smart densification vancouver A Thesis by Jerry Liu spring 2018
contents.
research + analysis. 1 - 26
site selection. 27- 42
design process. 43 - 92
design proposal. 93 - 118
the problem:
Vancouver is now the least affordable city for housing in North America with the highest housing price to average income ratio. Many residents moved away which has then led to a decrease in the city’s diversity and vibrancy. As the housing demand rises, the rapid densification of the city is inevitable. However, the majority of the city’s new developments are not only avoiding to the housing problem, but also worsening it.
the response:
This project is an exploration on how a set of urban design strategies, specifically dealing with the street-scape, public space, and environmental comfort, can help drive densification on under-utilized major arterial streets in Vancouver. In hopes that these urban design strategies can help create a new trend of future developments which are more affordable and community oriented.
Part 1: Research + Analysis
1
2
Geographical Analysis The project began by a series of macro scale analysis on the city of Vancouver. In order to understand and assess the housing issue at hand, one must understand the basic geographical characteristics and infrastructural systems of the city such as transit systems.
3
Vancouver is a coastal city situated across the west end of the US-Canada border. On the North of Vancouver, there are mountains, the South the US border, the West the US border, and East valuable farmlands. The unique geographical location of the city has limited its ability to expand horizontally. This has made the Vancouver’s real estate value incredible high.
Public Transit Analysis Vancouver’s public transit system is consists of three major mass transit lines: the Expo line which runs from downtown Vancouver to the West, the Millennium line which diagonally cuts through Vancouver and runs Southeast to the neighboring city Burnaby, and the Canada line which runs from downtown Vancouver South to the Vancouver International Airport and the city of Richmond.
The map below shows the relationship between the transit systems, the geographical layout of the city, and the major commercial streets. All three mass transit lines converge in Downtown Vancouver, and one can see the lack of mass transit systems in the West half as well as the Southeast part of the Vancouver Peninsula.
4
Transportation Analysis - Traffic Flow
BUS LINES BIKEWAYS TRAIN LINES TRAFFIC FLOW
low
high
low
high
TRAFFIC CONGESTION
0.25 mile 0.5 mile
5
TRAIN STATION
1 mile 2 miles
Neighborhood Density Analysis End
W e
st
Population Density (People per hectare) t Grey/Kitsi
200
lan o
Low density single family zones. (RS) High income local+foreign residents. Low neighborhood acitivities.
N
Ea
es
0.25 mile
tB
roadway
1 mile 2 miles
us
n e ss
y
Sun se t
N
0.25 mile 0.5 mile
w vie
Fra s
Sh a
h ug
er
Arbu t
astings Low-Mid density single family zones. (RS) Low income local residents. Moderate neighborhood acitivities.
0.5 mile
Low density single family zones. (RS) Extremely high income local residents+foreign investors. Low neighborhood acitivities.
st H
Mid-High density multi family zones. (RM) Mid income local residents. High neighborhood acitivities.
W
in Po
10
High density multi family zones. (RM) Mid income local residents. Moderate neighborhood acitivities.
1 mile 2 miles
Extremely low density single family zones. (RS) Extremely high income local+foreign residents. Low neighborhood acitivities.
Mid density single family zones. (RS) Mid income local residents. High neighborhood acitivities.
Low-Mid density single family zones. (RS) Mid income local+ foreign residents. High neighborhood acitivities.
6
Housing Data Comparison Vancouver’s housing market is at a point where it has exceeded common expectations. With an average property price to average household income of 17.3, Vancouver tops San Francisco and Manhattan to be the least affordable city in North American as of 2016. SAN FRANCISCO VANCOUVER
MANHATTAN
vancouver
san francisco
manhattan
POPULATION
647,540
864,816
1.645 million
POPULATION GROWTH (LAST 10 YEARS)
10.74% increase
10.00% increase
2.37% increase
LAND AREA
44.39 square mile or 114.9 square km
22.83 square mile or 59.13 square km
14,226/sqmile
18,573/sqmile
71,999/sqmile
$63,944 USD
$92,094 USD
$77,559 USD
$1,108,345 USD
$1,275,000 USD
$1,207,500 USD
TOTAL HOUSING STOCK
283,915 units
379,597 units
847,090 units
TOTAL RENTAL UNITS
150,750 units
379,597 units
589,885 units
TOTAL OWNERSHIP UNITS
133,170 units
379,597 units
173,961 units
TOTAL VACANT UNITS
25,502 units
30,000 units
83,244 units
38.5 years
36.5 years
DENSITY MEDIAN FAMILY INCOME MEDIAN HOME SALES PRICE
AVERAGE AGE AFFORDABILITY INDEX
(housing price/median income, higher the less affordable, lower the more affordable)
7
46.89 square mile or 121.46 square km
39.7 years $1,108,345 / $63,944=17.3
$1,275,000 / $92,094=13.8
$1,207,500 / $77,559=15.6
MASS TRANSIT LINES
3 lines
7 lines
15 lines
MASS TRANSIT STATIONS
20 stations
52 stations
151 stations
Are You Rich Enough to Live Here? The maps below illustrates how much money an individual or family needs to earn to live in a particular neighborhood in Vancouver. The first map shows that for people with an annual household income of $100,000 or less, nowhere is affordable in the city.
Annual Income:
Annual Income:
And for people with annual income of $500,000 or less, most neighborhoods on the East side of the city are affordable, but the majority of the neighborhoods on the West side are still not affordable.
Annual Income:
Annual Income:
you’re you’re rich rich enough enough toto live live here here you’re you’re out out ofof character character forfor this this neighbourhood neighbourhood
8
Finding More Affordable Places to Live Vancouver has dubbed a specific set of demographic groups its “missing middle.” The “missing middle” are working class people who used to reside in Vancouver, but is forced to move out due to the rising housing price. With an average annual income of less than $50,000, it will take these families over 30 years to pay their mortgage to afford even the least expensive properties in the city of Vancouver.
9
The neighboring cities such as Burnaby, Richmond, Surrey, and Coquitlam all have significantly lower property price compared to Vancouver. This phenomenon is negatively affecting the lives of individual families as well as the vibrancy and diversity in Vancouver. With the “middle” missing, so does large part of the service and commercial sector of the city. This in turn cause many commercial hubs of Vancouver to slowly deteriorate.
losing availibility Rental Stock
SFH Stock
$2.4 million
Housing Option
empty
Owning Multiple Properties
Neighbourhood: Point Grey Year built: 1930 Lot size: 2,069 sqft Bedrooms: 3 Bathrooms: 2
empty
Supply
empty
Supply
Supply
The “Missing Middle” of Vancouver “THE MISSING MIDDLE” of Vancouver
we were making our “ When housing decision, we want-
ed to live in Vancouver to be closer to work and transit but we could not afford the high housing costs. So we found a townhouse in Coquitlam that is more affordable and will allow us to grow as a family. We can’t wait for the Evergreen Line, which will probably allow us to sell one of our two cars.
transit to work “ Iandtakejustpublic to get around. I can’t afford to buy a home, and do not own a car. By not having to spend money on these big ticket items, I can save for retirement.
YOUNG FAMILY
“South Surrey made sense
from the standpoint of having space to grow as a family. The commute to work is long, but manageable. The school is close to home, so my wide does not have to drive far to drop off and pick up the children.
“
SINGLE RENTER
“
YOUNG FAMILY
Surajit+family left vancouver
Julia+family left vancouver
Connie
SINGLE PARENT
SENIOR
a single parent, I am lucky “Asto have found an apartment
near a Skytrain station and near my children’s school and daycare. Without transit options, I would be in deeper debt every month, especially with rent and child care being so expensive.
