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EXPLORATIONS IN URBAN DESIGN AAE 460 &AAE 660
ISSUES IN CONTEMPORARY URBANISM Fall 2012 UNLV School of Architecture Course Instructor: Dr. Firas A. Al-Douri
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EXPLORATIONS IN URBAN DESIGN
Contents 1.
Introduction
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2.
Group 1
4-24
Beijing Central Business District East Expansion William Barron Brittany Wright 3.
Group 2
25-62
A Civic vision for the Central Delaware River Nathalia Ellis Noel Williams 4.
Group 3
63-77
Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE Chris Richardson Jennifer Majkut 5.
Group 3
78-97
Tianjin Eco City Talah Pejooh Nitin Patel
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EXPLORATIONS IN URBAN DESIGN
Introduction Through urban design, humans integrate and give physical form to a wide range of cultural, ecological, economic, philosophical, political, social, technological and other considerations. In the process, they actively shape the environment in which they live. (Brown et al, 2009) To better understand these environments and the urban design that shapes them, the students of Dr. Firas Al-Douri’s AAE 460/660 Urbanism class conducted four case study design investigations of relevant urban projects. These studies analyzed the main urban design problem or issue, and the ways in which the design sought to solve them through urban form, employing the most current practices in Urban Design.
Special focus was paid to highlight emerging trends of contemporary urban design. The case studies presented here explore movements such as waterfront revitalization, rediscovering downtown, creating sustainable cities, smart growth, and the use of new technologies. Though each case study involves a combination of integrated trends and movements, each team focused on one trend area to analyze and evaluate. Presented here are the findings of this analysis conducted Fall 2012 at the University of Nevada Las Vegas.
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Beijing Central Business District East Expansion Group 1 William Barron Brittany Wright
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Contents 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.
Project Overview Main Urban Design Challenge Globalization Five Principles for an Urban Century Four Principles of Rediscovering Downtown Conclusions Analysis References
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Project Overview • • •
•
Urban Designer: SOM Client: City of Beijing Addition to existing SOM plan for the Beijing Central Business District. Addition of three new business districts compromising 228 hectares.
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Main Urban Design Challenge • The main urban challenge addressed by the Beijing CBD East Expansion was the extreme overcrowding and congestion in the existing district combined with a need for more business space in Beijing.
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Globalization •
“The USA, Japan, the UK, Germany, Australia and Singapore are exporters of urban design services on a vast scale. Some firms have over a thousand professionals on their staff and annual fees of a quarter of a billion US dollars. These firms include those that have long worked continuously on the international scene such as Skidmore, Owings and Merrill.” (Lang, 2009)
•
“the window is the gateway to Beijing, the threshold upon which one stands, acknowledging the past and moving into the future.” (Smith, 2007)
Where is this?
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Principles for an Urban Century • 1. Build Community • 2. Advance Sustainability • 3. Expand Individual Choices • 4. Enhance Personal Health • 5. Make Places for People (Brown, 2009)
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1. Build Community •
The Beijing CBD east expansion creates places that draw people together in the public realm with the creation of new urban parks and boulevards.
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2. Advance Sustainability •
The Beijing CBD east expansion is a dense smart growth development that expands into an area of low development.
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3. Expand Individual Choices •
The Beijing CBD east expansion builds an interconnected transportation network that links both to other cities and within the district itself.
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4. Enhance Personal Health •
•
The Beijing CBD east expansion promotes public health by encouraging walking and bicycling. Two minute walking radius’ form nodes of activity
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5. Make Places for People •
The Beijing CBD east expansion integrates history, nature, and innovation to emphasize an identity as a modern business district.
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Principles of Rediscovering Downtown • 1. Encourage a Mixed Use Future • 2. Become a Transportation Crossroads • 3. Enhance the Reciprocal Relationship with the Region • 4. Become a Center for Design Excellence and Sustainability (Brown, 2009)
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1. Encourage a Mixed Use Future •
The Beijing CBD east expansion is a mixed use community that incorporates offices, residential, retail, school, and civic functions.
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2. Become a Transportation Crossroads •
The Beijing CBD east expansion focuses on public transportation linkages at the city, district, and pedestrian scale.
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3. Enhance the Reciprocal Relationship with the Region •
•
Phase 1 The Beijing CBD east expansion implements a balanced growth strategy that reflects a reciprocal relationship with the region. A multi-phase project, the CBD expands as its needs grow Phase 2
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4. Become a Center for Design Excellence and Sustainability •
•
The Beijing CBD east expansion establishes a framework for high quality modern design while making claims about sustainability. SOM’s reputation for high quality architecture
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Conclusions • Globalization: Beijing is a perfect example of a global city defining itself as a global center for commerce (Smith, 2007). The east expansion suffers from the forces of globalization because it lacks a significant historical connection to China. • Principles for an Urban Century: The CBD’s dense, mixed use, smart growth design meets all the principles of an urban century.
