Thesis Swampwater Suburbs

S w a m p w a t e r S u b u r b s ecology and urbanity in florida

K a r l C . L a n d s t e i n e r J r.

Harvard GSD | Spring 2013

Thank you to my friends and family for all of your support. This would not have been possible without you.

Thank you.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 | OOPS!

Unintended consequences of Suburban Development

2 | ISOLATION

Reconstructing community

3 | OPPORTUNITY Avoiding disaster, Managing growth, Preserving ecology, Strengthening community 4 | INTERVENTION Designing for the future 5 | OUTLOOK

+ IMPLEMENTATION The times are changin’

1 | OOPS!

Unintended consequences of Suburban Development

The purpose of this thesis is to explore how vacant land in pre-platted suburban communities can be utilized to curb civic and ecological degredation within these communities. Design and planning can allow these areas to feed into larger urban systems and develop into sustainable communities.

6 | OOPS!

ISOLATION

OPPORTUNITY

INTERVENTION

OUTLOOK

Murdock

Cape Coral

Hastings

Indian Lake Estates

Citrus Springs

Opa Locka

Bronson

Golden Gate

Ocala

Wilson Highlands

Port Charlotte

Lehigh Acres

Throughout Florida, prepaltting was a common planning practice in the mid 20th century. Developers purchased large areas of natural land and subdivide it into parcels. These were then sold to individual buyers to be developed at a later date.

This research will focus on Lehigh Acres, a suburb outside of Ft. Myers, FL. The recent economic and housing crisis have created substantial alteration of the landscape.

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Lehigh Acres falls within the boundary of Lee County. The suburb measures 96 sq. mi. and has over 35,000 single family homes.

Residents of the Lehigh work in Ft. Myers and Cape Coral, but within the community there is very little economic activity beyond the service industry.

Ft. Myers

Downtown Lehigh Acres

Cape Coral

HOUSING OCCUPANCY Lee County Total housing units 369,318 Occupied housing units 243,017 65.8% Vacant housing units 126,301 34.2%

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US Census Bureau

HOUSING OCCUPANCY Lehigh Acres Total housing units 37,624 Occupied housing units 28,724 76.3% Vacant housing units 8,900 23.7%

Two Phases mark Lehigh Acres Development. During the first (1955-1990), the developer assumed a majority stake in the community and able to maintain concentrated growth in downtown Lehigh. Over time, this development spread along the major corridors connecting Lehigh Acres to nearby Ft. Myers.

The second phase of development is a complete departure from Lehigh’s original development pattern.

Without a central entity to guide development, growth has become sporadic. Today the area struggles to organize itself and establish a sense of community.

1955-1990 | Growth concentrated near ‘downtown’ expansion outward towards N & NE

1990-2013 | Sporadic outward growth. Development towards Ft. Myers Boundary

24,243 total housing units

37,624 total housing units |9

It is necessary to separate the various infrastructural and contextual layers that make up Lehigh Acres in order to understand the social, ecological, and economic problems facing the community. By understanding how each layer operates individually, we can identify opportunities and challenges within each system.

10 | OOPS!

ISOLATION

OPPORTUNITY

INTERVENTION

OUTLOOK

Ecology |A sprawling network of vacant land serves an important ecological role for the community. Construction and development threaten to impact their future survival.

Water Mgmt. | A series of canals spread over lehigh providing drainage and detention throughout the annual wet/dry cycle. These networks have great potential for innovation.

Scale | The road network dominates the existing landscape. A vareity of grid types represent the various phases throughout lehigh’s progression.

Context | The auto-centric scale of the community coupled with subdivision from other networks creates a landscape that is more reminiscent of a mosaic than homogenous surface.

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Lehigh Acres development is marked by four distinct grid types. Each of these girs offers unique conditions that impact a design solution. North Lehigh, the last phase of development, is characterized by a 1400 ft. by 400 ft. superblock. Although scaled to the autobmobile, this grid pattern offers the most flexibility when designing a solution.

West Lehigh

Downtown

North Lehigh

South Lehigh

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Downtown

West Lehigh

South Lehigh

North Lehigh

_ Concentrated development

_ Concentrated - moderate development

_ Moderate - sporadic development

_ Sporadic development throughout

_ 1/4 acre parcels

_ 1/4 acre parcels

_ 1/4 - 1/2 Acre Parcels

_ 1/2 Acre parcels

_ Neighborhood canal network

_ Neighborhood and collector canals

_ Neighborhood & Collector canals

_ Limited canal network

_ Irregular Grid <1mi

_ Shifted grid 1mi

_ Warped grid 1mi

_ Continuous Grid

A taxonomy of the grid types occupying Lehigh Acres reveals variety in scale, parcel size, connectivity, and infrastructural development. Each pattern offers unique opportunities and drawbacks, but North Lehigh was chosen based on the uniformity of the existing grid, probability of future improvements to infrastructure networks to accommodate growth, and ecological potential. The large parcel size offers more flexibility to speculate on alternative uses for this excess of space.