“
Daniella
have been living in Kerris“ Idale since the late 70s. I love
my home and enjoy living on my own. However, the property tax is too high and I am forced to downsize or move into a senior home. I drive to everywhere, but I wish the public transit is better so I won’t have to drive anymore.
“
Bill+family left vancouver
“
$94,000 annual family income
Living off retirement savings.
owns a small house
$47,000 annual individual income rents a 2 bedroom apt
no children
2 children
2 children
children left
2 cars
no car
1 car
1 car
1 car
both parents drive to work 45 minutes commute time
transit to work 20 minutes commute time
dad drives to work 50 minutes commute time
drops kids to school by car, then drive to work 35 minutes commute time
stays home and drives to groceries
$48,000 annual family income
owns a townhouse
$33,000 annual individual income rents a 1 bedroom apt
1 child
owns a house
Monthly income:
$7,871
Monthly income:
$2,742
Monthly income:
$4,019
Monthly income:
$3,941
Monthly income:
Income tax: Housing cost: Transportation cost: Other expenses:
$1,901 $2,218 $1,353 $2,573
Income tax: Housing cost: Transportation cost: Other expenses:
$384 $851 $110 $1,397
Income tax: Housing cost: Transportation cost: Other expenses:
$676 $1,320 $1,354 $911
Income tax: Housing cost: Transportation cost: Other expenses:
$642 $1,276 $680 $1,685
Income tax: property tax: Transportation cost: Other expenses:
At month’s end:
$326
At month’s end:
$326
At month’s end:
$143
At month’s end:
$306
At month’s end:
retirement savings none $1,353 $2,573 $326
Bill+family
10
Vancouver Census Data Analysis To obtain a comprehensive understanding of which areas of Vancouver is most heavily affected by affordability issues, a series of census data mapping is conducted using GIS tool ArcGIS. Two main information are collected from online government opendata sources. First a shapefile of Vancouver’s geographical information such as neighborhood boundaries and census tract boundaries, and second, multiple sets of census data which includes
population, median income, building density, average age, most commonly used transportation methods, etc. In ArcGIS, these census data are then translated into a gradients of colors to communicate the information visually. Multiple areas are selected as “hot zones” where there are two or more overlapping census information. For example, the area where people do not walk/bike/transit to work is also the area with the highest housing price.
AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME
$17,000-$44,000
$44,000-$61,000
AVERAGE PROPERTY VALUE
$61,000-$75,000
WALK TO WORK (# OF HOUSEHOLDS)
20-165
165-350
$75,000-$93,000
$93,000-$150,000
$384,000$829,000
BIKE TO WORK (# OF HOUSEHOLDS)
350-630
630-1265
1265-2255
0-65
65-145
$829,000$1,201,000
$1,592,000$2,249,000
$2,249,000$3,564,000
TRANSIT TO WORK (# OF HOUSEHOLDS)
145-245
245-375
375-585
11
AVERAGE AGE
$1,201,000$1,592,000
AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE
140-430
430-715
715-1015
1015-1480
1480-2350
20-165
165-350
350-630
630-1265
1265-2255
0-65
AVERAGE AGE
65-145
145-245
245-375
375-585
140-430
430-715
715-1015
1015-1480
1480-2350
AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD SIZE
36-39
39-41
41-43
43-45
45-52
TOTAL # OF DWELLINGS
912-1847
1.3-1.6
1.6-2.1
2.1-2.6
2.6-2.9
2.9-3.4
3978-5257
2527-6632
6632-9098
9098-13855
POPULATION/SQKM
1847-2550
2550-3337
3337-4444
4444-8528
2700-3978
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Commercial Strip Analysis - West 4th Ave Two potential sites were identified through an exercise of overlapping the maps from the previous spread. Both of them are along a commercial corridor. The West 4th Ave is interesting in a way that it bridges UBC with Downtown Vancouver, has a lot of potential commercial sites to be developed, and will have a major transit line running through it in the future.
Detached Townhouse Low rise Mid-high rise Commercial Religious Schools Parks Proposed Transit Line Bus Line Bike Lane
mile 0
West
West 4th Avenue Facing North
13
0.25
0.5
East
West
West 4th Avenue
East
Facing South 14
Commercial Strip Analysis - Cambie Corridor The second potential site identified is the Cambie Corridor. Cambie street is one of the most vital arterial street running through the city, linking Downtown with Richmond, the city to the South of Vancouver. Cambie Street is currently undergoing massive rezoning processes and the Canada Line, linking the airport to Downtown across the city, runs along it. Detached Townhouse Low rise Mid-high rise Commercial Religious Schools Parks Proposed Transit Line Bus Line Bike Lane
mile 0
North
Cambie Street Facing East
15
0.25
0.5
South
North
Cambie Street
South
Facing West 16
Incremental Development Speculation This is the first time for a design attempt. The goal is to speculative what are the way in which a focused micro area, in this case a specific residential city block, can be densified, and how will the different ways and levels of densification affect the statistical characteristics of that city block.
A block along the Cambie Corridor is selected as a test block. This set of speculation shows how, over time, the block has the potential of becoming more affordable through density. It also shows there are many different way to implement development and add density to the block. Since Cambie Street is currently undergoing rigorous rezoning process, many of these speculations are likely to become reality in the near future.
DENSIFICATION SPECULATION
CA BIE M R ST EE M BIE BIE ET
RE
ST
5 years
M
N2
CA
PROJECTION 1
20 years
ET
RE
ST
TARGET PROJECTION
T CA
17
CURRENT CONDITION Zoning: Single Family RS-1 Floor Space Ratio: 0.7 Population: 66 Total Dwelling: 26 Total Household: 24 Average Property Price: $3.5 million Total Rental Unit: None Employment Opportunity: None
DENSITY
TARGET CONDITION Zoning: Floor Space Ratio: Population: Total Dwelling: Total Household: Average Property Price: Total Rental Unit: Employment Opportunity:
DENSITY
Mixed-Use >2 330 ~100 ~100 $500,000 >60 >50
$3.5 million = 46 $75,000
46 14.5 residents/acre
3
10
Affordable
Unaffordable
LOCAL AFFORDABILITY
Median Multiple=Median Home Price (local) Median Income (local) $500,000 $100,000
= 5
5 72.5 residents/acre
FIRST INCREMENT Zoning: Single Family RS-1 Floor Space Ratio: 0.85 Population: 110 Total Dwelling: 40 Total Household: 40 Average Property Price: $1.5 million Total Rental Unit: 14 Employment Opportunity: None
DENSITY
SECOND INCREMENT Zoning: Floor Space Ratio: Population:
DENSITY
Two Family RT 1.25 140
LOCAL AFFORDABILITY
Median Multiple=Median Home Price (local) Median Income (local)
3
Affordable
10
Unaffordable
LOCAL AFFORDABILITY
Median Multiple=Median Home Price (local) Median Income (local) $1.5 million = 18.75 $80,000
18.75 24 residents/acre
3
Affordable
10
Unaffordable
LOCAL AFFORDABILITY
Median Multiple=Median Home Price (local) Median Income (local) $1 million = 11.7 $85,000
5 years
PROJECTION
10 years
ET
PROJECTION 2
RE ST
CA BIE
M R ST EE T
15 years
BIE
M
PROJECTION 3
ET
CA CA BIE
M ET
RE ST
15 years
RE ST
PROJECTION 4
BIE
CA BIE
M ET
RE
ST
15 years
M
PROJECTION 5
CA
Floor Space Ratio: Population: Total Dwelling: Total Household: Average Property Price: Total Rental Unit: Employment Opportunity:
0.85 110 40 40 $1.5 million 14 None
SECOND INCREMENT Zoning: Floor Space Ratio: Population: Total Dwelling: Total Household: Average Property Price: Total Rental Unit: Employment Opportunity:
Two Family RT 1.25 140 60 60 $1 million 20 None
Median Income (local) $1.5 million = 18.75 $80,000
18.75 24 residents/acre
DENSITY
LOCAL AFFORDABILITY
Median Multiple=Median Home Price (local) Median Income (local)
