Alleyway Revitalization Proposal

Tactical Project: Alleyway Revitalization Neighborhood Design Studio Linden Community Plan

City and Regional Planning

Neighborhood Design Studio Linden Community Plan

City and Regional Planning

Compiled by Sayee Mudholkar 2

Neighborhood Design Studio Linden Community Plan

City and Regional Planning

Contents 1. Introduction

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a. Alleyways and their traditional uses.

b. Linden alleyway network

c. Challenges

2. Case studies

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a. East Cahuenga (EaCa) Alley Revitalization Project – Los Angeles

b. The Beech-Failing Alley Project

3. What can be done?

a. Project ideas

b. Pilot project scope

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References

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Neighborhood Design Studio Linden Community Plan

City and Regional Planning

Introduction Alleyways have always been the some of the most neglected assets of a city’s network. Urban alleyways have been in existence for a long time and have traditionally been used for unsightly services, loading docks, and rear exits. Suburban alleyways, on the other hand grew in number post the passing of the GI Bill, which gave rise to suburban America. These alleyways were primarily used for trash pick-up and sometimes as a secondary vehicular access to the garage. Given the nature of its use, it isn’t surprising that alleyways are so neglected and underused.

Linden Alleyways The Linden study area ranges from 11th Ave. to the South to Weber St. in the North, and I-71 on the west to the railroad trail east of Cleveland Ave. This includes nearly 40 east-west streets and 10-15 north south streets, and half as many alleyways. Such a large number of underutilized alleyways have a huge potential Image 1

to change the neighborhood vibe.

Most of these alleyways have a fairly typical layout, with facing backyards on either side of a 12’ -15’ right of way. City of Columbus trash cans and utility poles are not an uncommon sight, as these alleys are primarily used for trash collection. Map 1.0 gives us a fair idea about the alley network in the Linden Study area.

Image 2

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0 0.0750.15

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0.45

Neighborhood Design Studio Linden Community Plan

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City and Regional Planning

Linden Alleyways

WEBER RD.

ER VIL LE R

D.

WEBER RD.

WE ST

MANCHESTER AVE.

ABERDEEN AVE.

CLEVELAND AVE.

GENESSEE AVE.

MYRTLE AVE.

GREENWICH ST.

DRESDEN ST.

MEDINA AVE.

ONTARIO ST.

BREMEN ST.

ARLINGTON AVE.

HAMILTON AVE.

AUDOBON RD.

McGUFFEY RD.

MINNESOTA AVE.

BRIARWOOD AVE.

REPUBLIC AVE.

E. HUDSON AVE.

LORETTA AVE.

MU

LBY P

L.

HAMILTON AVE.

HUDSON ST.

CLINTON ST.

KOHR PL.

KENMORE RD.

CORDELL AVE.

BLAKE AVE.

MAYNARD AVE.

MAYNARD AVE.

DUXBERRY AVE.

E 26th AVE.

E 25th AVE.

E 24th AVE.

E 23rd AVE.

E 20th AVE.

GLADSTONE AVE.

E 22nd AVE.

E 21st AVE.

E. 19th AVE.

AN

DA VE.

E 18th AVE.

CLE

VEL

E. 17th AVE.

E 16th AVE.

HAMILTON AVE.

E 15th AVE.

E 14th AVE.

E. 13th AVE.

WINDSOR AVE.

E. 12th AVE.

CHITTENDEN

E. 11th AVE.

Map 1.0: The Linden Alley Network - The purple lines depict most of the minor residential alleyways and the pink lines show two major alleyways running parallel to Cleveland Avenue.

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Challenges Apart from general neglect and underutilization, the alleyways in Linden are faced with a number of challenges. Currently, they are adding to the long list of liabilities as opposed to being a utility in the neighborhood.

Most alleyways lack proper lighting, and on the off chance that there is a lit alley, most of the light is usually blocked out by overgrown trees and shrubs. Although the relationship between crime and low-lit areas has been long debated by critics, it can be safe to say that well-lit alleyways always appear safer to residents as opposed to dark ones. Darker alleyways also lack “eyes on the street” making them perfect spots to carry out illicit activities. Yet another challenge with these alleyways is the lack of proper maintenance; overgrowth of weeds and shrubs can cause visual impairment and also reduce the size of the alley.

