Thesis Programming by Ryan Lawber

Thesis Program: Transit Oriented Development Between Urban and Suburban Rail Stops ARCH 523: Programming for Architects Ryan Lawber 2007

Western Ave.

Washington Warren

Post 126 Office

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Western

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FOREST PARK BRANCH

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Polk 12 nd

(X20)

Grand

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Dame/Paulina

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Chicago

AM (33)

Loomis Racine

Chicago

Justine

Post Office Ashland

Division

Ill Med Dist

Fulton

California

21 Kedzie

Kedzie

3 4-5 6-7 8-9 10-13 14 16 17 18 19 20 21

Kedzie

Introduction Site Location Site Images Site Data and Analysis Site Climate & Weather Data Noise Analysis Precedent Study: The Glen Precedent Study: Clipper Mill Program: CTA Rail Stop Program: Metra Rail Stop Program: Transit Connection Corridor Conclusion

Sacramen

Contents

Introduction Chicago is built on a gridded automobile infrastructure with priorities taken by vehicular traffic. With this automobile-centric society comes a diminished sense of community, and communication between motorists is diminished to honking battles between metal boxes. City streets, expanded to accommodate increased traffic flows, have become impassible divisions, hazardous to pedestrians and cyclists susceptible to being struck by vehicles. Western Avenue is one of the few continuous north-south streets that exist in Chicago. Because of this, it has become a congested artery of four-lane traffic passing through the west side neighborhoods of the city. Crossing Western Avenue by foot or cycle can become impossible and dangerous if not at a traffic signal. In addition to this, the speeds of traffic on this road frequently reach illegal speeds greater than the posted limit. The site of this proposal is located on Western Avenue with an approximate boundary of Lake Street on the south and Grand Avenue on the north, with the inclusion and development of the periphery. The content of this project is meant to serve as an exemplary device for the city as a connection between urban and suburban commuter rail stops (CTA and Metra station stops) and the development of human scale components within the connection and periphery. Western Avenue is a defining barrier slicing the proposed site in two; this will be addressed. The proposed site is also the location of one of Chicagoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s manufacturing connections, the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Kinzie Industrial Corridor.â&#x20AC;? This area is currently declining in value as businesses that were established by the local rail in this location have moved further out from the city. A connection between commuter rail transit will be more beneficial in developing the area than a consistent band of decaying industry. The site consists of several abandoned industrial buildings which will be defined in the project and aimed toward reuse.

This project will examine a creation and composition of a pedestrian/bicycling infrastructure, with growth built around a human scale, nodal development of the proposed CTA and Metra stations, and a connecting interior/exterior corridor defining the two. While the elimination of Western Avenue from the site would be too ambitious, it will be materialized with regard to current and future conditions and circumstances. Western Avenue will be explored as a unifying element in this development. The proposal will look at a high population residency, as well as parks, markets, pedestrian paths, playgrounds, communal areas, civic spaces, quiet areas, etc. all to create a positive relation to society. This development has a responsibility to the environment and community by minimizing vehicular traffic in the area and promoting a local density and community. For this project, a station stop at Western Avenue on the CTA Green Line has been proposed. This will be looked at with a link to the current Western Avenue Metra station on the Milwaukee District West and North lines and a proposed coupling of the Union Pacific West Line at the same location, allowing the connection between the local and suburban rail transit to define the origins of the residential development. The division between the east and west sides of Western Avenue will be remedied by the lowering of the street, allowing for human scale articulation on top of the vehicular artery. Areas within one-half mile of the rail stations will be developed to the greatest extent to allow for pedestrian oriented growth, putting the more specific boundaries of the site at Ohio Street on the north, Leavitt on the east, Madison to the south, and Rockwell to the west. This pedestrian/bicycle oriented infrastructure will allow for a greater density and more comfortable community network while maintaining a link to existing neighboring locations along each of the functioning rail transit systems. This proposal is not removing the Kinzie Industrial Corridor from the Chicago plan. It is suggesting a redesign of a small section toward residential development that would better suit the general population of the city of Chicago. The displaced industry can be moved to an alternate location in an extended Kinzie Industrial Corridor elsewhere in the city.

