Re-imagining Corso Buenos Aires
Made in Milan by Transform Transport Š 2018, Systematica Srl All studies presented in this book are developed by Transform Transport. All rights reserved. Unauthorised use is prohibited. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the written permission of Systematica Srl.
Team: Filippo Bazzoni, Rawad Choubassi, Federico Messa, Yahya Shaker A special thanks to all collaborators of Systematica who contributed to this book.
Systematica Srl Transport Planning and Mobility Engineering
Milan Beirut Mumbai
Via Lovanio, 8 20121 - Milan Italy
T + 39 02 62 31 19 1 E milano@systematica.net
www.systematica.net
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 Axial Map Connectivity – Basemap © Google Earth
A high street and a main urban axis: Corso Buenos Aires could become the most integrated retail street in Europe
Corso Buenos Aires is one of the most important retail streets of Milan: called Corso Loreto until 1906, this infrastructure has always been one of the main gateway to the city of Milan, however, significant changes occurred during the XX century. Despite its significant relevance, Corso Buenos Aires presents several problems that inevitably reduce its potential both as city axis and as retail street. Currently the right of way is fairly consistent, with four vehicular lanes and narrow sidewalks for each side. In some spots, like the blocks near Porta Venezia, the section is wider and the sidewalk is large and enjoyable, however, in other portions, the situation is significantly different with bottlenecks for pedestrians. There are several shops’ typologies along the street and this variety is dominated by large international chain stores with fewer and fewer local or artisanal activities. Its nature, oriented to the large public, determines how big is the potential of this street. Since it is proven that the volume of sales is correlated with the number of passages and with the walking experience, Corso Buenos Aires presents evident margins of improvement that need to be addressed.
With a total length of 1,6km, Corso Buenos Aires has 3,2 km of sidewalks and shop windows. Due to his linear nature the entire area is mainly experienced along his length and the neighbouring network not always continues the retail pattern of the main street. These diagrams study the relation between the street network and the shops. From the segment map, displaying the integration value at 2000m, it is possible to see how Porta Venezia is the most integrated, thus potentially walked, area, while the central part between Piazza Lima and Piazza Argentina is less connected. It is possible to strengthen the relations by upgrading the several shopping galleries along Corso Buenos Aires: the density of the possible routes is one of the tools to deeply enhance the walking experience.
More integrated
Corso Buenos Aires is one of the longest retail streets in Europe. With over 350 shops and outlets, it features the highest concentration of clothing stores in Europe.
P.ta Venezia
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 Š Systematica
P.za Lima
P.za Argentina
P.le Loreto
P.za Lima
P.za Oberdan
2000m Integration Map
Landuse typology
Retail landuse Abandoned Bank Bar Bookshop Clothing & footwear Electronics shop Flower kiosk Hotel Hypermarket Kiosk Large chain shop Pharmacy Restaurant Small market Small retail shop Special food shop Special service shop Theatre Tobacco shop
Corso Buenos Aires should perform better compared to other Milan High Street shopping venues As one of the main retail street in Milan and Europe, Corso Buenos Aires has a relatively low rent value. A comparison with other retail streets, points out how it is considered as a secondary venue. We believe that Corso Buenos Aires is among the most important shopping venues in Italy and its potential should be fully developed. A report from World Capital highlights how the street demand has grown by +14% during the 1 st semester of 2017 because many brands are starting to consider more valuable the venue.
Source: Italy Retail Market Snapshot First Quarter 2017 Cushman & Wakefield LLP
Via Montenapoleone
Corso Buenos Aires should be in this range Corso Vittorio Emanuele II Corso Venezia Via Manzoni Via Dante Via Torino
Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II Corso Vercelli
Corso Buenos Aires
Europe, Luxury routes, prime rents Source: Jones Lang LaSalle, 2011 and in ₏ / m² / year
© Systematica
Corso Buenos Aires has one of the highest PTAL score of Milan with 2 metro lines and several bus stops The street is connected with multiple transit modes: the 2 metro lines, the M1 and M2, and the BRT lines, 90 and 91, serve as MRT system linking the retail road with the rest of the city. The other bus and tram routes cross the street from East to West at every major junction and contribute to the integration of Buenos Aires in the surrounding city. There are no bus stop along the street, contrarily to what happens in other main successful shopping streets in Europe.
