Tulane Regional Urban design Center: Selected Works

Tulane Regional Urban Design Center: Selected Works Tulane University School of Architecture New Orleans, LA

TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

Lakefront Scenic Highway & Nodal Urban Development - Changxing, China Eco-Resort & New Village Plan - Changxing, China Strategic Recovery Plan - St. Bernard Parish, LA Regional Strategic Plan - Nantong, China Nanxu New Town Master Plan - Zhenjiang, China Menxi Restoration & Redevelopment Master Plan - Nanjing, China Qianmen Hutong Neighborhood Restoration & Redevelopment Plan - Beijing, China XiaoZhaZhen Development Master Plan - Shanghai, China Regional Strategic Plan - YanCheng, China Children’s Park Master Plan - Mandeville, LA

Dew Drop Jazz & Social Hall - Mandeville, LA Forks of the Road Slave Market Site - Natchez, MS Pilgrimage Garden Club Historic Home Preservation - Natchez, MS

Mayors’ Institute on City Design Preserve America American Planning Association - Assistance Team Dutch Dialogues

Tulane Regional Urban Design Center School of Architecture 6823 St. Charles Ave. New Orleans, LA 70118 504.314.2376 office 504.862.8798 fax trudc@tulane.edu

Contact

Contact:

Workshops & Outreach

Workshops & Outreach:

Preservation & Interpretation

Preservation & Interpretation:

Urban Design

Urban Design:

TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

Grover E. Mouton, III - Director Nick Jenisch - Project Director Robert Bracken - Design Associate Zeke Jordan - Student Associate

Past Team Members: James Carse Kobe Sackey Katie Wells-Driscoll Allison Albericci Landon Anderson Max Deuble Jake Brillhart

Students & Interns: Amber Stewart Matt Lee Kyle McCluskey Tiffany Woolley Frances Guevara Karen Wang

Tianjin Luo, Robert Bracken, Grover Mouton, & Kent Schuette join their hosts to tour a project site in ChangXing, China

Team Members

Design Center Team:

TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

The TRUDC addresses critical issues of urban design and land use planning towards the development of a quality physical environment. The TRUDC provides institutional support to various local and regional civic officials, non-profit community groups, and other civic entities of all sizes: communities, districts, towns, and cities. Situated within Tulane University’s School of Architecture, the TRUDC conducts project-oriented research, planning ordinance & policy review, and advises clients regarding strategies for project implementation.

The primary goal of the TRUDC is to provide high quality, interdisciplinary, urban design capability. It serves as an independent catalyst for anticipating, exploring, and helping to resolve critical development issues facing cities around the globe. The work of the TRUDC expands the body of knowledge about urban design in general and about urban design issues in the New Orleans and Gulf Coast region in particular.

Projects undertaken by the TRUDC range from the Mayors’ Institute on City Design South to local and regional non-profit design work for entities including the City of New Orleans, community action groups, and regional municipalities such as Covington & Mandeville, Louisiana and Biloxi, Natchez, & Moss Point, Mississippi.

The need in both the City of New Orleans and the region is unparalleled. Most local communities and small towns are expanding at a tremendous growth rate with little or no urban design help. Local governments are simply not equipped to handle anything more than day to day code enforcement and project reviews. As the economy shifts gears and the coastal recovery effort continues, a fresh perspective must be applied to the urban development and planning challenges that emerge. The TRUDC helps communities face their most pressing issues using academic study along with professional analysis and design.

The office’s international profile has grown through its relationship with the American Planning Association’s China Division. Recent and current projects in China include planning and design projects within the cities of Shanghai, Nantong, Nanjing, Tianjin, Changxing, Beijing, and Zhenjiang. This work, performed over the past 8 years, has served to support and expand our local efforts. The opportunity to work on large-scale planning and urban design projects has been a wonderful experience for the TRUDC staff, and has exposed Tulane students to international design in one of the fastest-growing markets on the planet, attempting to face the challenges of urbanization on an unprecedented timescale. The TRUDC in cooperation with the APA uses demonstration projects to educate government leadership and city agencies on the methods and benefits of quality urban design.

History

The Tulane Regional Urban Design Center (TRUDC) was established with a grant from Arthur Q. Davis in the summer of 1996.

TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

Nanxu New Town Master Plan Zhenjiang, China in cooperation with the American Planning Association client: Zhenjiang City Government Fall 2004 - Spring 2005

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Nanxu New Town is located southwest of historic Zhenjiang, China, where poets, musicians, and the arts have been celebrated for centuries. This vibrant and important city faces the same growth pressures as most Chinese cities, planning for millions of new residents in the coming decade.

The TRUDC urban design strategy was three-tiered: it aimed to preserve the existing city along the Yangtze River, consolidate new government facilities and development in a “new town” that would take advantage of incoming high-speed rail and other infrastructure, and create links between the two areas to ensure efficiency and proper access to new and existing amenities.

