Senior Thesis Book

The West Rivers District Kansas City, Missouri

An Urban Confluence

A convergence of the rivers, the land, and the city.

Paul R. Toler BLA 2013

The West Rivers District An Urban Confluence

i

ii

The West Rivers District: An Urban Confluence Kansas City, Missouri - A convergence of the rivers, the land, and the city Paul R. Toler BLA 2013

_____________________________________________________ Terry Clements: Senior Project Coordinator _____________________________________________________ Brian Katen: Department Head + Project Advisor _____________________________________________________ Paul R. Toler: BLA 2013 This project is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.

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A great deal of thanks and gratitude are owed to: The Faculty and Staff of the Department of Landscape Architecture at Virginia Tech as well as all Educators in their related capacities who have been so kind to appreciate my time and personal investment just as I have theirs’.

All peers both at home and abroad who have always (knowingly or otherwise) fostered a productive environment favorable of exploration and sincere critique.

All family whether immediate, extended, or in spirit who have established an unwavering motivation and perspective that persist day by day, year by year, and beyond.

- Thank You All

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Acknowledgments

“The task of architecture, designed landscapes, and urban design as topographical arts is to provide the prosaic patterns of our lives with durable dimension and beautiful expression” - David Leatherbarrow ‘Is Landscape Architecture?’

Epigraph

v

Table of Contents Exposition

Design

Introduction

00 - 01

Design Model

iii Signatures

Theoretical Framework

02 - 03

Alternative Futures

18 -19

iv Acknowledgments

Site Selection

04 - 05

Strategic Complexity

20 - 21

v Epigraph

Study

Site Designs

vi

Table of Contents

Preliminary Context

06

Masterplan Development

22 - 25

vii

List of Illustrations

The Rivers

07 - 09

Neighborhood Designs

26 - 27

The Land

10 - 11

Agricultural Terraces

28 - 31

The City

12 - 15

Floodway

Development + Evolution

16 - 17

iii

Title Page

viii Preface ix

Special Permissions

Epilogue

References

vi

Table of Contents

32 - 35 36 37

List of Illustrations Exposition

Fig. 1.1 ‘The Rivers’ Study Model Fig. 1.2 ‘The Land’ Study Model Fig. 1.3 ‘The City’ Study Model Fig. 1.4 Fresh Kills Lifescape Fig. 1.5 Olympic Sculpture Park Fig. 1.6 Yiwu South River Bank Fig. 1.7 Oslo Opera House Fig. 1.8 ‘Surfacial Dialect’ Illustration Fig. 1.9 ‘Frame of Memory’ Sketch Fig. 1.10 ‘Dialog with Place’ Sketch Fig. 1.11 ‘Truth of Place’ Sketch Fig. 1.12 ‘Panorama to West over Bottoms’ Fig. 1.13 ‘Metropolitan Satellite Map’ Fig. 1.14 ‘Kansas River Panorama’ Fig. 1.15 ‘12th st. Bridge Panorama’ Fig. 1.16 Kemper Arena Grounds Panorama

Study

Fig. 2.1 ‘National Context Graphic’ Fig. 2.2 ‘Counties of Mid Am. Region’ map Fig. 2.3 ‘Kansas City Metro Area’ map Fig. 2.4 ‘West Bottoms District’ map Fig. 2.5 ‘Natures of the Rivers’ Ink Washes Fig. 2.6 ‘Dynamic Rivers’ Illustration Fig. 2.7 ‘Topo and Bldgs’ map Fig. 2.8 ‘Catastrophic Flooding’ Illustration Fig. 2.9 ‘Hydrograph’ Chart Fig. 2.10 ‘Digital Elevation Model’ Map Fig. 2.11 ‘Latitudinal Sections’ Illustration

Fig. 2.12 Fig. 2.13 Fig. 2.14 Fig. 2.15 Fig. 2.16 Fig. 2.17 Fig. 2.18 Fig. 2.19 Fig. 2.20 Fig. 2.21 Fig. 2.22 Fig. 2.23 Fig. 2.24 Fig. 2.25 Fig. 2.26 Fig. 2.27 Fig. 2.28 Fig. 2.29 Fig. 2.30 Fig. 2.31 Fig. 2.32 Fig. 2.33 Fig. 2.34 Fig. 2.35 Fig. 2.36 Fig. 2.37 Fig. 2.38

‘Longitudinal Sections’ Illustration ‘Critical Sections’ Illustration Sanborn Map Heading City of Fountains Icon Historic Photo 1 (MVSC) Historic Photo 2 (MVSC) Historic Photo 3 (MVSC) KC Journal Post Cover Historic Photo 4 (MVSC) Historic Photo 5 (MVSC) Historic Photo 6 (MVSC) Historic Photo 7 (MVSC) Historic Photo 8 (MVSC) Historic Photo 9 (MVSC) Historic Photo 10 (MVSC) Historic Photo 11 (MVSC) Historic Photo 12 (MVSC) Historic Photo 13 (MVSC) Historic Photo 14 (MVSC) Historic Photo 15 (MVSC) Historic Photo 16 (MVSC) Historic Photo 17 (MVSC) Historic Photo 18 (MVSC) Historic Photo 19 (MVSC) ‘West Bottoms Bulls’ Photo ‘Developmental Diagrams’ ‘Evolution Diagrams’

Design

Fig. 3.1 ‘Alternative Futures’ Diagrams Fig. 3.2 ‘Existing Evaluation’ Map and Diagram Fig. 3.3 ‘Agricultural Future’ Collage and Diagram

Fig. 3.4 ‘Urbanized Future’ Collage and Diagram Fig. 3.5 ‘Urban Confluence’ Collage and Diagram Fig. 3.6 Weiss / Manfredi Competition Entry Fig. 3.7 MVVA Competition Entry Fig. 3.8 STOSS Competition Entry Fig. 3.9 ‘Strategic Complexity Web’ Diagram Fig. 3.10 ‘Preliminary Design 1’ Plan Fig. 3.11 ‘Preliminary Design 2’ Plan Fig, 3.12 ‘Preliminary Design 3’ Plan Fig. 3.13 ‘Preliminary Design 4’ Plan Fig. 3.14 ‘Masterplan Excerpt’ Plan Fig. 3.15 ‘Annotated Masterplan’ Plan Fig. 3.16 ‘Connectivity Diagram’ Fig. 3.17 ‘Neighborhoods Diagram’ Fig. 3.18 ‘Greenspace Diagram’ Fig. 3.19 ‘Rail Road Diagram’ Fig. 3.20 ‘Figure Ground Set 1’ Fig. 3.21 ‘Building Massing 1’ Model Fig. 3.22 ‘Figure Ground Set 2’ Fig. 3.23 ‘Building Massing 2’ Model Fig. 3.24 ‘Figure Ground Set 3’ Fig. 3.25 ‘Building Massing 3’ Model Fig. 3.26 ‘Agriculture Terrace Plan Enlargement’ Plan Fig. 3.27 ‘Agriculture Terrace Flood Staging’ Diagrams Fig. 3.28 ‘Production Crop Selection’ Illustration Fig. 3.29 ‘Cover Crop Selection’ Illustration Fig. 3.30 ‘Floodway Plan Enlargement’ Fig. 3.31 ‘Channel Hierarchy’ Diagram Fig. 3.32 ‘Circulation and Access’ Diagram Fig. 3.33 ‘Vegetated Zones’ Diagram Fig. 3.34 ‘Floodway Flood Staging’ Diagrams Fig. 3.35 ‘Floodgate Interface’ Diagram Fig. 3.36 ‘Floodgate Positions’ Illustrations Fig. 3.37 ‘The Solution’ Study Model