Site Location

USA

The site is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA in a current industrial corridor of the city along Western Avenue between Ohio and Madison. The area is stagnant with buildings abandoned when these businesses left

Illinois

for the suburbs. The .375 square mile (240 acres, 97 hectares) site currently contains CTA tracks for the green line, and Metra tracks for the Milwaukee West line approximately .25 mile apart from each other.

Chicago

Site Location

Western Avenue approximately between Grand Avenue and Lake Street

all images on this spread: Google Earth

Site Images

These images of the site develop a sense of the area. It currently houses numerous buildings with boarded-up entrances between the two rail lines within the proposal for development. The main artery of Western Avenue is creating a rift between

the east and west sides of the street, disallowing pedestrian traffic to occur smoothly in the area. The area is extremely vehicleoriented and is not a recommended bike route from the Chicagoland Bike Federation.

Site Images

However, there are numerous buildings on the site that are worth reusing. The open adaptability of many of the warehouse and manufacturing facilities can be a perfect match for many other purposes including residential usage. Additionally, Lake

Street was historically a prime property for development, but it currently stands abandoned with few structures acknowledging the street and unique elevated tracks above.

Site Data & Analysis Residential Commercial Industrial Parks/Public Space Schools Metra / other rail tracks CTA tracks City use Vacant

Site Data & Analysis Main vehicular traffic artery Secondary vehicular traffic Marked bicycle lane Marked bicycle shared road

Pedestrian sidewalks on all roads shown

all images on this spread: Google Earth

Site Climate & Weather Data

all images on this spread: Climate Consultant 3

Site Climate & Weather Data

Site Climate & Weather Data Since this proposal is focusing primarily on the two rail line stations at opposite ends of the site, being comfortable outdoors all year-round is extremely important. The waiting commuters will need applicable comfort zones for both summer and winter. Creating a comfortable environment for the passengers should increase ridership on the rail lines. Analyzing the data, it looks like wind speeds will need to be dealt with. This is especially applicable on the elevated platform of the CTA rail transit as there is more of an open path creating higher wind speeds at that height. Examining the psychrometric chart for the winter analysis notes that conventional heating will need to be implemented. This is currently done on most of the CTA lines with heat lamps in certain areas of the platforms. During the summer, the chart notes that conventional air conditioning will maintain a comfortable environment. However, to minimize costs of the transit operations, natural ventilation and cooling, the next step down, will be implemented. Perhaps this could be improved with the high winds discussed previously.

all images on this spread: Climate Consultant 3

Noise Analysis The site is bounded by the CTA Green Line tracks and the RTA Metra tracks. By developing the site into a localized residential neighborhood, the noise issues from these tracks will need to be considered when designing. Since existing noise levels at the first row of receivers along the project area are currently relatively high (typically greater than 75 dBA), any increase greater than 0.5 dBA would be defined as a noise impact. In a poll accompanying Chicago Tribune story, results show that about 65% of people say the sound of the El does not bother them. To some, it becomes a visual and audio aesthetic integrated into the environment. The same can be said about the Metra rail lines, which are typically less noisy and less frequent. The CTA tracks need to be dealt with on a greater scale because of the frequency of the trains and the schedule of the line. The Green Line (which passes through the site) runs all day except for a short period from approximately 1am to 4am. The RTA Metra tracks on the other hand run trains during about the same time period, but typically only run one train an hour.

Precedent Study: The Glen, Glenview, Illinois The Glen is a recent development in Glenview Illinois. The site is a former airport that was shut down in the early 1990s. The following is taken from the architect’s webpage description of the project: “The Glen Town Center features pedestrian-oriented parkways and sidewalks connecting residents to the 1,150,000 square feet of retail shops, entertainment venues and residential. A 160,000-square foot Von Maur Department Store and a new state-of-the-art 10-screen Crown Theater anchor the retail portion of the Glen Town Center. Residents and visitors can also enjoy an 80,000 square foot Dick’s Sporting Goods Store, The Book Market & Hangar One, as well as a collection of fine dining venues such as Cameron Mitchell Seafood and Bravo, in an authentic Italian setting. The Glen Town Center’s focal point – or town square – is Navy Park, which plays a vital role in community life as the center of energy in this high-end eclectic mix of retail, entertainment and residential uses. With more than 5,000 people calling Glenview home, the community offers sixteen-hundred single-family homes, condominiums, town homes and high-end apartments. The Glen Town Center features “Aloft”, the 300 class A apartments situated above the heart of the center, and brick condominium row homes.” http://www.olivermcmillan.com

The Glen has been a great achievement for the suburb of Glenview. It is pedestrian oriented and near a transit station that travels to Chicago several times daily. However, this development still maintains the necessity to own an automobile, and the typical sea of parking lots found in the suburbs has only been transferred to the rear of the stores. Also, this development houses standard “big-box” commerce, which will not work for the proposed location of the proposal on Western Avenue.