PTAL score Very poor – 1A Very poor – 1B Poor – 2 Moderate – 3 Good– 4 Very good – 5 Excellent – 6a Excellent – 6b
Mean PTAL score is 20.94 (very good level)
Milan PTAL score
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 © Systematica
M1 Loreto M2 Piola
M2 Loreto
BRT 90 91
BUS 39 55 56
M2 Caiazzo BUS 92
BUS 81
M2 Centrale
M3 Repubblica
M1 Lima BUS 60
TRAM 5 33
TRAM 9
S1 S2 S5 S6 S10 Porta Venezia
M1 Porta Venezia
Very high pedestrian flows Poor infrastructure Š Systematica
Corso Buenos Aires today
© Systematica
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 © Systematica
43% of the sidewalks are narrower than 4 meters
P.le Loreto
The sidewalk width changes significantly in the different sections of the street. The mean width is 5.29m, but it takes into account Piazza Lima and Piazza Argentina, the 2 squares along the street. At every metro exit the width of the sidewalk is reduced and it is not enough to cope with the existing pedestrian flows; this encourage people to walk outside the curbs, in an unsafe situation.
! ! !
P.za Lima 8%
18%
!
35%
! 13%
Sidewalk width < 2m 2m – 3m 3m – 4m 4m – 5m 5m – 6m 6m – 8m 8m – 12m > 12 m
Narrow
Acceptable
P.za Oberdan Good
! Bottlenecks
Safety should be issue number one: pedestrians cross the street informally in almost every section of the road
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 © Systematica
The National Association of City Transportation Officials is a nonprofit association that represents large cities on transportation issues. NACTOâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s researches delineate good practice guidelines for street design and transportation.
P.le Loreto
148m Optimal distance is 80 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 100m as per NACTO guidelines
82m
160m P.za Lima
165m
220m
P.za Oberdan
© Systematica
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 © Systematica
33% of the curbs are reserved to on-street parking
P.le Loreto
Even if a large share of the curb length is destined to short and long term parking, cars tend to park always in double line creating dangerous situations and congestion. We think that a simple increase of the parking provision wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t solve the issue, but a rationalization and a better parking area plan could boost the performance of the street.
X P.za Lima 15% 23%
X
14% 10%
21%
Curbsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; function Blue parking Resident parking Bike parking Bus stop Taxi stop Building entrance Curb extension Pedestrian space Turning lane
8%
(2678m) (622m) (282m) (211m) (14m) (123m) (99m) (573m) (373m) (419m)
X P.za Oberdan
X
Absence of parking areas
Traffic volumes in Corso Buenos Aires are modest in the central part, but the inefficiency of the section causes lot of traffic
Road hierarchy Main network – scorrimento Main network – interquartiere Secondary network – di quartere Secondary network – locale interzonale
The carriageway is defined by two lanes per direction that, near the major intersections, widen and accommodates different turn manoeuvres. Even if the section is much larger than needed, Corso Buenos Aires is often congested due to spontaneous parking or irregular U-turns. The downgrade of the axis, which is also planned in the PUMS, and a better organization of the curbs, would prevent irregular behaviours and would regularize the vehicular flow, ultimately reducing congestion. From: PUMS Milano (2017)
Corso Buenos Aires is planned to be downgraded
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 © Systematica
P.le Loreto
1706
1221
977
728
611
770
878
1003
P.za Lima
P.za Oberdan
Traffic volumes < 500 veh/h/dir 500 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1000 veh/h/dir 1000 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 1500 veh/h/dir > 1500 veh/h/dir
Pollutants and acoustic emissions drastically reduce the walking experience
Acoustic emission 50 – 54 (dBA) 55 – 59 (dBA) 60 – 64 (dBA) 65 – 69 (dBA) 70 – 74 (dBA) > 75 (dBA)
The traffic on Corso Buenos Aires is often slow paced and the emissions of the vehicles threaten the environment and pedestrians. Even if the city guidelines set at 60 dBA the emission limit for area of intense human activity, Corso Buenos Aires reach 75 dBA.