List of Illustrations

vii

Preface Using the analogy of the urban confluence to

the United States that exist as products of

describe an ideological union of river ecology,

declining urban riverfront industrial institutions.

urban function, and the public domain; this project

These lands, many as there are, have played

explores the multitude of design implications

an invaluable role in the making of the urban

originating from this distinct paradigm.

This

landscape and will continue to be formed

project has been realized in the very particular

and reformed according to prevailing cultural

context of the West Bottoms district of Kansas

motivations.

City, Missouri. While the historic, topographic,

the increasingly outmoded cultural motivations

and aesthetic contexts of the West Bottoms

which are responsible for the condition of these

remain unique, its greater relation with Kansas

lands.

City bears great semblance to sites throughout

viii

Preface

This project seeks to re-frame

Special Permissions Particular mention stands to be made of certain

The Kansas City Design Center (KCDC) and

establishments and individuals that have been

Director Vladimir Kristic

most generous by way of research assistance and dispensation of proprietary resources:

The Kansas City Public Library: Missouri Valley Special Collections (MVSC) The Kansas City, Missouri Department of City Planning (DCP) and Director Robert Langenkamp The Missouri Spacial Data Information Service (MSDIS) and Chief of Geographic Information Systems Mark Duewell

Special Permissions

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Project Introduction Exposition

Study

Design

From the outset of this project, a lens, or

Using the analogy of the Urban Confluence to

At one conceptual level, The West Rivers District

theoretical framework was established to

describe an ideological union of the river, the

design acts as a model for any number of sites

provide a distinct approach to understanding

land, and the city; this project explores the

throughout the country that are experiencing

complex sites, not only for this project but for

multitude of design implications originating

a similar decline in urban riverfront industrial

future works as well. The theory of topographic

from this distinct paradigm. The concept of

institutions.

convergence was developed to be this lens.

the Urban Confluence was conceived of as an

became grounded in place, the work could

Topographic convergence is an approach to

approach to the consequences, and equally

no longer be treated as a model, rather it had

understanding place in terms of its surface

numerous opportunities, presented by the

to become a distinct production indivisible of

and depth as interface and archive. It is also

current conditions of declining urban riverfront

the site. As a response to the rivers, the land,

recognized that the understanding of place is

industrial institutions which have emerged all

and the city as a production of its people;

subject to one’s perception, experience, and

throughout the United States.

this project was conceived as a realization of

knowledge.

a distinct design paradigm which recognizes The West Bottoms presents a rich topographic

the capacity of a design to embody variability

condition, a greatly dynamic river system,

in its nature rather than to stand in the face of

as well as a progressive city in the midst of

change as an outside agent.

redefining its developmental priorities.

Introduction

As the project progressed and

Urban Confluence The Rivers

The Land

The City

The rivers are the enduring nature of the site.

The Land has guided the rivers just as they

The City is the most enduring representation

The nature of the rivers are the truth of the site

have carved the site out from the land. They

and accommodation of the land and its nature.

beyond all else.

continually fashion one another.

The City is an indivisible production of a distinct culture.

Fig. 1.1

Fig. 1.2

Fig. 1.3

Introduction

1

E D S C A P

A R C H I T E C T U R E

To p o g r a p h i c Convergence (Topography): From early Greek. The description or determination of place

L

A N

[Place] Surface + Depth

Fresh Kills Lifescape

- Staten Island, New York City - James Corner - Field Operations - 2002

Fig. 1.4

Olympic Sculpture Park - Seattle, Washington - Weiss / Manfredi - 2007

Fig. 1.5

Surfacial Dialect -

(Below) A visual vocabulary developed to describe topographic characteristics across the spectrum of landscape and architecture.

Yiwu South River Bank

Fig. 1.6

- Jinhua, China - Ai Weiwei - Fake Design - 2009

Oslo Opera House

Fig. 1.7

- Oslo, Norway - Snohetta - 2007

Characteristic Determination Characteristic

Operational

Characteristic

Operational

Spatial Flow Topography Array Enclosure

Operational Determination Fold

Topographic Convergence

is an approach to understanding place in terms of its surface and depth as interface and archive. It is also recognized that the understanding of place is subject to one’s perception, experience, and knowledge.

Across the top of the page is an arrangement of projects that are clearly landscape architecture, clearly architecture, or clearly in between. Topography does not recognize a plain distinction between the landscape and architecture, rather it views the landscape, designed landscapes, and architecture as a complete body of topographic arts which give dimension and expression to the prosaic patterns of our lives.

2

Theoretical Framework

Transform Space

Warp

Characteristic

Operational

Characteristic

Operational

Fig. 1.8

Ration Surface

This theoretical exploration has exposed a correlation between the topographic nature of designed landscapes and architecture.

According to the developed visual vocabulary, topography describes the landscape in a characteristic manner while it describes architecture in a more operational sense. In other words, the landscape is described by its topography and architecture is an operation of topography.

The emergent understanding here provides a distinct approach to understanding sites of great complexity in a way that is most comprehensive and meaningful.

Perception

One’s interpretation of place as it lies in a body of personal memory.

Place framed by memory

Fig. 1.9

Experience

Knowledge

Continual process of inputs and feedback between person and place.

Dialog between place and person

Constant character that persists within place and beyond person.

Truth of place beyond person

Fig. 1.10

Fig. 1.11

Topography Is given to perception, experience, and knowledge as an accommodation and representation of practical and prosaic patterns of life and is continually formed and reformed.

Given to: perception, experience, knowledge As: accommodation, representation Of: practical patterns, prosaic patterns Is: formed, reformed

operation character

[

surface

depth

perform

memory

interface

archive

]

A place understood topographically according to its component halves of surface and depth behaves in two ways: operationally and characteristically. The surface of a place performs like an interface between people and the landscape. The depth of a place records memory as an archive of the landscape.

