The Driverless Street by Nicolette Ward

THE DRIVERLESS STREET Re -imagining the Urban Street in the Age of Autonomous Vehicles

Nicolette Ward

Advisor: Timothy Stenson

Spring 2018 Thesis

CONTENTS 02

Contention 04

Evolution of Streets 10

Autonmous Vehicles 16 Site 18

Street Analysis 26

Precedent Analysis 32

Strategy 34

Sources

Contention

Since the advent of automobiles, city street design has privileged vehicular needs – drive lanes, park-

ing, etc. Indeed, even predating cars, wider, straighter streets were developed as “progressive” urban improvements. With twentieth century increases in vehicular traffic volume city streets grew wider, and wider. Engineering paraments of volume, speed, turning radii, taxis, busses, through traffic, etc. now govern city street design. Of course, and almost without fail, traffic volume overwhelms designed capacity. Urban traffic congestion comprised of large volumes of stopped-to-slow-moving cars and trucks results in high local pollution levels. Mixed in with the traffic, yet squeezed to the edges, pedestrians are subject to inhospitable, and unhealthy urban street space.

90% of car related deaths are caused by human error. Driverless cars would eliminate human error and

reduce fatalities significantly. Up to 30% of urban traffic is generated by drivers looking for parking. Driverless cars will essentially eliminate the need for parking as they are constantly on the move for a new passenger. There are over 1 billion cars in the world, but they sit idle 96% of the time. The space that will be freed up by driverless cars is staggering and its our job as architects to design it.

The introduction of autonomous vehicles will bring opportunities to shift the dominant user of streets

from the vehicle to the pedestrian. This shift in significance among users will lead to major changes in the dynamic of a typical urban street; a shift in scale from vehicles to pedestrians as well as shifts in speed and program could have profound architectural effects in regards to street design elements such as scale, materiality, building interface, and dimension. Recognizing street-space structure as “stranded” – comprised of multiple parallel bands of use – this proposal will reconfigure the public space of city streets: braiding, bending, folding, seaming, intertwining the spatial form of these strands to better accommodate pedestrians as well as autonomous vehicles.

Architecture currently plays a minor role in the design of streets – transportation engineers reign, but

as the amount of cars needed decreases and the pedestrian gains higher significance, an architecturally driven strategy to street design can be implemented. AV advanced mapping and maneuvering technology will allow them to drive and park much closer together, allowing for a reduction in lane width and parking spaces. Various studies looking at the use of ridesharing and the expected technology of driverless cars predict that it will be significantly cheaper for urban residents to use ridesharing in a driverless vehicle as opposed to having a personal car or hailing a cab. Ridesharing and the efficiency of driverless cars will lead to a dramatic decreases in the both the amount of driving lanes and the width of driving lanes. The need for parking spaces will effectively disappear. With these changes in traditional street layout, a question is raised regarding the architectural implications and opportunities of this abandoned space; if an entire lane of traffic is no longer needed then how should that space be repurposed?

CONTENTION

This thesis aims to utilize the benefits that driverless cars will bring in order to design an inhabitable and

dimensional urban street through the introduction of an additional layer of public space. This investigation is used as a test case. The new street is aimed at providing a better environment for pedestrians and cyclers while also accommodating driverless cars.

In analyzing the fabric and elements of an existing street in Boston, a theme quickly becomes apparent;

the street consists of numerous layers of divisions and lines, both two dimensional and three dimensional. These lines start to form many partitions within the context of the street and create separations in program, scale, speed, material, etc. Some lines can be crossed, some can be stepped over, some can be walked through, some can be used.

The architectural strategy of the project is informed by this mapping and analysis, which revealed a

stranded condition of space and elements throughout the street. The concept of strands as space and weaving as a way of making space is utilized in order to accommodate several modes of movement and activity within the street. The strategy is two fold and it consists of a systematic landscape as one part and exceptional interventions as the second. The back and forth dialogue between the systematic and the exceptional is continuously exemplified in the armature which runs throughout the street and terminates into the park.

et tre

dth

Street Width

Pre-1880

Pedestrian Dominated Winding, Narrow Roads

1880-19201

Pedestrian Dominated Roads Widened Street Grids Used

920-present

Vehicle Dominated New Highway Infrastructure Pedestrians Pushed Out of the Street

Future Possibility Simultaneous Accomodation of Vehicle & Pedestrians Streets get narrower

The Evolution of Streets Haussman and the Re-building of Paris

Haussmanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s rebuilding of Paris sought to improve the health of of the streets which were at the time very narrow and lacked light and air. They also had open sewage gutters that negatively affected the health of the streets. His new avenues were wider and cut through some of the existing dense fabric of paris. The new streets were laid out Monumental SpaceBy widening the streets he also sought to let more light and air in and to be linear and less confusing to navigate.

allow for room for activites and celebration. -Allow pedestrians to appreciate architecture -Creat beautiful squares

Evening on the Boulevard in Paris, Luigi Loir

Streets were widened to allow for light, air, and activity.

