CONTEXT REGIONAL CONTEXT
CITY CONTEXT
Boise serves a metro area that encompasses several commuter communities, ncludeing Caldwell, Nampa & near-by Meridian.
The Bench area lies nestles in the crook between I-84 and I-184. It lies between destinations such as Downtown, Commuter Cities and the Airport and recreational amenities such as the river greenbelt, foothills and nearby desert trails.
I-84 to Oregon
CALDWELL
FOOTHILLS DOWNTOWN BOISE STATE UNIVERSITY
MERIDIAN
NAMPA
BOISE
I-84
COMMUTER COMMUNITIES
BOISE AIRPORT
I-84 to Idaho Falls
PROJECT CONTEXT
DESERT Katheryn Alberston Park
I-
EMERALD ST.
Liberty Park
To Meridian
To Downtown
LEGEND Morris Hill Cemetery ORCHARD ST.
4 8 1
CURTIS ST.
Our site is framed by the I-184 corridor to the north and the Ridenbaugh Canal to the south. At the core of the sector lie four major intersections that are surrounded by a variety of industrial, residential and commercial uses.
Open Space Canal Greenbelt Railroad
Morris Hill Park
Minor Street Major Street
FRANKLIN ST.
Freeway
Significant Intersection To Boise State University
ORCHARD STREET
BOISE
To Airport
JAMES HANSEN
JOHN LOCKE
JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
HAILEY WALL
PROF CAROLINE LAVOIE
TANYA RICE
a vision for the future URBAN THEORY, SYSTEMS & DESIGN
LAND USE & ZONING CURRENT ZONING
ACTUAL USAGE
Residential
Commercial
Retail
Undeveloped Open Space
Mixed Use
Institutional
Multi-Family Residential
Developed Open Space
Industrial
Park & Open Space
Single Family Residential
Institutional
Industrial
Office
Orchard Corridor The entirety of Orchard Street from I184 to Franklin Street is currently zoned for mixed use. The current density of use; however, does not support mixed use development in this area. If mixed use is to be developed it will need to take place in higher density nodes and not stretched out over the entire corridor.
JAMES HANSEN
JOHN LOCKE
Residential To the north of franklin street and the west of Orchard Street there are isolated pockets of residential which are not well integrated into the physical structure of the neighborhood
Undeveloped space There are few undeveloped parcels in the bench. Thus, new development will occur as adaptive reuse or redevelopment of previously developed parcels.
Industrial The center of the study area is dominated by unwelcoming industrial uses which cuts the north west of the site off from the remainder of the area.
ORCHARD STREET
BOISE JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
HAILEY WALL
PROF CAROLINE LAVOIE
TANYA RICE
a vision for the future URBAN THEORY, SYSTEMS & DESIGN
SOCIO-CULTURAL DIMENSIONS BARRIERS
DEMOGRAPHICS
ACCESSIBILITY ISSUES
BOISE vs. BENCH DISTRICT
Lack of sidewalks and ADA accessible amenities in the central bench has created an exclusionary environment for those with limited mobility.
216,282
17,125
$48,524
$29,826
TRANSPORTATION Boise lacks an effective public transit system and the central bench is not well connected to the city’s bicycle system. Low income individuals face financial hardship due to commuting costs, which limit job availability. If low cost transportation opportunities, such as bikes or buses, are not improved the area will continue to suffer from high poverty rates.
10.6% Post-Graduate 23.% Bachelors Degree 36.4% Some College 21.2% High School Diploma 8.9% Some High School
EDUCATION The central bench suffers from lower rates of educational attainment when compared with the city of Boise as a whole. The loss of neighborhood school buildings in recent decades has removed an important educational, social and cultural asset from the neighborhood. CANALS The Central Bench is divided by numerous canals which a relics of its agricultural past. While these canals bring the sound and cooling effects of water into the neighborhoods, they also constitute a physical barrier that is difficult to cross. The canals cut residential neighborhoods off from amenities such as parks and from other neighborhoods.
JAMES HANSEN
JOHN LOCKE
JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
89% White 1.5% African American 3.2% Asian 7.1% Hispanic 6.3% Other
80% White 3.9% African American 4.2% Asian 12.3% Hispanic 11.9% Other
$177,900
$144,00
6.45% Post-Graduate 11.72% Bachelors Degree 40.62% Some College 29.67% High School Diploma 11.39% Some High School
Source: www.census.gov 2010 U.S Census
CULTURE
LANGUAGE
The Bench is home to a large refugee population which regularly experiences culture shock and stress associated with adjusting to a new cultural paradigm. Lack of experience or knowledge of the American Education, Health, and Governmental systems often leads to negative outcomes.