Theoretical Framework

3

The West Bottoms presents a rich topographic condition, a greatly dynamic river system, as well as a progressive city in the midst of redefining its developmental priorities. The degree of complexity presented by this place stands to be lost upon the conventions of a standard design process. The theoretical lens of Topographic Convergence established within this project provides an organization for an alternative approach to understanding The West Bottoms.

Above: Panorama taken from the 12th Street Bridge facing West looking over the Genessee Street (left) and Hickory & Mulberry (right) neighborhoods.

(Photo by Author)

Above: A map of the West Bottoms and downtown Kansas City locating the photos (by corresponding Fig. number) presented here.

(Map by Author)

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Site Selection

Below: A panorama of the Kansas River and its shoreline along the western edge of the West Bottoms District. The levee pictured here rises 30’ above the average elevation of the river. (Photo by Author)

Fig. 1.13

Fig. 1.14

Fig. 1.12

Above: A panorama taken from Beardsley Road running along the bluff to the east of the Bottoms. The view is oriented to the northwest overlooking the 12th St. Bridge in front of the Hickory and Mulberry St. Neighborhood. (Photo by Author)

Below: A photo of the Kemper Arena (right) and American Royale Expo Center (left) taken from the South end of Genessee Street.

(Photo by Author)

Fig. 1.15

This project is realized in the very particular context of the West Bottoms district of Kansas City, Missouri. The West Bottoms is related by way of economic motivation, industrial infrastructure, and disposition of natural systems to a multitude of declining urban riverfront industrial institutions, however, it remains a markedly distinct place. Throughout its past, its development has been governed by shifting regimes of wilderness, settlement, trade, and economic production.

Fig. 1.16

Site Selection

5

Project Context

Country

State

County

At the national scale, Kansas City is situated at the center of the Heartland of America. This Mid-America region is known as the Heartland because of its enduring tradition as one of the world’s most expansive, agriculturally productive lands. Kansas City has been an integral hub for several trails throughout the national landscape. The earliest of these trails was explored on Lewis and Clarke’s westward exploration and later became a part of the Oregon and Santa Fe trails which fueled the westward expansion movement. Kansas City later became a central hub for cattle drives and railroad lines throughout the west. Cattle were driven up from Texas by the tens of thousands along the Shawnee Trail and were then freighted along to any number of destinations ranging from Chicago, IL to Denver Co. The productive, pioneering character of Kansas City on a national scale is embodied in the West Bottoms.

The original settlements of Kansas City, as well as its present day boundaries, span the state line between Missouri and Kansas. Kansas City was a part of the Chicago regional industrial network and a critical railroad junction which led out west towards Denver, Pueblo, Dodge, and Salt Lake. The City later became an urban center of the Mid America Region alongside St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis.

District

Kansas City is the metropolitan center of several counties which are governed in large part by the Mid American Regional Council (MARC). The counties of Jackson, Cass, Clay, Ray, and Platte, Missouri along with Johnson and Wyandotte counties of Kansas are home to a population of 2,035,255. Kansas City proper, extending through Jackson, Clay, and Platte Counties, Missouri has a population of 463, 202 people across an area of 319 Sq. Mi. The city is situated at the geographic confluence of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers which are responsible for its initial settlement and its rich history as a frontier town.

Fig. 2.1

The West Bottoms District of Kansas City is divided from North to South by the Kansas-Missouri State line. The district itself is 950 acres and is relatively sparsely populated by 936 inhabitants.

The Bottoms is bordered by Kansas City, Kansas, Kansas City, Missouri, and North Kansas City, Missouri. This district has long been the productive hearth of Kansas City and presents a great deal of opportunity to once again resume that role.

North KC

Platte

Missouri

Johnson

Kansas

Wyandotte

Clay

Platte

Ray

Clay

West Bottoms

Wyandotte

Jackson

KCMO Johnson

Cass

Fig. 2.2

Mid America Region Total Population: 2,035,225 6

Preliminary Context

Area: 7, 952 Sq. Mi. 20,596 Km2

Fig. 2.3

Total Population: 463,202

Area: 319 Sq. Mi. 826 Km2

Fig. 2.4

West Bottoms

Kansas City, Missouri Density: 260/Sq. Mi 100/Km2

KC, Missouri

KC, Kansas

Jackson

Density: 1,630/Sq. Mi 594/Km2

Total Population: 936

Area: 17 Sq. Mi. 950 Acres

Density: 55/Sq. Mi 21/Km2

The Rivers The Rivers have carved a site out from the land and are the enduring nature of the West Bottoms. The tendencies and processes of the rivers through time will continue to order and reorder the development of the land. The Kansas and Missouri Rivers are responsible for the initial settlement and subsequent development of the West Bottoms as well as Kansas City as a whole.

Throughout the history of the Bottoms, the ordering balance between the rivers, the land, and the city has been in a continual state of flux. The ink washes at the right were created as a representation of the various edge conditions between the rivers and the Bottoms.

Fig. 2.5

The Rivers

7

1890

1934

The Rivers: Conditions of Constraint This study was originally conceived of as a demonstration of the perpetual dynamic forces of the rivers, however, what it revealed instead was the degree of constraint and restriction that has been placed upon the rivers as a means of protecting the highly productive establishments situated within its natural floodplain.

1951

Far Left: a vertical arrangement of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers’ shorelines dating back to 1890. The degrees of constraint placed upon the rivers can be seen as it increases

1958

up to its present state.

Center:

a composite overlay of the varied shoreline conditions including the numerous river crossing structures that have come and gone throughout the years.

1965

1991

1996

2009

2012

Above: 8

The Rivers

Fig. 2.6

Map of the West Bottoms showing 10ft. contour intervals and the locations of present building footprints.

Fig. 2.7

Flood Stages

+05’

+10’

+15’

+20’

+25’

+30’

+35’ Fig. 2.8

Daily Mean Gauge Height in feet

The Rivers: Condition of Catastrophe The degree of constraint that has been imposed upon the rivers as a result of modern industrial development has produced a critical condition of catastrophic flood events. Outside of an urban setting, a river’s floodplain naturally handles the excess volume in flood and high-water events. With the current system of levees that have been implemented, the natural floodplain has been eliminated and the margin of the river’s edge has been reduced to nothing. The result is a river that has been entrenched in a single, static channel which disallows the dynamic nature of the river.

35’

Flood Stage 30’ 25’ 20’

The conflicting conditions of the levees and rivers come to an impasse when the water rises 22 feet or more and breaches the levees. This threshold, once exceeded, results in a catastrophic flood event which inundates the Bottoms completely.