11.7 31 residents/acre
DENSITY
MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT Zoning: Floor Space Ratio: Population: Total Dwelling: Total Household: Average Property Price: Total Rental Unit: Employment Opportunity:
DENSITY
COMBINED DEVELOPMENT Zoning: RS, RT, RM + Commercial Floor Space Ratio: >2 Population: 200 Total Dwelling: 80 Total Household: 80 Average Property Price: $750,000 Total Rental Unit: 40 Employment Opportunity: 30+
10
Unaffordable
$1 million = 11.7 $85,000
THIRD INCREMENT Zoning: Multi-Family RM-1 Floor Space Ratio: >2 Population: 264 Total Dwelling: 105 Total Household: 105 Average Property Price: $750,000 Total Rental Unit: 65 Employment Opportunity: None
Mixed-use Zone >2 250 120 120 $650,000 80 50+
3
Affordable
3
Affordable
10
Severely Unaffordable
LOCAL AFFORDABILITY
Median Multiple=Median Home Price (local) Median Income (local) $750,000 million = 8.3 $90,000
46 58 residents/acre
3
10
Affordable
Unaffordable
LOCAL AFFORDABILITY
Median Multiple=Median Home Price (local) Median Income (local) $650,000 = 6.8 $95,000
46 54 residents/acre
3
Affordable
DENSITY
10
Unaffordable
LOCAL AFFORDABILITY
Median Multiple=Median Home Price (local) Median Income (local) $750,000 = 7.9 $95,000
46 44 residents/acre
3
Affordable
10
Unaffordable
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Housing + Urban Design Strategy Case Studies
19
A series of case study research conducted to study housing strategies around the world. The case studies consists of both built and implemented works as well as competition entries and proposals. The purpose of this series of case study research is to collect ideas and inspirations on how other cities around the world combat housing and urban design problems. They range from the scale of a single residence (eg. the Laneway houses in Vancouver and Australia) to the revitilization of an entire neighborhood (eg. the Lakewood Mall in Colorado).
20
LANEWAY HOUSING
LANEWAY HOUSING cont.
Vancouver, Canada
Perth, Australia
An accessory unit built at the rear end of an existing house. The house is smaller and shorter than usual and faces the back alley. The house is usually built on top of the existing garage, however, it can also replace the garage. Laneway houses were a zoning policy created to increase density and provide more housing options by maintaining the characteristics of the neighborhood.
Laneway house breaks from the existing suburban condition of large houses with limited open space by reducing its footprint, and amalgamating under-utilized slithers of land either side of the traditional boundary fence into a green, suburban ‘laneway’.
LANEWAY HOUSING cont.
LANEWAY HOUSING cont.
21
LANEWAY HOUSING cont.
SLOT HOMES Perth, Australia By combining 2 to 3 lots into a bigger lot, the city of Denver allowed developers to build a new type of townhouse into the suburban block. As its name suggests, these townhouses are slotted into a piece of combined lot. There are usually 8 to 12 units which can be “slotted” into a doubled sized property, which means it increases the existing density by 4 to 5 times.
OFFSET HOUSE
UPCYCLING 2.0
Chicago Architecture Biennale
Build a Better Burb Competition Entry
Otherothers reveals these frames by pulling back the enclosed spaces from the houses’ exoskeletons, creating verandas and transformable outdoor shared space from what were once oversized, underutilized rooms. Fences around backyards have been removed, initiating a dialogue of local community.
Upcycling 2.0 is an incremental development approach that combines the positive innovation from both urban centers AND suburban neighborhoods. This project challenges the idea that density and privacy are mutually exclusive. The proposal targets the ubiquitous suburban typologies: the single family detached house, strip mall, train station, street medians, big boxes, and vast seas of parking lots. The new strategy can be deployed on two fronts: The private sector can slowly acquire privately owned property, and in turn set up new rental types and housing associations, and the public sector, which could incentivize new development and mandate all new construction be more mixed-use and promote land-use equity.
22
RE-SETTLEMENT IRAQ
MICRO APARMENT EXPERIMENT
Mosul Housing Competition Winner
Carmel Place, Kips Bay, NYC
This proposal takes into consideration the immediate needs of the city of Mosul, as the anticipated 900,000 displaced citizens return, but also longer-term needs for community and public services. The first phase of resettlement is an informal process, with catalyst points determined organically by the returning community. With a matrix of modules, the settlements can then grow, densify, and evolve through the proposed rule-set.
The development has 55 units which range between 260 to 360 square feet. It was a competition created to battle the city’s shortage of one- and two- person apartments. Carmel Place is a more mature experiment in micro-living: What combination of amenities, services, and architecture can upend the long-held real estate belief that square footage determines what people will pay? This is where ollie’s pitch comes in: “For every one square foot I can eliminate from the apartment, I can give back $50 a year to the tenant in services,”
FREEDOM, DENSITY, UNIQUENESS
SOUTH CHASE HOUSING
Oppidea 2013 Competition Entry - Laurens & Loustau
Essex, London
This is a competition entry which focuses on how suburban housing can grow incrementally. Shared spaces, privacy, greenery and light are some of the main focuses of this study. Version B for T4D is especially interesting because it is building upwards and increasing density, but also creating new shareable open spaces.
This development accommodates a variety of housing typologies. Apartment blocks and stand-alone houses mark the corners and end-plots of four new streets, while rows of terraced houses and courtyard houses are arranged in rows between. The architects wanted to create a completely new and more sustainable suburban housing typology where open-plan flexible houses are integrated with outdoor spaces to increase the sense of space and light.
23
SLENDER APARTMENT BLOCK DADU - ‘OUTBUILDING’ Stoke Newington, UK
Seattle, WA
This 6 storey gabled block was slotted in between a pair of detached brick buildings in Barretts Grove, Stoke Newington, hosting six apartments. A slender rectilinear volume is affixed to the rear of the street-facing gabled block.
Detached Accessory Dwelling Units (DADUs), also called “Backyard Cottages” by the Seattle Department of Planning and Development, are separate, compact living units that share a lot with an existing single-family home.
Three reasons to create a DADU: 1. you need extra space for parents, adult children, other family members or a live-in caretaker 2. you want to generate rental income 3. you want to help make Seattle housing more affordable, sustainable and attractive
ADAPTING THE FIRST RING SUBURBS TO TODAY’S FAMILY
AN INTERNATIONAL SUBURB WITH A VISION FOR TOMORROW
Levittown, Build a Better Burb Competition Entry
Tukwila, WA
This project reconsiders planning and construction possibilities for the first-ring post-suburban neighborhood of Levittown. When treated as flexible, rather than sacred ground, first-ring suburban lots can be rezoned to include the accessory dwelling structure. Allowing additional dwelling space on existing lots gives homeowners options to accommodate extended family or to earn additional income through renting. Redefining traditional notions of setback, orientation to the property line, density, and infrastructure create a community that offers more options to the homeowner.