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2 | ISOLATION

Reconstructing community

In addition to the road network, Leigh Acres also has an extensive water managment system. In order to develop the land, an extensive network of canals was designed to collect and manage runoff. In designing this system, engineers reversed the natural hydrology of the area. As the community grows, the antequated system struggles to accomodate increased runoff.

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ISOLATION

The existing network has over three hundred miles of canals intented to collect runoff from the surrounding development. These canals distributed water into sixteen major canals which channel the water into six preserves intended to retain and filter the runoff. When these preserves reach capacity, water is discharged out of the system. As a result, eutrophication and ecological degredation occurs in surrounding areas.

311 miles of canals

16 major canals

6 preserves | 17

The canals within the existing network range in scale from very small stormwater channels to large collector canals. The variety of scales presents an opportunity to create a design solution that can operate at both the block level as well as the community scale.

Stormwater Channel

Neighborhood Canal

Collector Canal

Canal Convergence

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Filter Marsh

canal network creates

Currently the overlap between the street grid and canal infrastructure creas a sereis of boundaries. Better Integration between these two networks will improve connectivity as well as increase capacity to manage water.

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;islandingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; effect of isolation

flow direction of existing canal network

major road connections to surrounding fabric

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Improved water management practices is critical to ensuring the future success of Lehigh Acres. A lack of water and sewer infrastructure beyond Downtown Lehigh Acreas has created a landscape scattered with well and septic systems. Increased development places more strain on natural resources and elevated risk of salwater intrusion and groundwater contamination.

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As development increases, the annual cycle of groundwater levels becomes more erratic.

North Lehigh is at the very early stages of this transformation which began in the second phase of lehighs urbanization. The construction of local infrastructure networks provides a more sustainable model of development.

effects of wells on surrounding water levels

residential wells dominate the areas outside downtown Lehigh

7.6 m / 25 ft

2011

1998

1975

0 | 21

3 | OPPORTUNITY Avoiding disaster, Managing grwoth, preserving ecology, strengthening community

As an alternative to formal grid networks, this strategy uses larger ecological and urban system to generate a more sustainable development strategy. The area is graded for its ecological or development potential and these areas are used to generate a new system of organization.

High Moisture | Elevation relative to moisture capacity of A & B soil types

Low Moisture | Elevation rlative to moisture capacity of C & D soil types

Current Urbanization | elevation relative to building age 24 | OOPS!

ISOLATION

OPPORTUNITY

INTERVENTION

OUTLOOK

Urbanity

Ecology

The strategy focuses around three dominant areas, Urbanity, Ecology, and Production.

Urban areas have the lowest rechage potential. Ecological preservation zones have the greatest potential to filter and rechage groundwater systems.

The areas equally suitable for development and ecology are most suited for productive purposes. These areas can be used to feed back into the urban and ecological zones.

Composite

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In order to accomodate increased development, it has been estimated that 20% of every parcel should be designed for onsite retention.

This system perpetuates suburban isolationsism. By thinking of retention at the scale of the block, a system can begin to create a network that serves both a functional and organizational purpose.

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existing

parcel retention

block retention

retention network

By linking areas with the greatest ecological potential, a secondary network serves as both a connector and an ecological function. As Lehigh Acres grows, this network will increase connectivity between ecological, production, and development areas.

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The secondary network links ecology with development. The integration of these two systems ensures future development will be sustainable.

Major connections are selected based on their ecological and developmet capacities.

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Composite Network

Urbanization

Heirearchy can be established by understanding the relative ecological and development potential for each corridor.

This proccess helps determine the corridorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s character as well as establish priority for design implimenetation.

Development Potential

Ecological Network

Canal Infrastructure

Urbanization | 29

2 | INTERVENTION Designing for the future

Node | Community

Center| Neighborhood

Design | This design strategy will focus on three main elements: corridors, infrastructural centers, and densification as the elements used to generate a new intermediate (0-3mi) network. This secondary network focuses on maximizing social and ecological connectivity between nodes of development, recharge and production. A network of water towers and aboveground infrastructure provide basic services to the community and limit sprawling 32 | OOPS!