15’ 10’

Above:

A Digital Elevation Model of the West Bottoms overlaid with the floodplains corresponding to the flood stages noted on the adjacent hydrograph.

05’ 1996

1998

2000

2002

2004

2006

2008

2010

2012 Fig. 2.9

Left: The daily mean gauge height hydrograph produced by the USGS monitoring station located on the Kansas River at the West Bottoms. It reveals that a catastrophic flood event has occurred in the Bottoms six times in the last 20 years.

The Rivers

9

The Land

Fig. 2.10

The land has guided the rivers just as the rivers

geology of the larger region is set upon Gasconade Complex

proximity to the rivers, made the Bottoms the ideal site for the

have carved the site out from the land. They

Dolomite. Centuries of weathering by water, wind, and chemical

import, processing, and export of goods, particularly livestock.

continually fashion one another.

processes has produced topographic uplands composed of

However, these same conditions also make the Bottoms

unconsolidated sandstone and dolomite residuum as well as

susceptible to period flooding which has always prevented the

fluvial terraces of Eudora Complex Alluvium.

establishment of a complete urban district. The solution has

The West Bottoms sits entirely within the current natural floodplain

been to occupy the Bottoms with more disposable, cheaply

of the Kansas and Missouri Rivers while downtown Kansas City sits atop the uplands nearly 200’ above. The underlying

The nature of the floodplain, its minimal topographic relief, and

Average River Gauge Height 10

The Land

720’

constructed industrial establishments.

Average Elv. of W. Bottoms

750’

A

A

B

B

C

C

D

D

E

E

F

F

G

G

H

H

I

I

J

J

K

K

L

L

M

M

N

N

O

O

P

P

Q

Q

R

R

S

S

T

T

U

U V

V

Fig. 2.11

Latitudinal Sections

Above: These 22 sections are cut latitudinally to expose the prominence of the geologic

bluff that slants along the eastern edge of the West Bottoms. At its maximum condition, the topographic relief spans 180’.

Fig. 2.12

Longitudinal Sections

Above: The same study is repeated along longitudinally cut sections to reveal the expanse

of the river channel in relation to the expanse of the Bottoms floodplain.

Critical Section Conditions C

B

A

A

A’

A’’

B

B’

D

E B’

C

C’

D

C’ E’ Kansas and Missouri Rivers West Bottoms District: Functional Lands

D’

E

D’

Left: Five sections cut at an oblique angle across the Bottoms.

These sections reveal the critical conditions of constraint and expanse as established by the site’s topography. Sections ‘A’ and ‘E’ illustrate the limits of the Bottoms District due to the topography of the bluff and the rivers.

Sections ‘B’, ‘C’, and ‘D’ illustrate the topographic expanse of the floodplain occupied by the Bottoms.

E’ Fig. 2.13

Kansas City, Missouri City Proper

Average Elv. of Downtown K.C.

930’

B’’

Below: A composite overlay of the sections cut latitudinally across the Bottoms. Located are the average elevations of the major components of the landform.

The Land

11

The City is the most enduring representation and accommodation of the land, its nature, and its resident culture. The city is an indivisible production of a distinct culture. The origins of Kansas City take root in the rivers above which it is seated. The Rivers brought the very first groups of fur traders to the site in the early 19th century. The rivers then proceeded to wash away the original outposts time and time again until a more permanent settlement was established atop the bluffs. Kansas City would then grow to become a frontier town, a 20th century city, and a present-day metropolis.

Fig. 2.14 Fig. 2.15

1869 ~ Southward view of Kansas City from the Hannibal Bridge spanning the Missouri River

12

The City

Fig. 2.18

Fig. 2.17

Fig. 2.16 1930 ~ Aerial photo looking northwest over downtown K.C.

2012 ~ Photo looking north over Union Station towards downtown K.C.

‘Paris of the Plains’ The present metropolis of Kansas City once began as a simple fur traders’ outpost in the late 18th century. The very outpost was first established on the North riverbank of what is today the West Bottoms. Several floods of the Missouri and Kansas Rivers erased this outpost from the landscape periodically until the establishment was relocated atop the bluffs on the Missouri River. The protection offered by the increased elevation of the bluffs finally allowed for more permanent settlement.

Above: The cover of the Kansas City Journal Post Diamond Jubilee Issue. The outdated family stands in astonishment on the riverbank gazing onward at the city as it emerges out the bustling production of the bottoms. (Courtesy of MVSC)

Fig. 2.19

Above: Kansas City as it appeared in 1854, just a few buildings on the levee and a few homes on the bluffs overlooking the river. (Courtesy of MVSC)

Above: A portion of the skyline of Kansas City’s business district in 1929.

Quite a change in the three-quarters of a century since the above picture was made.

(Courtesy of MVSC)

While the settlement atop the bluffs was rapidly developing into a town, the Bottoms were not lying dormant. There was a constant pulse of trade, shipping, and livestock processing being fueled by the facilities of the adjacent rivers as well as the prominent railroad infrastructure. The people of Kansas City soon fell into the daily rhythm of lifestyle and culture

atop the bluffs in concert with the thriving productivity of the Bottoms.

This rhythm of the City has continued to this day throughout its endless variations and themes. Today the productive mode of the city has outdated the scale of the livestock exchange and railroad freight industries traditionally set in the Bottoms. The City continues its rich cultural production while the Bottoms has become the host for the more disposable functions of the city. The persistent threat of catastrophic flooding has deterred any honest intentions of meaningful redevelopment for the Bottoms. To this day, the City remains the ‘Paris of the Plains’ while the Bottoms’ character as the ‘The Heart of the Nation’ is weighed against the ease and economy of disposable infrastructure.

Fig. 2.20

Fig. 2.21

Above: 1974 - A detail of the Terra Cotta ornament at the upper level of the Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. Building. (Courtesy of MVSC)

Fig. 2.22

The City

13

‘Heart of the Nation’ The productive nature of the Bottoms has defined its character since the earliest settlement of Kansas City. The Bottoms has been a driving economic and industrial engine for Kansas City at large. At its earliest age, the Bottoms utilized the rivers to facilitate the import of finished goods, the export of raw materials, and the movement of westward settlement.

Later in its history, the Bottoms became a major railroad freight hub. It was a part of the far-reaching Chicago industrial network which reached out to Chicago, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Milwaukee, and St. Louis. The rail road hub was also the terminus of the Shawnee cattle drive trail. Hundreds of thousands of cattle, sheep, and horses passed through the Bottoms on a yearly basis. The livestock that were not process on site were freighted along to Dodge City, Pueblo, Salt Lake, Denver, and Omaha to fuel westward expansion and settlement on a national scale.