Due to the large number of auto shops in Linden, stray tires and automobile parts are also often found lying around the trash cans, which further deteriorates the condition of the alley. To summarize: •

Lack of proper lighting

•

Crime / Illicit activities

•

Improper trash disposal

•

Overgrowth

•

Ill-maintained right of way / Potholes

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Case Studies: East Cahuenga (EaCa) Alley Revitalization Project 1 Best Practices for Creating a Pedestrian-Friendly Urban Alley, (Oct 2013)

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Located in the Hollywood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, this project doesn’t really have a context similar to that of Linden. Located in a denser, more economically viable, and urban commercial area, this alley underwent drastic transformation from being labeled as the ‘Heroin Alley’ to a pedestrian friendly alley filled with outdoor patios and art patrons. However, this case study provides some important insights in the roles played by the various government/private agencies and helps us understand the management process involved in such a project.

The major stakeholders in the revitalization project were: Hollywood BID (Business Improvement District): The BID played a financial and organizational role in the project.

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It was responsible for maintenance and also helped finance lighting and furniture.

California Redevelopment Association (CRA) – LA: The CRA/LA utilized Tax Increment Funding reserved for revitalization projects such as this one.

Los Angeles Council District 13: Political support and leadership role in community and neighborhood level economic development.

Property and Business Owners: This stakeholder group had most to gain from the project as it would raise property values and increase access to small businesses in the area.

A detailed report of this project by the Los Angeles Sustainability Collaborative provides a revitalization toolkit with tools such as alley knowledge, design elements, financing, and community economic development. Some of the key findings in the report were: Some stakeholders may focus on immediate losses rather than future gains.

Alley renovation was not the end-all solution.

Cooperation allows for cheaper, more sustainable alternatives that benefit everyone.

The Alley can attract new businesses and keep the district vital.

This project can be a good precedent for the alley running almost parallel to Cleveland Ave.

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The Beech-Failing Alley Project 2 Boise Neighborhood Association, Portland (March 2016) “Greening and Activating” was primary aim of this small, neighborhood scale project in Portland. The Boise neighborhood is similar to the Linden area in terms of general layout, land use, and size. Residents of his neighborhood took up the task of cleaning up their alleyways, one sweep at a time, and are striving to raise $10,000 through crowdfunding to help activate their alleyways. Improvements in the form of “benches, bicycle racks, art, garden plots, plantings, and other features to create a park-like setting”, area ongoing. The group is advocating for an alleyway revitalization policy and are working to raise fuds for grant writing, outreach and technical services.3 This case study provides an important insight into crowdfunding and how members of the community can actively participate to raise awareness about the importance of healthy alleyways.

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What can be done?

For a project of this nature to be successful, public participation is a must and it is important to make sure that the entire community is aware about the project.

Alley clean-up drives Alley clean ups can be easily organized within the community with a little help from anchor institutes, non-profits, or educational institutions. These are low-cost initiatives, and all they require is a few hours from the community residents on a weekend.

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It is also often noticed that if community effort is ivested in a project, the residents strive to ensure that it does not go to waste. This would encourage residents to maintain their alleyways after the first clean-up and lead to a healthy competition within the community.

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Small gardening or composting units Some of the trash found during alley clean-ups, such as soda bottles, abandoned tires, pallets, etc. can be recycled to create small composting units for individual households next to their designated trash cans. This will also raise awareness about sustainable waste disposal practices and encourage families to interact with their neighbors. These can also double as small art projects which can be executed with the help of local design schools and non-profit organizations.

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Possible bike lanes?

Two major alleyways running parallel to Cleveland Avenue have a great potential to be turned in to bike lanes away from the fast-moving traffic on the main street. These can be extremely useful for school going children and pedestrians too, who wish to avoid the traffic.