The refugee community of the Bench includes many individuals who are not native English speakers. Navigating governmental and social systems without full understanding of the language is extremely difficult and limits effective access to services.
HAILEY WALL
PROF CAROLINE LAVOIE
ORCHARD STREET
BOISE TANYA RICE
a vision for the future URBAN THEORY, SYSTEMS & DESIGN
FUNCTIONAL DIMENSIONS & MOVEMENT TRANSIT MAP
Central District Health
42
Fairview
Health & Welfare
45
Barrister
a
an
ic er
Am
8x
Ann Morrison Park
sit
Ma
ll
Un
ive
rsit
y
Beacon Pa
Lincoln
Protest
rk
ce n t e
Overland
Bo
ise
1 Bergeson
de
Fe
Airport Way
Timberline HS
Law
Boise Airport
26
Canal
Apple
3
20
Development
Elder Frank Church High School
4
r
Victory
Targee
1
Pennsylvania Gekeler
Targee
29
Broadway
Owyhee
Park & Ride Facilities
3
Vista
Nez Perce Major Transfer Location
West JHS
Boise
Tra n
4
BLM
28
h
13t
Rose Hill Roosevelt
Borah HS
Orchard
Phillippi
Bench Entrance
Cole
Social Security Office
30
Curtis
28 Five Mile Plaza
5
6
8x
Bishop Kelly HS
29 84
43 42 Emerald
Boise Towne Sq. Mall
8x
6
Latah
Emerald
Maple Grove
8 8x
Saint Alphonsus Med. Ctr.
t
Milwaukee
Boise Police Department
Fairmont JH
Kathryn Albertson Park
th
37
1s
Northview
8
Cole
LEGEND
Ca 9th pit ol
GREENBELT MAP
ay
lW
ra
Commerce
The Bench Area has some of the best transit coverage in the entire Boise Metro area, however the frequency and run times simply are not sufficient to make it a viable option for many people
The most significant trail system nearby is the Boise River Greenbelt. The main access is an unassuming entrance on Orchard Street
56
WALK- & BIKE-ABLITY ACCORDING TO WALKSCORE.COM
5
th
The Central Bench ranks as the 5th most walkable neighborhood in Boise behind Downtown, North End, Veterans Park & Morris Hill.
JAMES HANSEN
out of 100
For each address, Walk Score analyzes hundreds of walking routes to nearby amenities. Points are awarded based on the distance to amenities in each category. Amenities, such as grocery stores, schools, parks, restaurants, and retail within a 5 minute walk (.25 miles) are given maximum points. A decay function is used to give points to more distant amenities, with no points given after a 30 minute walk.
JOHN LOCKE
JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
Somewhat Walkable Some errands can be accomplished on foot
Walk Score also measures pedestrian friendliness by analyzing: • Population density • Block length • Intersection density. Source: http://www.walkscore.com/research
HAILEY WALL
PROF CAROLINE LAVOIE
74
Very Bikeable Biking is convenient for most trips
out of 100
Bike Score measures whether a location is good for biking on a scale from 0 - 100 based on four equally weighted components: • Bike lanes • Hills • Destinations and road connectivity • Bike commuting mode share
ORCHARD STREET
BOISE TANYA RICE
a vision for the future URBAN THEORY, SYSTEMS & DESIGN
HISTORICAL & MORPHOLOGICAL DIMENSIONS 1938
1951
1938 is our baseline year. As we can see, the Central Bench is still very much empty, as far as large structures go. The vast majority of the land is still in agriculture, while residential development is concentrated on the eastern side of the area. From this it is obvious that development is slowly spreading in from the downtown area. The largest feature visible is the old fairgrounds, at the northern extreme of Orchard Street. The only large building so far are clustered around the racetrack.
1971
By 1951, we can see development begin to take on a more structured appearance as residential areas grow and are filled in. The fairgrounds are still apparent and large structures are still clustered around the northern end of Orchard Street. In this map the most discernible pattern is the rise of the suburbs that occurred in much of America during the 50s. However, much of the western half of the site is still taken up by predominantly agricultural uses. Here we see the first of the oil tanks that today make up the tank farm.
1994
Existing Structures
2014
Although not shown in this map, one of the biggest influences on the structure of the Central Bench by 1971 was the arrival of the freeway. In this map we can see the increased amount of new developments, including whole subdivisions of residential single family homes. We can also see a spread of large structures, predominantly industrial, into the western half of the site. The Central Bench begins to take on it’s modern character although there are still large tracts of undeveloped land.