Paris Street; Rainy Day, Gustave Caillebotte There was a strong desire for beautiful and large open spaces where people could appreciate architecture.

EVOLUTION OF STREETS

ISSUES

SOLUTIONS

Narrow Streets

Widened Streets

Confusing Layout

New & Symmetrical Roads

No Beautiful Avenues & Squares

Constructed Monuments & Parks

Open Sewage Gutters Lack of Light & Air

Expanded Sewer System Wider Streets & Gas Lights

The plan for new avenues cut through a dense existing fabric and cleared out old buildings to make room for the new.

Map of Paris c. 1850

Map of Baron Haussmann’s new boulevards and avenues.

A picture taken during the construction of the Avenue de L’opera

The modern Avenue de L’opera

The Evolution of Streets Camillo Sitte

Camillo Sitteâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s criticism of late nineteenth century urbanism is rooted in an argument to plan cities using

artistic principles and using established medieval planning methods that form a sense of place. Sitte argues that an urban space needs to give a feeling of enclosure and that this can be achieved through curved roads and placement of monuments. Enclosure is not achieved in grid locked city plans due to the endless vistas of linear streets. He also argues against the method of block planning as it inevitably places streets and open areas in the leftover space.

Endless Vistas No Buffer Between Foreground & Background

Focused Vista Partial Enclosure

Controlled Vista Buffer Between Foreground & Background Enlosed

Evolution of Streets

Planning Blocks - Open Space & Streets are Leftover

Planning Open Space & Streets

10 Vistas

Hierarchy of Streets

5 Vistas

1 Vista

Grid-lock, No Hierarchy

The Evolution of Streets Camillo Sitte

“

“In former times the open spaces—streets and plazas—were designed to have an enclosed character for a definite effect. Today we normally begin by parcelling out building sites, and whatever is left over is turned into streets and plazas.” (Sitte, 1945)

Camillo Sitte and Leon Krier believed that streets should have diverse and perhaps picturesque vistas and thus the elevations should vary as one moves along so that they constantly

Elevation from Poundsbury, UK

appreciate a new view.

These idelas went against the ideals of modernist planners like Haussmann who utilized coherence and repetition along very wide and linear streets.

Elevation from Boulevard Haussmann, Paris

Evolution of Streets

Venice & Florence

Venice Street Sections

Florence Street Sections

The streets in Venice are unlike anywhere else due to their lack of cars. The canals in venice serve

as â&#x20AC;&#x153;streetsâ&#x20AC;?. Through analyzing the unique sections of various instances in Venice, one can begin to understand the street at different scales. Bridges are prominently used and show a smoother crossing between pedestrians and vehicles (boats). 2.

When looking at street sections in Florence, it becomes clear that the streets are at a human scale.

Several streets are just big enough for a single pedestrian while others serve as a platform for adjacent buisnesses to spill activity onto the street.

Autonomous Vehicles How Driverless Cars Will Change Cities

Ro m an Z a k h a re n k o dis cus s es the impacts that dri verless cars w i ll have on exi sti ng urban fabri c in h is a r t ic l e t i tl e d “Se l f - d r i v ing car s will change cities” and he concludes several key poi nts based on re se a rc h a n d t ren ds; c i ti e s w i l l expand, res idential dens i ty w i ll shi ft to the peri phery, economi c densi ty w i ll in c re a se in t h e co re of th e c i ty, and a “par king belt” will emerge.

Cities will expand. W i th the i ntroducti on of autonomous vehi cles, peopl e wil l be able to commute easi er and use thei r travel ti me in a

producti ve manner. Therefore, i t w i ll be more appea l in g t o resi de further from the center of the ci ty. (Zakharenko, 2016)

Residential density will shift. As people move further away from the center of the city, the residential density of the core will decrease. (Zakharenko, 2016)

AU TO NO M O U S V E HI C L ES

Economic density will increase. A s res i d e n ti a l d e n s ity mov es towards the e dge of the ci ty and as parki ng lots and garage s a re a b a n d oned, economic dens ity w i ll take over thi s space and expand w i thi n t h e co re of th e c i ty. (Zakharenko, 2016)

“Parking Belt” will appear. Zakharenko claims that the effects of autonomous vehicles may lead to the emergence of a “parking belt” in addition to the increased central economic activity and shift in residential density. (Zakharenko, 2016)

