Precedents

The trolley tour of the Windy City provides a comprehensive tour of Chicago; and you may hop on and hop off at a number of popular locations.

This tour takes about an hour and forty-five minutes and covers 13 magnificent miles. For those who would like to explore, this is the perfect tour because trolleys come along regularly to continue your tour and take you back to your starting point.

Each trolley features etched windows, open sides or enclosure windows for enjoyment throughout the year, 32 passenger capacity, uniformed, professional and courteous tour guides/drivers, wheelchair accessibility, fully heated vehicles, central dispatch, an on-board public address system and a stereo system. The upperdecker buses are not enclosed and climate-controlled; guests ride in the open-air upper level.

Trolley Stop Shelter

The trolley is a means for moving people throughout the area. The design team has conceived of the trolley system as a constantly circulating people mover within the city center. The trolley would take a different route through the city center than the bus; the bus will pick up passengers at each stop at scheduled times and the trolley will circulate on its route continually.

The bus stop and trolley stop shelters both have been designed with the 2 foot platform elevation to facilitate easy access for all users onto and off of the bus or trolley. The trolley stop shelter will have a ramp and stairs located at one end of the structure to access the platform. The some streetscaping, seating, bike racks and rentals that were placed at the bus stops will also be used at the trolley stop shelters.

Although anyone can ride either of the transit systems, the bus system is primarily targeting the resident commuters and the trolley system is targeting the tourist.

For that reason the trolley route circulates through the Courthouse Square, Osage Park, residential and National Frontier Trails Museum areas. During the festival seasons the trolley can also use the bus stop shelters, and vice versa, to promote an efficient transportation of people and avoid the vehicles in the square.

Proposed Trolley Route

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Oregon Trolley Stop with Heavy Railing Design Chicago Trolley Vehicle Figure 4.55 Figure 4.56

Figure 4.57

Figure 4.58

Figure 4.59

Figure 4.60

Trolley Stop Shelter Details

The trolley stop shelter will provide a ramp for access to the platform and a sitting area located several feet from the ramp. This sitting area will emphasize the end of the trolley station space. Also provide a potential garden space or bike racks where needed. The trolley

Bike Route and Facilities

shelter is elevated 2’ from the ground and is 11’ tall. The materials suggested are the same as the main bus and trolley station at the Truman Transit Hub, which also has brick and green metal for the roof and end walls.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Currently, there are no well developed bike routes in Independence. During our research of Independence, the design team biked around the downtown and this is what was discovered:

Bike lanes were not continuous No appropriate buffer zones separated the biker from the vehicles Sidewalks were bumpy and cracked. It was difficult to ride on the sidewalks due to so many holes.

One proper bike rack was found in the downtown area.

Circulation Perspective Trolley stop

Trolley Stop Elevation

Perspective of Trolley Stop Shelter

Figure 4.61

Figure 4.62

Figure 4.63

Bike Lane Precedent

Proposed Bike Route

Bike Station Plan

Figure 4.64

Figure 4.65

Figure 4.66 Figure 4.67

Bicycles Precedents and Independence’s Bicycle Future

The Midtown Greenway is the spine of downtown Minneapolis’ non-motorized transportation network. The 5.5-mile corridor is separated from the street grid, giving bicyclists a barrier-free route that often enables them to travel across town faster than drivers. It connects to many other pathways within this ethnically and economically diverse community. The project was spearheaded by the Midtown Greenway Coalition (MGC) as a way to improve quality of life and increase active and green transportation in Minneapolis.

The organization is headquartered next door to the Freewheel Bike Center—a shop, café and commuter station that opened to meet the needs of cycling traffic on the path. Several other commercial and residential buildings have also been built along the corridor to take advantage

of the transportation and recreation opportunities the Midtown Greenway provides.

The continued development of bike routes and lanes throughout the metropolitan Kansas City area and the linkage of the KATY Trail with the Metro Bike Trails should serve as a catalyst for increasing the bike ridership within Independence. If Independence adopts an integrated multimodal public transit plan that links all facets of the community together from the metro to neighborhood scale with a system that enhances/promotes all modes of transit from light rail to walking, we could foresee the City of Independence becoming a leader in sustainable mobility and living.

Truman Lofts and Parking Structure

• Bike lanes support and encourage bicycling as a means of transportation.

• Bike lanes remind drivers that bicyclists are roadway users, too.

• Bike lanes help define road space for bikes and for cars, promoting a more orderly flow of traffic.

• Bike lanes allow bicyclists to move at their own pace.

• Bike lanes remove slower-moving bikes from vehicular traffic lanes, reducing delay for drivers.

• Bike lanes are a visual reminder to drivers to look for bicyclists when turning or opening car doors.

• Bike lanes enforce the concept that bicyclists are roadway users and should behave like other vehicle operators.

• Bike lanes encourage bicyclists to obey general traffic rules when roadways are marked to include them.

• Bike lanes increase the comfort level for bicyclists in traffic.

• Bike lanes have a “traffic calming” effect roads that appear narrow result in slower vehicular speeds.

• Bike lanes increase sight distance for drivers entering the roadway from driveways or side streets.

• Bike lanes increase the turning radius for large vehicles.

• Bike lanes make crossing pedestrians more visible to drivers.

• Bike lanes increase clear space between parked cars and moving vehicles.

• Bike lanes help reduce global warming by providing a real, healthy option to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

The Truman Lofts and Parking Structure are located on Truman Road near the Truman Transit Hub. The structure is comprised of two floors of parking with two floors of housing on top of the parking structure. The first floor of the parking structure would be a public pay lot. The second floor would be a combination of private resident parking and storage and additional public pay parking spaces. The dwellings on top of the structure will be condominium townhouses for middle to upper income families. These dwellings would line the perimeter of the structure on three sides. The fourth side would be left open for views, sunlight and ventilation. The exterior facade of the dwelling units will be composed of large expanses of glass. The interior facade would be more reserved. The central space on the roof of the parking structure will be a resident’s park. Within the central courtyard would be a fitness center, game room, club room and lounge, outdoor swimming pool and children’s playground.

The Truman Lofts and Parking Structure will help to increase the resident population in the city center and add needed parking spaces near the Truman Transit Hub and downtown.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Proposed Bike Rack Distribution

Bike Rack Design

Figure 4.68

Figure 4.69

Figure 4.70

Figure 4.71 Figure 4.72

Perspective of the Proposed Loft Complex and Light Rail

Figure 4.73 Figure 4.74

Parking Lots

The goal of the parking lots design team is to create facilities that are environmental responsible and appealing to the community. For this reason, green areas and trees have been included in the parking lots to provide shading for the vehicles, pedestrian and, most importantly, the parking surface. We also propose the implementation of urban rain garden around the perimeter of some parking lots.

We recommend that the surface of the parking lots be made of pervious concrete so that the rain water can be allowed to seep into the ground. The combination of pervious concrete and the surrounding rain gardens will allow the water runoff to pass through the vegetation and soak slowly into the ground, thus filtering out pollutants from the parking surfaces and keeping them out of the ground water and streams. By enclosing the parking with a fence it defines the edge of the parking and visually ties it into the city streetscaping, instead of it appearing as an empty lot. Signage should be provided at the entrance of the parking lot.

Currently, Independence, MO can be called “The City of Parking Lots” as there are more parking lots than green space in the downtown. This would not be a problem if the parking lots were full all year long, but they are only full during the Santa-Cali-Gon festival. This large amount of asphalt and concrete, which sits unused a great deal of the time creates a problem for the city center environment for several reasons: the lots are devoid of shade and the hard surfaces absorb the sun’s heat and, thus exacerbates the city’s heat island effect and the hard impervious surfaces flush all of the storm water and surface pollutants off the lots and directly into the storm drains during a rain event.

Current Parking

These parking lots should be reorganized and some of the land reclaimed for new building sites that follow sustainable practices and/or city parks that can help to soften the harsh downtown environment, cool the city center, and filter the storm water runoff before it goes into the storm drainage system. With careful planning, the annual Santa-Cali-Gon Festivals can still be held in the city center in an improved and more perceptually and physiologically comfortable environment.

Our investigation indicates that the linkage/connection between the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum is lined by numerous large parking lots, which create a pathway along the streets that has poorly defined street edges, visually unattractive expanses of hard surfaced lots, an exposed route to the sun and wind, and a general lack of linear interest.

The development of the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum linkage/connection will need to resolve these spatial and perceptual design challenges in order to create an inviting and pleasant experience for pedestrians, cyclists and motorist.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Table of Current Parking vs Suggested Parking Proposed Parking Lot Entrance

Figure 4.77

Figure 4.78

Figure

Figure 4.80

Figure 4.81

Figure 4.82

Figure 4.83

Figure 4.84

Current Parking in Downtown Independence, MO Proposed Parking for the Downtown of Independence, MO

Existing Parking at Osage and Walnut Streets

Parking Lot Circulation

Parking efficiency can be optimized in the parking lots and on-street parking areas by marking the parking spaces.

Handicapped parking spaces should be clearly marked and locate conveniently for the users.

The design team recommends that parking near the Courthouse Square be metered or pay lots be established to encourage long term users to park in the lots a block or two further away. This will free up parking spaces around the Courthouse Square for short term users such as tourist and one-stop shoppers. The limited amount of revenue generated by the parking meters should be used to further upgrade the city center streetscaping and trolley service.

Conclusion

In conclusion, it is very important to consider the implementation of the integrated multimodal transit system and its effect on the future of Independence. This is especially important given the community’s desire to increase the population in the city center area. As our research suggests, American society is becoming more and more urban, Americans are moving back to the urban centers and away from suburbia, car ownership and miles driven will continue to decline in America unless inexpensive alternative fuels and modes of private transportation are developed; cities will see an increase in the ridership of public transportation over the next 20-30 years as a result. It is important for the City of Independence to begin now to prepare this integrated multimodal transit system. We believe that the city must stay in front of the trend and not be reactive to the pressures of societal needs after the trend has already become established in the community. Furthermore, we believe that by being ahead of the trend that the city can be a catalyst for urban change and an improved, more sustainable, quality of living in the City of Independence.

The implementation of such an integrative multimodal transit system within the City of Independence will require a reassessment of the parking needs, types, locations and lot construction. We believe that currently there is an overabundance of parking in the city center of Independence due to the urban renewal of the past. The parking problem that we observed was due to the distribution of the parking throughout the city center where people do not currently want to congregate and due to the hard surfaced and exposed character of the city center where people do not desires to walk more than a block. We believe that a gradual reduction of parking as the community’s lifestyle shifts in the coming years, a redistribution of where the remaining parking is located to better compliment the community needs and the introduction of new, more sustainably designed parking lots and spaces that diminishes the heat island effect and helps to treat surface water runoff must be an integral part of the integrated multimodal transit plan.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS TRANSIT

Parking Lot Circulation

Figure 4.85

Figure 4.86

Figure 4.87

Figure 4.88

Highlighted Map with Transit and Parking

Figure 4.89

Figure 4.90

Figure 4.91

Figure 4.92

Figure 4.93

Figure 4.94

Housing

Urban Housing: Restore, Replace, Build

Housing is an integral part of the revival of the City of Independence. Housing will be the core of the city center and supporting component for all of the other design elements. The design team’s intention is to increase the population density throughout the city center, which will help further support community economically.

The design team’s focus has been to restore the character of the traditional homes and neighborhoods while phasing out substandard homes and absentee landlord properties. We suggest that this will create a more close knit urban community that embraces a variety of housing types and lifestyles and further diversify the city center physically and culturally.

This suggested urban community would be laced together by walking and biking trails, a city center trolley system and regional multimodal public transit system. A full array of support services would be available to the residents of this “urban village” by the existing and expanded commercial, retail, and entertainment establishments: restaurants, grocery stores, doctors, movie theater, churches, parks and schools, to name but a few.

The comprehensive map adjacent illustrates the distribution of urban housing throughout the city center. Loft apartments are concentrated around the Courthouse Square and along Main Street, Liberty Street and Truman Road. Medium density

rowhouses, town houses and mixed-use retail/housing developments are located around the Osage Park Event Center along Liberty Street, Kansas Street and Osage Street. As one travels a little further away from the Courthouse Square the housing shifts to single-family detached and singlefamily-detached with ancillary dwellings and pocket neighborhood and co-housing social settings.

Centrally located within these neighborhoods is the newspaper warehouse along the railroad tracks. The design team recommends that this building be renovated into a Neighborhood Commons or Village Center. Within this structure might be housed such neighborhood amenities as: a daycare center, café, Post Office annex, police substation, community meeting rooms, a fitness center, coffee shop, outdoor central courtyard, a neighborhood clinic, a neighborhood book lending library, and such things.

With the development of the multimodal transit station on Truman Road, the design team envisions that it will spur the creation of transit oriented development centered on the transit station. The model of urban housing represented in this study of the southern section of the city center should be considered a model for future development north of Truman Road.

Figure 5.1 Comprehensive Map Showing Housing Distribution

Design Strategies

It is the design team’s intention to establish an urban village in the city center of Independence that thrives off of the community’s active. This vision is not simply changing the housing types; rather we are advocating that Independence implement a variety of healthy living programs that will promote activity throughout the community. These healthy living and housing initiatives, along with the implementation of Osage Park, will be the catalyst for stimulating new interest in living in the city center.