From: AMAT (2016)
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 © Systematica
P.le Loreto
P.za Lima
P.za Oberdan
CO emission < 5 g / hour 5 – 20 g / hour 20 – 50 g / hour 50 – 150 g / hour > 150 g / hour
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 © Systematica
Corso Buenos Aires has the highest number of deliveries per day in Milan
Daily deliveries / District < 50 50 - 150 150 - 333 330 â&#x20AC;&#x201C; 940 > 940
In a commercial street like Corso Buenos Aires the logistic of the retail and the city needs to be optimized in order to maximize the liveability of the road. The trucks, used for the deliveries, donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have enough designated loading and unloading areas and usually stop on the sidewalk or in the middle of the carriageway, making vehicular and pedestrian movements more difficult. The absence of a common delivery schedule or system worsens this phenomena and contributes to the existing congestion.
From: PUMS Milano (2017)
The delivery vehicles represent the 11% of the total traffic
Š Systematica
From: AMAT (2002)
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018
Bicycle usage (Strava) High passages Low passages
The cycling network is not in line with the existing demand
P.le Loreto
P.za Lima
P.za Oberdan
Bicycle infrastructure BikeMi stations Existing bicycle paths â&#x20AC;&#x201C;
Despite being a key cycling corridor, no bikes facilities are provided. The cycle network in the area is discontinuous and disconnected with the surroundings
Induced traffic volumes > 130 90 - 130 50 – 90 20 – 50 < 20 PGT routes network
Corso Buenos Aires is not designed for bicycles. Despite the large demand, there is no cycling infrastructure that would encourage this mode. The cyclists are forced to merge with heavy traffic or to choose less appealing and slower routes. Increasing the number bicycle users is often a key strategy to increase the number of shops’ visitors. From: PUMS Milano (2017)
Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 © Systematica
4 min by foot
Planned Bicycle infrastructure BikeMi stations Existing bicycle paths â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Buildings within 4mins from stations
View of Corso Buenos Aires in 1929
Re-imagining Corso Buenos Aires Š urbanfile.org
Less lanes
Better walking
Better cycling
Same parking provision
Current road section
The sidewalks are separated by the 4 lanes carriageway
Active Frontage
Sidewalk width is not adequate for a retail street
sidewalk
parking
2 lanes per direction
2.75m
2.2m
6.35m
1878* ped/hour (both directions)
728 veh/hour
P.za Oberdan
P.za Lima
P.le Loreto
The pedestrian flow is 23% less on the inactive side*
Cyclists are exposed to traffic since there is no bicycle infrastructure
2 lanes per direction
parking
sidewalk
6.35m
2.2m
2.9m
977 veh/hour
1410* ped/hour (both directions)
Temporary Inactive Front
Walking experience is poor and without resting areas and benches
*Measured on Sunday 15/04/18 between 18:02 and 18:22
Proposed road section Curb as parking spots
The increase of the footfall determines a rise in the retail value
Sai Yeung Choi Street South, Hong Kong
+17%
Retail values (net improvement)
sidewalk
bike lane
3.9m
1.5m
5.9m
parking
1 lane per way
2.2m
3.2m
0.5m
865 veh/hour
P.za Oberdan
P.za Lima
A rationalization of the carriageway optimizes the vehicle flow
Columbus Avenue, New York, USA
+14% Sales (net improvement)
1 lane per way
parking 0.5m
3.2m 562 veh/hour
2.2m
bike lane
sidewalk
1.5m
4.05m
6.05m
P.le Loreto
Proposed road section Curb as sidewalk
A protected pedestrian environment leads to a sales volume increase
Vanderbilt Avenue, New York, USA
+38% Sales (net improvement)
sidewalk
bike lane
sidewalk
3.9m
1.5m
2.7m
8.1m
1 lane per way 3.2m 865 veh/hour
P.za Oberdan
1 lane per way 3.2m 562 veh/hour
P.za Lima
sidewalk
bike lane
sidewalk
2.7m
1.5m
4.05m
8.25m
P.le Loreto
Proposed road section Curb with kiosk
The separation between bikes and cars improves safety
City center, Ghent, Belgium
-30%
Bicycle accidents
bike lane
sidewalk 3.9m
1.5m
5.9m
0.5m
parking
1 lane per way
2.2m
3.2m 865 veh/hour
P.za Oberdan
1 lane per way 3.2m 562 veh/hour
bike lane 0.5m
1.5m
P.za Lima
sidewalk 6.25m
8.25m
P.le Loreto
The downgraded street can manage the traffic demand The downgrade of the street does not affect significantly the traffic along Corso Buenos Aires. The flows tend to distribute along the surrounding network, mainly on Viale Abruzzi (one of the Milan ring road) and on Via Settembrini / Via Benedetto Marcello. The volume / capacity map shows us how the infrastructure is not overload even if its capacity has decreased. This proposal, along with several traffic calming and regulating strategies, could deeply improve the circulation on Corso Buenos Aires. Note: further and more detailed analysis should be carried along different design phases.