Corridor| Local

development. Infrastructure centers focused around aquaculture provide areas for production and can serve as economic drivers for the community. By limiting development in these areas, the landscape can serve a greater purpose within the community.

Density | Current estimates suggest that Lehigh’s population will reach 300k at the time of full build out. This estimate assumes the current level of density spread

ISOLATION

OPPORTUNITY

Production | Center

throughout the community. To ensure future success we must refocus this density in areas with little ecological potential and diversify building type and density. The densities transect ranges from ‘high density’ neighborhood centers, to ‘low density’ production areas. Urbanization patterns, soil type and moisture capacity, and ecological potential have been used to generate these boundaries. Neighborhood centers will support a variety of uses (comINTERVENTION

mercial, retail, civic) and integrated housing. The current ¼ acre parcels must be rescaled to accommodate increased densities. These range from 8-12 units/acre depending on their suitability.ecological habitat, and storm water runoff channel.

Within the network, the function and importance establish hierarchy.

OUTLOOK

Ecological infrastructure

Neighborhood infrastructurewater distribution

Urbanity

Ecologyprocessing

Production

Existing | 33

Existing | Canal infrastructure and Road Network

34 | OOPS!

Phase 1 | Expansion of road corridor and ecological infrastructure

ISOLATION

Phase 2 | Establishment of secondary network and block division transverse to infrastructure axis

OPPORTUNITY

Phase 3 | Extension of secondary network

INTERVENTION

Phase 4 | Aggregation of blocks and establishment of production centers

OUTLOOK

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Infrastructure

[Joel Boulevard Catalyst for Development]

As sprawling development occurs, groundwater levels continue their erratic trends and the well network becomes vulnerable to future uncertainty. Well permitting should be kept to a minimum, and this will allow the system to recover and stabilize. The Rights-of-way provided by the eco-network can serve as viaducts for water and sewer infrastructure systems. To minimize the impact of sea level rise, these lines rest above ground and penetrate into the surface at major intersections. The design engages pedestrians through observation areas and boardwalks intended for recreation and transportation.

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Sunshine Canal - Lehigh Acres (+25yrs)

_Infrastructural The county cannot afford to maintain the current road network, and its systematic reduction in scale allows for hierarchical transfer. The tertiary network favors alternative transportation methods ideal for medium range (0-3mi) trips. Although prohibited in most areas, All Terrain Vehicles and Golf carts are the preferred transportation method for community residents. These vehicle are very efficient for local trips and integrating designated paths into major corridors, automobile dependence decreases. _Social Currently struggling to maintain a sense of community the addition of an extensive recreation network and mixed use areas provide new sites of interaction. The local centers will connect through the ecological corridors and existing grid network. These corridors serve as a recreation network to improve health of residents and the environment. Local Community facilities serve as neighborhood centers, providing a place for engagement and gathering. | 39

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Joel Blvd - Lehigh Acres (+100yrs)

Any strategy implimented in Lehigh Acres, or a similar condition should focus on improving connectivity within the community.

This strategy will utilize a system of nodes and corridors whose location has been informed through previous investigation. This intermediate network allows for alternative transportation methods intended to reduce automobile use and provide community assets at a local scale.

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Centers

[Mixed Use, Multi-modal, Connectivity]

Increasing density is necessary to create a more sustainable community. These new centers should incorporate mixed uses that help create neighborhood centers. Linking development centers with ecological corridors enables future growth to preserve the natural function of the landscape.

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Undeveloped land serves a critical role in Lehigh Acreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s ecology. Large patches of vacant parcels provide habitats for wildlife, and serve as groundwater recharge areas.

Densification is focused in areas with the least ecological and recharge potential, and areas with high moisture capacity zones are preserved in their natural state.

Within the network, the corridors serve an important role for wildlife movement as well as providing recreation and public spaces within the community. Their individual designs maximize interaction with ecologically rich areas and provide connection between neighborhood centers.

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Recharge

[Ecology, Preservation, Recreation]

Production

[Economy + Flexibility]

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3 | OUTLOOK Implementation, growth, resource managament Lehigh Acres aspires to become a â&#x20AC;&#x153;sustainable community of choiceâ&#x20AC;?. This strategy provides a framework for attaining this goal. By organizing future growth around a network of nodes and corridors, future development will be well connected and ecologically sustainable. The nework links neighborhood centers through corridors designed to facilitate alternative transportation methods. The recreation network provides areas for interaction and promotes existing activities within the community. The ecological value of recharge areas and corridors ensures that existing infrastructure networks will not be overwhelmed by increased development.

OOPS!

ISOLATION

OPPORTUNITY

INTERVENTION

OUTLOOK

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