First, restriping the road to put it on a “road diet,” converting the existing five lanes into three, and creating lanes for parked cars, a two-way bike lane, and additional crosswalks. Then transformation of the Park and Ride parking lot at the TIB light rail station into a transit-oriented development with restaurants, shops, apartments, and a parking garage; and finally redevelopment of a strip mall parking lot into a bazaar-style marketplace for local ethnic businesses, creating the Tukwila International Market, a vibrant pedestrian market street showcasing Tukwila’s international flair.
24
DEAD MALL BECOMES DOWNTOWN FOR SPRAWLING SUBURB Lakewood, Colorado “Urban renewal took an outdated mall with an abysmal 60 percent vacancy rate and morphed it into a vibrant urban landscape that serves as home to more than 2,000 residents and generates approximately $200 million a year in retail sales,” says Lakewood Mayor Bob Murphy. Belmar is more than a decade from its opening and the site is nearing buildout—but currently booming with hotel, office, and residential construction, including 61 units of affordable senior housing.
FORMAL HOUSING TYPOLOGIES Study by densityarchitecture
Starting from the singular and abstract typological unit represented by the individual house, the first category is driven by multiplying, joining or overlapping multiple units. The configurations generated by those operations are either classical attached or row houses, either contemporary types of folded row or stacked houses.
SOCIAL HOUSING IN CHALON-SUR-SAONE Chalon-sur-Saône, FRANCE
This social housing project comprises a row of terraced houses and an adjacent apartment block with timber facades that extend to form slatted solar screens. The project provides a total of 26 homes, divided into 20 apartments and a row of six terraced properties situated along either side of a landscaped central alley. In response to the restricted dimensions of the site and the surrounding urban fabric, the architects proposed a plan for the development that provides variations in density and privacy as the buildings extend back from the street.
SOCIAL HOUSING IN CERRO MURIANO Competition Entry by SOMOS Arquitetos
The new buildings should be recognizable and assimilated into the memory of the city, thus proposing a dialogue with the surroundings. They createed a single built volume that will be transformed by subtracting areas for ventilation, sunlight and views, in order to provide residential containers with different identities. These dissimilarities will be visible on the façade customizing the skin that surrounds the complex, thus creating a new urban landscape charged with meaning and breaking with the usual anonymity of the original typology: a heterogeneous profile for the homogeneous surroundings. The second typology represents a quantitative increase in size, in number of individual units and scale compared to the “house” typology. The block height is moderate, usually ranging between 3 and 5 levels; this height is traditionally justified by the number of levels convenient for walking. Its relative low configuration, its flexible footprint on the ground and its scale allow the object to enroll organically within the context.
25
STOBERIKVARTERET
LETCHWORTH GARDEN CITY
Støberikvarteret, Denmark
Letchworth Garden City, UK
Ribes old town contains a well-preserved, dense and relatively uniform building mass, rich in detail. Low-rise buildings and winding cobblestone streets create good urban spaces that are both alluring and comfortable to move through. A close cohesion between well-preserved infrastructure, housing and residential elements creates a holistic experience of the historic center.
is to propose a new interpretation of its constituting and main elements, the residential units. The typologies presented, houses and flats, have really iconic shapes to characterize themselves in new way but maintaining their typical identity. All of them present sloping roofs and can be covered with many different materials: classical as bricks and boards of wood, and new as panels of metal. This strategy offers a big variation of possibilities and shows a differentiated urban-rural landscape made up by the coexistence of tradition and innovation.
The new development is adapted to the scale, streets, structure, architecture and materiality of the historic center, while at the same time maintaining an identity of its own. It’s a unique residential neighborhood in Denmark, offering modern housing directly connected to medieval Ribe and right in front of the protected marsh landscape in the Wadden Sea National Park.
26
Part 2: Site Selection
27
28
Identifying Underutilized Commercial Parcels In order to be a step ahead of the typical developers in Vancouver, an urban designer would search for potential areas and specific site for future development by looking at underutilized and ignore properties within the city. Instead of using residential sites which are within the RS, RT, or RM zones, one may start to analysis commercially zoned sites along major commercial streets.
These commercial corridors are the magnets for future growth, and are what people look for when buying or renting a new home. Most of the zones in Vancouver are heavily segregated into exclusively residential or commercial, with a very clea, physical boundary separating the two. However, as Vancouver’s population grows and the urban landscape densifies, the integration of housing into the existing commercial areas must be considered.
The map on the left illustrates some of the commercially zoned site along the 3 major transit lines across the city. All of these identified sites are situated in areas with a high likelihood for future development. The existing buildings for these sites are deemed as inefficient use of the physical space, and have a much larger potential in serving the communities adjacent to them. These sites have the potentials to be reimagined as future mixed-use complexes that can help alleviated the housing issue at large.
This study continues onwards to a rigorous search for many of these underutilized commercial parcels in the entire city, and is categorized into 4 major typologies based on its size and program.
29
Type A: The Flat Roof Box Type B: The Streetside Mall Type C: The Marketplace Type D: The Super Store
30
Type A: The Flat Roof Box Typically a 1 to 2 story building adjacent to a commercial avenue, these Flat Roof Boxes are very commonly seen in Vancouver. It is usually occupied with no more than 1 tenant, and has a few parking spots to the rear of the building adjacent to the alleyway. This is the smallest of the 4 types of commercial parcels identified in this series of analysis.
Parcel Area: Building Area: Building Height: Parking Spot: Current Tenant:
37625 sqft 1968 sqft 16 ft 2 Indian Restaurant
N 1oo m
31
Distribution map: 146 identified parcel 32
Type B: The Streetside Mall This commercial typology is like a small street mall. They are often situated at the intersection of two major commercial streets. There are driveways entering a small parking lot which stands in between the road and the building. There are usually a few commercial businesses in this type of building, and it serves as a secondary commercial hub for the surrounding neighborhood. Parcel Area:
20141 sqft
Building Area:
10670 sqft
Building Height: Parking Spot: Current Tenants:
20 ft 28 A&W, skating shop, vietnamese restaurant
N 1oo m
33
Distribution map: 71 identified parcel 34
Type C: The Marketplace The Marketplace typology is a large commercial-use building occupying the majority of a block or an entire block. The programs for these commercial building are usually foodmarkets (such as Safeway) or pharmacies (such as London Drugs). The building area is normally 1/3 of the parcel’s area since the rest of it is used for outdoor parking. The Marketplace typology is usually adjacent to a major avenue. Parcel Area: Building Area:
166,709 sqft 43,591 sqft
Building Height:
27 ft
Parking Spot:
155
Current Tenant:
Safeway
N 1oo m
35
Distribution map: 35 identified parcel 36
Type D: The Super Store These commercial lots are the largest of all the parcels identified. They house similar programs as the Marketplace typology, however at a much larger scale and occupy larger land areas. These “Super Stores� are mostly situated in the more industrial areas of Vancouver near the edges of the city.
Parcel Area:
500,102 sqft
Building Area:
396,299 sqft
Building Height: Parking Spot: Current Tenant:
45 ft 300+ Superstore
N
37
1oo m
Distribution map: 26 identified parcel 38
39 50%
44%
34%
82%
26%
17%
18%
(Area greater than 1 acre)
Large Lots
7% 5% 11%
33%
82%
18%
(Area less than 1 acre
Small Lots
50%
Clusters
Empty lots/Parking lots
eet
ar Str
Grey
Dunb
Point
Deparment/supply stores (eg. home depot)
Strip Malls
Supermarkets
OF THE 18% (52 parcels)
Parcels with area under 1 acre
Parcels with area over 1 acre
Others (Private businesses)
Warehouse/Manufacturing
Grocery Stores
Empty Lots
Restaurants/Bar/Foods
OF THE 18% (52 parcels)
Parcels with area over 1 acre
Parcels with area under 1 acre
relatively isolated parcels
5 or more parcels within 2 block radius
West
Marp ole all
ge M
Oakrid
ge M
Oakrid all
way
Broad
North
eet
Camb ie Str
ay
sw
ng
Ki
do r
t Plea
rri
Co
Moun
san t
s
East H asting
After determining the four main typologies of underutilized commercial parcels in Vancouver, a citywide search is conducted to locate over 300 of these parcels. Each one of them is then categorized based on their area, location, and program in the exploded axonometric below. The main takeaway from this analysis is that these underutilized commercial parcels exists in clusters, mostly along major commercial streets. To identify a potential site for a densification speculation, one of these clusters stands out: the Kingsway corridor.