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Conclusions • Principles of Rediscovering Downtown: At face value the east expansion has elements that seem to satisfy the criteria. However, the plan does not “rediscover” a downtown. It does not restore a historical city, it instead expands on a new modern city that is designed as a global center for business.
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Analysis • The Beijing CBD East Expansion is a temporary solution to the main urban challenge of extreme overcrowding and congestion in the existing district combined with a need for more business space in Beijing. To do this it is created as a smart growth development. The smart growth goals of optimizing existing infrastructure before building anew, concentrating development, and reducing traffic, are all utilized to combat the overcrowding and congestion (Brown 2009). As the district continues to grow, more dense, smart growth, and mixed use expansion will be needed to contain it.
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Questions for Discussion • Does creating a mixed use urban development inherently build a sense of community, or is something else needed? • What are the social implications of expanding a business district into surrounding low density areas of Beijing? • Does the Beijing CBD “rediscover” a downtown, or create an entirely new one? • Does the Beijing CBD need a historic cultural connection, or is the idea of a business district the new culture of Beijing?
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References • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
1. Chen, Ju-Chen. "Plan for the Central Business District." Capital Dreams: Global Consumption, Urban Imagination, and Labor Migration in Late Socialist Beijing. ProQuest, 2009. 83-98. Print. 2. Clarke, Patrick, Adam Ritchie, and Randall Thomas. "Urban Planning and Design." Sustainable Urban Design: An Environmental Approach. London: Taylor & Francis, 2009. 12-20. Print. 3. Dunster, Bill. "What Is the 'New Ordinary'" Urban Design Futures. By Malcolm Moor and Jon Rowland. London: Routledge, 2006. 123-34. Print. 4. Lehmann, Steffen. "Green Urbanism: Formulating a Series of Holistic Principles." S.A.P.I.EN.S 3.2 (2010): 4-9. Print. 5. Lloyd-Jones, Tony. "Globalising Urban Design." Urban Design Futures. By Malcolm Moor and Jon Rowland. London: Routledge, 2006. 31-33. Print. 6. McDonogh, Gary W., and Marina Peterson. "The Making of the CBD in Global Beijing." Global Downtowns. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania, 2012. 58-64. Print. 7. Skidmore, Owings, and Merril. Nation Building by Design: SOM in China. 2011. Print. 8. Smith, Adrian D., and Robyn Beaver. "The Beijing Central Business District Master Plan Competition." The Architecture of Adrian Smith, SOM: Toward a Sustainable Future. Mulgrave, Vic.: Images, 2007. 520-30. Print. 9. SOM. "Beijing CBD East Expansion Competition." SOM. Skidmore, Owings & Merril LLP. Web. 19 Nov. 2012. <http://www.som.com/content.cfm/beijing_cbd_east_expansion_competition>. 10. Wu, Fulong. "Financial Districts." Restructuring the Chinese City: Changing Society, Economy and Space. London: Routledge, 2005. 93-98. Print. 11. Wu, Liangyong. Rehabilitating the Old City of Beijing: A Project in the Ju'er Hutong Neighbourhood. Vancouver: UBC, 2009. Print. 12. Brown, L. J., Dixon, D., & Gillham, O. (2009). New Currents in Urban Design. Urban design for an urban century: placemaking for people (pp. 96-101). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley. 13. Krieger, A. (2006). Territories of Urban Design. Urban design features (pp. 18-28). London: Routledge. 14. Besserud, Keith. "Technologically Enabled Design and Assessment of Urban Form." ArcGIS Video. N.p., 16 Feb. 2012. Web. 03 Dec. 2012. <http://video.arcgis.com/watch/974/technologically-enabled-design-and-assessment-of-urban-form>. 15. Al-Kodmany, Kheir. "Visualization Tools and Methods in Community Planning from Freehand Sketches to Virtual Reality." (2002): 189-211.