David Sucher, an author from Seattle, Washington wrote, “We can’t build urban villages in one fell swoop; we watch them evolve out of a multitude of individual sections over a long period of time.”

It is important that Independence look at these suggested design strategies and assess how they “fit” the community’s vision for Independence and how some could be implemented over a 20 to 30 year developmental plan.

The following topics, which were considered by the design team during the development of these housing design recommendations, are briefly discussed on the next several pages. We encourage the community leaders and citizens who will be charged with reviewing these vision concepts to study these strategies and incorporate them into the community’s final vision for the city center.

• Smart Growth

• Establishment of Form-Based Codes

• Universal Design

• Sustainable Best Practices

• LEED Guidelines for Neighborhoods

• Low Impact Development

• PACE Property Accessed Clean Energy

• Water Conservation

• Complete Streets

• Storm Water Control

Smart Growth

Smart Growth is an urban planning strategy that concentrates growth in the center of a city to avoid urban sprawl; and advocates compact, transit-oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, pedestrian friendly streets, and mixed-use development with a range of housing choices to suit all income levels.

Smart Growth Development Principles:

Mix Land Uses:

By designing residential, commercial and recreational uses in close proximity to one another, alternative modes to vehicular travel, such as walking or biking, can become viable.

Take Advantage of Compact Building Design: This suggests that communities be laid out in a way that preserves more open space and that individual buildings make more efficient use of land and resources. By doing this a community can protect more open land to absorb and filter rain water, reduce flooding and storm water drainage needs and lower the amount of pollution washing into streams, rivers and lakes. Compact design is also necessary to support wider transportation choices.

Create A Range of Housing Opportunities and Choices: This will allow communities to mitigate the environmental costs of auto-dependent development, use their infrastructure resources more efficiently, ensure a better job to housing balance and generate a strong foundation of support for neighborhood transit stops, commercial centers and other services. The addition of single and multifamily homes in housing developmental plans can support a more diverse population, allow more equitable distribution of households to all income levels and slowly increase density without radically changing the existing context of the city.

Create Walkable Neighborhoods: An essential part of creating desirable, walkable, neighborhoods is to

provide housing, offices, retail, transportation, schools and libraries all within an easy and safe walk. In order to do this, communities must mix land uses and build compactly, as well as ensure safe and inviting pedestrian corridors. The city of Independence can begin to build the framework of a walkable community by designing multiple destinations within close proximity to one another, where streets and sidewalks balance multiple forms of transportation.

Foster Distinctive, Attractive Communities with a Strong Sense of Place:

Communities should focus on maintaining and reflecting the unique values and cultures of the people who live there. We encourage the preservation of buildings that are assets to the historical community of Independence. By doing so there is a greater likelihood that buildings, and, therefore, entire neighborhoods, will retain their economic vitality and value over time.

Strengthen and Direct Development Towards Existing Communities: By directing development towards existing communities one can utilize the resources that existing neighborhoods offer. This is more cost effective and improves the quality of life for those living in the community. They benefit by a stronger tax base, closer proximity to a range of jobs and services and increased efficiency in already developed land and infrastructure.

Provide a Variety of Transportation Options: This in turn will provide streets that are designed for all kinds of travelers at all hours, making neighborhoods safer and more appealing for empty nesters and young professionals.

Preserve Open Space, Natural Beauty and Critical Environmental Areas: Communities can supports Smart Growth goals by bolstering local economies, preserving critical environmental areas, improving community quality of life and guiding new growth into existing communities.

Make Development Decisions Predictable, Fair and Cost Effective:

For a community to be successful in implementing Smart Growth, the concept must be embraced by the private sector. Only private capital markets can supply the large sum on money needed to meet the growing demands for Smart Growth development. In order for it to flourish, state and local governments need to make development decisions timely, cost effective and predictable for developers. Governments that make the right infrastructure and regulatory decisions will support fair, predictable and cost effective Smart Growth.

Smart Growth America is a national organization dedicated to researching, advocating for and leading coalitions to bring Smart Growth practices to communities nationwide. This brings more choices, personal freedom and greater opportunity throughout the community, a thriving natural environment and good return on public investments. The citizens of Independence can visit www.smartgrowthamerica.org for further information on the benefits of implementing Smart Growth concepts.

Establishment of Form-Based Codes

Form-Based codes allow a new approach to zoning buildings and their uses. Instead of designating specific regions for retail, residential and factory use, Form-Based codes allows for multiple building types to be located among one another. It looks at the physical shape of the building to determine the use. These are not merely a series of guidelines, but rules adopted by the local government as building regulations.

When designing with Form-Based codes there are standards with which the building must comply. For example, some building form standards might involve any of the following: alignment of buildings to the street, proximity to the sidewalk, visibility and accessibility of building entrances, minimum and maximum building heights, minimum and maximum lot frontage coverage,

amount of the window coverage on facades, physical elements on buildings and the general use of different floors.

The City of Independence would gain from adapting FormBased codes. Form-Based codes result in enhanced vitality and perceived security of an area by increasing the number and activity of people on the street. This would assist with the urban revitalize and boost the economy of the community.

For more information about Form-Based Codes visit the FormBased Codes Institute at www.formbasedcodes.org

Universal Design

The National Association of Home Builders described Universal Design as the design of products and environments to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design.

Some common universal design features are:

• No-step entry: No one needs to use stairs to get into a universal home or into the home’s main rooms.

• One-story living: Places to eat, use the bathroom and sleep are all located on one level, which is barrierfree.

• Wide doorways: Doorways that are 32-36 inches wide let wheelchairs pass through. They also make it easy to move big things in and out of the house.

• Wide hallways: Hallways should be 36-42 inches wide. That way everyone and everything moves more easily from room to room.

• Extra floor space: Everyone feel less cramped and people in wheelchairs have more space to turn.

It is important to design universally because it provides more options to those who may otherwise not be able to access or use a specific area regardless of their age, ability, or status in life.

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When restoring and implementing new homes throughout the city center, the City of Independence should seek to make all buildings be universally designed to suit everyone’s needs. This is important even if the current or prospective owner does not need ADA accessibility at the time. For more information visit the Center for Universal Design-North Carolina State University www.ncsu.edu/project/design-projects/udi

Sustainable Best Practices

A sustainability initiative involves the development and implementation of green ideas and goals. Crucial to this process is the development of metrics that track and monitor performance. Also important is the identification and response to challenges, opportunities and threats. In order to reap the full benefits of such a comprehensive task to create a sustainable community, the City of Independence should implement a Sustainable Best Practices Program.

A best practices program assists companies in making systematic changes in areas like emissions, energy, transportation, water and waste. We recommend that the City of Independence use this strategy for sustainable best practices and adapt it to the community scale and context. Most company sustainable best practices programs address at least six key areas:

• Green Team: This dedicated team is important to making and maintaining sustainable changes. The green team should have representatives from different departments.

• Emissions and Indoor Air Quality: Record and manage emissions, set targets for emissions reductions. Review physical infrastructure, building materials and furnishings. Source materials that have less impact on indoor air quality (Use carpets, furniture, paints, adhesives and cleaning products that are associated with less noxious out-gassing).

• Energy Efficiency: Monitor and manage energy consumption. Implement energy efficiency program including energy reduction targets for IT, manufacturing, lighting, heating and cooling.

• Transportation Efficiency Water Reduction Strategies: Track the mileage of all company vehicles and work on finding more expedient travel routes. Employ more fuel efficient modes of transport including hybrid and fully electric vehicles.

• Water Reduction Strategies: Monitor water consumption and develop strategies for water reduction. Effective strategies can begin with something as simple as retrofitted faucets with low-flow aerators.

• Waster Reduction and Recycling: Log waste and develop a strategy for waste reduction and recycling. Summarize the waste stream and identify targets for waste reduction. Develop a recycling program with a good plan including logistics that detail how recycled materials will be collected and stored.

For more information about sustainability and sustainable best practices visit the citizens of Independence should visit the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) website www.usgbc.org

LEED Guidelines for Neighborhoods

LEED is an internationally recognized building assessment program that stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design. It provides building owners and operators with a rubric for identifying and implementing practical and measurable green building design, construction, operations and maintenance solutions.

The United States Green Building Council, also known as USGBC has developed a set of LEED guidelines for New Construction, Renovation, Interior Design and Neighborhood Development, among others, that integrates the principles of Smart Growth, New Urbanism and Green Building Design into the first national system

for neighborhood design.

Thoughtful neighborhood planning can limit the need for automobiles and their greenhouse gas emissions. Mixed-use development and pedestrian-friendly streets encourage walking, bicycling and public transportation. Green buildings and infrastructure also lessen negative consequences for water resources, air quality and natural resource consumption. The character of a neighborhood, including its streets, homes, workplaces, shops and public spaces, affects quality of life.

It is important to note in regards to the City of Independence that green developments respect the historic resources and existing community fabric. It preserve open space and encourage access to parks and promotes a decrease in the amount of land used through the reuse and proper design of existing plots of land that may be under or miss used. For more information about LEED Neighborhood Design guidelines visit www.usgbc.org/neighborhoods

Low Impact Development

Low Impact Development (LID) is an approach to land development or redevelopment that uses nature to manage storm water as close to its source as possible.

Principles of LID include:

• Preserving and recreating natural landscape features: To minimize hardscape and water runoff during storms that will lead to flooding at lower levels.

• Minimizing imperviousness: To create functional and appealing site drainage that treat storm water as a resource rather than a waste product.

Goals of LID include:

• Provide an improved technology for environmental protection of receiving waters

• Provide economic incentives that encourage

environmentally sensitive development

• Develop the full potential of environmentally sensitive site planning and design

• Encourage public education and participation in environmental protection

• Help build communities based on environmental stewardship

• Reduce construction and maintenance costs of the storm water infrastructure

• Introduce new concepts, technologies, and objectives for storm water management such as micromanagement and multi-functional landscape features (bioretention areas, swales and conservation areas); mimic or replicate hydrologic functions; and maintain the ecological and biological integrity of receiving streams

• Encourage flexibility in regulations that allows innovative engineering and site planning to promote “Smart Growth”

• Encourage debate on the economic, environmental, and technical viability and applicability of current storm water practices and alternative approaches

Practices of LID include:

• Bioretention facilities

• Rain Gardens

• Vegetated Rooftops

• Rain Barrels

• Permeable Pavements

Applied on a broad scale, LID can maintain or restore a watershed’s hydrological and ecological functions. Further information on LID and how to begin implementing it can be found at the Low Impact development Center, www.lowimpactdevelopment.org

Property Accessed Clean Energy

Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) program, allows local government entities to offer sustainable energy project loans to

eligible property owners. Through the creation of financing districts, property owners can finance renewable onsite generation installations and energy efficiency improvements through a voluntary assessment on their property tax bills.

Property owners benefit by avoiding the upfront installation cost of renewable on site generation systems and energy efficiency measures and eliminating concerns that they will sell the property before recovering the system investment from utility bill savings. The result is that property owners in participating jurisdictions can finance their greening efforts with a minimal level of financial risk.

For more information visit www.pacenow.org For specifics about Missouri go to www.pacenow.org/resources/allprograms/#Missouri

Water Conservation

Water conservation encompasses policies, strategies and activities that manage fresh water as a sustainable resource to meet current and future supply demands.

Goals of Water Conservation include:

Sustainability: To ensure availability for future generations, the withdrawal of fresh water from an ecosystem should not exceed its natural replacement rate.

Energy Conservation: In some regions of the world over 15% of total electricity consumption is devoted to water management

Habitat Conservation: Minimizing human water use helps to preserve fresh water habitats for local wildlife and migrating waterfowl, as well as reducing the need to build new dams and other water diversion infrastructures.

This can be implemented throughout the City of Independence’s new housing plan over the next 20 to 30 years. Every household should become conscious of the amount of water they use throughout their daily lives. Strategies such as collecting rain water and using it for flushing toilets can be implemented in all of the neighborhoods. For more information on water conservation visit www.wateruseitwisely.com

Complete Streets

The Complete Streets strategy is a part of Smart Growth. Complete Streets are designed for everyone, not simply vehicular movement, but pedestrian, bicyclists, motorists and transit riders. Complete Streets make it is easy, comfortable and safe to cross the street, walk to shops and bicycle to and from commercial areas.

By adopting a Complete Streets policy, communities direct transportation planners and engineers to design and operate the entire right-of-way. This enables safe access for all users regardless of age, ability or mode of transportation.

A Complete Streets may include: but are not limited to:

• Sidewalks

• Bike Lanes or Paths

• Special Bus Lanes

• Comfortable and Accessible Public Transportation Stops

• Frequent and Safe Crossing Opportunities

• Median Islands

• Accessible Pedestrian Signals

• Curb Extensions

• Narrower Travel Lanes

• Roundabouts

It is important to design Complete Streets because incomplete streets limit transportation choices by making walking, bicycling and taking public transportation inconvenient, unattractive and,

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too often, dangerous. This is the current state of the City of Independence. Creating Complete Streets is one of the most important steps for Independence to enhance its city center.