Citywide Parcel Analysis Rotate 90 degree clockwise
40
14%
26%
20%
38%
62%
9%
8% 21%
Proximity to Downtown
90%
10%
Open Spaces
42%
70%
30%
Along Mass Transit Lines
9%
34%
17%
m
26 Parcels beyond 8km radius from Downtown
175 Parcels between 4km to 8km radius from Downtown
61 Parcels between 2km to 4km radius from Downtown
24 Parcels within 2km radius from Downtown
8k
259 Parcels occupied with 1 or more buildings
27 Parcels that are empty, mostly parking lots
35 Parcels along Millenium Line
16 Parcels along Expo Line
32 Parcels along Canada Line
203 Parcels further than 10 mins walk from transit station
83 Parcels within 10 mins walk from a transit station
Others (Commercial/retail/warehouse etc)
Empty lots/Parking lots
Deparment/supply stores (eg. home depot)
Strip Malls
Supermarkets
km
Canada Line
4
OF THE 18% (52 parcels)
2k
m
1
km
Expo Line
Millenium Line
41
42
Part 3: Design Process
43
44
Kingsway: Existing Conditions Kingsway is the longest continuous running commercial corridor in Vancouver, and it is also the longest diagonal street in the city, cutting across Vancouver’s gridded residential zones, and connecting Downtown Vancouver to the neighboring cities to the East.
45
The street runs for about 5 kilometers long, and most of the parcels adjacent to the street are primarily zoned for commercial only. After observing and analyzing the physical and functional aspects of Kingsway, it can be concluded that the street is extremely inactive despite of its abundance of commercial storefronts.
There are over 40 identified underutilized commercial parcels in the middle 4 kilometer of the street. The majority of them are restaurants and auto repair shops. This odd combination of commercial programs makes the street scape rather uninviting for pedestrian and social activities.
Google Street Views
Low building heights of no more than 3 stories tall.
Unattractive and dull physical appearance of street scape.
Not enough traffic flow for a 6 lane street, and no bike lanes.
Low levels of pedestrian and street activities.
Long and crooked crosswalks at intersections, inefficient and unsafe. Poor boundary condition between residential and commercial zones. 46
A New Strategy for a New Urban Corridor The new strategy for the future development on a major commercial corridor such as Kingsway focuses on the idea of place-making. Instead of relying on developers to fill up the existing commercial parcels with independent residential, commercial, or mixed-use developments, there will be a set of urban design rules to regulate and guide the developers. These urban design rules focuses on activating the existing neighborhood and creating a sustainable, community oriented urban center for both the residents of the neighborhood and visitor from around the city. This proposal consists of two main approaches to transform Kingsway into a dense, vibrant urban corridor. The first step is to activate the currently inactive streetscape. The second is to create an array of multi-functional public spaces which are strategically placed within the existing urban fabric. With a new street and wide range of public spaces, Kingsway will not only be a desired home for people moving into Vancouver, it will also bring existing residents new employment opportunities and a more community oriented living experience.
47
For this Thesis, the analysis and redesigning of a new Kingsway will focus on a 4 block long segment in the midway of the Kingway corridor spanning from St. Catherine Street to Clark Drive. This is an adequate-size site to both look into the micro and macro elements of urban design, and to give the opportunity to see it’s effects in a citywide context.
4 blocks
activating the existing street scape
creating new public spaces
+
a vibrant urban corridor
=
48
Re-Organize the Blocks Adjacent to the Street The existing urban layout along Kingsway consists of a number of inefficient and awkward uses space. One in particular is the positioning of open parking spaces. There are required open parking space for every one of these
commercial parcels. Many of these parking lots are in between the street and the building. This not only forces driveways that cuts into the sidewalk and interrupts pedestrian flow, but also creates a barrier between the pedestrian and the businesses, making it a less desired street to visit.
N 0
49
10
20
50
100
M
The initial attempts to resolve these inefficient and troublesome placement of parking is to consolidate them into multi-story parking structures or underground parking. This way these commercial lots can be rezoned to have
higher above ground FSR (Floor Space Ratio) due to the omission of open air parking. It also allows for an increase in the width of pedestrian sidewalk and also more connectivity between the street and the adjacent businesses.
PARKING
PARKING
N 0
10
20
50
100
M
50
Strategies for Vertical Increase in Density To analysis the existing condition further, a series of neighborhood massing studies are conducted to evaluate the uses of the building volumes in three dimension. Currently, Kingsway is primarily comprised of an irregular placement of small one to two story flat roof commercial buildings, as shown in blue.
RS-1 single family
All of the commercial buildings are clustered together adjacent to the street, but clearly separated from the residential zones behind, in a very deliberate manner. Also, the commercial and residential zones are separated by a narrow alleyway parallel to Kingsway. These diagonal cuts creats interesting spatial conditions, but not explored fully.
C-2 commercial
max building height 9.5 m
RS-1 single family
max building height 13.8 m max building height 9.5 m
0
51
RM-1 multi family
10
20
max building height 10.7 m
50
100
M
This is a rough massing speculation on the increase in density along the Kingsway corridor. The idea is to have a variety of uses and building types integrated into the blocks adjacent to Kingsway. These new blocks are to be zoned as mixed-use parcels. The programs are stacked vertically with the bottom levels as commercial, mid levels
RS-1 single family
RM-1 multi family
as public housing, and towers as private condominiums. The corners of each block must be left as open spaces to facilitate public activities and increase safety at intersections with high traffic flows. The developments at corner blocks must house certain public amenities such as libraries and theaters. There are also height regulations to limit the max building heights to ensure adequate daylighting on intersections and sidewalks.
MU-1 mixed use max building height 50 m
RM-1 multi family
max building height 21.4 m max building height 9.5 m
max building height 13.5 m
0
10
20
50
100
M
52
Combining Existing Blocks to Create “Superblocks” One important step in the design process for the new Kingsway is to reconfigure the adjacent blocks and fully embrace the diagonal characteristics of this major corridor. By combining the commercial blocks adjacent to the street and the small triangular residential blocks behind the commercial blocks, new large triangular-shaped blocks are born. The size and shape of these “super blocks” allow urban designers to play with the positioning and linkage between buildings and open spaces. This then creates a much more varied urban environment, and it certainly promotes more community oriented zoning models and future developments.
Existing block configurations with narrow and underused alleyways separating the commercial buildings along Kingsway and the single family houses surrounding it.
53
New configuration of the blocks adjacent to Kingsway. These ‘superblocks’ allow different variation of mixed-use development and open public space to be placed within them, catering to each block’s respective contexts.
54
Creating Public Spaces with Flexible and Diverse Functions A series of public space functions are created and cataloged below. These are then assigned to the public spaces along the street blocks. These public space, consisting of primarily parks and plaza, are then inserted into the Focus Segment.
