TransitCulture by Susanna Castiello

TRANSITCULTURE

Transit Cultural Oriented Development Susanna Castiello, Tzuyi Chuang, Zhimin Zhang, Zhengyang Wang TransitCulture is a development model that merges a strengthened social infrastructure with improved transit networks to revitalize Santa Cruz. It is an infill proposal that poses an alternative to the current government-led, green field development strategy that locates new housing in disconnected sites far from physical or social infrastructure. Santa Cruz’s 447 year history has imbued it with a rich cultural legacy, from the Jesuit canals, to the current vibrant community, with its unique lifestyle and its tradition. The neighborhood is characterized by a lively street life that spills from the sidewalks into the street day and night and involves both formal and informal activities across private and public spaces. The neighborhood has grown rapidly over the past 5 years prompting the construction of a BRT system in 2012. The introduction of this new mode of transit has improved the commute to other areas of the city in both time and quality. It has also, however, destroyed the train station plaza at the end of Rua Felipe Cardoso, a large cultural space with a strong identity that was formerly the site of the popular, historic carnival parade. Even without the Phisical plaza, the train station area remains essential to Santa Cruz’s urban core where the evolution of social infrastructure is deeply related to the evolution of transportation infrastructure. Santa Cruz’s rapid growth can be attributed to a number of factors including rising housing costs in Downtown Rio and low land costs at the western periphery. This has made Santa Cruz one of the main target areas for the Minha Casa Minha Vida (MCMV) state housing program. Currently, MCMV developments are built outside of the urban center without proper transportation support and are completely disconnected from the social infrastructure of the city. We see the population influx into Santa Cruz as an opportunity to densify the urban core rather than building irresponsibly on vacant agricultural land. Rerouting the BRT creates a continuous transit loop that serves as a connective armature tying existing cultural elements together and triggering further cultural development. Revitalizing historical sites and diverting the BRT route will return lost pedestrian space to the community and attract additional investments along the new route. An enhanced cultural network coupled with Santa Cruz’s rich historical heritage would make it appealing to a mixed income population. The TransitCulture strategy seeks to build a series of neighborhoods in the center of Santa Cruz, each with a strong identity and an accessible transportation network. A series of new building typologies will be introduced to create living spaces on the street level paired with robust social activities. A re-envisioned MCMV that combines market rate with subsidized housing and allow flexibility within the units, the new developments would provide 15,000 units, 3,000 of which will be low income. The design focus will bring a balanced growth between population and cultural density. The social-infrastructure based development of TransitCulture will transform Santa Cruz bustling urban center poised to absorb the projected increase of 100,000 inhabitants in the next 5 years as well as catering to an increasing flow of tourists from regional neighborhoods.

FELIPE CARDOSO Rd.

TRANSITCULTURE Santa Cruz, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

CULTURAL DENSITY OF RIO DE JANEIRO & LOCAL CULTURAL LIFE OF SANTA CRUZ 20%

n -20%

Festivals

Population Growth In 5 Years (2010-2015)

Informal vendor

Concentration of Leisure Spots

Residents 320,000 in 2015 (+100k from 2010)

Commuters 90,000 per day to Barra de Tijuca to Center Informal sales in private apartment

Gathering in shaded areas

Train to City Center

1h 30min Formal retail

Market

BRT to Barra

52min

Gathering in sport fields

Itaguai

Ipanema

23 14 22 15

21 16

Rio City Center

Barra de Tijuca Campo Grande

Informal vendor Gathering Market Festivals Residential sale Formal retail Sport

Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz in characterized by a community that is growing really fast in the last few years.This happens mainly because several Rio residents were relocated to Santa Cruz from other neighborhoods through the Minha Casa Minha Vida housing program.The new BRT route system increased the quality of commuting from Santa Cruz. Is estimated that almost 90,000 passengers take the BRT every day, commuting

mainly to Barra, neighborhood with a high concentration of leisure activities, shopping areas and work places. Due to long travel times of the BRT and the lacking of a direct connection to the center of Rio, many commuters use the train as a main mode of transportation. As the diagram shows, while the population is increasing mainly in the periphery, the biggest amount of leisure and cultural activities remains, indeed, in Rio center and

in the neighborhood of Barra. The periphery has also a different kind of culture and one of its main characters is the intense street life.This is characterized by markets and festivals that occupy the entire street, while other activities like the informal vendors are mainly on the sidewalks. All these formal and informal activities involve private or public spaces, facades and delimited areas and they often overlap in space and time.