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A Civic Vision for the Central Delaware Group 2 Nathalia Ellis Noel Williams
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Index
1. Location and History 2. Issues 3. New Role for Waterfront 4. Implementation Mechanisms 5. Smart Growth 6. Place-Making 7. Visualization 8. Awards 9. Conclusion 10. References
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1. Location and History • The City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania located on the west bank of the Delaware River. • The central urban core of the city is located between the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers, directly across the Delaware from the City of Camden, New Jersey
• Project led by PennPraxis with the collaboration of the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and consultancy from Wallace Roberts and Todd, LLC (WRT). • 1,146 acres of land stretching for 7 miles
Philadelphia Pennsylvania
Camden New Jersey
• From Oregon to Allegheny Ave, and from the Delaware River to I-95
Project Location within Philadelphia County
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William Penn and Thomas Holmes 1683 plan for the City of Philadelphia
proceedings.esri.com, 2012
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City of Philadelphia Urban Core Williams Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s urban grid, framework for mixed use development and shared open spaces is still evident in the central urban core of the city more than 300 year later
earth.google.com, 2012
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Culture and History
www.asla.org, 2009
“Waterfront projects should preserve and interpret “the tangible aspects of the history” of a site enhance its character and telling the larger waterfront story.”(Brown, 2009)
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Natural and Environmental Systems
www.asla.org, 2009
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Restore degraded environments and pay attention to supporting fragile ecological systems.â&#x20AC;? (Brown, 2009)
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Economics and Demographics
“One size does not fit all. Waterfront redevelopment projects
www.asla.org, 2009
should flow from the nature of each site and reflect its essential spirit.” (Brown, 2009) “Brownfield and grayfield sites offer opportunities to create entire new districts and neighborhoods, each with a full complement of streets, squares and parks.” (Brown, 2009)
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2.Issues
• • •
Limited Access Jurisdictional Oversight Inappropriate Development earth.google.com, 2012
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Limited Access
www.asla.org, 2009
Interstate-95 was constructed parallel to the riverfront and creates a physical and psychological barrier between the city and river ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫
Unwelcoming areas Lack of vegetation Problem with stormwater runoff Noise and air pollution issues
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Jurisdictional Oversight
www.asla.org, 2009
Jurisdictional oversight of the waterfront has been largely driven by developers interests resulting in a riverfront that is largely privately owned and inaccessible to the public ▫ ▫ ▫
Industrial Decline High-level of impervious surface Areas do not respect the 100-year flood plan
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Inappropriate Development
Development extremes including suburban style big-box retail and high-end gated residential communities have dominated recent growth along the riverfront ▫ ▫ ▫ ▫
Outdated Zoning Weakened economic cycles Lack of public-private partnership No comprehensive plan
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Development Pressures
The recent approval for the construction of two casinos that will bracket the downtown riverfront site pose exacerbating issues: â&#x2013;Ť â&#x2013;Ť
Creating a monolithic facad that further blocks access and views to the river Increasing traffic issues and adding excessive surface parking
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3. New Role for Waterfront 1. Reclaiming the Waterfront – Brown Approaches today according to the Urban Waterfront Manifesto (1999) 2. The public sector should act as the “steward” of waterfronts partnership with the private sector
3. All urban waterfront projects should provide public access to and along the water avoid gentrification and allow diversity
4. One size does not fit all respect the nature of the site and its characteristics
5. Waterfronts should accommodate a variety of uses accommodate passive and active open spaces be welcoming both day and night places and activities for a diverse group of people
6. Waterfront projects should preserve and interpret “the tangible aspects of the history” of a site enhance its character
7. Water-dependent uses should receive preference in the redevelopment programs fishing businesses, for example
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A Neo-traditional Approach “a functional city … is one that satisfies well enough the full range of needs and aspirations of its stakeholders and is robust enough to undergo change as conditions change” (Lang, 2009) Design for activities: • Connect city neighborhoods to the riverfront • Establish the riverfront as a meeting place for all Philadelphian’s residents • Provide multiple access points for neighbors to use. The City Simbolic: • The Delaware River as a significant regional resource • Acknowledge both the historical role the river played in shaping Philadelphia as a leading American city, and its importance to the city today • Support the needs of the shipping industry and Philadelphia’s working port, as well as the river’s recreational and environmental potential Designing the city salubrious as sustainable urban design: • Remember that the Delaware River is a giant watershed • Carefully plan development along the river’s edge so that natural sites can coexist harmoniously with other uses, such as residences, businesses, and the working port. Implementing a neo-functional ecological approach to urban design: • Connect Philadelphia back to the river • Split up the sprawling, super-block style street layout that currently undermines the character of the central Delaware • Increase and enhance the quality of the physical and visual connections between the riverfront and adjacent neighborhoods.