Dense Economic Core Parking Belt Residential Periphery

Autonomous Vehicles How Driverless Cars Will Change Cities

Numero us s c h o lar s an d st u d i es d i sc us s the a d v a n ta ge ou s e ffe cs that d r iv e r l e s s cars wi ll have o n o u r c i ty st reet s. T h ei r i n t ro d uction is expe cte d to a l l ow for re d u ction in l ane wi dths, in cre a s e s i n ro a d way c ap ac i t y , eli m i n ation of pa r kin g s pa ce , a n d re m ov a l of s ign age geared toward s ve h i c l e s.

25%

Red u c t i o n i n lan e w i dth ( ex. from 1 2ft to 9ft)

50%

In c rease i n ro ad way c a pa city Par k i n g lo t s an d g arage s w il l n o l on ge r b e n e e d e d R ai li n g an d si g n age f or v e hicl e s ca n b e e l im in ate d (Bowman, 2016)

“

“I n ter m s of infrast r u c t u re , e v e r y t h i n g f rom st ree ts to c ur b s to s i d ewa l k s w i l l n e e d t o change wh en the a utonom o u s c a r m a k e s i t s o f f icial debut.” (B owman, 2 01 6)

NOW

FUTURE

Static Congested Limited Green Space Vehicle dominated

Dyn a m ic Efficie nt G re e n Wa l ka b le

AU TO NO M O U S V E HI C L ES

The definition between the street and the curb wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t be as necessary.

There will no longer be a need for street parking. Instead there will be a need for pick up and drop off zones.

There will be more space for foilage and pedestrian paths wonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to be as strictly defined.

Autonomous Vehicles From Owning to Sharing

Current Private Vehicle

Future Shared AV

20¢

40¢

60¢

80¢

21¢

Operating Cost

61¢

Fixed Cost

17¢

Operating Cost

26¢

Fixed Cost

per mile

100¢

*Based on a chart from KPMG’s “Marketplace of Change: Automobile insurance in the era of autonomous vehicles” (2015)

“

“During the past five years, the Zipcar Annual Millennial Survey has consistently shown that millennials in the United States (regardless of where they live) report specific tendencies: t h e y f i n d i t d i ff i c u l t t o o w n a c a r ; t h e y w o u l d g e t r i d o f t h e i r c a r , TV or computer before they’d give up their mobile phone; they have a strong desire to protect the environment; and they are o p e n t o a l t e r n a t i v e f o r m s o f t r a n s p o r t a t i o n . ” (Zipcar, 2015)

AU TO NO M O U S V E HI C L ES

Physical Implications of New Technology

Reduction of Lanes 4-lane streets can be converted to 2-lane streets without losing capacity (Snyder, 2016) 12ft

9ft

Smaller Inter-vehicle Spacing Lane size can be decreased from 12ft to 9ft (Bowman, 2016)

Platooning Using connectivity technology, multiple vehicles can travel together at maintained high speeds. A dedicated lane for platooning vehicles would be most efficient.

12ft

9ft

Site Boston, Massachusetts boston commons

s o u t h s t at i o n

Project Site (Summer Street)

South Boston Waterfront

Marine Park (AV Testing)

W i th th e i n troduction of new trans po rtati on technologi es, there w i ll li kely be maj or ch a n ge s in t h e

way ci ti e s a n d th e ir infras tr ucture operate. Although there have been many speculati ons on the p o ssib l e im p act s o f a u ton om o us v ehicles , people hav e n ot yet begun to plan for these changes at an urban sc a l e . B o st o n i s l ead i n g th e wa y in this s ector , s ince it re leased a w hi te paper i n January 2017 about the co n n e c t io n b e t ween a u to n om o u s v ehicles and ur ban planni ng. Boston also released the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Go Boston 2030 Vi si o n a n d A c t io n Pl an â&#x20AC;? w h i c h f o c u ses on the future of the city w i th regards to transportati on changes and develo p m e n t s.

S ITE : BO STO N

Autonomous Vehicle Initiatives in Boston - The Future of Urban and Autonomous Vehicles Boston was selected as a focus-city for policy and pilot development of autonomous vehicles. - Smart City Collaborative

Boston is collaborating as an autonomous vehicle working group.

- Low Speed Automated Shuttle Research

The City of Boston is part of the Low-speed Automated Shuttle Working Group.

- Go Boston 2030 Vison and Action Plan

This transportation planning initiative identifies autonomous vehicles as a way of improving

the city and accomplishing their 3 goals: access, safety, and reliability.