JAMES HANSEN
JOHN LOCKE
By 1994, we can start to recognize structures that are still present today, including St. Alphonsus Medical Center. The western half of the site continues to see more development, both industrial and small pockets of residential. As development fills in, the underlying pattern of roads and the railroad becomes apparent, adding to the present day morphological character of mass and void in the site today. We can also see more large buildings along the orchard street corridor as commercial uses fill in.
JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
HAILEY WALL
New Development
By 2014, we can see development is slowing down. There are fewer areas of undeveloped land for new uses, but we can see that there is a strong divide along the old railroad, which runs diagonally across the site from the southwest to the northeast, with denser, predominantly residential uses on the east and sparser industrial developments with larger structures set farther apart on the west. From this figure ground we can see several important
morphological features. Firstly, while the underlying patterns of road is visible, there is little relationship of individual buildings to the streets, especially in the commercial developments along orchard street. Looking at the map at this scale, it appears densely developed, but at a human scale, there is a greater sense of openness and void. The size and scale of the negative spaces create an uncomfortable environment on a pedestrian level.
ORCHARD STREET
BOISE PROF CAROLINE LAVOIE
TANYA RICE
a vision for the future URBAN THEORY, SYSTEMS & DESIGN
URBAN LANDSCAPE STRUCTURE IMPERVIOUS COVER
STREET LANDSCAPE
3 1
Street landscape structure along Orchard Street, Emerald Street, Franklin Street, and other major arterials located within the Central Bench varies in intensity and visual character including parking lot screenings with trees, plantings consisting mainly of low level shrubs and herbaceous plant material, poorly maintained or weedy landscape strips, or continuous pavement from street to sidewalk to parking
4 2
areas. While there are obvious challenges the relative lack of landscape structure along these corridors, there is the opportunity to create a new, unified network of street trees, plantings, hardscape, street furniture, and lighting without the need to conform to existing, more permanent landscape elements (mature trees, streetlights, etc.).
PARKS AND OPEN SPACE
PAVED
PERMEABLE
11
Existing Park Space Undeveloped Open Space
22
Canal
Liberty Park
Four-lane roads, sidewalks and commercial parking areas create the potential for polluted stormwater runoff to enter the local watershed.
33
Permeable vegetated areas allow stormwater to infiltrate the soil, recharging the groundwater and cleaning it in the process.
Morris Hill Cemetery & Park
44 Bishop Kelly HS Fields
Borah HS Fields
Cassia Park
BOISE JAMES HANSEN
JOHN LOCKE
JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
HAILEY WALL
a vision for the future
STREET & BUILDING INTERFACES TYPE A
No Entry/Large Window(s)
Entry
TYPE D No Entry/Large Window(s)
Entry
No Entry/No or Small Window(s)
Entry
No Entry
Parking/Setback
Entry
Entry
No Entry/Large Window(s)
No Entry
This street-building typology is characterized by a strong relationship with the public realm with a minimal setback and a general permeability achieved through an emphasized entrance and windows that are large enough to establish some form of indoor-outdoor relationship. This interface type offers the greatest opportunity for retrofit and as a framework for surrounding infill development. Parking/Setback
TYPE B
No Entry/No or Small Window(s)
Entry
Characterized by a mid-sized setback (typically used by parking, but not necessarily), this street-building typology has a weaker relationship to the public realm than other types, however a street facing entry maintains some form of permeability and therefore offers some opportunity for retrofit (small plazaParking/Setback space, outdoor dining, etc.) Parking/Setback
TYPE E No Entry No Entry/Large Window(s) Entry
Entry
No Entry/No or Small Window(s) Entry
No Entry Parking/Setback
Parking/Setback Parking/Setback
Parking/Setback
No Entry/Large Window(s)
Entry
No Entry/No or Small W
No Entry Entry
No Entry
Entry
Parking/Setback Lacking an emphasized entrance, this street-building typology maintains a modest form of indoor-outdoor relationship with large windows and a minimal setback from the sidewalk. However, it lack the same permeability of a Type A street-building relationship. Constrained somewhat by this lack or permeability, this interface type can still provide the opportunity for a sense Parking/Setback of enclosure and, retrofitted correctly, can still reinforce street-building interface. Parking/Setback
With a mid-sized setback and a lack of emphasized entry, this street-building interface type lacks permeability and contributes minimally to the sense of enclosure in the public realm. These constraints make this interface a Parking/Setback candidate for infill with denser development with a stronger street-building interface. Entry
TYPE C
No Entry
Entry No Entry/Large Window(s)
No Entry/No or Small Window(s)
TYPE F
No Entry
Parking/Setback
Parking/Setback
Parking/Setback
Parking/Setback
Entry
Parking/Setback
No Entry
No Entry
No Entry
Parking/Setback
Parking/Setback
A minimal setback from the sidewalk establishes a sense of enclosure and some form of building-street interface, however a lack of entry and/or large windows limits any form of permeability or indoor-outdoor relationship with the public realm. While constrained in its flexibility, this interface type can still provide the opportunity for a sense of enclosure and therefore serve as structure for surroundingParking/Setback infill development.