TRANSITCULTURE Santa Cruz, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Armature, cultural activities and new BRT loop. issues and potentials Increased traffic Destroyed spaces for festivals, carnival, gathering

Train Station C Frame

Train Station

MCMV

BRT SO DO AR FELIPE C

Trigger for investments TO DOW

. Rd

NTOWN

Actual Enclave

RIO Surrounded by walls Low density

Market Rate

Private open spaces

B Cultural Center Frame

Existing Fabric Cultural Center Zone

Densification A Frame

Infill of small lots No gathering spaces

MCMV

No mix use of the basement No connection to the center

Proposed Porosity

Surrounded by walls

Armature Cultural Activities New BRT Route

MCMV

Train Line Historical Heritage

Market Rate

BRT Station

Santa Cruz is defined by an urban armature often hidden by the overlap of different layers. Especially in the Santa Cruz center it is possible to notice that the social infrastructure is deeply related to the transportation infrastructure. The role of the train station is still crucial for the Santa Cruz population, even without a proper public space.

The overlap of these layers creates several issues in the neighborhood. For example, the BRT system improved the time and the quality of commuting but, at the same time, the presence of this infrastructure in the center destroyed what used to be a big cultural space with a strong identity, home of the historical and very popular carnival parade, characteristic of Santa Cruz.

Also, the low density growth of the neighborhood center and the use of fences and walls are increasing the perception of enclaves.As previously addressed, Santa Cruz is also one of the main target areas for the Minha Casa Minha Vida housing program. These new areas are located outside the center and are completely disconnected from the social infrastructure of the city. Further-

Housing demand more, these new residential developments are surrounded by walls and donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t provide mix uses on the ground floor. Our project wants to delineate and reinforce the elements of the built and unbuilt environment involved with movement, activity and cultural meanings. This will be supported also by the re-routing of the BRT that can give the lost pedestrian space to the community and

attract additional investments along the new route. The three frames chosen, the train station, the Cultural Center and the densification zone, are located along the new BRT route and include parts of the armature of the city and are all characterized by different cultural activities. The frames are very different in terms of functions, connections and roles within the neighborhood. In either frames

infrastructural or topographic barriers impact on the perception of the place and on the traffic congestion, delineating conflict zones. Our methodology aims to increase the porosity of the lots, shifting from residential enclaves with private or semiprivate outdoor spaces to semipublic permeable ground floors and shared open public spaces.

TRANSITCULTURE Santa Cruz, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Densification Frame

Santa Cruz Street Life - the armature view

IP FEL

Balcony

Shading

Retail

4 Mid-Income Housing Courtyard

As a potential development area along the BRT Loop, the densification zone suggests a break through strategy for the large parcels to infill the huge empty lots with a courtyard type neighborhood. The breaking-through path is another kind of proposed urban armature that will link courtyards, cultural facilities and the ground levels of a new floating housing typology. This floating typology will capture the

Solid Barrier

Communal Space

Felipe Cardoso Rd.

Soft Barrier

S DO

Residential Core

CULTURAL AMENITY

8 living experience of the existing housing, looking at these moments and atmosphere as an important factor of culture as well. With two different types of living units, this typology suggests a mixed demographic living style for both middle and low income classes. The courtyard in the middle will be shared by everyone in the community. This typology will free the ground level space and will create opportunities for informal retail and

gallery programs while will also offer flexibility for future expansions on top of the building. Together with the central courtyard, the building will work as a media rather than a separation between the community and the front street. We envision that the new BRT route will be a catalytic agent for further investments and streetscape along the loop, reinforcing the urban armature.