- Pilot Testing of Autonomous Vehicles

Testing of autonomous vehicles is currently underway in Boston in the Raymond Flynn Marine

Park and South Boston Waterfront.

City of Boston (Phase D) South Boston Waterfront (Phase C)

Marine Industrial Park (Phase A&B)

Street Analysis Summer Street, Boston

20-25 ft 18-20 ft 20-25 ft 30-35 ft 35-40 ft 30-35 ft 35-40 ft 45-50 ft 45-50 ft 60-65 ft

Street Scale 70 ft

Vehicles 10% Pedestrians 90%

Vehicles 80% Pedestrians 20%

Vehicles 50% Pedestrians 50%

Vehicles v. Pedestrians

Summer Street

S T R E E T A N A LY S I S

Contours

Massing

Street Analysis Street as a Landscape Divided by Strands of Elements

T h e s t r e e t l a n d s c a p e i s l i t t e r e d w i t h m a n y d i ff e r e n t e l e m e n t s , e a c h s e r v i n g a c e r t a i n p u r p o s e

for pedestrians or vehicles. Upon analysis, it is clear that these elements have a typical placement along the street and varying degrees of repetition. As a result, lines or strands of elements run parallel

throughout the landscape and divide the space. These elements are catalogued and their “strands” are identified and mapped within the streetscape.

Lincoln St

N°5 S L

Purchase St

N°6 B R

Atlantic Ave

N°7 P

N°8 T & R

S T R E E T A N A LY S I S

Atlantic Ave

Dorchester Ave

N°1 S B

N°2 S L

N°3 C

N°4 T

Street Analysis Sectional Analysis

South Station

S T R E E T A N A LY S I S

Boston Commons

Street Analysis Sectional Analysis

The section of the existing street reveals a typical condition of our streets today. The majority of

the street is dedicated to vehicles and the pedestrians are pushed to the edge. Another condition that becomes apparent is the way that the street becomes divided by strands of objects. Curbs and lines and

Aesthetic Structure

Curb Light Posts Bollards

Lane Divider

Building

Pedestrian

Parking

North

Driving

Pedestrian

Driving

Parking

Pedestrian

Pedestrian (Covered)

Driving

Summer St

South

Building

Lane Divider

Curb

Lane Divider

Awning

Light Posts Curb

Lane Divider

lamps are utilized as a way of dividing up the street space and sepereating uses.

Summer St

Vegetation

Pedestrian

Driving

Pedestrian

Driving

South

Driving

Pedestrian

Building

Trees

Light Posts

Curb

Lane Division

Curb

Lane Division

Light Posts Curb

Bollard

S T R E E T A N A LY S I S

North

Section CC Curb Light Posts

Lane Division

Curb

Light Posts

Planter

Section BB

45 ft

Light Posts

Curb

Lane Division

Curb

Lane Division

Curb

Light Posts

Bollard

Street Analysis

Sectional Analysis

60 ft

Section EE Awning/signs

Curb

Lane Division

Curb

Light Posts

Curb

Lane Division

Light Posts Curb

S T R E E T A N A LY S I S

40ft

75ft

Section DD

60ft

40ft

Section GG Trees

Canopy

Light Post

Curb

Lane Division

Canopy

Planters

Curb Trees

Lane Division

Curb

Trees

Street Analysis

Sectional Analysis

60ft

30ft

Section FF

60ft

30ft

Signs

Section II Signs

Gutter Light Post

Light Post Gutter

Section HH

20ft

Canopy

Light Post

Gutter

Canopy

S T R E E T A N A LY S I S

60ft

Strategy Contextual Strategy

It may be the case that we are not reliant on a total transformation when driverless cars become

widespread. Instead, my expectation is that even before every city street is physically altered, traffic patterns will change because the computer regulated system in vehicles will make it possible for traffic to flow in more efficient ways. Even before this total physical transformation, the technology will likely offer opportunities to selectively redesign certain streets. In my own investigation and site which is in Boston, these selective streets radiate out of the Boston Commons like spokes. As of right now, redesigning a street would have major effects on drivers and their sense of location and direction. However, the mapping technology and sensors in driverless cars allow them to adapt to physical changes easily, so the physical tranformation of strteets would be possible without the negative effects that human drivers would experience.

ST R AT E GY

Strategy Exceptional v. Systematic

The design strategy of the project utilizes a dialogue between two systems: the exception-

al interventions and the systematic landscape. The systematic landscape consists of ramps and paths and it contains regular programs such as bathrooms, seating, and storage. The poche underneath the sloped paths contains temporal programs such as temporary pop up shops and exhibits. The exceptional interventions use actions such as wrapping, laminating, and infiltrating to tie a new layer of space into the existing fabric and to alter the exisitng street wall. The program of these interventions is point-specific and dependent on the existing street program.