Precedent Study: Clipper Mill, Baltimore, Maryland Clipper Mill has been developed around a former foundry that played a role in Baltimore’s history. From the architect’s website: “The strategy behind this urban plan is to move from a history of industrial production and environmental stress to a sustainable mixed-use urban environment that values the future. The Baltimore greenway along with a new main street act as the schema off which green space, public plazas and site ruins converge to create a diverse visual experience in scale and program.” http://www.cbhassociates.com

This area has been extremely successful as a community. A light rail stop from Baltimore’s transit system is near the development and the community is striving to be a very “green” neighborhood. One problem that has risen from the popularity of the development is that the homes have escalated the price of living in the area. This gentrification is displacing a lot of natives to the area and is troublesome for these people. This is a very difficult problem to predict, but should be addressed in the proposal for Western Avenue in Chicago.

all images on this spread: Google Earth and architect websites named in text

Program: CTA Rail Stop Analyzing traditional transit stops throughout the city of Chicago, the following parameters have been developed: rail tracks inbound platform outbound platform turnstiles exit-only turnstiles ticket vending machines other vending bicycle parking station attendant booth restrooms (for attendant) office area maintenance closet utility room connection to Metra

Program: Metra Rail Stop Analyzing existing transit stops throughout the city of Chicago and elsewhere, the following requirements have been developed: rail tracks (Milwaukee North/West) inbound platform outbound platform rail tracks (Union Pacific West) inbound platform outbound platform vending bicycle parking station attendant booth restrooms office area maintenance closet utility room connection to CTA This dual-station should be developed to be a destination in itself. This becomes the transition point between the suburban and the urban.

Program: Transit Connection Corridor Based on the surrounding areas of the site the following parameters have been developed: residential walk-ups low-rise towers commercial shops/stores grocery/markets light industry limited vehicular parking (park and ride) bicycle parking nightlife bars/clubs theater art galleries The corridor should be developed into a self sustaining community. A focus should be placed on pedestrian and bicycle traffic while limiting vehicular traffic to necessity. Residential areas will also be placed above commercial areas for a higher density and more efficient community.

Conclusion This proposal is intended to become a prototype for future transit developments within the city. Although this site is unique, the developments will be applicable to locations throughout the city of Chicago. Again, this proposal is not suggesting the removal the Kinzie Industrial Corridor from the Chicago plan. It is promoting a redesign of a small section toward residential development that would better suit the general population of the city of Chicago. The displaced industry can be moved to an alternate location in an extended Kinzie Industrial Corridor elsewhere in the city. It would be a great benefit to this site to completely remove Western Avenue and the vehicles in the area. However, this road is one of the few north-south arteries within the city and is currently a necessity for the survival of many west side businesses. Because of this congestion on Western Avenue, research will be applied in the consequences of its placement in an underground system, allowing for full pedestrian access to both sides of the street and allow for a higher density development of the area and much greater sense of community while maintaining the general function of the road. While this is only a small section of Western Avenue, it is still a large device in the degradation of the site. This program has been structured to give a framework overview of the proposal and site data. The reuse and construction of the Metra and CTA stations should allow for the development of a dense, transit oriented community. The location will be designed so the concept of the necessity of a vehicle will be obsolete. This is a large step in the lifestyle of many people, so the development will need to occur in stages, gradually weaning the citizens off vehicular travel with an improved transit system and community. While proposals for transit oriented development are nothing new, the establishment of a unique community within the grid of Chicago and establishing a connection between city and suburban rail should be a great asset for this city. Additionally, this development is intended to establish a unique Chicago style of architecture and not the generic suburban strip that is encroaching on the city.