The focal development zone for Nanxu consists of 30 sq. kilometers, designated in the 2002 Zhenjiang City Master Plan.

The plan for Nanxu began with infrastructure analysis and ended with design guidelines, creating a comprehensive blueprint for development over the next 10-15 years.

Elements of the plan include the following: 1. Dense urban core with administrative, financial, and cultural functions -Admin. - 500,000 sq. meters -Communist Party Commission -City Government -City People’s Congress -City Political Consultative Conf.

-Gov’t. Administrative Units -Auxiliary Offices/Facilities -Finance - 200,000 sq. meters -City Finance Institution -City Management Institution -City Information Institution -City Legal Institution -Culture - 300,000 sq. meters -City Convention Center -City Exhibition Center -International Exchange Center -City Library -City Modern Art Gallery -City Opera House -City Science & Tech. Center 2. Mixed-income residential and mixed-use development 3. Recreation using characteristics of urban forestry and the Runyang Bridge landscape

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Location of Zhenjiang in Jiangsu Province

TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

Urban Design

Phase 1

Phase 2

Phase 3

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TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

XiaoZhaZhen Development Master Plan Shanghai, China in cooperation with the American Planning Association client: Shanghai City Government & Private Developer Spring 2004 - Spring 2005

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In July 2004, our design team, in collaboration with the APA, traveled to Shanghai, China in order to survey, analyze, and review both general strategies for development in Xuhui District and a proposed project on the site known as XiaoZhaZhen. Our conclusions should serve as a critique of planning policy and methodologies and as an educational tool to aid in decision making regarding this and other large scale developments in Shanghai.

The impact of a large scale development reaches far beyond its physical form. These developments can spur growth and investment or clog highways and divide communities. The primary role of the urban designer is to study, on both, the district and site scale the current condition of the area and, further to understand the physical impact such a development might have. The secondary role is to seek out the opportunities for development which promote smart sustainable growth. The tertiary role of the designer is to discover the identity of the area where it exists and to create that identity where it doesn’t. These three roles allow the Urban Designer to create a successful place rather than just an image on the horizon.

The residential typology represented in this study is indicative of contemporary high end residential projects occurring throughout Shanghai and China. Xuhui has historically existed as a high end residential area. The district itself is characterized by low rise residential construction and a garden atmosphere.

This characterization only loosely holds true for the more modern developments. These modern developments are gated and filled with linear green spaces between buildings. Though aesthetically pleasing and attractive to residents this investment does not contribute to the public environment. Lack of character along the corridors is what distinguishes high rise residential developments from the historic development throughout the Xuhui District. Xuhui’s character can be identified through the success of its streets and the potential for its corridors. Gated communities must address these corridors to be in keeping with the spirit of Xuhui.

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Above: Major Commerical/Industrial Corridors leading to Shanghai & within the city proper Opposite: Location of site in Shanghai’s French Concession

TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

Urban Design

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XiaoZhaZhen Master Plan Recommendations

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TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

Urban Design Pedestrian Access & Use Patterns

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TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

Waterfront Children’s Park Mandeville, LA client: Mandeville City Government Summer 2005 - Fall 2007

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In 2005, the TRUDC undertook a unique project in the City of Mandeville, LA. Building on Director Grover Mouton’s experience creating public places in the city, including a trailhead along their 32-mile rails-to-trails pathway and a new town center, an interactive playscape was designed for families, including children of all ages.

Innovative musical play equipment, sustainable water features, shaded pergolas, and age-compartmentalized play areas were all incorporated into the design. Groundscape changes and additions were also made to give the park further dimension and interest, along with a number of new trees and other plantings.

A phased approach makes the project affordable and implementable.

After a significant delay and redesign following Hurricane Katrina, the park design has been funded and will be constructed in 2009.

The success of the park plan has led Mandeville to ask the TRUDC to take on its entire lakefront plan, including signage, recreation, historic interpretation, landscaping, plazas, piers, and all other public aspects of the Lake Pontchartrain shoreline.

The park site is located on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, directly adjacent to the Mandeville Yacht Club, a public boat launch, Bayou Castaine, and Fontainebleau State Park. The site is approximately 30 miles from New Orleans.

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TULANE REGIONAL URBAN DESIGN CENTER

Urban Design

Phase I Items Angle Leg Park Bench (2) Litter Receptacle (2) Loop Bike Rack (2) Bollard (2) Pergola Pergola Base & Stairs Concrete Water Feature Running Water System (untreated) Concrete Surfacing Blue Stone Surfacing Estimated Installation Costs Phase Total

Price $254 $560 $215 $121

Total $508 $1120 $430 $242 $12,000 $11,400 $5,000 $10,000 $2,000 $7,000 $20,000*

Location 1 2 3 8 6 6 4 4 7 5

$69,700

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