Sarah E. Cook Landscape Architecture Urban Design Portfolio
Livability at the Transit Stop Research on Transit Design and Livability City of Eugene, Oregon, 2014 Current research on Bus Rapid Transit Systems has identified numerous livability benefits related to economic prosperity, community health, and the environment. When combined with land use development, BRT systems assist in the creation of more compact, healthier, and walkable cities. Seven bus stops were evaluated, in this assessment, for the presence of transit infrastructure and land uses shown to increase the perception of livability at the transit stop. Recommendations were made for each stop based on the data collected. An ideal typological transit stop was modeled using sketch-up to demonstrate the integration of land uses and transit stop design to create livable urban environments.
Livable Streets Diagram
Street Trees Buildings Frame Streetscape Third Spaces
Dedicated Bus Lanes
Benches Bike Lane
Shelter and Seating Pedestrian Throughway
Pedestrian Amenities 1
1
Cover
2 Seating 3 Human Scaled Lighting
15
4 ADA Ramps
9
5 ADA Handrails
3
11
6 Pedestrian Crossings 5
2
13
4
7 Accessible Pedestrian Signals 8 Sidewalk Surfaces 9 Maps 10 Time Tables 11 Trash Bins
18
12 Transparent Ground Floor Windows 13 Bike Racks
12
7 17
14 Planters
16
15 Trees 8
6
16 Semi-public and Social Spaces. 17 Tables 18 Awnings
Reconnecting to the Lake GROCERY
RETAIL
Before
RETAIL
For the South Lakes Village Center re-design, buildings were demassified and arranged in a fine grain layout to provide views to the lake, intimate streetscapes and internal courtyards. Parking was moved to the parameter of the site to allow for a spacious plaza where visitors may enjoy an expansive vista and access to lake Thoreau.
RETAIL
South Lakes Village Center Reston, Virginia, 2012
After
South Lakes Plaza
Lake Thoreau
G
GROCERY
M MIXED USE R RETAIL G
P PARKING
P
P LAKE THOREAU LAWN
PLAZA
M
M R M
R
M
P
N 50’
100’
400’
P
P
View I: A Thin Blue Line A thin line of blue is framed by a narrow street in a distant view to the lake. The street opens into a small internal court.
View II: Hide & Reveal Turning the corner, a bent street conceals the large lawn and plaza.
View III: The Vista Rounding the bend, the street opens unexpectedly into a spacious lawn and expansive vista of the lake. South Lakes Village Center was designed to provide an unfolding sequence of views and experiences; a modern picturesque interpretation of an urban space.
Locally Grown Eugene Farmer’s Market Eugene, Oregon, 2012 Eugene boasts a forty three year run of the Saturday Farmer’s Market founded in 1971. The market features live music, crafts, food carts, and locally grown produce from the Willamette Valley. The market is set-up every Saturday within four consecutive park blocks in the heart of downtown Eugene. A surface parking lot covering a portion of the park blocks has been redesigned as a public square, offering more tent spaces during the market and a place to gather in downtown.
The Market Square
SECTION AA’
The Market Square is a multi-functional public space accommodating fifty-five tent spaces, comfortably fit between walkways marked by local basalt paving. The square features an interactive fountain with stair seating which may also function as a performance venue. A large pavilion offers shelter from the elements and creates a recognizable landmark in the downtown.
PAVILION
SCALE
Planters and Benches
Tent Spaces
Pavilion
0’ 10’ 20’
40’
Water Catchment Pillars
N
Main Walkway
INTERACTIVE FOUNTAIN
Stair Seating
Interactive Fountain
SECTION AA’ PAVILION & INTERACTIVE WATER FOUNTAIN Pavilion
Water Catchment Column
SCALE
Structural Cables 0’
5’
10’
20’
Interactive Fountain Stair Seating
Complete Street, Complete Neighborhood
Minimum Complete Street Dimensions Sidewalk 4’
Sustainable Transportation Systems Eugene, Oregon, 2014
Bike Lane 4’ Vegetated Buffer 3’ Traffic 10’
4’
La
ne
lk wa
e Bik
fu Re
ile ob
ne
r ffe Bu
e Sid
4’
3’
La
ian
om ut ’A 10
US ’B 11
tr es ed ’P 10
A river path extends along the east and west banks of the Willamette river accommodating foot and bicycle traffic. The path runs adjacent to many residential neighborhoods and a vast parking lot of the River Valley Shopping Center. The proposal for this neighborhood study is to provide a safe, pleasant, and walkable community through infill development, efficient public transit, and the enhancement of active transportation networks servicing destinations. Specific planning strategies are to re-purpose a portion of the shopping center parking lot to provide destinations which can be easily reached by foot, bus or bicycle. A complete street along Good Pasture Island Road is recommended featuring buffered bike lanes which connect to the river path and new development within River Valley Center.
ge
Bus Lane 11’ Pedestrian Refuge 8’
COMPLETE STREET SECTION
Features • • • •
Sidewalks Buffered Bike Lanes Dedicated Bus Lanes Pedestrian Refuge
PLANNING STRATEGIES
1 Good Pasture Is. Road
Design a complete street for Good Pasture Island Road.
2
Repurpose Large Surface Parking Lot at Valley River Center to create a walkable and bikeable destination for neighboring residents.
Image 1: Urban Design Elements
3
= 2000’
50% Building frontage of street 50% Parking fronts street 75% Canopy Cover Presence of Vegeation Presence of Multi-modal transit: Bike lanes
Connect the Good Pasture Island road bike lanes to the existing Riverfront trail.
Image 1: Urban Design Questions: Elements
Existing Bicycle Infrastructure
COMPLETE STREET
50% Building frontage of street Proposed 50% Parking fronts street 75% Canopy Cover Presence of Vegeation Presence of Multi-modal transit: Bike lanes
Bicycle Infrastructure
PARKING LOT RE-PURPOSING