Benefits of Complete Streets:

• Makes Economic Sense: A balanced transportation system that includes Complete Streets can bolster economic growth and stability by providing accessible and efficient connections between residences, schools, parks, public transportation, offices and retail destinations

• Improves Safety: One study found that designing for pedestrian travel by installing raised medians and redesigning intersections and sidewalks reduced pedestrian risk by 28%

• Encourages More Walking and Bicycling: One study found that 43 percent of people with safe places to walk within 10 minutes of home met recommended activity levels, while only 27% of the people without safe places to walk were actually active enough

• Helps Ease Transportation Woes: Smaller cities have adopted Complete Streets policies as one strategy to increase the overall capacity of their transportation network and reduce congestion

• Helps Children Gain Independence: More children walk to school where there are sidewalks and children who have and use safe walking and bicycling routes have a more positive view of their neighborhood

• Produces Good Air Quality: Complete Streets improves air quality by cutting car carbon dioxide emissions by 3,764 tons per year in a small community, which will lead to a better overall health of the community members

• Make Fiscal Sense: By integrating sidewalks, bike lanes, transit amenities and safe crossings into the initial design of a project the City of Independence can spare the expense of retrofits later

For more information on Complete Streets visit the Complete Streets Coalition at www.smartgrowthamerica.org/complete-streets

Storm Water Control

Storm water is the water from rain, snow and sleet that travels down our gutters into storm drains. Storm water control is the process that monitors storm water flow. It starts off clean but then flows down land surfaces such as roadways, sidewalks, parking lots, roofs, construction sites and lawns until it enters the storm drain where it is directed into streams. This untreated water is damaging to the ecosystem. It is important to protect our water supply by having mechanisms in place to slow down the flow of runoff and allow it to be filtered naturally.

Currently, the City of Independence’s landscape is dominated by hard, impervious surfaces that allow all of the storm water to run directly into the storm drains. During a rain event, this storm water flushes all of the contaminates that have accumulated on the streets, parking lot and roof tops directly into area streams and eventually the ground water. To help mitigate this issue of storm water contaminates it is advisable to utilize pervious surfaces when and wherever possible, to create rain gardens or bioswales in the medians between parked cars or around the perimeter of parking lots, to allow the water to flow over vegetated areas such as lawns and park areas prior to flowing into the storm drain and to construct retention areas to slow the water down so that it has a chance to seep into the soil and be filtered naturally.

For more information on storm water control visit www.cfpub.epa. gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=6

Developmental Influence on Housing

Housing quality will be greatly improved through the implementation of all of the design strategies discussed previously. The Osage Park

Current Housing Situation and Character

will increase the beauty of the city center and area property value, while the multimodal transit system and Complete Streets will make Independence a community, in which it is convenient and enjoyable to circulation from one place to another.

Transitioning to and from the Courthouse Square district to the urban homes will have a seamless experience along the Complete Streets with their vegetated tendrils of the park spreading throughout the city center. The housing will be strategically placed to blend with the commercial center. As you travel from the National Frontier Trails Museum to the Courthouse Square, the housing pattern changes from single-family detached dwellings to multi-family, mixed-use, and then loft dwellings. On near every block the design team has advocated a community area with small convenient retail options, which can be quickly and easily accessed by those living in the neighborhoods.

We advocate that single family homes be located south of the park, on the edge of the city center. Here it is a little more private, but they still have direct connection to the park and community centers via the network of sidewalks and paths. The medium density homes are located closer to the park because this is the most desirable location and the property value and popularity around the park and main connection with the Courthouse Square will require the developer to seek more units per acre to get the required return on investment they would need. While the lofts units have been located to the north of the park throughout the Courthouse Square district to take advantage of the numerous second floor spaces that are available. This will promote people living in the commercial areas and becoming less reliant on their vehicles; similar to the way the City of Independence’s city center was originally conceived.

The boundary of the study area is Truman Road to Pacific Street and Pleasant Street to Noland Road. The Design Team has traveled and extensively photographed and analyzed this area. The team recorded its observations of current use and condition of the structures within the area and discussed the project with the members of the community.

The housing within the study area was rated according to the following three criteria:

Good

Fair:

Poor:

• Well Maintained

• Landscaped

• Defined Threshold

• Chipped Paint

• Mismatched Siding

• Castoffs In Front

• Boarded Up Windows

• Roof Caving In

• Aging\Peeling Paint

• Rusting Roof Line

• No Porch

• Broken Windows/Doors

• Lack of Landscaping

• Crumbled Steps

• Cracked Porch

• Needs Basic Maintenance

The design team studied: which lots in each neighborhood were vacant, the condition of each structure and the organization of the neighborhood.

After the data was compiled the following issues were identified:

Lack of urban edges along Liberty, Main and Maple Streets

High vacancy rate within the industrial and housing areas

Lack of resident population density within the borders

Lack of housing diversity within the borders

Lack of resident landlords, which often leads to lower maintenance and care of residence

Lack of places to socialize within the neighborhoods

City zones that prohibit mixed-use housing/retail areas.

Everything is spread out, which leads to dependency on vehicles and less pedestrian conscious design.

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Figure 5.2

Property Use Analysis

This map shows property use with in the boundaries.

There is a variety of ownership with in each area, which does not promote a coherent relationship within the neighborhood.

Our Design Assumptions

Maintain Historical Character

It is important for the city to maintain the historical character of the city center as it is restoring, replacing, and building new homes. The architecturally and historically significant structures in the city should be set aside as tourist attractions, thus it is important to preserve as much of that fabric of the city as is possible and to develop within that context with sensitivity to the original characteristics of the city.

Every design should emphasize the decorative elements of the local historical structures and be perceived as if they were built in the same period or style.

Universally Designed Homes

When designing new homes it is important to construct them to comply with Universally Design standards. The renovation of older structure should also seek to comply whenever possible. At a minimum, the city should set a requirement that 20% of the new dwellings shall be Universally Designed.

Reduced Parking Spaces per Unit

As the urban lifestyle trend in American continue and the cost of operating an automobile continues to rise, many Americans will forgo their car in favor of walking, biking and using public transportation. With this shift in lifestyles the need for expansive areas within the urban centers to

Sampling of Dwellings in Assessment Area

house our cars will diminish. The design team has chosen to develop its vision for Independence’s city center with the expectation that each dwelling unit will need just one parking space or less within the next 30-years.

Mixed Demographics

In communities where the new urban living lifestyle has been developing, it is apparent that the people moving into the city centers represent a cross section of everyday society. The old stereotype of young professionals and college students being the only people interested in living in the city center is gone. That segregating by socioeconomic lifestyles is changing and a more diverse demographic is emerging. The design team envisions the City of Independence as such a diverse community where all demographics of society will live amongst one another in loft neighborhoods, pocket neighborhoods, co-housing neighborhoods, singlefamily detached neighborhoods and the like; all within close proximity of one another.

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Subjective Dwelling Assessment Criteria:

• Dwellings that are structurally unsound and require significant repair need to be removed.

• Dwellings that do not fit the generalize character of the urban neighborhoods should be upgraded over time to support the neighborhood character or phased out.

• Dwellings that do not conform to the standards for the architecture style should be retained and modified to conform over time.

• Dwellings that comply with the standards for their architectural style should be retained.

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Figure 5.6

Commercial Properties to be Reconsidered

This vacant property need to be acquired and incorporated into the future park development as the location for the barn, stable and pasture for the wagon tour companies.

Map of Property Assessment

The Health Department is located in two structures within the proposed neighborhood district. The design team has recommended that the Heath Department be considered for relocation and consolidation within the 30-year time frame of this vision study. Such public facilities would be better located near the government center and not in the proposed neighborhood district.

Map of Housing Analysis

Currently, the housing demographics are very distinct. Around the square are some lofts and many vacant second story areas. There are a few medium density housing facilities along Pleasant Street. Close to and around the railroad tracks are single-family detached dwellings. The various neighborhoods within the study area lack any unifying character. There is a mixture of commercial, manufacturing, institutional, single story and multi-story residential, parking lots and vacant lots within the study area.

This commercial property is located within the proposed housing district. The design team recommends that within the time frame of this 30-year vision study that all commercial businesses with large manufacturing, storage, parking and service areas be removed from the proposed urban housing area.

Commercial structures are typically out of scale in and disruptive to residential neighborhoods. These structures might be retained and renovated to accommodate mixed-use retail and housing developments if they can be carefully scaled to the surrounding neighborhood, if not they should be removed from the neighborhood district.

Red:

Houses that could be modified

Blue:

Houses that could be kept

Yellow:

Houses that could me moved

The conversion of some of the large commercial buildings for alternative uses that are supportive of the neighborhood should be considered. The design team has proposed that over the 30-year time frame of this vision study that this structure be converted to a community commons or neighborhood village center. The remodeled structure could house community programs that would enhance the connectivity of the neighborhoods physically and socially.

Commercial facilities with freight deliveries and service trucks coming in and out throughout the day would be very disruptive to a neighborhood and should be avoided. The design team recommends that such commercial establishments be relocated over the 30-year time frame of this vision study. If the structure can be renovated to a new purpose that fits into the scale and programmatic needs of the neighborhood, then the design team supports such renovation efforts.

Pink Medium density housing Green Single housing neighborhoods

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Figure 5.15

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Figure 5.22

Massing and Composition

This section was excerpted from “The West Central Neighborhood Guidelines and Pattern Book” produced by the Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University, dated Fall 2004.

Massing and composition describe the formal issues of a neighborhood. This section gives an understanding of how the streetscape can be improved through an understanding of the house forms and how they relate to one another visually.

Consistency is what gives the neighborhood a unified appearance. However, it is important not to define consistency in term of house style but, rather in terms of shapes and sizes. For example, a one story dwelling would be inappropriate on a street that consists of all two stories dwellings. It would also be inappropriate to put all one housing style on one block because that can actually cause the neighborhood to lose its individual character; the neighborhood would become redundant and absent of the individuality of each resident.

Porches

Porch Details

Porches are a way for the inhabitants to be in the comfort of their home with a connection to the neighborhood. Common additions to the porch can be benches, swings, or chair, which adds comfort for the users. The porches allow for the resident to visit with neighbors as they take strolls along the sidewalk. There are four types of porches: stoop, partial, full front, and wrap.

Stoop

The stoop provides an entry cover, but is not intended for activity. The stoops are found mainly on minimal traditional styles.

Partial

Partial facade porches provide shelter and an activity area for approximately half of front facades. These porches are usually found on the Bungalow and Gabled Ell styles.

Full Front

The full front porches have similar characteristics as partial porches. However, span the entire front facade. Full front porches are predominant on the Bungalow and Foursquare styles.

Wrap-around

Wrap-around porches receive their name for literally wrapping around the front and one side of the facade. Styles that exhibit these porches are the Gabled Ell, Foursquare, and Queen Anne Free Classic.

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The image above left shows a plain wood 6”x6” column. This is the most economical column and appropriate on all styles with the exception of the Bungalow. The Bungalow style has bulkier column types and when used with plain wood column there is usually a pier base. The central example is a good example of a uniquely Bungalow style column. The column blends with the porch and is made of stone. The right column is an example of a column found on a Gabled Ell home.

Ell style can have a variety of columns types.

These four images illustrate railing types found within a typical neighborhood. It is important to be consistent with details among the porch elements. These examples are very appropriate, in that, the column is perfectly matched with the proper railing type. It is suggested that the railing be of a construction which allows visibility through the railing.

Figure 5.23

Figure 5.24

The Gabled

This section was excerpted from “The West Central Neighborhood Guidelines and Pattern Book” produced by the Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University, dated Fall 2004.

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Figure 5.33 Figure 5.34

Garages

Driveways

Most of the driveways are made of concrete, asphalt, or gravel. Access to the homes is typically from the front, however, there are a few alleyways within the neighborhood which permit rear or side access. Corner lots can be accessed from the side streets.

Detached Garages

They are typically clad in the same material as the house. Detached garages, by their nature, allow for the yard to flow up to the house to allow for gathering space between.

Appropriate

Garages should be designed to be consistent with the house. For example, similar siding and roof pitch should be used. Many garages are positioned behind the house as a separate structure. Also appropriate are garages which are attached via a breezeway; an open-sided roofed passageway connecting the house and garage.

These two examples show detached garages and how they can be positioned behind the house. They can be hidden behind the house and not be seen from the street or the garage can be positioned to the side to accept a vehicle directly from the driveway.

Attached Garages

Attached garages are structures which are connected to the main house. In some cases, the garage is attached by a breezeway. Avoid attached garages which block views to the yard and inhibit the flow of natural ventilation. Inappropriate

Materials

The main house cladding materials found throughout the neighborhood is siding, stone and brick. The materials reflect the craftsmanship of their builders. The most evident examples of this are the visible care taken in much of the stone and brick work. The images in the center row show how both brick and stone were used to create a unique texture and appearance.

Siding can be found on most homes and is usually horizontally oriented. The siding can be wood, concrete, metal or vinyl. The colors are normally light and are typically: white, light green, light blue and light yellow. The lighter the color the less heat is absorbed. The middle photo is cement asbestos material, which should be avoided.