55
Flea market
Outdoor gallery
BBQ
Cafeteria tables
Outdoor yoga
Skate park
Bleachers
Sports walls
Grass field
Water features
Playground
Pavillion
Bike tracks
Tables + chairs
Sculpture park
Greenhouse
Gardens
Amphitheatre
Daycare
Parking
56
Street Activation To create a new thriving neighborhood along an existing major avenue, the street scape is one of the most crucial and primary aspect to reinvent. Kingsway’s current street conditions appear to be extremely inactive and undesirable for its importance. In order to attract both new developments and residents, the street itself needs to become a vibrant central node within the city. Many of the inspirations and guidance for creating a more active and vibrant street scape came from the manual Urban Street Design Guide by NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Office). The manual has been studied and analyzed extensively to decide which of the street design interventions is the most vital and appropriate for a new Kingsway. A few of them are listed on the right. Some of the focus for redesigning the street scape are: re-dedicate traffic lane use to cars and public transit, widening sidewalks to provide more pedestrian activity spaces, and adding street design elements such as parklets and greenery to induce and attract more street level activity and livelihood. These potential changes and additions are then implemented on Kingsway.
Images courtesy of NACTO
57
Broadening sidewalk + adding sidewalk elements.
Bus bulbs to improve transit flow.
Parklets.
Intersection improvement to increase pedestrian safety.
Traffic lane re-configurations.
Sidewalk extensions + improved greenery. 58
A New Street Scape This is an initial attempt to re-configure the Kingsway street scape. Focusing mainly on the cross section, the goal is to increase pedestrian activity spaces by broadening the sidewalks and re-dedicate the traffic lanes to accommodate for a balance between traffic flows among cars, public transit, and bikes.
59
60
Solar Analysis + Solar Envelope Design One important approach for designing building massings for a new, dense urban core is through daylight analysis. Daylighting is vital to not only the fundamental configuration and orientation of any new urban development, but also what drives public activity and a comfortable living environment. Since rules and guidelines must be determined to regulate the built massing and maximum height of these new developments along the Kingsway corridor, the sun may be the most beneficial tool available to determined these guidelines. What makes determining these building envelope both more challenging and more interesting is that Kingsway diagonally cuts through a upright urban grid. This creates a variety of different solar conditions for the blocks along the street. The developments on the blocks South of Kingsway do not need to be concerned with the shadowing of the public spaces as the public spaces are South of the developments, whereas the developments North of the streets need to be more sensitive in terms of their density and height since they are more prone to over shadowing the public spaces North of these developments.
61
62
Ralph Knowels Solar Envelope Architect and educator Ralph Knowels was a pioneer on environmentally sensitive approach to designing buildings and urban conditions. He has implemented the sun’s path and behavior as a crucial element in designing the massing and orientations of architecture long before any of the modern climate and parametric tools such as DIVA and Grasshopper. His appraoch inlcuded four main variables. First, the building footprint must be determined. Second, specific areas surrounding the building footprint must be selected as shadow-free zones where there must be a minimum amount of direct daylight hitting at any given time. Third, the geographical location of the site. Lastly, a specific day and time in a year since it is only possible to derive one set of envelope massing for one specific instance in time. The images on the right shows some of the models built by Knowel’s students at the University of Southern California in the 70s. The sets on the left represents an urban scheme with densely built rectangular city blocks. The ones of the right represents a suburban scheme. From these studies, an envelope model is constructed first and a detailed architectural model must first within the previously constructed solar envelope.
63
Images courtesy of Ralph Knowels
64
Using DIVA Solar Tools to Derive Building Envelopes Using DIVA envelope tool, one can derive a set of solar geometries using: a specific time in a year, a closed boundary line representing the building footprint, and a set of lines representing shadow-free zones near and around the building footprint. In these initial solar envelope studies, three separate sets of geometries were derived for June, March, and November. The derivation process is described below:
65
First the building footprints and public open spaces are determined from the previous studies. Then the red dotted lines represent the shadow free boundaries for each time of the year (summer allows for long continuous shadow free zones whereas during the winter months the focus is on corners, intersections and midblocks). The location weather data and time are then plugged into the equation.
With all the required data correctly plugged into the envelope tool, Grasshopper spits out a geometry which allows sunlight to hit all the identified shadow free zones at a given time.
Building Site A and B are identical in size. Site A has residential projects immediately adjacent and Site B has mixed use across a large highway to its north. Their respective solar envelope boundaries are drawn to protect adjacent neighbors access to direct sunlight for at least 1 hour throughout the year at 45 degrees latitude.
Below are the resulting solar envelopes, intersecting these with the building sites (assuming you can only build above the designated building site- not always the case if you can buy and build in the air above neighbors.... but that is a digression) you get this:
The build-able volume for Site A is almost 3x larger than for Site B even though they have the same area site. Having a large piece of infrastructure to the north for Site A gives it more volume if both sites are constrained by a solar envelope with the above mentioned parameters.
Images courtesy of Solemma DIVA sun tool forum
66
Date: March 1st Time: 12 pm to 2 pm Developments South of Kingsway ranging from 150 ft to 300 ft are required to have a minimum of 50 ft “daylighting gap” on the neighboring lots. This is to allow sufficient amount of daylight hitting the street during Spring and Fall months, particularily during lunch hours from 12 pm to 2 pm.
Date: June 31st Time: 12 pm to 2 pm Low to mid rise developments adjacent to any open air space but allow direct daylight hitting the open space from 12 pm to 2 pmduring summer months. 67
Date: March 1st Time: 12 pm to 2 pm Developments South of Kingsway ranging from 150 ft to 300 ft are required to have a minimum of 50 ft “daylighting gap” on the neighboring lots. This is to allow sufficient amount of daylight hitting the street during Spring and Fall months, particularily during lunch hours from 12 pm to 2 pm.
Date: June 31st Time: 12 pm to 2 pm Developments on the corner lots adjacent to any intersection on Kingsway are required to leave the crosswalks of any nearby intersection free of shadow during the summer months, especially during lunch time between 12pm and 2 pm.
Date: June 31st Time: 12 pm to 2 pm
Date: June 31st Time: 12 pm to 2 pm Developments North of Kingsway are allow to have a height relaxation if the adjacent open space is elevated. The resulted max height depends on the elevation of the open space.
Date: June 31st Time: 12 pm to 2 pm Developments North of Kingsway are required to allow direct daylight hitting any adjacent public spaces from 12 pm to 2 pm during the summer months.
Developments South of Kingsway ranging from 150 ft to 300 ft are required to manipulate their NE facade to allow for at least 2 hours of direct daylight hitting the street during summer months.
Date: June 31st Time: 12 pm to 2 pm Developments adjacent to any school or community oriented property is required to allow sufficient daylight: 1. in the morning from 8 am to 9:30 am, 2. during lunchtime from 12 pm to 1 pm, and 3. in the afternoon from 3 pm to 5 pm. 68
Initial Solar Envelope Derivation
69
70
Sun Path + Shadow Studies For summer time, public spaces can get long hours of daylight, therefore the boundaries for shadow-free zones can be longer and more continuous. The red dotted lines are drawn mainly along the public spaces north of Kingsway, the sidewalks north of the street, and low density single family residential blocks. The shadow plan below shows the shadow conditions on June 30th from 12 pm to 2 pm.
71
For spring time, the angle of the sun is much lower and the duration of sunlight is shortened. Therefore, long continuous boundaries for shadow-free zones would be impratical since the building heights would be extremely limited. Instead, the boundaries for shadow-free zones focuses on the corners fo residential blocks and the crosswalks at major intersections along Kingsways.