1887 - Bird’s eye illustration of the K.C. Stockyards in the W. Bottoms (MVSC)

Fig. 2.24 1878 - Detailed bird’s eye illustration of the West Bottoms (middle ground) and Quality Hill (foreground) districts of Kansas City. (MVSC)

Fig. 2.27 1903 - Passenger rail line and street corridor in the West Bottoms inundated by three feet of floodwater. (MVSC) 14

The City

1888 - First streetcar line to traverse the bluff from the Quality Hill neighborhood down into the Bottoms. (MVSC)

Fig. 2.23

Fig. 2.25

Fig. 2.26 1903 - Resultant damage to a West Bottoms railroad switching yard following a major flood event. (MVSC)

Fig. 2.28 1927 - Aerial photo of the Reid Bros. packing facility adjacent to the K.C. Stockyards with the Kansas River in the background. (MVSC)

1930 - Aerial photo looking Northeast over the West Fig. 2.29 Bottoms District towards Downtown K.C. (MVSC)

Fig. 2.31 1934 - K.C. native, C.L. Budsworth’s representation of the streetcar line descending into the Bottoms (MVSC)

Fig. 2.30

1934 - Artists representation of a small residential area within the West Bottoms (MVSC) 1935 - Photo of a W. Bottoms streetcar line running behind the K.C. Livestock Exchange Building. (MVSC)

1935 - Photo facing South along the industrialized Kansas River shoreline of the West Bottoms and K.C. Stockyards (MVSC)

Fig. 2.32

Fig. 2.33

1938 - Photo overlooking the K.C. Stockyards. At the time, the K.C. Livestock Exchange was the largest in the world. (MVSC)

Fig. 2.34

Fig. 2.35 1940 - Aerial photo of the K.C. Stockyards at the southern end of the West Bottoms District (MVSC)

Today few physical traces remain of the K.C. Stockyards, however, the resulting identity still persists in prevailing cultural attitudes. For most of its history, the industrious nature of the Bottoms has framed its relationship with the rivers and the land. Now that the Bottoms stands poised for significant developmental reinvestment, it is time to redefine the interrelations of the rivers, the land, and the City in a such a way that the Bottoms maintains its distinct yet inseparable relation to Kansas City as a whole.

2013 - I-70 exit ramp into Bottoms along side statues of steer.

(Photo by Author)

Fig. 2.36

The City

15

The Development of Kansas City and the West Bottoms The West Bottoms has been continually formed and reformed by the ordering forces of economy and industry as well as the resulting forms of the rivers, land, railroads, interstate highways, and other infrastructures.

The Kansas and Missouri Rivers are perpetually shaping the land. It was not until the late 1930’s when this process became greatly impeded by the establishment of a highly engineered levee system along the entire shoreline of the West Bottoms.

The levees, flood walls, and rip rap embankments are an inflexible set of constraints laid upon a highly dynamic river system.

The original layout of the Bottoms was a gridded street system which was deflected in some areas to meet the riverbanks.

Throughout its time, the street system was first adapted to suit heavy railroad infrastructure and later to suit elevated interstate highways.

Land Area and River Channels 1889

1870

Roads, Highways, and Airport 1889

1870

1897

1917

1935

1958

1965

1991

2012

1897

1917

1935

1958

1965

1991

2012

1897

1917

1935

1958

1965

1991

2012

1897

1917

1935

1958

1965

1991

2012

Railroads and Streetcar Lines 1889

1870

Composite Development Maps 1889

1870

16

Development

Fig. 2.37

Wilderness

Outpost

Settlement

Town

City

Metropolis

Fig. 2.38

The Evolution of Kansas City and The West Bottoms Represented in these diagrams is the evolution of Kansas City and the West Bottoms in relation to the rivers and the bluffs. At the very left is the diagrammatic description of the rivers and the land predating any human settlement. To the far right is a description of the current disposition of the West Bottoms and the City using the same diagrammatic vocabulary.

The very first human dwelling on the site came as an outpost located on the Missouri River at the north end of the Bottoms.

Periodic erasure by significant flooding prompted the outpost to move atop the bluff. Flood protection provided by the

additional elevation permitted the establishment of a more permanent settlement. While the settlement grew into a town, the Bottoms concurrently developed into the industrious trade center of Kansas City. The population of the town further developed the Bottoms just as it drove the expansion of the City. Today the City has grown beyond the Bottoms’ means of industrious production.

The Bottoms, being bounded to the West and North by the Rivers and to the East by the bluffs, can expand no more to match the productive needs of the City. As a result it

has become a host to the most disposable of industrial infrastructures (shipping, warehousing, freight storage, etc...).

The current state of the Bottoms is not solely a product of economic and industrial influence, rather it is a product of larger cultural motivations and understandings of the interrelations between the rivers, the land, and the city. The West Bottoms is poised to be redeveloped under a new design paradigm that conceives of the rivers, the land, and the city as components of an indivisible whole.

Looking to the Future The result of this atypical analytical process is a distinct understanding of Kansas City and the West Bottoms as they are informed and ordered by the rivers, the land, and the city as a cultural production. Throughout its history, the Bottoms has been shaped by the dynamic processes of the rivers. Ever since its initial settlement, the resulting landform has been ordered by the forces of economic and industrial motivation.

This has produced a fractured and inconsistent urban district

that fails to recognize the opportunities presented by its immediate environment. The economic viability once afforded by the rivers has been harmfully superseded by works of industrial railroad and highway infrastructures.

This design project looks to the future of the Bottoms in response to its current situation which is, in turn, deeply rooted in its past. As an urban development project, this work

understands that the City is the most direct representation and accommodation of the prosaic patterns of a distinct culture.

The Bottoms, being one such representation, suggests that the cultural value placed upon industrial productivity exceeds the importance of local environmental systems. In looking to the future of the Bottoms, it is imperative that the design reflect a newly defined paradigm pertaining to the rivers, the land, the city, and the nature of their complex interrelations.

Evolution

17

Alternative Futures The Alternative Futures process of synthesizing analytical information pertaining to large areas of land has been thoroughly developed by Carl Steinitz and is practiced throughout the fields of landscape preservation and large scale land planning.

The process functions in two modes: Alternative Futures and Alternative Scenarios.

Alternative Scenario: Design possible scenarios and ask ‘in what future does this result?’

Present

Scenario

Future

?

Alternative Future:

Describe the desired future condition and ask ‘by what scenario?’ is that accomplished.

Present

Scenario

Future

?

Fig. 3.1

Fig. 3.2

This particular mode was implemented here as an adapted future land use modeling strategy to project the balance of future needs against present wants. These strategies are modeled on considerations of development patterns, interest group priorities, and planning policies. None of these considerations are considered to be concrete when describing the desire future conditions. The corresponding radial charts are evaluations of each particular case.