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Green Streets
www.asla.org, 2009
A comprehensive â&#x20AC;&#x153;green streetsâ&#x20AC;? approach is illustrated along Frankford Avenue, with a reconstructed I-95 viaduct, LED lighting, a linear park, community facilities, and rain gardens that lead pedestrians and bicyclists to the waterfront greenway and park system. (WRT / PennPraxis)
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Viable Habitats
www.asla.org, 2009
Visitors to the river trail will be able to experience a restorative ecological process over time, as the piers and floating tidal wetlands become viable habitats for birds and native plants. (WRT / PennPraxis)
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Community Assets
www.asla.org, 2009
Recommended Improvements to Penn Treaty Park include the creation of a naturalized edge and a connection to the proposed greenway. The greenway and new paths help this green space retain its value as an important community asset. (WRT / PennPraxis)
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Community Access
The space beneath I-95 at the newly designed Girard Avenue Interchange is conceived as a neighborhood park that features filtered stormwater runoff, planted sound walls to mitigate noise and air pollution, and LED lighting beneath the structure. (WRT / PennPraxis)
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Wetland Restoration
North of the port, a riverfront park provides an opportunity for a tidal wetland restoration project that connects to a stormwater management design and helps combat a high level of impervious surface, while elevating the 500-year flood plain. (WRT / PennPraxis)
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4. Implementation Mechanisms 5. Guarantee public access to the riverfront and make it easier for residents to walk and bike to the river
6. Extend transit to the river 8. Manage traffic and parking in the central Delaware area
1. Appoint an open, accountable, effective waterfront manager 2. Adopt clear zoning, a detailed master plan and a coordinated regulatory policy
3. Built a continuous 7-mile trail along the central Delaware riverfront
PennPraxis, 2010
4. Create new parks and improve two existing parks
7. Extend key streets to the river 9. Create a 100-foot greenway along the river’s edge
10. Create a natural river’s edge and restore habitat
An Action Plan for the Central Delaware 2008 - 2018
The Civic Vision’s 10-year Action Plan sets forth 10 actions beginning with the establishment of a management agency. Mayor Nutter has endorsed the plan and created the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation who will be responsible for the remaining 9 actions. (WRT / PennPraxis)
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Three Interlocking Networks In order to address the issues present in the central Delaware Riverfront the plan presented a framework based on three interlocking networks Movement Systems that extend the city grid, increases public access to the river and provide improved transportation options Parks and Open Space will improve the city's connection to the river as well as the condition of the river itself allowing increased opportunity for recreational use in direct response to community concerns Land development goals intend to extend urban mixed-use neighborhoods to the river while supporting transit hubs and allow for changing market conditions. (PennPraxis, 2010)
www.asla.org, 2009
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Comprehensive Circulation System The civic vision revolves around the creation of a comprehensive circulation system which includes Pennâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s legacy of a flexible grid. To reintegrate the city to the riverfront it is necessary to extend key streets to the river, allow people to walk and bike to the riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge, and also create a system of public transportation which will allow people from different areas to utilize the revitalized area. By doing so the area will become a regional attraction generating more revenue (WRT / PennPraxis)
www.asla.org, 2009
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www.asla.org, 2009
The vision plan identifies streets with generous rights-of-way as ideal green streets. The street and block orientation in the north and south will shift their orientation to be more perpendicular to the riverâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s edge. (WRT / PennPraxis)
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Comprehensive Street Section
www.asla.org, 2009
The WRT rendered sections illustrates a â&#x20AC;&#x153;complete street,â&#x20AC;? integrating pedestrians, bicyclists, and transit riders into a grand civic boulevard. Green infrastructure for stormwater management includes collection and use of grey water, rain gardens, and porous paving for the curbside parking. (WRT / PennPraxis)
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Center City District Trolley Concept
PennPraxis, 2010
Proposing expanded transit creates a valuable amenity to the regional core. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s important to reinforce the need for transit access into and through the core. (Brown, 2006)
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5. Smart Growth
www.asla.org, 2009
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Exposure to the natural sciences, to ecology, to energy management, to systems analysis, to the economics of land development, to land use law and to issues of public health have not been fundamental to an urbanistâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s training, but are becoming more so.â&#x20AC;? (Krieger, in Moor et al, 2006)
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Urban Design as Smart Growth Minimize environmental harm and land consumption Reverse the effects of urban sprawl Retrofitting central areas to the city Revitalize streets Be smarter about managing resources and land
www.asla.org, 2009
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Green Urbanism Lehman’s Holistic Principles • Landscape, gardens, and urban biodiversity
Civic Vision for the Central Delaware • Introduce a very detailed system to treat degraded vegetation areas by creating parks and wetland systems.
• Sustainable transport and good public space
• Create a public transportation system and offer opportunities for people to walk and bike to the area
• Compact and polycentric cities • Density and retrofitting of existing districts
• Create a regional transportation system allowing a compact development and a polycentric design
• Livability, healthy communities and mixed-used programs
• Mixed-use zoning, retrofitting the abandoned industrial area, bringing vitality to the area
• Cultural heritage, identity, and sense of place
• Create a system of different activities that will serve a diverse society
• Urban governance, leadership, and best practices
• Respect the cultural and historical elements
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Form-Based Design
www.asla.org, 2009
â&#x20AC;&#x153;Given the presumption that what constitutes good urban form (or desirable uses, or amenities such as ground-level retail, or open space) can be agreed upon by a community, these should be legislated upon.â&#x20AC;? (Krieger, in Moor et al, 2006)
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6. Place-Making
Creating exceptional places to serve human purpose has always been central to the design professions (Krieger, in Moor et al, 2006) www.asla.org, 2009
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Make Places for People
www.asla.org, 2009
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Enhance Personal Health
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Expand Individual Choices
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7. Visualization Tools
Methods
• Digital mapping was used extensively to describe existing conditions, opportunity zones and revised street and zoning
• A six month process of site engagement and evaluation, education in project precedents, planning principles, information dissemination and gathering led to an interactive workshop to generate and share ideas with design professionals and engaged community members.