For fall time, hours of direct daylight are reduced even further. The goal is to have small rays of sunlight to hit public spaces, especially the ones north of the developments along Kingsway. Smaller segments of boundary lines are drawn along these public spaces to help derive the solar envelopes. The plan below shows the shadow conditions on a winter day from 10 am to 12 pm.
72
Solar Envelope (Summer) June 30th The solar envelope is shaped by a series of shadow-free boundaries which are defined to allow at least 1 hour of direct sunlight during lunch hours (~12pm to ~2 pm) from June 1st to August 1st.
73
July 30th
Shadow Free Zone: Half of the area of any public space north of any high density developments.
July 30th
Shadow Free Zone: Edges of open public space.
July 30th
Shadow Free Zone: Edges of adjacent single family zones
Envelop Massing
Shadow Plan
74
Solar Envelope (Fall) November 30th The solar envelope is shaped by a series of shadow-free boundaries which are defined to allow at least 1 hour of direct sunlight during morning hours (~10am to ~12 pm) from October1st to January 1st.
75
Nov 30th
Shadow Free Zone: Crosswalks at major intersections.
Nov 30th
Shadow Free Zone: Corners of public spaces south of developments.
Nov 30th
Shadow Free Zone: Allowing narrow bands of morning sun to shine through tall building massing onto public spaces.
Envelop Massing
Shadow Plan
76
Solar Envelope (Spring) March 21st The solar envelope is shaped by a series of shadow-free boundaries which are defined to allow at least 1 hour of direct sunlight during lunch hours (~12pm to ~2 pm) from February 1st to April 1st.
77
March 21st
Shadow Free Zone: Allowing narrow bands of morning sun to shine through tall building massing onto public spaces.
March 21st
Shadow Free Zone: Crosswalks at major intersections.
March 21st
Shadow Free Zone: Adjacent single family zones.
Envelop Massing
Shadow Plan
78
Solar Envelope (Consolidation of the previous 3) May 12th The final solar envelope is derived from consolidating the previous three seasonal solar envelopes (Summer, Spring, and Fall). All three seasonal solar envelopes are combined together to create a final solar envelope which allows sunlight to pass through building massing and hit specific areas during specific times in a year.
June 30th
Nov 30th
79
Shadow Free Zone: Public spaces North of high density developments.
Shadow Free Zone: Corners of public spaces.
March 21st
Shadow Free Zone: Adjacent single family zones.
Oct 30th
Shadow Free Zone: Corners of public spaces.
Envelop Massing
Shadow Plan
80
Public Space Catalog + Distribution KINGSWAY, VANCOUVER
A
B
C
D
E
F
B 1
PRIVATE OPEN SPACE TYPOLOGIES CAN BE USED IN MOST SPECULATION BLOCKS
A 8
D B 6
D B
7
B
A
2 D
8
D
2
B
4
A
2
7 F
C E
B
D
3
6
E 4
1 F
5
E
3
B E
5 B
PUBLIC OPEN SPACES ARE POSITIONED SPECIFIC TO DAYLIGHTING AND THE SURROUNDING CONTEXT
F 2 2
1
2
3
4 B
E
5
81
6
7
8
7
6 B
E
F
B A
6 F
F
5
KINGSWAY
N
KINGSWAY
S KINGSWAY
ENTIRE BLOCK
ADJACENT TO KINGSWAY ONLY
HALF BLOCK PARK
N
S
S
S
N
N
N
N
S S
2 SEPARATED PARKS IN 1 BLOCK
SPILL OVER PARK
ADJACENT TO NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCKS
PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE
MOST PUBLIC sidewalk+curb
buit area
buit area
buit area
buit area
buit area
public space
open space
open space
open space
open space
open space
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY summer
summer
winter
NORTH OR SOUTH
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
winter
summer
SOUTH OF KINGSWAY 7am - 5pm
9am - 3pm
summer
9am - 2pm
summer
winter
9am - 4pm
10:30am - 2:30pm
7am - 2pm
KINGSWAY
KINGSWAY
N
9am - 1:30pm
9am - 4pm
ADJACENT TO NEIGHBORHOOD BLOCKS
OPEN COURTYARD
S
MIDBLOCK PODIUM TERRACES
ROOFTOP TERRACES
buit area
buit area
buit area
buit area
built area
built area
built area
open space
open space
open space
open space
private open space
private open space
private open space
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
public open space
public open space
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY summer
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
winter
summer
SOUTH OF KINGSWAY
winter
summer
SOUTH OF KINGSWAY 9am - 4pm
VATED GARDENS
summer
11am - 2pm
12am - 1pm
winter
summer NORTH OR SOUTH
10am - 2:30pm
11:30am - 1:30pm
KINGSWAY
10am - 4pm
CORNER COMMERCIAL TERRACES
RESIDENTIAL TERRACES
MOST PRIVATE
built area
built area
built area
built area
built area
private open space
private open space
private open space
private open space
private open space
sidewalk+curb
public open space
public open space
public open space
public open space
public open space
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
winter
NORTH OF KINGSWAY
summer NORTH OR SOUTH
10am - 2:30pm
11:30am - 1:30pm
summer NORTH OR SOUTH
10am - 4pm
11:30am - 2:30pm
summer
winter
6am - 5:30pm
8:30am - 4pm
summer
winter
NORTH OR SOUTH
sidewalk+curb
winter
NORTH OR SOUTH 7am - 2pm
9am - 12:30pm
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locations)
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locations)
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locations)
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locations)
winter
6am - 5:30pm
PRIVATE BALCONIES
private open space
summer
11:30am - 2:30pm
S
S
summer
winter
7:30am - 3pm
9am - 1pm
NORTH OR SOUTH 7am - 12pm
9am - 12pm
wint
NORTH OR SOUTH
built area
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locations)
summer
N
N
PRIVATELY ACCESSIBLE
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SU LIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locatio
winter
KINGSWAY
S
ROOFTOP TERRACES
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locations)
NORTH OF KINGSWAY
N S
MIDBLOCK PODIUM TERRACES
winter
KINGSWAY
N S
S
12pm - 1pm
KINGSWAY
N
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
NORTH OF KINGSWAY 11am - 2pm
11am - 3pm
KINGSWAY
KINGSWAY
summer
winter
NORTH OF KINGSWAY 9am - 4pm
9am - 2pm
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
11am -
N S
ELEVATED GARDENS
winte
KINGSWAY
S
SEMI-ENCLOSED COURTYARD
9am - 4pm
9am - 2pm
N
N S
S
S
KINGSWAY
N
N
S
summer SOUTH OF KINGSWAY
KINGSWAY
N
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUN LIGHT IN A DAY
winter
SOUTH OF KINGSWAY
NORTH OF KINGSWAY
NORTH OF KINGSWAY 7am - 2pm
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
winter
KINGSWAY
PILL OVER PARK
KINGSWAY
KINGSWAY
KINGSWAY
82
8:30am -
Building Setback Design A series of guidelines must be determined to regulate the massing of future mixeduse developments. These setback guidelines are designed specifically for the developments adjacent to the Kingsway corridor. These massing setbacks are determined mainly to allow sufficient amount of daylight to cover pedestrian sidewalks and public open spaces. Each development must be sensitive to its neighbors, and their maximum height is regulated by how tall the neighboring developments are. For example, for midblock developments, if a lot is sandwiched by two tall towers, then that lot must not exceed one third of the height of its tall neighbors to create a solar gate for the adjacent sidewalk or public space. Other setback guidelines include ground level commercial setback of minimum 10 ft into the building footprint to allow for wider pedestrian activity spaces.