These are examples of appropriate attached garages. The image on the left is an example of a garage attached to the house but moved back so that it is not the focus of the facade from the street view. The image on the right shows how a garage might be attached by a breezeway. This breezeway is part of a small patio which the residents can access directly from the house.

Brick is horizontally oriented and ranges from reddish to brownish tones. Brick is typically found on the Bungalow style. Although stone pillars maybe used on the porch and foundation walls of the Gabled Ell style, it should not be used as the siding material. Stone is either sandstone or limestone and is popular as a cladding material. Stone is most typically used in Bungalow style housing.

In urban and traditional neighborhoods the garage should never be attached or in line with the front facade of the house. The front facing garage expresses its importance over the house and becomes out of place in the streetscape. These street facing garages should never exceed 25% of the front width of the house. Dwellings with this type of front facing attached garage should only occur in suburban neighborhoods, if at all.

Shingles are almost always asphalt. Asphalt shingles are inexpensive and easy to install. Different textures as a result of different overlapping methods are often used.

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This section was excerpted from “The West Central Neighborhood Guidelines and Pattern Book” produced by the Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University, dated Fall 2004.

Figure 5.35

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Figure 5.42

This section was excerpted from “The West Central Neighborhood Guidelines and Pattern Book” produced by the Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University, dated Fall 2004.

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Housing Style: American Foursquare

History

The American Foursquare was constructed primarily from the 1890s-1930s; a post-Victorian style. This house is square in plan and has a symmetrical front facade, creating a simple style. The distinct characteristics of an American Foursquare include a hipped or pyramidal roof, a full width front porch with a centered or off centered entrance, and often a large central roof dormer. Original plans of the American Foursquare have four rooms on the first floor and four rooms on the second floor and a half story attic, which allows for more livable space or storage. Varying with region, the American Foursquare can be clad in clapboard siding, brick, stone, or cedar shingles.

Essential Characteristics:

• A Strong Front Facade that is Symmetrical with a Single Prominent Front Entrance

• A Large Front Porch Which Spans the Front Facade.

• Two Story Massing

• Hipped Roof

• Cladding Should be Consistent with Adjacent Houses, Primarily Wood Clapboard or Comparable Material

Appropriate

Guidelines:

The American Foursquare should retain some of the original characteristics in order to maintain the essence of the style. These characteristics should be acknowledged in both new construction and in the rehabilitation of existing houses. When rehabilitating an existing house, the American Foursquare should be restored to the original as much as possible. Any additions to an American Foursquare should incorporate the essential characteristics and any additions should be added on to the rear and the attic if dormers are present and space allows.

This house portrays the essential characteristics of an American Foursquare: a large front porch, a symmetrical front facade, a hipped roof and appropriate siding, as well as subtle details in the porch, railings, and small circle window.

This house portrays the essential characteristics of an American Foursquare: a front porch, symmetrical front facade, appropriate siding, and a small dormer on a hipped roof, with details on the porch, railings, and a gabled entrance.

Inappropriate

Although this house has many essential characteristics, the second floor windows do not relate to a typical American Foursquare style. A better solution would have been to make the small, side windows the same size as the taller middle window. This would provide a more aesthetically pleasing facade with symmetry and continuity.

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The front facade has two obvious entrances, which disrupts the neighborhood fabric. The front porch also needs restructuring to create an aesthetically pleasing facade.

This house portrays the essential characteristics of an American Foursquare: a front porch, symmetrical front facade, appropriate siding, a hipped roof, as well as details with the shutters, the railings and a wraparound front porch.

This section was excerpted from “The West Central Neighborhood Guidelines and Pattern Book” produced by the Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University, dated Fall 2004.

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Housing Styles: Gabled Ell

History

The Gabled Ell housing type was constructed primarily from 1890s-1930s, however the basic form was conceived before 1890. The style is considered to be of a vernacular type, which means that the house is unique to the area. The Gabled Ell house is understood in terms of its form rather than the details that are applied. The house type is not considered a style. The elements that characterize the Gabled Ell are the front gable and the wing, which is perpendicular to the intersecting front gable. The Gabled Ell can be a T-plan or L-plan. Details may be Victorian or Bungalow in character, and may or may not include dormers.

This section was excerpted from “The West Central Neighborhood Guidelines and Pattern Book” produced by the Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University, dated Fall 2004.

Essential Characteristics:

• Gabled Front Projection

• Wing with Porch

• Vertically Oriented (Windows, Roof Pitch)

• Horizontally Oriented Siding or Clapboard

• One to One and a Half Story Massing

Guidelines:

The Gabled Ell should retain some of the original characteristics in order to maintain the essence of the style. These characteristics should be acknowledged in both new construction and in the rehabilitation of existing houses. When rehabilitating an existing house, the Gabled Ell should be restored to the original as much as possible. Any additions to an existing Gabled Ell should strive to maintain the essential characteristics and should be added to the rear; the attic can also be made into livable space if dormers are present.

This house is an excellent example of a Gabled Ell home. The roof form consists of crossing gables. The roof pitch is steep and accentuates the vertical. The vertically oriented windows further enhance the vertical of the housing type.

This Gabled Ell also expresses the vertical, which is typical of this housing type. The roof is pyramidal but the front gable is still retained.

This Gabled Ell is very simple in design. Its form is the most basic L-shape. Like the other examples, this example also strongly expresses the vertical.

This house is not a true Gabled Ell due to its lack of vertical elements. The roof is very shallow and the window massing accentuates the horizontal.

This house is not a Gabled Ell due to its lack of a porch. The porch is a key element of this housing type and expresses the wing. The concept of the wing is lost without the two elements which set it apart: a porch and a setback of the front gable and wing. This home has a shallow roof pitch, however the windows do accentuate the vertical.

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Floor Plan Elevation Surrounding and roof plan

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Figure 5.64

Figure 5.65

Figure 5.66

Figure 5.67

Housing Styles: Bungalow

History

The Bungalow style was constructed primarily between 1890’s-1930’s. This style was popular for its simple design, manageable size, wide porches and overall inexpensive construction. In the best examples, Bungalows display a great degree of craftsmanship and are constructed of materials left as close as possible to their natural state. In its broadest sense, Bungalow is a conceptual term referring not to a specific style of house but to an early 20th century architectural notion that suggested simple, informal living.

This section was excerpted from “The West Central Neighborhood Guidelines and Pattern Book” produced by the Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University, dated Fall 2004.

Essential Characteristics:

• Full or Partial Porch

• Mixed Use of Materials

• Vertically Oriented Windows

• Horizontally Oriented Windows

• One to One-and-a-Half Story Massing

Appropriate

Floor Plan

Guidelines:

The Bungalow should retain some of the original characteristics in order to maintain the essence of the style. These characteristics should be acknowledged in both new construction and in the rehabilitation of existing houses. When rehabilitating an existing house, the Bungalow should be restored to the original as much as possible. Any additions to an existing Bungalow should strive to maintain the essential characteristics and should be added on to at the rear; the attic can also be made into livable space if dormers are present.

Inappropriate

This house displays acceptable window size and placement, and exterior cladding. The first appearance does not resemble a Bungalow. However, this house displays only minimal qualities and details such as exposed rafter ends on the small front porch.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

This house also displays acceptable window size and placement and exterior cladding. The first appearance does not resemble a Bungalow. However, this house displays only minimal qualities and details such large front porch with lack of typical bungalow columns.

Elevation

Roof plan

Figure 5.68

Figure 5.69

Figure 5.70

This house portrays the essential characteristics of a Bungalow: a full front porch with tapered columns, and overhanging eaves.

This house portrays the essential characteristics of a Bungalow: a full front porch with tapered columns, overhanging eaves.

This house portrays the essential characteristics of a Bungalow: a full front porch with tapered columns, overhanging eaves and use of mixed natural materials.

Figure 5.71

Figure 5.72

Figure 5.73

Figure 5.74

Figure 5.75

Housing Styles: Minimal Traditional

History

The other prevalent category in the City of Independence is the Minimal Traditional. In the past Minimal Traditional has been used as a solution for affordable housing. Many of them were built during the depression. Presently, this style is popular for duplexes and other infill housing.

Traditional Essential Characteristics:

• Front Access

• Usable Porch

• Appropriate Massing Height

• Care in Having Appropriate Details

• Care in Making Each Home Unique.

Guidelines:

Minimal Traditional housing has no specific style; however there are some common traits. They are generally one-story with a gabled roof. They have a flat facade, which is usually symmetrical. On one side there is typically a picture window. Typical cladding includes a mix of vinyl, wood siding, brick, stone and stucco. They often have a covered front stoop; rarely do they have a full porch.

Appropriate

Inappropriate

This housing does not respond appropriately to the character of a Minimal Traditional neighborhood. All houses need to face the street, have porches and encourage interaction between neighbors

This Minimal Traditional house has an intrusive garages in the front of the house. This can be solved by having detached garages at the side or back of the house or rely on street parking.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

Elevation Roof plan

This section was excerpted from “The West Central Neighborhood Guidelines and Pattern Book” produced by the Center for Community Studies, Hammons School of Architecture, Drury University, dated Fall 2004.

Figure 5.76

Figure 5.77

Figure 5.78

The Minimal Traditional houses are smaller with symmetrical, simple facades.

The Minimal Traditional houses have characteristics which are similar to ranch style house, but lack the horizontality of the ranch style.

The Minimal Traditional houses were introduced in the mid-part of the 20th century. Many of these homes lack cohesiveness with the older neighborhood streetscape.

Figure 5.79

Figure 5.80

Figure 5.81

Figure 5.82

Figure 5.83

Housing Styles: Mixed-Use: Loft Units

History

Living above a commercial or retail establishment is not new. The standard business model was for the owner to live above his or her store. Independence’s downtown building fabric is an expression of this reality. As towns became more established and store owners more affluent they moved out of the downtown areas, but stayed close to midtown. With the advent of the car, people moved further away from their store and the original second story accommodations were converted to storage or remained empty.

Living above these commercial and retail establishments or in converted factories did not actually become chic until the 1950’s when artists in New York City’s SoHo district began inhabiting converted warehouse spaces. The high ceilings, exposed brick and open spaces with lots of light made these loft apartments perfect for people who needed a creative work space. The edgy SoHo neighborhood also meant low prices ideal for the starving artists.

Since then loft apartments in urban areas have become very popular for college students and young professionals. The current trend in America is for the development of even more loft apartments in the urban centers as lifestyles change, fuel cost keeps rising and the baby-boomers of the 1960’s are beginning to retire and want to live in such a lively urban center again. This trend has been viewed positively by developers, planners, economist, and property owners because it is helping to revitalize older neighborhoods, raise the property values and improves the overall quality of urban living.

Essential Characteristics:

Loft developers say the four main features that define a loft are:

High Ceilings

Open Space

Exposed Building Materials

Big Windows.

Other features:

Retail Below

Around the Main Downtown Square

Close Proximity to Transit Hubs

http://www.chicagolofts.net/loft_interior_design.html

Benefits:

Favorable features of the loft apartments are:

• The tremendous amount of light that comes in due to skylights and design principles

• The often present private deck or balcony

• Lofts provide added income to the building owner

• The addition of residents will increase the customers for downtown shops

• Will create a live, work and play environment

• Can provide good starter homes for young adults, returning from college and in need of low cost housing

• The addition of lofts will extensively improve the current downtown look after the boards are removed from the windows

Possible appearance after renovation: the boarded up storefront has been opened and a new inviting storefront has been added, the second floor facade has been opened up with the addition of windows that are in keeping with the adjacent facades. The proposed modifications help the storefront blend with the existing street character.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

Case Study of Downtown Buffalo, MO, Center for Community Studies, Drury University

Case Study of Brookefield, MO, Center for Community Studies, Drury University

Figure 5.84

Figure 5.85

Figure 5.86

Figure 5.87

Appearance of an existing building in the city center before renovation: the street level storefront has been boarded up and the second level facade bricked over, which has caused a disjunction in the street facade.

Housing Styles: Rowhouse

History:

The Rowhouse originated in Northern European and British cities during the 16th and 17th centuries. By definition, Rowhouses are individual houses attached one to the other and sharing common side walls and roof. When the British and French colonized the New World, Rowhouses were adapted to the geography, to the population density and to the particular culture of the city.

Precedent Images

Essential Characteristics:

• Two-story, rectangular construction

• Low-pitched or gambrel roof, with dormers/gable

• Raised foundations

• Semi-circular or elliptical fanlights over front entry

• Decorative crown or roof over front door

• Louvered shutters

• Cornice emphasized with decorative molding (usually, medallions or refined dentils)

• Double-hung sash windows (six over six) sash separated by thin wooden muntins

• Windows arranged in symmetrical rows/columns

http://urbanrowhouse.wordpress.com/2013/02/04/row-house-architectural-guide-federal-adams/ http://www.karinpatriquin.com/site/2010/06/24/the-row-house-origins-transformations-2/

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

INTRODUCTION

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ISSUES AND CONCERNS COMPREHENSIVE VISION VISION RECOMMENDATION PARKS COMPLETE STREETS TRANSIT HOUSING

Figure 5.88

Figure 5.89

Figure 5.90

Figure 5.91

Precedent Images

Figure 5.92

Figure 5.93

Figure 5.94

Figure 5.95

Figure 5.96

Housing Type: Single-Family-Detached

Description:

A Single-Family-Detached dwelling means that the building does not share an exterior wall with any other dwelling. Most single-family homes have private yards and garages. This dwelling is exclusively for the use of one family.