• Photography became an important tool for documenting conditions in problem areas like limited access to the river, inappropriate development and blighted industrial sites. • Photographs were later digitally manipulated to show how design solutions would look in comparison. • 3-D physical models were used to generate and disseminate information. From simple massing models that show zoning and form-based code information to highly detailed 3-D views of proposed design solutions that include vegetation and active population at different scales ranging from intimate park and street views to panoramic aerial views that show a significant portion of the 7 mile riverfront project.
• Launching of a web-site dedicated to keep the community up to date • The design workshop used a hands-on approach that engaged planning professionals, community members and design students in three days of intensive design culminating in the presentation of solutions developed by the participants
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8. Awards AIA 2010 Honor Award for Regional and Urban Design Three successful aspects of the project 1. Reconnecting the city to the underused post-industrial riverfront. 2. Resolving the intrusion of the interstate highway, I-95, that has separated them for many years. 3. In focusing planning on mixed-use development connected by extensive planned green spaces, including reestablishing lost riparian areas not only further enhances the connection to the city and also “reaches out to the city across the river, Camden, N.J.” (AIA, 2010) Jury's’ conclusion: The Civic Vision for the Central Delaware is a good example to help solve the nationwide problem of a car-centric society and the destructive results of invasive interstate highway construction. Brown’s argument: Waterfront projects should be unique, and a different project should be developed for each waterfront revitalization project.
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9. Conclusions • Identifying a problematic urban environment • Formulate a scheme that addresses the problem from a multi-phase approach public-private partnership community involvement comprehensive scope short-term initiatives and long-term goals
• Develop a framework that fulfills the needs and goals addressed by the many contributors connect communities to the revived riverfront allow for the developments of diverse communities in a vibrant environment ensure sound economic development
• Grow a community that ensures long term development and stability, active and enjoyable use and environmental sustainability and diversity
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10. References A Civic Vision for the Central Delaware (1st edition). (2010). Philadelphia, PA: PenPraxis Al-Kodmany, Kheir 2002 “Visualization Tools and Methods in Community Planning: From Freehand Sketches to Virtual Reality” Journal of Planning Literature, 17 (2), pp. 189-211 Brown, Lance Jay; Dixon, David; and Gillham, Oliver 2009 Urban Design for an Urban Century: Place making for people, New Jersey, John Wiley & Sons, Inc. US Honor Award: A Civic Vision and Action Plan for the Central Delaware River; Philadelphia, PA. “2009 Professional Awards. N.p., 2009. Web. 23 Sept. 2012. Retrieved fron” http://www.asla.org/2009awards/564.html Krieger, Alex 2006 “Territories of Urban Design” in Moor, Malcolm and Rowland, Jon (Eds.) Urban Design Futures, London; New York, Routledge Lang, Jon 2009 “Internationl Urban Design: Theory and Practice” Urban Design and Planning 162 March 2009 Issue DP1, pages 7-17 Lehmann, Steffen 2012 “Green Urbanism: Formulating a Series of Holistic Principles” in Haas, Tigram (Ed.) Sustainable Urbanism and Beyond: Rethinking Cities for the Future, New York, Rizzoli, Chapter 1.4, pp. 24-30
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Masdar City, Abu Dhabi, UAE Group 3 Jenny Majkut Chris Richardson
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Table of Contents Masdar City Study • • • • • • • • • • • •
Introduction Design Goal Purpose Challenges Plan Infrastructure – Transportation Infrastructure – School and Design System Community New Paradigm New Neighborhood Conclusion Critical Analysis
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Masdar City Introduction
(Foster & Partners, 2007)
• CLIENT: Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company • AREA: 6.5 sq km or 2.5 sq mi • ARCHITECT: Foster & Partners • INFRASTRUCTURE: WSP Group • RENEWABLE ENERGIES: ETA – Renewable Energies • TRANSPORTATION CONSULTANTS: Systematica • CLIMATE ENGINEERS: Transsolar Energietechnik GmbH
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Masdar City Design Goal • To be the first zerocarbon, zero-waste city. • Be a model, both regionally and globally, for sustainable design. • Create a renewable energy business. • Be a leader in research and education for clean technology.
(Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture, 2010)
(Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture, 2010)
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Masdar City Purpose â&#x20AC;˘ The United Arab Emirates was a poor nation until it built an economy selling fossil fuels. The Abu Dhabi government wants to continue this energy based economy in a modern way; with renewable energy. â&#x20AC;˘ Oil is diminishing and not a sustainable income, being a hub for new renewable energy technologies can sustain a healthy economy
(Bing Images, 2012)
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Masdar City Challenges
(Bing Images, 2012)
(Bing Images, 2012)
â&#x20AC;˘ Build regionally appropriate architecture featuring sustainable materials and powered by renewable energy, while keeping a low carbon footprint with water sustainability and producing zero-waste. â&#x20AC;˘ Drawing people in and enticing them to live on principles of using less, living in smaller spaces and without a personal vehicle.
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Masdar City Plan • Originally a masterplan approach to be completed by 2016. • Plans re-evaluated due to budget and limitations in technology and are following a comprehensive approach with an extended completion date of 2025. • The plan is to use the drawn-out process to its advantage by improving the design over time, continuously analyzing the quality of function and effectiveness of design. (Foster & Partners, LAVA, Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture, Zagato & 2getthere, 2010)
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Masdar City Infrastructure Elements TRANSPORTATION Promote livability and sustainability by removing the use of fossil fuel vehicles. Incorporate a light rail, subway and a personal rapid transit (PRT) system. Transportation elements are kept beneath the city, reserving the surface of the community for pedestrian friendly, walkable spaces.
(Bing Images, 2012)
(â&#x20AC;&#x153;Masdar PRT Applicationâ&#x20AC;?, 2012)
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Masdar Infrastructure Elements SCHOOL & DESIGN SYSTEMS
(Foster & Partners, 2010)
(Bing Images, 2012)
Graduate level Masdar Institute is dedicated to sustainability in its purpose and design. The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s architecture is reliant on passive design strategies to lower the demand on fossil fuel, while using photovoltaic panels for energy and evacuated thermal collectors for water supply; increasing the renewable energy supply. Design elements of the city, both as a whole and its individual parts, are a reflection of the local culture and its regional character.
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Masdar City Community • Cycling and walking are encouraged with a maximum distance of 200m to the nearest transport link or amenity. • Protect pedestrians against harsh winds by using towers to catch wind, as well as keep a low-rise, high density application that is oriented against the wind, which is then all enclosed with a perimeter wall. • Green parks oriented toward sea breeze and cool night winds provide fresh air for the outdoor corridors. • Protect pedestrians against harsh sun with narrow streets and shading provided by independent structures or overhangs and PV panels from nearby buildings.
(Foster & Partners, 2007)
(Foster & Partners, 2007)
(Bing Images, 2012)
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Masdar City A New Paradigm • Completely sustainable; minimizing the need for fossil fuels, while maximizing renewable energy. • Will be the center for development for new ideas of energy production. • Relies on a large photovoltaic power plant and wind farms.
(Hannaford, 2010)
(Bing Images, 2012)
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Masdar City New Neighborhood • Masdar City is a new neighborhood evolved in correlation with a new cultural paradigm of sustainability. • Lloyd Crossing is also a new neighborhood based on a sustainable urban design plan, located in Portland, OR.
(Runge, 2012)
• Both projects rely on a wide range of tools; green building, solar energy capture, and groundwater recharge techniques. • Design for a lively pubic realm. • Both projects achieve environmental benefits within the local context. • Lloyd Crossing is transforming an underused inner-city neighborhood, whereas Masdar City is a new development. • Both Masdar City and Lloyd Crossing generate and use renewable energy, however Lloyd Crossing will actually create a pristine eco-system of a forest. • Masdar provides on-site housing and Lloyd Crossing does not, however its design is to demonstrate how a well designed, high density development can seamlessly fit into a lower density context.
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Masdar City Conclusion • Foster and Partners collaborates well with many different professionals that vary in many areas of design in order to fulfill its goal of being the world’s first zero-carbon, zero-waste city, as well as a global leader in research for new green technologies and alternate renewable energy sources. The world is changing and Masdar City is a new alternative in the paradigm shift. Being the first of its kind it will serve as an example and as a model to architects and developers world-wide.
(“Foster and Partners Masdar Project”, 2008)
• There are many positive aspects throughout the design; however, as with many firsts, there is room to improve. It is separated from existing cities and developed on greenfield land with only a small amount of housing, potentially leaving it a life-less city. If most of the users are only there to either work or go to school before traveling back home the vibrancy that is sought after may be impossible to find. It seems once again that no extreme solution works best and a compromise of two styles would serve best. Redeveloping an existing area could have brought life to an otherwise abandoned space, while leaving existing greenfield land for needed housing.