An average of 416 vehicles / hour less on Corso Buenos Aires
Traffic volumes / capacity < 0.2 0.2 - 0.4 0.4 – 0.6 0.6 – 0.8 0.8 – 1.0 > 1.0
Impact on trafficCorso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018 Current
Proposed
P.le Loreto
P.za Lima
Alternative routes are evenly chosen in the surroundings
Fewer vehicles P.za Oberdan
More vehicles
The traffic reduction drops the pollutant emission along the street The CO emission are reduced by the section downgrade since fewer vehicles utilize Corso Buenos Aires. This reduction brings the pollution to a more acceptable level for leisure activities like walking and shopping. The same goes for the acoustic pollution, the fewer the vehicles the less are the emission. Both the acoustic and CO levels can be further reduced with the introduction of trees or other green infrastructures.
Emissions on the whole street are reduced by 1.61kg per hour
The reduced emission per hour are equivalent to 8.18 Boeing 747 take-offs
Impact on environment Corso Bueno Aires â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Title â&#x20AC;&#x201C; June 27, 2018
P.le Loreto
P.za Lima
CO emission (g/hour) Less P.za Oberdan
More
Fewer vehicles and slower speeds create the sense of safety
Bicycle Infrastructure and % of Crashes
radius
The safety for weaker-users is greatly improved by the infrastructure downgrade. The smaller carriageway, the slower vehicles speed, the protected lanes for the cyclist and the overall better visibility, all contribute to protect the weak user. The effective gained security translates in a sense of safety and relax crucial to leisure activities.
Vehicle Visibility at Different Speeds 15 – 25 kmh 50 m
30 – 40 kmh 43 m
50 – 55 kmh
37 m
27 m 60+ kmh
From: Urban Street Design Guide - NACTO speed
Impact on safety Corso Bueno Aires – Title – June 27, 2018
Assessment of proposal
Protected bicycle lane on 8th and 9th Avenues (New York, USA)
47% decrease in injuries to all street users From: Measuring the Street – NYC Department of Transportation (2012)
Traffic calming on East 180th Street (New York, USA)
67% decrease in pedestrian crashes From: Measuring the Street – NYC Department of Transportation (2012)
Curb extension to reduce crossing distance
6% increase in chance of pedestrian crashes every additional meter of crossing distance From: City Safer by Design – World Resources Institute (2015)
Improving visibility between cyclists and vehicles
77% increase in sense of safety with visible stopping point at intersection From: City Safer by Design – World Resources Institute (2015)
The increase of pedestrian footfall activates the retail sales
The retail volume is directly correlated to the number of passage in front of the shops. Improving the walking experience on Corso Buenos Aires would increase the footfall, bringing more customers to the existing shops and stimulating further investment. This process will start a series of event such as the increase in the rental values and, most likely, a process of improvement of the whole district.
Impact on economy Corso Bueno Aires – Title –
Vanderbilt Avenue, Brooklyn • Dedicated cycling infrastructure • Pedestrian safety islands • Tree-lined median • Streetscapes improvements • Curbside management
Columbus Avenue, Manhattan • Cross-section modification • Mixing zones • Bicycle signals • 27, Pedestrian June 2018safety islands From: New York - DOT
Assessment of proposal
Street improvements + 35% Pedestrian Volume from +20% to +40% Pedestrian Volume (Hass-Klau, 1993)
(Strøget, Copenaghen, Denmark)
+ 32% Pedestrian Volume (Pearson, 2000)
Increase in footfall + 17% Retail Value
Improvements spread to the neighbourhood
(Hong Kong, Yiu, 2011)
+ 18% Sales (New York, DOT)
+ 38% Sales (New York, DOT)
Increase in sales 9.6% Rent to Sales ratio (REAL ESTATE ISSUES)
Increase rental values
Increase in Real Estate Values