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Interactive daytime play areas During the daytime, save the trash pick up hours, alleyways can be a useful resource for the neighborhood children.

Located at a safe distance from main streets, yet always within reach, alleys can be turned into play areas.

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Pop-up events for the block Pop-up events can range from small scale block parties, food festivals, art events, flea markets, to dance workshops. Most pop-up events do not require a lot of investment, and generally attract people on weekends or in the evenings. However, care must be taken to maintain the scale of such projects, to avoid undue exposure and the risk of gentrification. Alleyways are also a great place to conduct workshops for youth engagement during the summer months.

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Neighborhood Design Studio Linden Community Plan

City and Regional Planning

Pilot Project As a pilot project, a small part of the Linden Alleyways can be used to test the effectiveness of such a project. If deemed feasible and sustainable, this model can be replicated by residents in other parts of the community. The alley located between Arlington Ave and Myrtle Ave can a possible pilot location for such a project due to its proximity to Linden Park VIL

LE

RD .

WEBER RD.

TE R

and the Columbus Alternative High school, and the New Harvest urban arts center.

WE S

MANCHESTER AVE.

Columbus Alternative High School

MINNESOTA AVE.

ARLINGTON AVE.

DRESDEN ST.

MEDINA AVE.

ONTARIO ST.

BREMEN ST.

Linden Park

HAMILTON AVE.

CLEVELAND AVE.

GENESSEE AVE.

MYRTLE AVE.

GREENWICH ST.

McGUFFEY RD.

ABERDEEN AVE.

BRIARWOOD AVE.

REPUBLIC AVE.

LORETTA AVE.

MU

HAMILTON AVE.

HUDSON ST. Avenues).

Map 2.0: The green line shows the location of the Pilot Project (between Myrtle and Arlington

T.

KOHR PL.

KENMORE RD.

CORDELL AVE.

BLAKE AVE.

MAYNARD AVE.

MAYNARD AVE. DUXBERRY AVE.

E 26th AVE.

E 25th AVE.

E 24th AVE.

E 23rd AVE.

GLADSTONE AVE.

E 22nd AVE.

E 21st AVE. E 20th AVE.

E. 19th AVE.

AN

DA VE.

E 18th AVE. Alleyways Image 11: Re-imagined

CLE

VEL

E. 17th AVE.

E 16th AVE.

E.

E 15th AVE.

13

LBY

PL.

Neighborhood Design Studio Linden Community Plan

City and Regional Planning

References 1. L. Burgos & T. Sarkisian, East Cahuenga Alley Revitalization Project, retrieved on 10.30.2017 from http://lasustainability.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/EaCa-Alley-Project_final.pdf 2. The Beech-Failing Alley Project, retrieved on 10.27.2017 from https://www.ioby.org/project/bfap 3. Ibid.

Image references 1. Google street view capture 2. Ibid.

3. A. Kudler, Curbed LA, Hollywood’s EaCa Pedestrian Alley Already Action-Packed, retrieved from: https://la.curbed.com/2012/5/18/10371740/hollywoods-eaca-pedestrian-alley-already-actionpacked 4. Ibid.

5. The Beech-Failing Alley Project, retrieved on 10.27.2017 from https://www.ioby.org/project/bfap 6. A. Aboody, San Diego Free Press, Reclaiming public spaces – The art of the alley in Logan Heights and North Park, retrieved from https://sandiegofreepress.org/2014/05/reclaiming-public-spaces-the-art-of-the-alley-in-logan-heightsand-north-park/ 7. Ibid.

8. Ibid.

9. New Economy Initiative, Urban Alleys become pathways to revitalization, retrieved from: https://neweconomyinitiative.org/urban-alleys-become-pathways-revitalization/ 10.

Design Council, How we got Glasgow playing in the streets again, retrieved from: https://www.designcouncil.org.

uk/news-opinion/how-we-got-glasgow-playing-streets-again?utm_source=Design%20Council%20Newsletter&utm_ campaign=895e64a221-Pinged42_26_06_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_a2748d9827-895e64a221-

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