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Masdar City Critical Analysis â&#x20AC;˘ Masdar City is a planned cluster development that creates a zero-waste city. Having a projected population of 90,000 people during the day, with only 45,000 of which would be residents. There are residential areas but it is not a primary focus. While it is not considered a housing-focused project how is this expected to effect the city after work hours? Does this really create a sustainable community? â&#x20AC;˘ Being a cluster city, Masdar relies on new greenfield space as opposed to redeveloping brown or greyfield areas that Smart Growth principles promote. Therefore, even though Masdar is a zero-waste area using local construction materials, is the process and development truly sustainable? â&#x20AC;˘ Abu Dhabi is currently experiencing a shortage of housing, whereas Masdar City should help generate a renewable energy business and improve the economy allowing more housing projects to be built in the future, however, should the project re-direct some focus on creating more housing or would this just result in more segregation based on economic status, isolating those who can afford the benefits of new technology and green design from those unable?
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Masdar City References • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Bing Images. (2012). Retrieved from http://www.bingimages.com Brown, L.J., Dixon, D. & Gillham, O. (2009). Urban Design for an Urban Century: Placemaking for People. New Jersey, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Clarke, P. (2009). Urban Design and Planning. In A. Ritchie & R. Thomas (Eds.), Sustainable Urban Design: An Environmental Approach (pp. 12-20). New York, NY: Routledge. Foster and Partners, (2007). Master Planned Projects. Retrieved from http://www.fosterandpartners.com/Projects/1515/Default.aspx Foster and Partners, (2007). 2007 News. Retrieved from http://www.fosterandpartners.com/News/291/Default.aspx Hannaford, K. (2010, March 30). “Gizmodo.” Masdar City Will Be The World’s First Carbon Neutral Land. Retrieved from http://gizmodo.com/5505353/masdar-city-will-be-the-worlds-first-carbon-neutral-land Krieger, A. (2006). “Territories of Urban Design” in Moor, Malcolm and Rowland (Eds.) Urban Design Futures (pp. 10-27). London; New York, Routledge. Lang, J. (2009). International Urban Design: Theory and Practice. Urban Design and Planning,162, March 2009 Issue DPI, p7-17. Lehmann, S. (2010). Green Urbanism: Formulating a Series of Holistic Principles. S.A.P.I.EN.S [Online], 3.2, 2010, pp. 1-10. Retrieved from http://sapiens.revues.org/1057. Macmurray, H. (2008, March 8). “Foster and Partners Masdar Project.” Green Car Design. Retrieved from http://www.greencardesign.com/site/city-watch/00130-foster-and-partners-masdar-project Runge, C. (2012). “Landscape Urbanism.” The Evolution of Performance Metrics at Mithun. Retrieved from http://landscapeurbanism.com/article/mithun/ Shirvani, H. (1985). “The Urban Design Process.” Van Nostrand Reinhold (VNR): Chapter 9: Products (pp. 141-156). Shirvani, H. (1985). “The Urban Design Process.” Van Nostrand Reinhold (VNR): Chapter 7: Implementation: Legal Mechanism (pp. 167-184). Smith, A. & Gordon, G. (2010). “Capitalize on Green Design.”
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Tianjin Eco City Group 4 Talah Pejooh Nitin Patel
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Table of Contents • • • • • • • • • • •
Location Urban Issues Precedents Site Selection Goals & Objectives Design Concepts Theoretical Framework Critical Analysis Criticisms Conclusion References
Location
• • • •
• • •
Location: Tianjin Binhai New Area Architect: Surbana Architecture Client: PRC & SSTEC Designer • Academy or urban planning and design • Tianjin urban planning & design institute • Singapore planning team led by urban redevelopment authority of Singapore developer Expected Residence: 350,000 Expected Cost: 22 billion Size: 30 square kilometers
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Urban Issues
â&#x20AC;˘ Rapid modernization fueled by the increasing ruralurban migration, which has placed an abundant amount of pressure and demand on overcrowded cities today â&#x20AC;˘ China is currently importing oil, iron, ore and food therefore is dependent on financial injections from state â&#x2013;Ť Tianjin eco city serves as model to represent principles of self-sustainability
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Precedents
• New Town Model for Singapore ▫ Prevision of high quality living environment through mixed land use ▫ Planning for transport infrastructure ▫ Providing open spaces and planting greenery Framework that is updated every decade so it accommodates for future population growth
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Site Selection • Fierce competition among dozens of Chinese cities • Criteria ▫ Located on agricultural ground ▫ Located in arid regions with drought tendencies ▫ Tianjin was located because of heavily polluted and
water shortage issues. Working model for future development in any kind of landscape
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Goals Eco City of international
Cooperation Showcase of sustainable development Dynamic city with great vitality Comfortable city featuring healthy lifestyle Harmonious of beneficial co existence Future city of ecological culture
Vision
“To serve as a model for the many
cities in China as it needs to accommodate the massive rural to urban migrants”
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The master can summarized as â&#x20AC;&#x153;one axis-three centers-four districts.â&#x20AC;?