Existing Condition

This is not to assume that there is any given future in which the Bottoms remains the same as it is today, rather this is to act a baseline reading by which the three alternative futures are to be evaluated. The chart of this condition reflects that priority is given predominantly to the urban function of the district.

However it is not a complete, balanced function. Industry and commerce exist in abundance while civic institutions and residential areas are nearly nonexistent. This narrowly focused development is also detrimental to the ecology of the river system and completely ignores the cultural public domain.

Agricultural Future

Supposing that in the near future it becomes accepted that through no great feat of engineering can the flooding of the river be controlled, then what might the Bottoms become? Borrowing on the agricultural precedent found throughout the floodplains of 18

Alternative Futures

Fig. 3.3

the Kansas and Missouri Rivers, a vision of large scale industrial farming in the Bottoms could be described. This future would maintain the productive character of the Bottoms, although, it would also harm the habitat potential and sediment load of the river system not to mention the effective removal of the Bottoms from the public domain of Kansas City.

Urbanized Future

Say that in the near future an engineered solution to the periodic flooding of the district was implemented that would guarantee the safety and stability of a highly urban development, then what might the Bottoms become? This future is envisioned as an amalgam of well known, successful waterfront districts throughout the United States including, Chicago, Savannah, Pittsburgh, and Boston among others. A well balanced urban function and healthy public domain are established here while the constraints placed upon the rivers result in high degrees of channel urbanization and peak flow spikes.

Urban Confluence Future

Fig. 3.4

The previous agricultural and urbanized futures have each had their own set of priorities resulting from a projected condition of a future development. Their advantages, however great, also brought with them consequences often at the expense of the city or the ecological function of the river. This last supposed future is a two hundred percent condition, meaning that both the city and the river are allowed to function fully without any consequential detriment to one or the other. The city allows the rivers to function in a designed way that outperforms their natural function.

In return, the urban development of the district is set upon stable land and is no longer jeopardized by the threat of catastrophic flooding. The Bottoms would become a productive, habitable, and ecologically sound district.

Conceptual Origin

The opportunities presented by the Urban Confluence future raise many design considerations about the interconnectedness of the rivers, the city, and its inhabitants. The very same elements of the charts presented here could be conceptualized as sets of particular design strategies across a wide range of scales from permeable paving details to city wide park systems.

Fig. 3.5

Alternative Futures

19

Precedents The three precedents pictured to the right are all design proposals submitted to the Toronto Lower Don Lands Urban Design Competition from the offices of Weiss/Manfredi, MVVA, and Stoss Landscape Urbanism. Measuring nearly 300 acres, the Lower Don Lands resemble certain conditions found in the West Bottoms. The Lower Don Lands are characterized by a tangle of transportation infrastructure, a channelized, deadened river, and large territories of underutilized brownfields and former industrial port lands.

Fig. 3.6

All three proposals have two main design elements: large scale green infrastructures and new urban developments. They all support the claim that ordering an urban district around the functional patterns of the river will produce a distinct character throughout the design. Each design also incorporates a hierarchy of main river channels (some remaining channelized for shipping) and overflow channels which double as minimally developed public greenspaces throughout the district.

While many of these design elements reflect the ideas behind the Urban Confluence strategy, there are still a few critical distinctions that must be made. Firstly, the designs presented here are more accurately described as Urban Estuaries because of their situation on the Toronto Inner Harbor on Lake Ontario. The distinction here is that the river system here is subjected daily tidal exchange and comparatively less extreme flood events.

Secondly, the degree of degradation of local environmental systems is much greater on the Don Lands site. Lastly, the urban developments included in these designs have no preexisting urban contexts to build upon.

Fig. 3.7

Top: Toronto Lower Don Lands urban design competition entry ‘Wandering Ecologies’ submitted by the office of Weiss / Manfredi . (Photo by Weiss/ Manfredi) Middle: Toronto Lower Don Lands urban design competition entry submitted by Chris Counts Studio with MVVA. (Photo by Christopher Counts) Bottom: Toronto Lower Don Lands urban design competition entry submitted by Stoss Landscape Urbanism. (Photo by STOSS)

20

Precedents

Fig. 3.8

Conceptual Interconnectedness

Urban Functionality

Public Realm Conceptual Ties

Civ

ic /

Ch a

nn

e erc mm

el C

Co

on dit ion

l/

Habit at

ta i Re

ential Resid

Poten tial

River Ecology

Strategic Complexity

Ins

titu

tio

se Ba

ns

industry / U

At one conceptual level, The West Rivers District design acts as a model for any number of sites throughout the country that are experiencing a similar decline in urban riverfront industrial institutions. The concept presents a circular web of interconnected elements or components that can be coupled to produce new and innovative design strategies.

Sediment Load

tility

Floo

ure

ruct

st Infra

w

Flo

dwa

Pe a

e

at

iP

ic bl

/

iv Pr

u

m

Par k

ow

Bottom Left: Three reductions of the same diagram highlighting the conceptual ties pertaining to either river ecology, the public domain, or urban function.

Sp ike s

Public Domain Strategic Connections

ets

Plazas / Squares

River Ecology Strategic Connections

Fl

tora ge

Stre

s

Se

k

ter S

Top Left: The complete diagram of the interconnectedness of the rivers, the city, and its people as related by the Urban Confluence concept. Each of the outer nodes represents a noted component of design be it related to ecology, urban design, or site design.

The conceptual ties connection these nodes are representative of interrelated chains of cause and effect which make these elements of design inseparable by their very nature.

Urban Function Strategic Connections

Fig. 3.9

Strategic Complexity

21

Fig. 3.10

Fig. 3.11

Above: a preliminary concept plan outlining major zones and ordering patterns of the district master plan.

Above:

a preliminary concept plan illustrating the primary connections within and beyond the district.

Masterplan Development The conceptual designs presented here all began by first laying out the most permanent forms of physical connection within and beyond the Bottoms. The organization of these connecting elements, bridges as most all of them are, provide a semi-flexible ordering structure for the redevelopment of the Bottoms. While two of the interstate highways that connect with the Bottoms help to form a nearly seamless vehicular connection beyond the district, their infrastructures create rather formidable barriers on the ground. Their deck supports march across the entire width of the Bottoms effectively dividing the district into three horizontal segments. However, this presents an opportunity to design instances of highly focused pedestrian

22

Masterplan Development

Above:

Fig. 3.12

Above:

a preliminary concept plan locating proposed buildings as a part of the urban redevelopment strategy.

amenity beneath and adjacent to these infrastructures that would invite the public to traverse the Bottoms in a more complete manner.

aid in the creation of its newly defined identity and establish the district in a degree of completeness that it has never known before.

