The Morphology of Urban Repair Calgary East Downtown Rethinking the urban river edge
Christina Peace
Senior Landscape Architecture Studio EVDL777 | Winter 2020 | Instructor: Dr. Beverly Sandalack Master of Landscape Architecture | School of Architecture Planning and Landscape | University of Calgary
The Morphology of Urban Repair East Downtown Calgary Rethinking the urban river edge
As a class, we visited the Civic District on a warmer, sunny day in January. We began our journey at the CBDL and made our way north towards the river on
3 Street SE. Eventually, we reached the river; I remember thinking to myself, ‘this cannot be it’. The journey to the river was anti-climatic and the view to the river was blocked by a wide roadway.
To me, this the best place in the city and the Civic District does not do it justice, unlike East Village or Eau Claire, which leads me to my issue statement:
“The Civic District’s urban edge and the rivers edge are disintegrated. Because...
1. Busy vehicle-oriented roadways with no strong pedestrian legibility to/from the rivers edge 2. High degree of impermeable surfaces close to the riverfront 3. Uninviting single-use buildings 4. No ‘people places’ along the riverfront 5. Flooding issue due to high degree of impermeability 6. Streets have no connection to/from the river By gaining insight from East Village + Eau Claire and the issues present in the site, I developed a conceptual strategy to bring pedestrians to/from the riverfront and tempt them to stay at the river/urban edge.
Christina Peace
Senior Landscape Architecture Studio EVDL777 | Winter 2020 | Instructor: Dr. Beverly Sandalack Master of Landscape Architecture | School of Architecture Planning and Landscape | University of Calgary
WHAT’S WITH THE CIVIC DISTR?
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3. Uninviting single-use buildings
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1. Busy vehicle-oriented roadways with no strong pedestrian legibility to/from the rivers edge
2. High degree of impermeable surfaces close to the riverfront
SITE ISSUES
4. No ‘people places’ along the riverfront
5. Flooding issue due to high degree of impermeability
6. Streets have no connection to/from the river
LESSONS LEARNED FROM EAU CLAIRE + EAST VILLAGE LESSON
Pedestrian realm (plazas, open spaces) extend into the urban fabric LESSON Vehicular roadways are set back from the riverfront LESSON Bike lane/cycle tracks to/from riverfront LESSON
Mixed-use building adjacent to riverfront LESSON
Street trees guide pedestrians and increase the quality of the public realm
PROPOSED FINAL FORM
CONCEPTUAL STRATEGY
CONSTRAINT
Allow vehicle access for loading docks
SOLUTION Remove a segment of Riverfront Avenue
SOLUTION
SOLUTION
At pedestrian nodes/gateway to river, strategically place features (plaza, water features, pavilions)
Woonerf style roadways to support pedestrian realm
SOLUTION
Create greenspaces in parking lots close to river
SOLUTION
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Currently, there is a thin riverfront space in the Civic District with no urban connections
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Extend the riverfront experience into the urban fabric
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By creating more greenspaces, better buildings, removing vehicle roads, green streets, and people places
SOLUTION
SOLUTION Add residential buildings with commercial ground floor usage
SOLUTION
Boulevard re-design with bike lanes, green infrastructure, etc.
GREEN PEDESTRIAN BOULEVARD WATER FEATURE
QUIET GARDEN SPACE
BIKE LANES
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How I got here...
Everything as green
Allow vehicle access for underground parkades
Create pedestrian-friendly intersections
MASTER PLAN
Current
CONSTRAINT
New building configuration and ground floor usage to positively support the public realm
Carved out pathways from building entrances
Final form
MUSIC PAVILION
GREAT LAWN SPACE
RESIDENTS
MIXED USE WOONERF MIXED USE
‘PEOPLE PLACES’
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By incorporating public and intimate places for people and pedestrian-friendly streets
WINDING ROAD TO SLOW TRAFFIC
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WOONERF
CAFE
PAVILION
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GAZEBOS WITH SEATING
GREEN PLAZA
GARDENSPACE
RIVERFRONT PLAZA
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Plaza integrated with Riverwalk will guide pedestrians to/from the riverfront
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ELM TREES TO CREATE CANOPY
CONNECTING PEOPLE TO THE RIVER + CIVIC DISTRICT
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River/urban edge integration at the detail level...
Everything is green
Insert pathways
Cut out green
Blend
GREEN BOULEVARD
GREEN STREETS
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Immersed in a pedestrian street complemented with seating, shade, and vegetation
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Blended paving pattern, bulbouts, and vegetation will guide pedestrians toward the river