Master Plan
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Design Concepts • The planning team broke the city down into seven different “scapes” in order to incorporate various urban design proposals ▫ Life scape ▫ Eco valley ▫ Solar scape ▫ Urban scape ▫ Wind scape ▫ Earth scape ▫ Eco corridor
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Design Concepts • Land use
▫ Eco city will dock a dense and compact model of urban development
Clustered arrangement based on principles of TOD Mass public traffic system that are developed around bus stops Mixed use to achieve efficient land use Ensure open and public use of land
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Design Concepts
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• Transportation ▫ Guided by a comprehensive green transportation system ▫ Planning for motor road system and non motorized road system ▫ General Motors’ future car with autonomous driving technology (Electric Networked Vehicle) ▫ 90% of traffic will be public transportation
Environmental Harmony • Ecological Restoration ▫ Green belts along the Ji Canal Provides ecological barrier for Eco City Covers large area that is constructed with bicycle paths and walking lanes • Multi- tiered eco system pattern ▫ Reservoir ▫ River ▫ Wetland ▫ Greenland
Singapore's PUB, BCA and NEA are helping with the environmental protection of Tianjin Eco-city because of its lack of water resources and is situated on salt-alkaline land
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Social Harmony
â&#x20AC;˘ Tianjin Eco-city welcomes all residents who are interested in eco-living and sustainable development, and does not seek to cater exclusively to the well-off.
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Economic Harmony
â&#x20AC;˘ A thriving economy in the Eco-city will help to create buzz and attract talent, provide jobs for its residents and provide the resources for the Eco-city's upkeep and environmental protection.
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Theoretical Framework 92
• Urban sphere ▫ Urban Design as Place Making
• Sustainable & Smart Growth ▫ Brownfield Development
Critical Analysis
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Criticism • Solutions that may work for Singaporean model of living does not necessarily work in the Chinese context ▫ Singapore does not understand the local market
• Singapore had more input into the project than the Chinese • Not developed with a target group of buyers ▫ Can fail with the lack of appropriate buyers
• Location is far from Tianjin and Beijing so if there is no employment opportunities in Tianjin Eco city, no one will move there • Because of the low cost of cars in china, it is difficult to control the usage of private automobiles ▫ Symbol of social status within Chinese culture to own automobile
• No clear plan on how to restore local wetland • Lack of public involvement because of dual relationship between China and Singapore.
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Conclusions
• Replicable ▫ Singapore's new town model is overall replicable in solving small scale problems in china Impossible to replicate a large scale idea and implement it into another location Not the most sustainable approach • Comprehensive approach in order to provide for future integrated development • Initial step for a greater sustainability model for China
How high will the success rate be in the effort of reducing the usage of private automobiles? Is it productive/appropriate for both China and Singapore to work together to create this model? Do you think this project was successful in creating a model for future sustainable urban development? Would this be categorized as globalization or localization?
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References • Government of Singapore. (2012, September 21). Introduction. Retrieved from Tianjin Eco City: http://www.tianjinecocity.gov.sg/index.htm • Tianjin Eco-City. (2012, September 20). Retrieved from Worlds Building Directory : http://www.worldbuildingsdirectory.com/project.cfm?id=1367 • Tianjin: A model Eco City in the Eastern World. (2012, September 20). Retrieved from Sustainable Cities: http://sustainablecities.dk/en/cityprojects/cases/tianjin-a-model-eco-city-in-the-eastern-world • Earle, M. (2012, September 20). Tianjin Eco-city - The Future or a Chinese Hoax? Retrieved from Think Design: http://thinkdesignmagazine.com/architecture/tianjin-eco-city-thefuture-or-a-chinese-hoax • KPGM International. (2012, September 21). Infrastructure. Retrieved from KPGM: http://www.kpmg.com/Global/en/WhatWeDo/SpecialInterests/infra100-world-cities/Documents/Infrastructure-100-worldcities-2012.pdf • Lance Jay Brown, D. D. (2009). Urban Design for an Urban Century. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons. • Rowland, M. M. (2006). Urban Design Futures. Abingdon: Routledge.
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EXPLORATIONS IN URBAN DESIGN
References Brown, Lance Jay, David Dixon, and Oliver Gillham. Urban design for an urban century: placemaking for people. Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley, 2009. Print.