Advantages:

Entire space around the dwelling is private One can add on to the existing house No property management fees

Disadvantages:

Maintenance or repair cost are at the owner’s expense Amenities such as pools and playgrounds are usually absent unless built at owner’s expense. Requires more energy to heat/cool compared to dwellings that have shared walls because of their high surface-area-to-volume ratio.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

Why Single-Family housing?

Even though there are several attractive community based neighborhood options, there are people who prefer their privacy. There are some who simply do not have time for the commitment needed in Co-Housing or Pocket Neighborhoods. Private ownership, garage, lawn, and backyard are some of the advantages of Single-Family-Detached residences.

For the City of Independence

Some of the existing neighborhoods that had single-family homes in great condition are suggested to be retained and renovated.

http://www.stpete.org/development/docs/16_20_010.pdf

Hiram Neighborhood

Noland Homes

Comprehensive Map Highlighting Neighborhoods Figure 5.97

Figure 5.98 Figure 5.99

Noland Residence Site Organization

Elm Street, Independence

Single Family Home Plan

Figure 5.100

Figure 5.101

Figure 5.102

Figure 5.103

Housing Type: Single-Family-Detached with Ancillary Dwellings:

Description:

An ancillary dwelling unit, or Granny Flat, sits on the same property as the Single-Family-Detached dwelling. The ancillary dwelling can either be an upstairs apartment, a garage apartment or a carriage house. This dwelling unit has a separate entrance from the main dwelling. These SingleFamily-Detached with ancillary dwellings should only be allowed in owner occupied dwelling situations.

Advantages:

• Extra income for home owner

• Can increase density within current neighborhood

• Good for extended family situations (home care)

Disadvantages:

• City ordinances do not allow

• Have to share surrounding resources with the tenant

• Making sure that only owner occupied dwellings develop ancillary dwelling units

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

Why Ancillary Dwelling Units?

For thousands of years, extended families have lived together, whether sharing a home or family compound; in large parts of the world that is still the living arrangement today.

The idea of extended families disappeared as America became industrialized, but during the Great Depression families got together to share resources and homes. After World War II, the trend decreased, but according to 2000 census, it is increasing again. College students, recent graduates, older parents are moving closer to their children.

For the City of Independence

In parts of Independence, there are dwellings with detached garages and separate apartments. Local laws should be changed to allow these areas of Independence to establish ancillary dwelling units so that the resident owner can earn a little income, create affordable places for young adults or be able to take care of family members.

http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Advantages-of-Granny-Flats&id=2162126

Diagram of Noland Homes

Diagram of Noland Homes

Diagram of Pleasant Homes Showing Mixed Housing.

Diagram of Walnut Homes

Figure 5.104

Figure 5.106

Figure 5.107

Figure 5.108

Ancillary Dwellings or Granny Flats Ancillary Dwellings or Granny Flats

Aerial View of Pleasant Homes

Axon Analysis Layout

Figure 5.109

Figure 5.110

Figure 5.111

Figure 5.112

Figure 5.113 Figure 5.114

Housing Type: Co-Housing Neighborhood

Description:

Dissatisfied with both single-housing suburban houses and multi-story apartment buildings, the idea of Co-Housing was conceived of by Gudmand-Hoyer in Denmark in 1960. Co-Housing is a housing type where residents actively participate in the design, construction and operation of their own neighborhoods. Co-Housing neighborhoods have a common house in which the community gathers to cook and have meals 2-3 times a week.

In Independence, Randal Pratt (a developer) has started developing the Three Trails Co-Housing neighborhood (A, Figure 5.116) just north of the Heritage Neighborhood (B, Figure 5.116).

Advantages:

• Enhances community atmosphere through close proximity, acceptance and diversity

• Emotional and social support

• Strengthens sense of security and identity

• Idea of sharing resources

• Extensive common facilities

Disadvantages:

• Too much commitment required

• Long distance between parking and homes

• Can be expensive

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

Why Co-Housing?

Co-Housing neighborhoods support people in all stages of life, including singles, couples, families, empty nesters and retirees. People join a Co-Housing community to enjoy a closer connection with their neighbors as well as to avoid the loneliness and isolation that is unfortunately so prevalent in modern society. These neighborhoods offer a healthy balance between privacy and community and are being looked at as an important housing model for social and environmental sustainability. Elders report that they “stay young longer” by actively participating in community life and by having regular contact with young people. Retirees are increasingly choosing Co-Housing as a nurturing environment in which to spend the last phase of their life. In the 90 multi-generational Co-Housing communities in the United States families appreciate the benefit of having their children growing up in a safe and nurturing environment. Residents know their neighbors and watch out for each other and their property when someone is away.

For the City of Independence

Since a Co-Housing neighborhood (Three Trails) is already being implemented in Independence, to create more awareness, the lots south of the Three Trails development have been recommended as the site to develop another Co-Housing neighborhood called Heritage Neighborhood. Although a Co-Housing neighborhood needs a lot of commitment, starting from constructing the homes and common house to creating meal plans and activity schedules to look after the children, the sense of community is the strongest variable stimulating this type of neighborhood/ housing development.

http://www.cohousing.org/docs/NatlFactsheet.pdf

Figure 5.115

Figure 5.116

Figure 5.117

Figure 5.118

Figure 5.119

Comprehensive Map Highlighting Neighborhoods

Common House Plan of a Co-Housing Neighborhood Entry to Commons

Children’s Playground Constructing Together, Heartstone,CO New Year’s at Heartstone

Figure 5.120

Figure 5.121

Figure 5.122

Figure 5.123 Figure 5.124 Figure 5.125

Housing Type: Pocket Neighborhoods

Description:

A Pocket Neighborhood is a pattern of housing that fosters a strong sense of community among nearby neighbors, while preserving their need for privacy. Examples can be found across the spectrum, from small towns, to suburbs to urban areas. The houses are gathered around a shared open space—a garden or courtyard, a pedestrian street, a series of joined backyards, or a reclaimed alley—all of which have a clear sense of territory and shared stewardship.

Advantages:

• Visual connection with the neighbors (as the porches face both inward to the common area and onto the street)

• Strong sense of community

• Safe for children to play on their own

• Layers of privacy within the openness of the house layout

Disadvantages:

• It is not for everybody (needs to have an open mind and be comfortable about sharing spaces).

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

Why is a Pocket Neighborhood?

The fabric of social health in our society has been fraying, in part because many people lack networks of personal and social support.

Pocket Neighborhoods can help establish this network of belonging, care and support. Their protected setting encourages informal interaction among neighbors, laying the ground for caring relationships. An elderly neighbor may need assistance trimming a hedge. Another needs help looking after the kids while going on a short errand or feeding a cat while away on vacation. Nearby neighbors are the ones most available to respond to daily needs. They are also the ones to hear a story, admire a newly planted garden bed or reminisce about old times. All of these encounters strengthen webs of support and friendship, which are the basis for healthy, livable communities.

For the City of Independence

The incorporation of Pocket Neighborhoods is highly recommended. Osage Homes, Liberty Lanes, Liberty Oak and Triangle South (Figure 133-135) are neighborhoods with lots of common spaces such as pocket parks, children’s play area, barbecue spots and walkways, which heightens interactions between neighbors. Private garages have been replaced by common parking lots away from the living area, thus creating a safe place for children to play without constant supervision. These neighborhoods do not have car access within the common area; however during an emergency the sidewalks are wide enough to allow emergency equipment to access all area of the neighborhood. These wide sidewalks and the placement of fire hydrants within the common area make these Pocket Neighborhoods both safe and reliable.

Pocket neighborhood shares the ideas of a Co-Housing Neighborhood, but its flexibility and less commitment to the community makes it more attractive.

http://www.pocket-neighborhoods.net/whatisaPN.html

Liberty Oak

Liberty Lane

Osage Homes Osage Homes

Figure 5.126

Figure 5.127

Figure 5.128

Figure 5.129

Figure 5.130

Comprehensive Map Highlighting Neighborhoods

Entry to Common Area

Aerial

Liberty Lane Liberty Oak

Osage Homes

Figure 5.131

Figure 5.132

Figure 5.133 Figure 5.134 Figure 5.135

Housing Type: Medium Density-Rowhouse

Description:

The Rowhouse has frequently been pictured as a type of housing that perfectly illustrates conditions of overcrowding, lack of light and air and open space, architectural monotony and other environmental defects. However, recent attractively designed Rowhouse projects in both newly constructed and renewal areas of Louisville, Detroit, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago and many smaller communities have brought favorable comment from both builders and the general public.

Advantages:

• Less expensive to build than detached dwellings

• Less land space per dwelling required

• Offers an alternative to the single-family detached house

• Heating and cooling costs are reduced because of common party walls

• Promotes neighborhood socialization

Disadvantages:

• Thin party walls can transmits sound

• Limited private yard

• Lighting and ventilation on two facades

• Usually, no attached garage or outdoor storage space

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

Why a Rowhouse?

Perhaps the most important attribute of Rowhouse dwellings is that they use less land per dwelling than the single-family detached dwellings. Therefore, more families can be accommodated on the same amount of land. Municipal services can be more economically provided in areas of Rowhouse development than in areas of single-family houses, because of their compact nature. The space of the wasted side yards and unused front lawns of the single family detached houses are combined and better utilized in Rowhouse developments. Finally, the community gains by the introduction of a dwelling unit that makes home ownership and its attendant stability possible for more people, while at the same time allowing greater architectural variety of housing type and size.

For the City of Independence

Rowhouse developments in Independence will not only provide a unique housing option, but a flexible option that can be combined with first floor retail to makes it even more appealing. The Pleasant Rowhouse and retail development (Figure 3.139) is recommended to have a partially underground parking lot with common plaza above. This common plaza would connect with the first floor retail and dwelling units above. On the roof of the housing complex would be a fitness center, running track and restaurant/lounge overlooking Osage Park. Walnut Housing (Figure 3.141) is another unique housing option, which would have Rowhouses with green space on the 2nd floor and retail on the first. This is comparable to (Figure 3.142).

http://www.planning.org/pas/at60/report164.htm

Walnut Residence

Liberty Haven

Figure 5.136EFDFD

Figure 5.137

Figure 5.138

Comprehensive Map Highlighting Neighborhoods

Townhouses with Retail Below

Townhouse

Pleasant Homes Threshold

Figure 5.139

Figure 5.140

Figure 5.141

Figure 5.142

Housing Types: Loft Dwelling

Description:

In the 19th Century and early 20th Century, loft living was a very common occurrence in downtowns across the country; but as the buildings aged, many lofts were abandoned. It was all too common for the upper stories of these buildings to remain empty. Downtown Independence has many buildings in and around the downtown that are prime properties for the conversion of their upper floors to loft apartments.

Advantages:

• Lofts will provide added income for the building’s owner

• Added resident will support the shops around downtown

• Appearance of downtown will be greatly improved when the upper floor are renovated and lived in again

• Close proximity to transit

• Can easily partake of the cultural amenities of the city center

Disadvantages:

• Renovating these old spaces could be costly

• Having to comply with historic guidelines could be difficult and time consuming

• Can be noisy living in the city center

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

Why Loft units?

Loft units are great for revitalizing the downtown of a city. From its earlier days of just being homes to artists, lofts now are highly sought after by people of all demographic backgrounds because of its prime location, affordable rent and flexible space.

For the City of Independence

Many buildings in downtown Independence have their second floors boarded up, vacant or used only as storage. It would be advantageous if these second floor spaces could be returned to their original use as dwelling. This will greatly increase the resident population in the city center, which in turn will improve the economy of the city.

Figure 5.143

Comprehensive Map Highlighting Neighborhoods

Figure 5.144

Figure 5.145

Figure 5.146

Figure 5.147

Comprehensive Map

Within the next 30-years America will experience significant changes that will influence the shape of its cities. Currently, about 75% of Americans live in urban areas and that percentage is rising each year. Less than half of those people live in the city center; most are in the suburbs. But, with the shift in American lifestyles, the rising cost of fuel, the improvements in and acceptance of public transportation and the desire for a stronger social networks in our neighborhoods the design team is suggesting that a return to city center living is probable. It is probable, if the cities restructure their city centers to become socially, economically and culturally vibrant areas that are safe, clean, convenient and sustainable.

The design team believes that the City of Independence has an opportunity to become such an urban village. The city currently has a direct bus link into Kansas City and is seriously contemplating the development of a light rail transit system to link the two downtowns. Independence has a wealth of cultural heritage that it can build on and a city center infrastructure that is still well intact. The renewal of the city center in recent years has established the core of a vibrant evening culture that promises to keep expanding and diversifying.

With the Link Independence Visioning, the city has developed a community process for envisioning the city over the next 30-years. The development of the linkage with the National Frontiers Trails Museum via Osage Park would be a major catalyst for the development of the urban village discussed herein. Such an urban amenity would significantly raise the property value in the city center and stimulate loft and housing development in the area. The development of complete streets throughout the city center would further promote shopping, strolling and lingering in the city center. New pedestrian and bike paths would encourage people to get outdoor and become more active, thus promoting a more healthy and social community.