The numerous street patterns of the Bottoms are a product of ever-changing ordering systems be it the railroad or the interstate highways. The existing street patterns are adapted to resolve functional issues while many of the unique grid patterns remain in tact to provide a distinct organization to the different neighborhoods of the Bottoms District.

The conceptual designs here are taking advantage of an unprecedented state of security and stability of the land.

Throughout its entire history, the rivers have periodically flooded the Bottoms and have overpowered all measures taken to impede their natural processes. The design below gives form to the West Rivers District Floodway. It is a measure of large scale green infrastructure that will afford the Bottoms the security of dry land. The design of this feature embraces the dynamics and variability of the rivers instead of forcing them into inflexible sets of constraints such as the existing levees.

Genessee Street, Hickory & Mulberry, and New James & Central are the three neighborhoods that demonstrate the most potential to become successful, multi-functional residential centers. Bringing a significant population to the Bottoms will

a conceptual design for the West Rivers Floodway.

Fig. 3.13

Fig. 3.14

Masterplan Development

23

27

30

The masterplan shown here to the left highlights the redesigned and reinforced neighborhood structures of Genessee Street (17), Hickory & Mulberry (18), and New James & Central (21). It also calls attention to the two large scale works of green infrastructure: The Agricultural Terraces (20) and the West Rivers Floodway (7).

24 26

29

23 22

28

20

21 11 18

19

14 15 16 12

17 13

3 10

4 2

8

7

1 9

6

5

24

WEST RIVERS DISTRICT KANSAS CITY

Masterplan Development

1. American Royale Expo Center

11. Quality Hill District

21. New James Central Neighborhood

Fig. 3.15 0

200

400

800

1200

Feet 1600

N

District Connectivity

West Rivers District Connectivity

This diagram of the West Rivers District design locates the major neighborhoods along with the major areas of the public domain. Between these zones, arrows are draw to illustrate the connectivity amongst the neighborhoods and areas of public amenity.

The connections take the form of either public streetscapes or greenways.

Greenspace Composition

West Rivers District Greenspace Composition

The distribution of greenspaces, varied in their forms, throughout the West Rivers District provide the Public with expansive areas of environmental amenity as well has highly concentrated doses of more intimate spaces.

Greenstreets reinforce pedestrian connection across the district and create a network of public amenity rather than isolated incidents.

Forest / Bluff

Street Connectivity Greenspace Connectivity

Floodway

West Rivers Neighborhoods

Terraced Agriculture Major Greenspace Zones Mature Forest

Street Connectivity

Floodway Terraced Agriculture

Greenspace Connectivity

Urban Block Parks

Fig. 3.16

District Neighborhoods

West Rivers District Neighborhoods

Urban Block Parks Block Courtyards Green Streets

Fig. 3.18

Block Interior Courts

Rail Road Function

West Rivers District Rail Function

At its apex, the railroad freight industry of the Bottoms occupied nearly one third of the district’s land area. Nearly 300 acres of rail road depots and switching yards have become disused and derelict. The lines shown here in red will continue to provide industrial rail service to the Woodsweather industrial district while all other rail lines, depots, and switching yards are being incorporated into the new urban fabric.

The approximate neighborhood zones of the district remain largely in tact. The three multifunctional residential centers are reinforced by varied degrees of infill, adaptive reuse, and redevelopment strategies.

Woodsweather Industrial District

New James & Central Woodsweather Industrial District New James & Central Hickory & Mulberry

Hickory & Mulberry

Remaining Industrial Rail

Genessee

Remaining Industrial Rail Past Industrial Rail Past Railyards / Depots

Kemper and The Royale

Genessee Street

Former Industrial Rail Former Rail yards / Depots Fig. 3.19

Kemper Arena & Am. Royale Fig. 3.17

Masterplan Development

25

Genessee Street

Hickory & Mulberry

Below:

The proposed reinforcement strategy for the Genessee Street Neighborhood which provides for a majority of new structures which create a stronger long block patter that strengthens the North - South street corridors as a linkage to the Kemper and Am Royale event grounds.

Below:

Existing figure ground of the Genessee Street Neighborhood showing the sparseness and lack of block definition by structures.

Existing figure ground of the Hickory & Mulberry Street Neighborhood with its many persistant, architecturally significant structures in place.

The proposed strategy for the Hickory and Mulberry Neighborhood which retains many of its architecturally distinct buildings.

These include many four to six story, concretereinforced, brick warehouses. Their largely open flood plans make them highly adaptable.

Newly designed figure ground showing strongly defined long-block patterns.

Fig. 3.20

Fig. 3.21 26

Neighborhood Designs

New James & Central Below:

The design strategy for the New James and Central Neighborhood has been thoroughly degraded by failing freight and warehousing complexes. This plan created a block pattern which tightly defines the street corridors as well as interior block courtyards. The pattern is largely in response to the numerous geometries forced upon the site by the former rail depot.

Existing figure ground of the New James & Central Neighborhood showing the fractured building pattern and deformed street grid.

Newly designed figure ground with finer grain building patterns

Newly desgined figure ground showing entirely new building pattern adapted to distinct street grid.

Fig. 3.22

Fig. 3.24

Fig. 3.23

Fig. 3.25 Neighborhood Designs

27

Agricultural Terraces The Agricultural Terraces are a testament to the long standing agricultural tradition of the West Bottoms. The terraces, being the largest local source of food production in Kansas City, would return the Bottoms to its productive character, although this time in the form of consumable crops instead of livestock as in the days of the stockyards. The American Royale is a cultural institution that has been promoting and advancing the agricultural tradition since the early 19th century. Located adjacent to the Kemper arena toward the southern end of the district, its proximity to the productive terraces and the nearest demonstration terrace would revive the fading institution.

The Agricultural Terraces lie on the site of what used to be moderately degraded, commercial and light industrial lands. The soil conditions are severely urbanized which indicates compacted topsoils and subsoils as well as wide spread nutrient deficiencies. A biyearly crop rotation strategy is used here to regenerate a productive soil profile.

Masterplan Locater

Flood Staging The agricultural terraces are more technically described as ramps. Their surface geometry is similar to that of a simple descending ramp. The terrace walls are used here to create an exaggerated topographic relief which in turn creates a greater floodwater storage capacity.

In more extreme flood events when the water reaches the terrace walls, the water is then allowed to rest and deposit sediment on the terraces. This sediment can be worked into the soil to rebuild a more beneficial loamy composition.

The diagrams to the right illustrate the resultant inundation from standard flood stages as defined by the United States Geologic Survey. The gauge heights references are gathered from the Kansas River Gaging Station locate at the southern end of the West Bottoms.