This street-building typology is characterized by large setbacks typically used for parking. Detached from the street, the scale of this interface type is too large to maintain permeability and limits any sense of enclosure for public space. Properties of this type offer the opportunity for infill development of parking areas closer to the street.
BOISE JAMES HANSEN
arking/Setback
JOHN LOCKE
JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
HAILEY WALL
a vision for the future
STREET & BUILDING INTERFACES See page 2 for coordinating street & building interface typologies
Orchard St.
Emerald St.
Franklin St.
ORCHARD STREET
BOISE JAMES HANSEN
JOHN LOCKE
JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
HAILEY WALL
PROF CAROLINE LAVOIE
TANYA RICE
a vision for the future URBAN THEORY, SYSTEMS & DESIGN
PERCEPTUAL DIMENSIONS The narrow roadways feel congested with two lanes in each direction. However that same scale makes it easier for pedestrians to cross and lends to more human scaled neighborhoods.
IMPRESSIONS As we toured the bench area on foot and by car, we were impressed by the good structure of the neighborhood, but heartily dismayed by the evident degeneration. With a little planning and creativity we believe that this neighborhood can become a destination with thriving streets and economic activity.
The dominant characterization is of placelessness. Nothing distiguishes the bench from any other area in teh region. Powerlines dominate the skyline, street trees are patchy and do not provide adequate shade for pedestrians.
“It has potential to be great”
“A little investment would go a long way here”
Some evidence of redevelopment has helped elevate the tenor of the area. However, much still lies neglected with weeds poking through pavements and broken windows left unrepaired.
ORCHARD STREET
BOISE JAMES HANSEN
JOHN LOCKE
JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
HAILEY WALL
PROF CAROLINE LAVOIE
TANYA RICE
a vision for the future URBAN THEORY, SYSTEMS & DESIGN
SYNTHESIS STRENGTHS
WEAKNESSES
OPPORTUNITIES
THREATS
• Proximity to both Downtown Boise and Boise State University and easy terrain make commuting by bicycle and transit a possibility. • A large variety of Multi-cultural businesses provide greater consumer choice, contribute to sense of place, and strengthen social diversity and community fabric. • Affordable housing stock and commercial space is readily available. • Orchard Street is the only NorthSouth connection between the Boise River Greenbelt and popular mountain bike trails in the desert. • Strong community spirit means that public involvement will shape this neighborhood.
• Large amount of public space is dedicated to automobile infrastructure limiting transportation choices and weakening the pedestrian experience • Proximity to large industrial area creates problems with scale and limits connections between areas within the community. • Limited transit system reduces transportation choices. • Large quantity of aging and poorly maintained infrastructure and buildings. • Limited amount of park and open space. • Extensive vacant storefronts as well as a plethora of tattoo parlors create an air of abandonment and neglect to the area
• Scale, setback, and street-building interface typology around the Emerald and Orchard intersection allows for the opportunity for retrofit and infill development. • Site of old Franklin School provides a potential neighborhood anchor in the park and retail redevelopment along the Orchard and Franklin intersection. • Lack of street landscape structure provides opportunity for a unified network of street trees, hardscape, street furniture and lighting. • Creation of a North-South bicycle corridor from Downtown Boise through the Boise River Greenbelt and the Central Bench to recreation trails in the desert. • Strong ethic diversity can serve as a catalyst in the creation of a unique international district for the Boise region.
• The possibility of oil spills from the pipeline & surrounding tank farm compromise public & environmental health • Targeting of the pipeline by terrorist organizations create a security threat • Mismanagement of the canal system due to a lack of knowledge transfer create a flooding hazard. • Lack of investment into this area will create a breeding ground ripe for crime, safety hazards and bigotry.
ORCHARD STREET
BOISE JAMES HANSEN
JOHN LOCKE
JOHAN VAN ZEBEN
HAILEY WALL
PROF CAROLINE LAVOIE
TANYA RICE
a vision for the future URBAN THEORY, SYSTEMS & DESIGN