Such an environment would draw a diverse demographic to this urban village. The stereotypical young college student and professional clientele will be there, but joining them will be a demographic that matches the full spectrum of American life; from retirees to families with children. Independence has the potential to become a vibrant urban village with strong neighborhoods, a large urban park, numerous historic amenities, regularly scheduled events and festivals and efficient multimodal transit system.

Loft Dwellings

Around the Courthouse Square are loft dwellings. These lofts are located in the revitalized upper floors of the commercial establishments; in the spaces that were utilized by the original owners of the building. These lofts offer dwelling options close to the downtown amenities and public transportation. The design team also recommends that the Bank of America building, on the southeast corner of Lexington and Liberty Streets, be converted into Lofts or upscale apartments and that its original Art Deco facade be revealed and restored.

Medium Density Dwellings

There is a shift between the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum from formal to semi-formal dwellings. Osage Park will be a catalyst for attracting people to the area, increasing the property value and stimulating housing development. Because the park will increase the land value and desirability of the surrounding locations, the design team has recommended that medium density dwellings be developed in these areas. Combined with these medium density dwellings would be mixed-use developments and small retail areas to support the neighborhood.

Low Density Dwellings

Placing the low density housing further away from the linkage between the Courthouse Square and National Frontier Trails Museum, allows for a more secluded setting for those residents of the urban village that wish to be more on the periphery. These low density neighborhoods are still within close proximity to public transportation, city amenities and Osage Park. The design team recommends that the large manufacturing and commercial establishments located within this section of the city center be relocated over the next 30-years to create a more homogeneous residential neighborhood setting.

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS HOUSING

Figure 5.149

Figure 5.150

Figure 5.151

Phasing of Housing

A Suggestive Task Sequencing:

This task sequencing has been developed to illustrate how the housing component of this community vision might be implemented. There are many steps that the city and its citizens can take to improve their community as they discuss and phase in their vision in the coming years. Here are but a few suggestions:

Enforce Existing Laws

• The city should increase its enforcement of existing laws relating to the condition and use of private and public property and structures in the city center.

Clean Up/Fix Up

• The city should promote a community

“clean up and fix up” initiative aimed at beautifying the city center. This could be a community-building activity that strengthens community pride, identity and friendships.

City Sponsored Low-Interest Facade Loans

• The city should work with local banks to develop a low-interest facade improvement loan program. Or, the city could set up a low-interest revolving fund of its own for facade improvements. It is important that the city take a creative look at how it might facilitate the renewal and stabilization of the buildings in the city center; particularly the facades and roofs.

Phasing of Housing

Stabilize Historically and Architecturally Significant Structures

• The city should make certain that the historically and architecturally significant structures in the city center are being properly maintained to avoid damage done due to lack of weatherproofing or improper renovation. This is important for all buildings in the city center, but it is especially crucial for those structures that possess extra historical and architectural importance. An example would be the water tower at the National Frontier Trails Museum that is an icon of Independence.

Begin a Plan for Public Acquisitions

• The Independence 2040 vision suggests several new public use areas in the city center: Osage Park, Charles Curtis Park and courthouse lawn in Courthouse Square. With an eye to the long term implementation of the vision, the city should develop an acquisition plan for the properties in these proposed public areas so that the land can be assembled as it becomes available.

Begin improvements to the streets and sidewalks in the study area

• Make the streets and sidewalks accessible and pleasant to walk along.

Implement Plan Incrementally

• The Independence 2040 vision document is a tool that will allow the community

to implement the city improvements in an incremental manner. A sequence has been proposed based upon the current understanding of the community’s needs and interest, but as time goes on those needs and interests will change and, thus, the implementation sequence. However, the community’s values and the identified issues and their relationships are more constant. Therefore, by keeping the relationships between these issues and the community’s values in mind the future decision-making process and implementation strategies will be compatible, no matter what implementation order evolves.

Work on the Interconnectivity of the City

Efforts should begin to promote a more pedestrian and bicyclist friendly community that will help to link the various sections of the community to the city center. Well-marked and pleasant routes in and around the city center will stimulate more and safer citizen participation.

Establish Overlay District Standards and Form-Based Codes

The city should consider the development of an overlay district for the areas covered by the Independence 2040 vision. This overlay district would allow the city to establish form-based codes or guidelines for the target area which outlines a private/public cooperative process for the development of the

city center in conformance with the vision plan. Such a form-based code would provide a clear statement to the developers of the physical and aesthetic expectations for any new construction or renovation in the overlay district. This would provide the city with a flexible, yet coordinated, process for working with community entrepreneurs as the city evolves.

Concentrate on High-Impact Projects

First

• To further stimulate and to maintain the community’s and developer’s interest in the city center development, it is important to demonstrate the city’s commitment by showing tangible results.

We recommend that the Independence 2040 advisory group and city officials identify several projects that can be implemented quickly. These initial projects should be selected based upon a high return to cost ratio. The return could be economic or aesthetic or functional and/or community pride. The ultimate result should be to stimulate and excite the community, legitimize the process, demonstrate commitment and promote community ownership of the Independence 2040 vision.

An early developments to be implemented in Independence to assist the housing initiative is the formal part of Osage Park

• An early focus of Independence 2040

vision implementation should be the Osage Park Market Plaza and Othia Sculpture Display development. This is a high priority area of the vision plan and its development would serve as a major catalyst for renewed interest and investment in the area. The city’s commitment to this urban park amenity would help to stimulate the renewal of the downtown neighborhoods and stimulate new housing construction.

Continue to Develop the Festival and Urban Village Character of

the City Center

Additional efforts to stimulate the downtown’s nightlife are needed to attract residents to the area and to populate the city center beyond the typical 9-5 workweek.

Focus the early attention on the renewal and development of the Single-Family detached, Single-Family detached with Ancillary Units and Co-Housing

VISION RECOMMENDATIONS PHASING

Figure 5.152

Figure 5.153

Figure 5.154

Figure 5.155

Figure 5.156

Figure 5.157

Appendix:

Introduction

1.1 Aerial Map from City hall

1.2 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

1.3 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

1.4 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

Comprehensive Vision

1.5 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.6 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.7 Image Danny Loza

1.8 Image Danny Loza

1.9 Image Danny Loza

1.10 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.11 Image Danny Loza

1.12 Image Danny Loza

1.13 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.14 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.15 Image by Maggie Wilmes

1.16 Image by Maggie Wilmes

1.17 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.18 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.19 Image by Julia Dicus

1.20 Image by Julia Dicus

1.21 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.22 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.23 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.24 Image by Julia Dicus

1.25 Image by Julia Dicus

1.26 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.27 Plan diagram

1.28 Diagram by Andrew Montasser

1.29 Plan diagram

1.30 Diagram by Andrew Montasser

1.31 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.32 Image by Tamara Cartwright

1.33 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.34 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.35 Diagram by Andrew Montasser

1.36 Render by Chris Sokolowski

1.37 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.38 Plan diagram

1.39 Plan diagram

1.40 Plan diagram

1.41 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.42 Image by Bader Alshawaf

1.43 Image by Bader Alshawaf

1.44 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.45 Render by Chris Sokolowski

1.46 Render by Chris Sokolowski

1.47 Plan diagram

1.48 Plan diagram

1.49 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.50 Diagram by Chris Sokolowski

1.51 Image by Drury University CCS Members

1.52 Image by Pema Wangzome

Appendix: Parks

Osage Park System

2.1Plan Diagram

2.2

2.3

2.5

Surrounding Landmarks

2.6

2.7

2.8

2.9 http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ash4/p480x480/302005_10151581394204940_1524930633_n.jpg

2.10 http://trileafdesigns.com/blog/wp- content/uploads/2012/07/3196491536_cd99e74f59_b.jpeg.492x0_q85_ crop-smart.jpg

2.11 http://www.clean-flo.com/wp-content/uploads/Pond2.jpg

2.12 http://www.55places.com/images/community/sun_city_ apple_valley_2-18.jpg

2.13 http://imgc.classistatic.com/cps/ blnc/130209/750r1/287235l_20.jpeg

2.14 http://depts.washington.edu/hhwb/img_thm/Crime_Figure1.jpg

2.15 http://media.podhead.dk/images/oliveira/200807/2008071345_CentralPark_SashaMia.jpg

2.16http://bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com/bozemandailychronicle.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/f5/af53ccd2-b0dd-11e1-b541-001a4bcf887a/4fd10c755b6d0.image.

jpg

2.17 http://www.clearviewtree.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/iPhone-Pics-166.jpg

2.18 Plan Diagram

2.19 Diagram – Chris Sokolowski

2.20 Diagram – Andrew Montasser

Landscape and Vegetation

2.21 http://www.wildflower.org/image_archive/320x240/ PCD1277/PCD1277_IMG0053.JPG

2.22 http://www.wildflower.org/image_archive/320x240/ PCD1771/PCD1771_IMG0055.JPG

2.23 http://www.wildflower.org/image_archive/640x480/RWS/ RWS_IMG0969.JPG

2.24 http://www.wildflower.org/image_archive/160x120/ BGNP/BGNP_0187.JPG

2.25 http://www.wildflower.org/image_archive/640x480/MBK/ MBK_IMG0002.JPG

Proposals.

2.26 Render – Chris Sokolowski

2.27 Plan Diagram

2.28 Plan Diagram

2.29 http://wyspatapet.pl/photo/389.jpg

2.30 http://longwoodgardens.files.wordpress.com/2011/04/lilium-longiflorum-field.jpg

2.31 http://cheerfuls.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/blue-bells. jpg

2.32 http://www.erdekesvilag.hu/kepek/tulipan-fesztival/ skagit-valley-18.jpg

2.33 Plan Diagram

2.34 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/12/ Walking_path_at_Plant_Park.jpg

2.35 Render – Chris Sokolowski

2.36 Diagram – Chris Sokolowski

2.37 http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5048/5335368992_9f549f18ab_o.jpg

2.38 http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4149/4967315031_cd54ce76c3_m.jpg

2.39 http://i1.wp.com/www.michaelnassar.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/The-Ring-of-Thanksgiving.jpg

2.40 http://www.fodors.com/wire/Storm-King-Art-Center.jpg

2.41 http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2789/4343074087_6a3a97b9be_o.jpg

2.42 Plan Diagram

2.43 http://static.skynetblogs.be/media/44600/conestogawagon.jpg

2.44 http://vintage.johnnyjet.com/image/SarahKBigBear20087.jpg

2.45 Plan Diagram

2.46 Render – Chris Sokolowski

2.47 http://www.beepbeep.org/4delos/P5290164.JPG

2.48 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Z4PkyK4dsRE/TqoEKOqeDiI/AAAAAAAAA_U/atgpVnn1iqA/s1600/Beep+Beep+. org+by+Gary+Don+Luckert.JPG

2.49 http://www.beepbeep.org/4delos/P5290140.JPG

2.50 http://adventurepatches.files.wordpress.com/2010/08/ downtown-dallas-pioneer-plaza-cattle-drive-23-aug-2010-13. jpg

2.51http://commondatastorage.googleapis.com/static.panoramio.com/photos/original/61801344.jpg

2.52 Plan Diagram

2.53 Render – Andrew Montasser

2.54 Render – Chris Sokolowski

2.55 Diagram – Andrew Montasser

2.56 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/58/ Zubizuri_detail.jpg

2.57 http://www.dbox.com/sc4/content/images/Jerusalem/0012.jpg

2.58 Plan Diagram

2.59 Diagram – Andrew Montasser

Market Precedent

2.60 http://bartelsmeyertravels.files.wordpress.com/2012/05/ imgp57591.jpg

2.61 http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-5dhhMpwAb8I/TpnZ2nGK-

Photo – Maggie Wilmes

Photo – Maggie Wilmes

2.4 Photo – Maggie Wilmes

Photo – Maggie Wilmes

Photo – Maggie Wilmes

Photo – Maggie Wilmes

Photo – Maggie Wilmes

3.70 http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/case/brea_p3.htm

3.71 http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/case/abacoa_p2.htm

3.72 http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/case/kingfarm_p1.htm

3.73 http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/case/greentap_p1.htm

3.74 http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/case/logan_p1.htm

3.75 http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/case/mizner_p3.htm

3.76 http://www.epa.gov/smartgrowth/case/kingfarm_p3.htm

Self-Guided Tours

3.77 http://cdn.slashgear.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/science_ stories_james_may_hands-on_sg_3.jpg

3.78 http://regmedia.co.uk/2012/04/27/james_may_screengrab_6.jpg

3.79 http://www.wired.com/images_blogs/gadgetlab/2012/04/0426_ james_1200.jpg

3.80 http://www.downloadcollection.com/graphics/largeimages/audio_tours_australia-667168.jpeg

3.81 http://travability.travel/blogs/nsm.jpg

3.82 http://www.mightyfunk.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/ ddb00_Technology_Museum-of-London-NFC-011.jpg