ST R AT E GY

Exceptional Interventions

+ Systematic Landscape

Strategy Design Tactics

The design strategy of the project recognizes the street as consisting of strands. This

strategy can be brought down to a smaller scale when designing elements such as seating, lighting, and areas of vegetation.

( )

( ) ( )

ST R AT E GY

( )

Systems

(1.) (2.) Structure Strategy

Structural Hierarchy

The project contains two types of walkways: one larger walkway that meanders back and forth to each side of the street and then a series of smaller walkways that slope up from the ground plane to meet the larger walkway. The strutctural systems reflect the hierarchy of the walkways. The larger walkway (1) uses a system of arched steel supports while the smaller ones (2) use straight steel columns and beams.

Intervention Structure

The exceptional interventions that exist throughout the project also reinforce the directionality of the porject. They use a steel column and beam structure and are cladded with metal panels that run parallel to the street. They are conceptualized as single large strands that bend up and back over themselves in order to form an enclosure. Glass is used to maintain openness while one moves perpindicular to the street.

Structural Directionality

The primary lines of structural support run parallel to the strands to reinforce the directionality of the project. The secondary system of structural supports run perpindicular to the strands.

SYSTEMS

Water Collection System

Intersection

Design Perspective from above

DESIGN

Design Sections

Section AA

DESIGN

Design Sections

Section BB

DESIGN

Design Sections

The series of sections throughout the street can be compared to the existing conditions

in order to reveal the transformation of the street through the addition of space for pedestrians and bikers. A reduction in the amount of space used for vehicles is also demonstrated. In several cases, the sections reveal the way in that the exceptional interventions intrude upon the existing street wall. Through this transformation, the street begins to take on a new scale and dimension.

Section CC

DESIGN

Section DD

Section EE

Design Sections

Section FF

Section GG

DESIGN

Section HH

Section II

Design Floor Plans & Program

YOGA STUDIO

PA I N T S T U D I O

E X I S T I N G : R E TA I L , F O O D

BIKE STORE

B AT H R O O M S , B I K E S , S T O R A G E , F L E X

E X I S T I N G : R E TA I L , S T R E E T P E R F O R M E R S

B AT H R O O M S , B I K E S

E X I S T I N G : R E TA I L , F O O D

ART MUSEUM

B AT H R O O M S , B I K E S , S T O R A G E , F L E X

E X I S T I N G : PA R K

DESIGN

CAFE

MARKET

S, STORAGE, FLEX

B AT H R O O M S , B I K E S , S T O R A G E , F L E X

E X I S T I N G : F O O D T R U C K S , O F F I C E S , PA R K

D AY C A R E

B AT H R O O M S , B I K E S , S T O R A G E , F L E X

EXISTING: OFFICES, PLAZA

BOOKSTORE

E X I S T I N G : T R A I N S TAT I O N , O F F I C E S

EXISTING: OFFICES

Design First Floor Plan Detail i

MARKET

BOOKSTORE

D AY C A R E

B AT H R O O M S , B I K E S , S T O R A G E , F L E X

E X I S T I N G : F O O D T R U C K S , O F F I C E S , PA R K

E X I S T I N G : T R A I N S TAT I O N , O F F I C E S

EXISTING: OFFICES

DESIGN

Daycare

Bookstore

Paths connect buildings

Program underneath “strands”

AV Canopy

Design Perspective from Boston Commons

DESIGN

Design Perspective from below

DESIGN

Design Model

DESIGN

Design Model

DESIGN

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Lessons from Boston and Beyond.” BCG. October 17, 2017. Littman, Todd. “Autonomous Vehicle Implementation Predictions” VTPI. September 8, 2017. Pinjari, Abdul. “Highway Capacity Impacts of Autonomous Vehicles: An Assessment.” Rybczynski, Witold. “Behind the Façade of Prince Charles’s Poundbury.” Architectmagazine. December 3, 2013. http://www.architectmagazine.com/design/behind-the-facade-of-prince-charless-poundbury_o. Snyder, Ryan. “Implications of Autonomous Vehicles: A Planner’s Perspective.” Inside The Industry, December 2016, 25-28. Zakharenko, Roman. “Self-Driving Cars Will Change Cities.” SSRN Electronic Journal, 2016. “Zipcar annual millennial survey suggests being a ‘millennial’ is related to where you live, not when you were born.” News release, April 16, 2015. Zipcar. http://www.zipcar.com/press/releases/2015millennials.