Social Housing

Flexible Ground Floor

ARMATURE

BR TL OO P

TRANSITCULTURE Santa Cruz, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil BRT

TRANSIT PLAZA

LOO P

BRT TERMINAL

Cultural Center and Train Station Frame C B

INTERFACE TYPOLOGY OLYMPIC CULTURAL VILLAGE CENTER

BRIDGING TYPOLOGY

IMPERIAL PALACE PLAZA

BR TL OO

SPORT MUSEUM

TRAIN STATION

LINEA R PA RK

3 IMPERIAL PALACE

BRT

LOO P

In the train station frame, we will delineate the social infrastructure through both pedestrian paths and building typologies, supported by different kinds of activities. The rerouting of the BRT will allow the design of some of the streets around train station for pedestrian use only. Together with the central ramp and the decking system, the pedestrian boulevard, that used to be an active walkway

for carnivals, will highlight this major axis towards the Imperial Palace. A linear park will start from the end of the active train line along the abandoned rail road, linking together the train station, a new BRT terminal and the future tram station and connecting them to the cultural center on the South. Connected by the BRT loop and the linear park, the Cultural Center zone is

designed to be a community shared zone with sports fields weaving with naturalscape. Thus, the isolated street between the actual empty site and cultural center will be developed as a main armature to incentivize the development on both sides. A new trail along the abandoned railway will be renovated around the slaughterhouse, behind the cultural center.

TRANSITCULTURE Santa Cruz, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

Section of New Train Station OFFICE APARTMENT

CULTURAL CENTER

VERTICAL CORE

LINEAR PARK

GALLERY/WORKSHOP

RETAIL DECKING

CROSSING DECK

PARKING

PLATFORM TRAIN STATION

COMMERCIAL INTERFACE TYPOLOGY

PEDESTRIAN

BRIDGING TYPOLOGY BRT TERMINAL

TRANSIT PLAZA

Álvaro Alberto Rd. GROUND LEVEL PARKING

This design strategy takes some benefits from the existing Olympic Village and Cultural Center facilities to reinforce the role of this area within the neighborhood of Santa Cruz. This new type of circulation will slow down the pedestrian flows with a series of open public spaces designed with different facilities to provide different experiences. The combination of ramps,

GREEN SHADING

steps, stairs and retail spaces will create a constellation of public spaces along the Carnival Boulevard for both formal and informal activities to happen. The proposed housing typology will also emphasize the public use of the ground and second level areas to maximize the possibilities of social interaction. Supported by the huge number of pedestrian flows, the bridging typology

CROSSING DECK

COMMERCIAL PEDESTRIAN

located on top of a new bridge across the railway, will mostly be used as gallery and as an office tower and will be owned by the railroad department. Along the main boulevard, an interface typology will be characterized by two levels of retail an, on the decking level, a semi-public commercial corridor between the retail and the high-rise apartments.

Pátio da Estação Rd. LINEAR PARK ENTRANCE

TICKET OFFICE

INFORMAL MARKET

CORNER PLAZA

LOCAL BUS STOP

TRANSITCULTURE Santa Cruz, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

PHASING

5 years plan

10 years plan The first step will involve mainly the renovation of the cultural heritage in the center. This will be possible thanks to federal funds, allocated by the IPHAN, a federal agency under the Ministry of Culture or in partnership with private developers that will be able to build cultural facilities in exchange of additional FAR. On the second phase the train station frame will be implemented with mix use development, with the creation of ramps to increase the north-south connectivity, and a new BRT station. At the same time

Frame C- train station frame

Frame B- cultural center frame

frame A - densification frame early version

Frame A- densification frame - Final version

20 years plan on the densification frame a small scale armature will break down the big empty lots. On phase 3, through a government land policy support, mixed use units will be developed as an alternative to MCMV, while the empty lot next to the Cultural Center will serve as a reaching point for the linear park. A new Tram service will be operated by SuperVia and will connect Santa Cruz train station to the city of Itaguai and to the industrial area. On phase 4 street scape and further

private and public investments will occur along the new BRT route reinforcing the urban armature and creating a series of neighborhoods, increasing the cultural density in the area.