3.53 http://www.bitcity.it/immagini/news/2012/04/13/25121/la-console-nintendo-3ds-fara-da-guida-al-louvre-1.jpg?=1334305467

3.84 http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51KTZJS7vsL._SL500_ AA300_PIaudible,BottomRight,13,73_AA300_.jpg

3.85 http://c.ask.nate.com/imgs/qrsi.php/11808045/21273510/0/1/A/ 7606-AttractionImage.jpg

3.86 http://www.tourist-tracks.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/04/ bath-map1.png

3.87 http://www.greenbuildnews.co.uk/images/img/articles/original/ Articles_654_1_1342707011.jpg

3.88 http://www.materia.nl/uploads/RTEmagicC_pano2-powerleap3.jpg.jpg

3.89 http://cdn.sustentator.com/blog/images//power_leap_1.jpg

3.90 http://bostongazette.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/freedomtrail600.jpg

3.91 http://www.boston-discovery-guide.com/image-files/freedom-trail-12.jpg

3.92 http://womenworld.org/image/042012/The%20Freedom%20 Trail_2.jpg

3.93 http://static.travelmuse.com/docs/artwork/boston/boston-his-

toric-freedom-trail-symbol-full.jpg

3.94 http://opadventureteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/ Freedom-Trail-1.jpg

3.95 http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos/ ta-00c6-b454-7157/freedom-trail-marker-boston-unitedstates+1152_12940324552-tpfil02aw-32055.jpg

3.96 http://pp2.walk.sc/full/production/28753.jpg

3.97 http://panniergraphics.com/images/DC/DCTrail3.jpg

3.98 http://mw2.google.com/mw-panoramio/photos/medium/69443333.jpg

3.99 http://media-cdn.tripadvisor.com/media/photo-s/03/bd/fe/de/ heritage-trail.jpg

3.100 http://exploringtheburnedoverdistrict.files.wordpress. com/2013/04/dsc022.jpg

3.101 http://farm9.static.flickr.com/8030/8059968528_58f3e61c2a.jpg

3.102 http://cityofrochester.gov/assets/0/117/8589934987/8589936127/b19f94a8-95fb-4401-b6b55584ef2e309b.jpg

3.103 http://www.cityofrochester.gov/assets/0/117/8589934987/85899 36127/07de4f98-709d-4e00-ac44-303c949b456b.jpg

3.104 http://www.cityofrochester.gov/assets/0/117/8589934987/ 8d52a962-af3e-4140-b662-bada6ed5693b.jpg

Influence of Kaw Trace

3.105 http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/2c/ Map_of_Missouri_highlighting_Jackson_County.svg/260px-Map_of_ Missouri_highlighting_Jackson_County.svg.png

3.106 http://boldvisions.businesscatalyst.com/images/bison-herd.jpg

3.107 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OsageTrail_Independence_

Topo_1980red.JPG

3.108 http://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn1/p480x480/26964_10150112508700578_6550615_n.jpg

3.109 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:OsageTrail_Independence_

Topo_1980red.JPG

Native Plants and Tree Resources

3.110 http://www.arborday.org/trees/graphics/trees/detail/ White-Dogwood_1.jpg

3.111 http://gardenwitcheskitchen.files.wordpress.com/2012/07/eastern-redbud_1.jpg?w=714

3.112 http://lh6.ggpht.com/EOUoCV3i5cHke31kx_2zUVwlB4kYdjROjiyDUAEKEMWvv9AF6z7i1gXfcsF6MnT4eRu8=s86

3.113 http://www.arborday.org/trees/graphics/trees/detail/Shumard-Oak_2.jpg

3.114 http://www.arborday.org/trees/graphics/trees/detail/River-Birch_3.jpg

3.115 http://www.prairiemoon.com/image.php?id=4962&type=D

3.116 http://www.prairiemoon.com/image.php?id=3910&type=D

3.117 http://images02.olx.in/ui/9/31/39/1288803716_134802239_4Saw-Palmetto-Serenoa-repens-berriesseeds-Plants-for-sale-in-IndiaKashmir-Pakistan-For-Sale-1288803716.jpg

3.118 http://www.prairiemoon.com/image.php?id=2142&type=D

3.119 https://www.prairiemoon.com/image.php?id=1850&type=D

3.120 http://www.wildflower.org/image_archive/320x240/ JAM6151/6151_IMG02878.JPG

3.121 http://gardens.missouri.edu/whats-in-season/Sp2012/Iris-copper-lg.jpg

3.122 http://www.prairiemoon.com/images/P/iris-virginica-shrevi-southern-blue-flag-flower2.jpg

3.123 http://www.ohio-nature.com/images/hoary-mountain-mint.jpg

3.124 http://www.prairiemoon.com/image.php?id=4249&type=D

3.125 http://www.prairiemoon.com/image.php?id=1211&type=D

3.126 http://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/grasses-sedges-rushes/schizachyrium-scoparium-little-bluestem.html?cat=0&from_search=Y

3.127 http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Portals/0/PlantFinder/ low/B158-0701030.jpg

3.128 http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Portals/0/PlantFinder/ low/C894-1010073gk.jpg

3.129 http://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/grasses-sedges-rushes/carex-muskingumensis-palm-sedge.html?cat=0&from_search=Y

3.130 http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/Portals/0/PlantFinder/ low/C896-0828070tap.jpg

3.131 http://www.prairiemoon.com/product.php?productid=16355

3.132 http://www.prairiemoon.com/product.php?productid=16458

3.133 http://www.prairiemoon.com/seeds/trees-shrubs-vines/ceph-

alanthus-occidentalis-buttonbush.html?cat=0&from_search=Y

3.134 http://www.prairiemoon.com/product.php?produc-

tid=16409

3.135 http://www.prairiemoon.com/product.php?produc-

tid=16237

3.136 http://www.prairiemoon.com/product.php?produc-

tid=16483

3.137 http://www.prairiemoon.com/image.php?id=5689&type=D

Truman Road Improvements

3.138 Image by Maggie Wilmes

3.139 Photo by Bader Alshawaf

3.140 http://www.riverlifepgh.org//images/uploads/AVR-Image-2.

jpg

3.141 Image by Maggie Wilmes

3.142 Image by CCS Members

3.143 Image by Maggie Wilmes

3.144 Image by Maggie Wilmes

3.145 http://www.thinkconfluence.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/work-corridors-independence-5.jpg

3.146 Photo by Julia Dicus

Courthouse Square

3.147 Image by Julia Dicus

3.148 Image by Bader Alshawaf

3.149 Image by Julia Dicus

3.150 Image by CCS Members

3.151 Image by Julia Dicus

3.152 Image by Maggie Wilmes

3.153 http://bestwestcoasttravels.com/sanfrancisco/ files/2011/10/101711_parklets.jpg

3.154 http://www.landscapeonline.com/research/lasn/2010/09/ img/19876/19876-2.jpg

3.155 http://bikewalktulsa.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bikecorral1.jpg

3.156 http://static2.theenvironmentalblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/5935497854_f863f6d697_b-336x450.jpg

3.157 http://wolfgangkahler.com/wp-content/uploads/intersec-

tion-repair-13.jpg

3.158 http://www.nyc.gov/html/dot/images/sidewalks/curbside-seating3.jpg

3.159 http://behance.vo.llnwd.net/profiles3/113190/projects/288451/1131901250726633.jpg

Liberty Street Connector

3.160 Image by Julia Dicus

3.161 Image by CCS Members

3.162 Image by Julia Dicus

3.163 http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4029/4567757797_1566fbe40e_o.jpg

3.164 http://codesignaustin.com/images/project_images/PCC_ web_1.jpg

3.165 http://www.worldbusinesschicago.com/files/thumbnails/ tree-lined-street.jpg

3.166 http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2012/05/chicago-parklet-andersonville-2.jpg.492x0_q85_crop-smart.jpg

3.167 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-Rb_jAwLn6CY/UQQMPr83kUI/ AAAAAAAAAHE/EvyOXWrinVQ/s1600/Devils+Teeth+Parklet_0003_03.jpg

3.168 http://grist.files.wordpress.com/2011/12/painted-intersection-shar-it-square-portland_flickr_donkeycart.jpg

3.169 http://www.ministryofawesome.com/sites/default/ files/styles/large/public/http-_inspiringnews.files_.wordpress. com_2008_11_green-walls-e1301329564341.jpg

Kansas Avenue

3.170 Image by Maggie Wilmes

3.171 Image by CCS Members

3.172 Image by Maggie Wilmes

3.173 Photo by Julia Dicus

3.174 Photo by Julia Dicus

3.175 Photo by Julia Dicus

Charles Curtis Park

3.176 Image by Bader Alshawaf

COMPLETE STREETS

INTRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ISSUES AND CONCERNS COMPREHENSIVE VISION VISION RECOMENDATIONS PARKS COMPLETE STREETS TRANSIT HOUSING PHASING

3.177 Image by CCS Members

3.178 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-8SWnrBeHWg4/TguCWQ5vkGI/AAAAAAAAAFM/AOnGrbhw8b8/s1600/ny+038.JPG

3.179 http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2196/3997921304_b0c45fb56a_b.jpg

3.180 http://www.littlehillswinery.com/Groups-Banquest%20 and%20Parties.html

3.181 http://images.travelpod.com/tripwow/photos/ta-00a1c2de-07ba/ballroom-dancing-in-tiantan-park-beijing-china+1152_12842406771-tpfil02aw-6459.jpg

3.182 Image by Bader Alshawaf

3.183 http://farm3.staticflickr.com/3025/2843544368_a285d80aca_z.jpg?zz=1

3.184 Image by Bader Alshawaf

3.185 http://farm3.staticflickr.com/3112/3150457216_890b5440df_z.jpg?zz=1

3.186 http://hblack.net/hblack/images/392.jpg

Osage Street between Walnut and Pacific Street

3.187 Image by CCS Members

3.188 Image by Bader Alshawaf

3.189 Image by Bader Alshawaf

3.190 Image by Bader Alshawaf

3.191 http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_Y6G1OO3O6yU/TMYoD_s9SsI/ AAAAAAAABYU/XDN8EnnKu1E/s1600/dhouse+3.jpg

3.192 http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2374/2232831931_ a63da5a84f_b.jpg

3.193 http://www.svtallyho.com/November%20%20Week%20 1%20006.jpg

3.194 Image by Bader Alshawaf

3.195 http://farm3.staticflickr.com/3135/2822734177_d19afa53cd_z.jpg

3.196 http://www.lumasense.com/gallery/

3.197 Photo by Julia Dicus

3.198 http://sarahalward.com/img/conservation-subdivision-residential.jpg.pagespeed.ce.ZR5ugBMMxt.jpg

3.199 http://ci-architectural-rendering.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Neighborhood-streetscape.jpg

3.200 Photo by Shahad Sadeq

Wayfinding Signage

3.201 Photo by Jay Garrott

3.202 Photo by Maggie Wilmes

3.203 Photo by Julia Dicus

3.204 Photo by Pema Wangzome

3.205 Photo by Pema Wangzome

3.206 Photo by Julia Dicus

Examples of Wayfinding Signage

3.207 http://www.connectnorwalk.com/wp-content/uploads/wayfinding.jpg

3.208 http://bikepgh.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/route-signs.jpg

3.209 http://frederickfact.files.wordpress.com/2010/12/clip_image001. gif

3.210 http://img.eworldtradefair.com/402315/signage-display21369. gif

3.211 http://www.baltimoresun.com/media/photo/2011-08/64100103. jpg

New Wayfinding Signage

3.212 Image by Julia Dicus

3.213 http://stripedpot.com/wp-content/uploads/squarebanner21.jpg

3.214 Image by Julia Dicus

3.215 Image from Historic Independence Square Streetscape Master

Plan

3.216 Image by Maggie Wilmes

3.217 Image by Julia Dicus

3.218 Image by Maggie Wilmes

Street Furniture

3.219 http://i.imgur.com/00iSd1V.jpg

3.220 http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/i/tim/2012/08/16/000.jpg

3.221 http://curvewire.com/posts/blog/civic-art-its-best-4th-streetsanta-monica

3.222 http://www.themost10.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/Sidewalk-Art-Frog.jpg

3.223 http://culturetown.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/Haas-and-

Appendix: Transit

Hahn-Rio-de-Janeiro-favela-painting-3.jpg

3.224 Image by Julia Dicus

3.225 Image by Julia Dicus

3.226 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-dZLZuRjeMQc/UN1l6Qe4hbI/ AAAAAAAAEyE/c9p-j5KjCoY/s1600/Bellagio_fountains.jpg

3.227 http://cmsimg.news-leader.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/ bilde?Site=DO&Date=20130508&Category=NEWS01&ArtNo=305080114&Ref=AR&Border=0

3.228 http://journal.art4you.ru/upload/medialibrary/cb3/ cb3ae5987e40fe88667c70cf17363ad6.jpg

3.229 http://sf.streetsblog.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01_22/Metal_bench.jpg

3.230 http://www.stainlesssteelpipework.com/Wardle%20High%20 School.JPG

3.231 http://land.allears.net/blogs/jackspence/2010/01/benches_3. html

3.232 http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-D3Wh5eCu1X0/T67QzqEgiSI/ AAAAAAAAHAU/xhDuDXbwAxM/s1600/3.jpg