28

Agricultural Terraces

Base Flow:

The base flow of the Kansas River is defined as +0’ to +10’ above normal gauge height which is set at 722’ in elevation. At this level the river flows in its primary channel.

Average High Water:

the average high water condition of the river is between +10’ and +20’ above normal gauge height. At this level the river begins to rise along the vegetated bank.

Stage 1: This flood event is defined as +20’ to +25’ above normal gauge height. At this level the river begins to rise into the lower level of the demonstration terrace near the Genessee Street Neighborhood.

Stage 3: This flood event is defined as +30’ to +35’ above normal gauge height. At this level the river rises up the first slopes of the terraces. This flood stage would breach the preexisting levee system.

Fig. 3.26

Stage 2: This flood event is defined as +25’ to +30’ above normal gauge height. At this level the river rises to meet the first set of terrace walls.

Stage 4: This flood event is defined as +35’ to +40’ above normal gauge height. At this maximum level the river rises into the upper slopes of the terraces. This is equivalent to a 0.5% (200) year flood event.

Fig. 3.27

Agricultural Terraces

29

Production Crop Strategy

In the mid west, the most well adapted, profitable crops consist of corn, sorghum, soy beans, sunflowers, and wheat. Any combination of these crops could be distributed across the agricultural terraces. In this particular climate the growing season runs from late April through the end of September generally speaking.

30

Agricultural Terraces

The crops produced here would be restricted to local marketplaces as a way to reinforce local food sourcing and consumption. Transforming one of the most derelict areas of the West Bottoms into an agriculturally productive endeavor further contributes to the productive legacy of the Bottoms and empowers the Agricultural Institution of the American Royale.

Fig. 3.28

Cover Crop Strategies

While the productive crops make the agricultural operation economically viable, they could never be successfully harvested without first restoring the soil on site to a healthy condition.

The highly urbanized soils are densely compacted down into the subsoils and must be deconsolidated. The crop selection above, including radish, mustard seed, rapeseed, hemp, and

winter rye are all capable of returning the soils back to health over time. The members of the Brassicaceae family are known for their ability to absorb and decompose soil contaminants.

The plant and root profiles above illustrate the deep reaching tap roots of these crops. The tap roots grow deep into the subsoils contributing to their decompaction. Also the roots transport nutrients in the subsoils up into the bodies of the plants. When

Fig. 3.29

it becomes time to make ready the terraces for the seeding of the production crops, the cover crops are plowed under thus returning the nutrients to the topsoil.

Agricultural Terraces

31

The West Rivers Floodway

Primary Channel Secondary Channel

Primary Channel Secondary Channel

Fig. 3.31 The floodway is accessed by pedestrians from nearby communities in the Bottoms.

Overpasses Roadways Rail Lines

Overpasses Roadways Rail Lines Pedestrian Access

The floodway is designed in place of the existing derelict rail road switching yard. It is not merely a vegetated flood control structure, it is also an expansive habitable public amenity.

The floodway is woven beneath a network of transportation infrastructures that traverse the 180’ of topographic relief to the top of the bluffs. The flow of water into the floodway is controlled by a rotational sector gate at its southern most extent on the Kansas River. Depending on the gauge height of the river, the flood gate can release a steadily flowing stream or the running depth of a 0.5% (200 year) flood event.

The floodway is graded to focus its flow into a single primary channel and in high water events, to distribute that flow across a secondary channel.

Pedestrian Access

Fig. 3.32 The floodway is heavily vegetated in a multiple layers of canopy, understory, and grasses Woodland Canopy Riparian Brush and Understory Wetted Grasses

Woodland Canopy

Riparian Brush and Understory Wetted Grasses

Fig. 3.33

32

Floodway

Baseflow Stream: Maintains a wetted stream perimeter. Feasible up to +20’ above gauge height.

Controlled by regular release from flood gate structure.

Flood Stage 2: Ranges from +25’ to +30’ above gauge height. The present flood stage elevation is set at +32’ above gauge height.

Flood Stage 1: Ranges from +20’ to +25’ above gauge height. The floodway can be used here to protect the lower agricultural terraces.

Flood Stage 3: Ranges from +30’ to +35’ above gauge height. A flood of this magnitude would threaten to breach the existing levee system.

Flood Stage 4:

The floodway is designed with a great enough crossectional floodwater storage volume to ensure that the urban center of the district will not become inundated even in a 0.5% (200 year) flood event.

Ranges from +35’ to +40’ above gauge height. This is equivalent to a 0.5% (200

year) flood event.

Fig. 3.34

Fig. 3.30 Floodway

33

Ag. Terraces

Floodwater Storage Distribution

Floodway

Balanced floodwater distribution

Rotational Sector Floodgate To the right is an imagined slider interface which would control the state of the rotation sector floodgate. The floodgate is directly controllable as a means to regulate the baseflow of the floodway, to mitigate the effects of periodic flood events, and to protect the productive crops of the agricultural terraces.

At the ends of each slider is a circle of some shade of gray. The lighter that circle is, the less water is being directed there. The darker the circle is, the more water is being directed there. The slider in between the ends is an indication of the degree of openness of the flood gate; to the left being closed and to the right being opened. These sliders describe situations of low water as well as extreme flood events.

On the opposite page are illustrations of the standard stages of the floodgate ranging from +5’ to +40’ above normal gauge height.

Floodwater storage in terraces to accumulate sediment deposition

Use of floodway to protect agricultural terraces during growing season

Maximum floodwater storage engages both the floodway and terraces

Critical low water condition maintains current river channel while terraces draw on groundwater

Moderate floodwater distribution levels optimize ag. production and floodway wetlands

Moderate floodwater distribution levels optimize ag. production and floodway wetlands

Fig. 3.35

34

Floodway

+5’ Undershot

+10’ Undershot

+15’

+20’

+25’

+30’

+35’

+40’

Maintenance Position Fig. 3.36 Floodway

35

Epilogue

The Project as a Model: At one conceptual level, The West Rivers District design acts as a model for any number of sites throughout the country that are experiencing a similar decline in urban riverfront industrial institutions. The concept presents a circular web of interconnected elements or components that can be coupled to produce new and innovative design strategies.

The Site Specific Project: As the project progressed and became grounded in place, the work could no longer be treated as a model, rather it had to become a distinct production indivisible of the site. For example, the rich agricultural tradition inspired a unique approach to terraced agriculture which takes advantage of the dynamic nature of the rivers.

The Product of the Design: As a response to the rivers, the land, and the city as a production of its people; this project was conceived as a realization of a distinct design paradigm which recognizes the capacity of a design to embody variability in its nature rather than stand in the face of change as an outside agent.

Fig. 3.37

36

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1972.

37

The West Rivers District: An Urban Confluence

Paul Toler

BLA 2013