3.233 http://www.furnitureleisure.com/images/productimages/large/ IID1286.jpg

3.234 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-HpLPodq-Uvw/T1a8xmytjAI/ AAAAAAAAAFs/96slSPkzX30/s1600/Recycle.jpg

3.235 http://wirednewyork.com/forum/showthread. php?t=3004&page=8

3.236 Image by Bader Alshawaf

3.237 http://ledtreesoflight.com/

3.238 http://cmsimg.statesmanjournal.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Site=J0&Date=20110404&Category=NEWS&ArtNo=108170009&Ref=AR&MaxW=640&Border=0&Students-focus-future-street-lights

3.239 http://media.mlive.com/newsnow_impact/photo/ street-lights-energy-dcjm10jpg-98e72e5c00f743b9.jpg

3.240 http://www.bombayharbor.com/productImage/0184114001286434329/Led_Street_Light.jpg

3.241 http://www.greendiary.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/embryo_street_light_k48zw.jpg

3.242 http://www.filmyard.de/images/underwaterfilmservice/references/sevenscreens_gr.jpg

3.243 http://www.thevillagenews.com/media/photo/316525.jpg

3.244 http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_qvjHzwyVGZw/TLKaOozDoNI/

AAAAAAAABJc/x7ZrxybjkSQ/s1600/tickletank+mosaic+bench.jpg

3.245 http://img.groundspeak.com/waymarking/cd70a655-2631-4dfe8a09-2e255fd3e285.jpg

4.1 Image by Drury University CCS Members

National Trends

4.2 http://www.urbanhabitat.org/node/344

4.3 http://www.flickr.com/photos/47911905@

N00/8691798070/

4.4 http://www.chicagobikes.org/public/pbl.php

4.5 http://newscenter.lbl.gov/feature-stories/2010/10/28/biofuels-wiki/

4.6 http://green.autoblog.com/2008/05/21/whats-more-polluted-the-air-outside-your-car-or-the-air-inside/

4.7 http://www.elementsvillage.com/gallery/showimage. php?i=18885

4.8 http://www.brooklineconnection.com/history/Trolleys/ Trolleys.html

4.9 http://www.immigrationeis.org/eis-documents/us-demographic-projections-future

4.10 Image by Danny Loza

Existing Site and Attractions

4.11 Image by Danny Loza

4.12 Image by Danny Loza

4.13 Image by Danny Loza

4.14 http://d2om8tvz4lgco4.cloudfront.net/archive.jpg

4.15 http://s4.hubimg.com/u/2303627_f496.jpg

4.16 Image by Danny Loza

4.17 Image by Danny Loza

4.18 Image by Danny Loza

4.19 Image by Danny Loza

4.20 Image by Drury University CCS Members

4.21 Image by Danny Loza

4.22 Image by Danny Loza

Truman Transit Hub

4.23 Image Danny Loza

4.24 Image Danny Loza

4.25 http://www.123rf.com/photo_14666855_ red-brick-wall-seamless-vector-illustration-background--tex-

ture-pattern-for-continuous-replicate.html

4.26 http://www.wolfysroofing.com/why-is-the-color-of-yourmetal-roofing-so-important/

4.27 Image by Danny Loza

4.28 http://www.flickr.com/photos/countylemonade/6023547335/in/photostream/

Light Rail

4.29 http://lightrailconnect.com/2011/02/26/mesa-light-rail-extension-gives-west-mesa-second-chance/

4.30 http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/z/unique-rapid-transit-station-architecture-bart-12408689.jpg

4.31https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5d/Green_line_Trax_at_Gallivan_Plaza.jpg/1024px-Green_ line_Trax_at_Gallivan_Plaza.jpg

4.32 Image Kalvin Cundiff

4.33 http://i1.wp.com/www.globalrailnews.com/wp-content/ uploads/2013/04/Angle-Lake-platform-view_-w-train.jpg?resize=720%2C400

4.34 Image Kalvin Cundiff

4.35 Image Danny Loza

4.36 “Curitiba’s Bus System Is Model for Rapid Transit.” Welcome to Urban Habitat. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013.

4.37 “Curitiba’s Bus System Is Model for Rapid Transit.” Welcome to Urban Habitat. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 May 2013.

4.38 Image by Drury University CCS Members

4.39 http://indebusmo.com/

4.40 Image by Danny Loza

4.41 http://jimsbikeblog.files.wordpress.com/2012/01/bicyclesavailable-for-rental-as-part-of-taipeis-bike-sharing-proram-begunin-the-spring-of-2009.jpg

4.42 http://www.tucsonsentinel.com/files/entryimages/4104799956_712f07e47c_b.jpg

4.43 Image by Danny Loza

4.44 Image by Danny Loza

4.45 http://blogs.seattletimes.com/seattlesketcher/2009/04/

APPENDIX

Bus Stop

4.46 http://www.letsbookhotel.com/pics/tour/graphicslib/3568/ SITours/chicago-hop-on-hop-off-trolley-and-upper-decker-tour-inchicago-1.jpg

4.47 Image by Drury University CCS Members

4.48 Image by Danny Loza

4.49 Image by Danny Loza

4.50 Image by Danny Loza

4.51 Image by Danny Loza

4.52 Image by Danny Loza

4.53 Image by Danny Loza

4.54 http://media.treehugger.com/assets/images/2011/10/ blue-bicycles.png

Trolley Stop

4.55 http://www.bicycling.com/news/advocacy/america-s-top50-bike-friendly-cities

4.56 http://thumbs.dreamstime.com/thumblarge_677/1332453280ry4aQo.jpg

4.57 Image of Drury University CCS Members

4.58 Image of Drury University CCS Members

4.59 http://www.seattlebikeblog.com/2011/02/09/sound-transitinstalls-bike-lockers-in-rainier-valley/

4.60 http://www.tinleypark.org/images/pages/N612/bike%20 lane.jpg

4.61 Image of Danny Loza

4.62 Image by Kalvin Cundiff

4.63 Image by Kalvin Cundiff

4.64 http://www.weatherquestions.com/urban_heat_island.jpg

4.65 Image of Danny Loza

4.66 http://uticaphoenix.net/genesee-street-corridor-plans-developing/

4.67 http://uticaphoenix.net/genesee-street-corridor-plans-developing/

4.68 Image by Kalving Cundiff

Bicycles

4.69 “Permeable Pavers, Grasscrete, Grass Cells, and Pervious

INTRODUCTION ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ISSUES AND CONCERNS COMPREHENSIVE VISION VISION RECOMENDATIONS PARKS COMPLETE STREETS TRANSIT HOUSING PHASING APPENDIX IMAGE APPENDIX BIBLIOGRAPHY

jpg

Appendix: Housing

Concrete.” Landscape Designer Los Angeles. Nature-Scape, Inc., 2004. Web. 5 May 2013.

4.70 “BASF ADMIXTURES’ PERVIOUS CONCRETE.” BASF ADMIXTURES’ PERVIOUS CONCRETE. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013.

.4.71 “Parking-lot Runoff.” Blue-Green Building ». N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013.

4.72 “Permeable Pavers, Grasscrete, Grass Cells, and Pervious Concrete.” Landscape Designer Los Angeles. Nature-Scape, Inc., 2004. Web.

5 May 2013.

4.73 “Permecocrete.” TecEco. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013.

4.74 MZim. “Cross Section Rain Garden.jpg.” Wikia. N.p., n.d. Web.

5 May 2013.

4.75 Image by Drury University CCS Members

4.76 Image by Kalvin Cundiff

Parking Lots

4.77 Image by the transit group, Kalvin Cundiff, Danny Loza

4.78 “Multi-space Parking Meters in Brookline = Nasty?” Brookline

TAB Blog RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 May 2013.

4.79 Image by Drury University CCS Members

4.80 Image by Kalvin Cundiff

4.81 Image by Kalvin Cundiff

4.82 Image by Kalvin Cundiff

4.83 Image by Kalvin Cundiff

4.84 Image by Kalvin Cundiff

4.85 Image by Kalvin Cundiff

4.87 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkR0LO1kG6g

4.88 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkR0LO1kG6g

4.89 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkR0LO1kG6g

4.90 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkR0LO1kG6g

4.91 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mkR0LO1kG6g

4.92 Image by Danny Loza

4.93 http://www.carriagetoursofmemphis.com/images/img22524609.

4.94 http://www.werf.org/liveablecommunities/images/kc_parking.

jpg

4.95 http://fivestarpr.files.wordpress.com/2012/10/fancourt-mountain-biking.jpg

4.96 http://cdn3.vtourist.com/15/4389698-Riverfront_Trolley_stopping_at_Maritime_Museum_Astoria.jpg

INTRODUCTION

Urban housing

5.1 Image by Drury University CCS Members

Current Housing Situation and Character

5.2 Image by Shahad Sadeq

Design Assumptions

5.3 http://maps.jacksongov.org/PropertyImages/

5.4 http://maps.jacksongov.org/PropertyImages/

5.5 http://maps.jacksongov.org/PropertyImages/

5.6 http://maps.jacksongov.org/PropertyImages/

5.7 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

5.8 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

5.9 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

Commercial Properties to be Reconsidered

5.10 http://maps.jacksongov.org/PropertyImages/

5.11 Image from Google Earth

5.12 Image from Google Earth

5.13 Image from Google Earth

5.14 http://maps.jacksongov.org/PropertyImages/

5.15 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

5.16 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

5.17 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

Massing and Composition

5.18 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

5.19 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

5.20 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

5.21 Aerial Map from City hall edited by Shahad Sadeq

5.22 Aerial Map from City hall edited by Shahad Sadeq

5.23 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

5.24 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.25 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

Garages

5.26 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by

CCS, 2009

5.27 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.28 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.29 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.30 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.31 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.32 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.33 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.34 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.35 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.36 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.37 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.38 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.39 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.40 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.41 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.42 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

Housing Styles

5.43 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.44 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

HOUSING

5.45 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.46 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.47 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.48 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.49 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.50 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.51 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.52 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.53 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.54 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.55 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.56 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.57 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.58 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.59 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.60 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.61 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.62 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.63 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.64 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ISSUES AND CONCERNS COMPREHENSIVE VISION VISION RECOMENDATIONS PARKS COMPLETE STREETS TRANSIT HOUSING PHASING APPENDIX IMAGE APPENDIX BIBLIOGRAPHY

CCS, 2009

5.65 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.66 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.67 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.68 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.69 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.70 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.71 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.72 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.73 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.74 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.75 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.76 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.78 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.79 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.80 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.81 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.82 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.83 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.84 Buffalo Vision 2040 by CCS, 2012

5.85 Brookfield Vision 2040 by CCS

5.86 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members

5.87 Site photo by Drury University CCS Members edited by Pema

Bibliography

Wangzome

5.88 Image from Google

5.89 Image from Google

5.90 Image from Google

5.91 Image from Google

5.92 Image from Google

5.93 Image from Google

5.94 Image from Google

5.95 Image from Google

5.96 Image from Google

Comprehensive Map

5.97 Image by Drury University CCS Members

5.98 Image by Shahad Sadeq

Site photo by Drury University CCS Members edited by Pema Wangzome

Housing type

5.99 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.100 Springfield Neighborhoods Guidelines and Pattern Book by CCS, 2009

5.101 Image from Google Earth

5.102 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.103 Image from Google Earth

5.104 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.105 Image by Drury University CCS Members

5.106 Image by Shahad Sadeq

5.107 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.108 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.109 Image from Google

5.110 Image from Google

5.111 Image from Google

5.112 Image from Google

5.113 Image from Google

5.114 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.115 Image by Pema Wangzome

5.116 Image by Drury University CCS Members

5.117 Image by Pema Wangzome

5.118 Image by Pema Wangzome

5.119 Image by Pema Wangzome

5.120 Image from Google

5.121 Image from Google

5.122 Image from Google

5.123 Image from Google

5.124 Image from Google

5.125 Image from Google

5.126 Image by Pema Wangzome

5.127 Image by Drury University CCS Members

5.128 Image by Shahad Sadeq

5.129 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.130 Image by Pema Wangzome

5.131 Image from Google

5.132 Image from Google

5.133 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.134 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.135 Image by Shahad Sadeq

5.136 Image by Drury University CCS Members

5.137 Image by Shahad Sadeq

5.138 Image by Shahad Sadeq

5.139 Image from Google

5.140 Image by Tamara Cartwright

5.141 Image from Google

5.142 Image from Google

5.143 Image by Drury University CCS Members

5.144 Image from Google

5.145 Image from Google

5.146 IImage from Google

5.147 Image from Google

5.148 Image by Drury University CCS Members

5.149 Image by Drury University CCS Members

5.150 Image by Drury University CCS Members

5.151 Image by Drury University CCS Members

Phasing

5.152 Image from Google

5.153 Image from Google

5.154 Image from Google

5.155 Image from Google

5.156 Image from Google

5.157 Image from Google

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Mr. Jay Garrott Professor and Director Center for Community Studies

Drury University - Hammons School of Architeecture

900 N Benton Avenue Springfield, MO 65802 417-873-7371

jgarrott@drury.edu