All Parcels Along Kingsway Ground level setback requirements. Sidewalk setback requirements
Mid-block Parcels with 1 Neighboring Tower (Kingsway South) Ground level setback requirement. Maximum building height limit. 83
End-block Parcels
Mid-block Parcels with 2 Neighboring Towers (Kingsway South)
Ground level setback requirement. Maximum building height limit.
Ground level setback requirement. Maximum building height limit.
Mid-block Parcels (Kingsway South)
Mid-block Parcels (Kingsway North)
Ground level setback requirement. Maximum building height limit.
Ground level setback requirement. Maximum building height limit. 84
Building Typology Catalog This series of building massing studies primarily demonstrates the different building envelopes necessary for each building type. The building envelopes are marked in red, and they represent a guideline for building which is sensitive to solar shadowing and the neighboring developments.
RS-1 single detached dwellings
RT-1 attached townhouses
RM-1 low-rise apartment complex
market housing (100% of units)
market housing (100% of units)
MU-2 low to mid rise mixed-use
affordable housing (100% of units)
MU-1 commer
market housing (80% of units)
commu
commercial
comme
affordable housing (20% of units) max buildable height: max buildable height: 10.5 m
85
max buildable height: 13.5 m
max buildable height: 16.5 m
max buildable height 24 m
16 m
MU-1 commercial + community amenities
MU-1 mid-block commercial podium
affordable housing (20% of units)
commercial
commercial (20% of units)
MU-1 small footprint high rise condominium commercial
market housing (80% of units)
community amenities
community amenities
0% of units)
MU-1 large footprint mid-rise mix-use complex
max buildable height:
market housing (60% of units)
affordable housing (40% of units)
commercial max buildable height:
76 m
max buildable height: 40 m
max buildable height: 16 m
22 m
86
Public Space Typology Catalog A series of public space typologies are designed and cataloged to demonstrate the range of functional and spatial characteristics of future public spaces. These public spaces can then be inserted into the existing fabric based on how they can best serve their immediate contexts.
Central Park
Can serve as the “heart” of a new development area, a gathering place filled with greenery and possibly a landmark such as a pavillion or visitor’s center.
Central Plaza
A plaza space is adjacent to building edges and can accomodate a variety of programs such as farmer’s market, foodtruck parking, outdoor festivals etc.
Split Plazas
Open spaces behind developments and adjacent to neighborhood streets can serve as sports courts/skate parks while the part adjacent to major street can serve as an amphitheatre.
Sub Park
Small parks and open spaces behind developments and facing the neighborhood streets can serve the surrounding single family neighborhoods: BBQs and walking dogs etc.
publicly accessible
MOST PUBLIC sidewalk+curb
buit area
buit area
buit area
public space
open space
open space
open space
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY summer NORTH OR SOUTH
winter
9am - 3pm
summer
9am - 4pm
10:30am - 2:30pm
summer
winter
NORT OF KING
SOUTH OF KINGSWAY 7am - 2pm
9am - 1:30pm
privately accessib
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
winter
NORTH OF KINGSWAY
NORTH OF KINGSWAY 7am - 5pm
87
summer
winter
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY
El
Semi-public space structures to serve It mainly serves th
9am - 4pm
11am - 3pm
d developments ts can serve the hoods: BBQs and
ublicly accessible
Elevated Park
Semi-public spaces can be places on top of parking structures to serve the developments surrounding it. It mainly serves the residents of adjacent buildings.
Private Terrace
Private terraces and balconies belong to the individual units in an apartment building, they allow for views for the residents and sufficient daylight for the adjacent public spaces.
MOST PRIVATE built area
built area
built area
built area
private open space
private open space
private open space
private open space
sidewalk+curb
public open space
public open space
public open space
sidewalk+curb
sidewalk+curb
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY summer
winter
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locations)
winter
NORTH OF KINGSWAY 11am - 3pm
Mid Terrace
Mid-block terraces are situated on top of residential podiums and strictly serves the adjacent residential towers.
privately accessible
URS OF DIRECT SUNA DAY
m
Corner Terrace
Corner terraces are on top of commercial/community amenity units at the corners of blocks. These open spaces are mostly privately owned and serves businesses such as restaurants and gyms.
summer
winter
NORTH OR SOUTH 10am - 2:30pm
11:30am - 1:30pm
sidewalk+curb
summer
winter
NORTH OR SOUTH 10am - 4pm
11:30am - 2:30pm
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locations)
TOTAL HOURS OF DIRECT SUNLIGHT IN A DAY (varies with locations)
summer
winter
7:30am - 3pm
9am - 1pm
NORTH OR SOUTH 7am - 2pm
9am - 12:30pm
88
Vancouver Site Plan The city site plan shows the transportation connectivity and urban density of the city of Vancouver. It combines the studies done during the research/analysis phase of the thesis, showing major transit lines, stations and how it connects different parts of the city such as Downtown and Airport to one another. This map also highlights the location of the project site, Kingsway, in red.
89
90
Kingsway Site Plan The Kingsway site plan is a speculation on the future densification along the street. It shows the how the new public open spaces and mixed-use developments are integrated seamlessly into the existing urban fabric. It shows the linkage of the transit systems in and out the new urban center and the disribution of a variety of public spaces along the Kingsway corridor.
91
92
Part 4: Design Proposal
93
94
95
This detailed site plan of the Target Segment on Kingsway shows the variety of flexible public spaces and their respective functions, the built massing, and the shadowing conditions during a summer day (June 30th). The gray shadow represents the Noon sun, the red shadow represents the morning sun, and the blue shadow represents the late afternoon sun.
Site Plan of Focus Segment of Kingsway Rotate 90 degree clockwise
96
97
This axonometric drawing is a comprehensive illustration of the massing, program, and spatial relationship amongst the multiple sets urban component that makes up the new Kingsway Corridor. It shows the amount of open/publicly accessible spaces on the ground level vs the built areas as well as the privately accessible open spaces vs their surrounding residential massing
Exploded Axonometric Rotate 90 degree clockwise
98
Distribution of Urban Components This diagram illustrates the variety of urban components which makes up the new Kingsway corridor. Most of the public and private parkings are to be concentrated into independent parking structures and underground parking to allow the maximum public space areas and building areas on the street level. Corners of major blocks along Kingsway are primarily dedicated to public amenities. All ground level properties for mixed-use developments are to be prioritized for commercial use, providing a wide range of small independent businesses which serves the immediate residents by providing employment opportunities and attracts visitors to enhance the local economy. Private amenities such as gyms, pools, and terraces are situated in between the lower commercial floors and upper residential floors All future developments are required to have a percentage of affordable units which are on the lower residential levels of mixed-use buildings. These affordable units will have separate entrances and sets of private amenities from the market units in the same building. This allows the different class residents in the same building to have access to all the public amenities and commercial storefronts all the same, but maintain a sense of privacy from one another at a comfortable level.
99
100
Sectional Perspective A - Street
101
102
Sectional Perspective A - Neighborhood
103
104
Sectional Perspective B - Street
105
106
Sectional Perspective B - Neighborhood
107
108
View 1 - Commercial Pedestrian Sidewalks
109
110
View 2 - Central Park Space
111
112
View 3 - Sidewalk + Plaza
113
114
View 4 - Roof Terrace
115
116
Existing Statistics:
Population: total (21 blks): along kingsway (8 blks): surrounding (13 blks):
2,038 793 1,245
Dwelling Units: total (21 blks): along kingsway (8 blks): surrounding (13 blks):
822 339 483
Households: total (21 blks): along kingsway (8 blks): surrounding (13 blks):
765 328 437
Empty Units: Total rental units:
230
Total Ownership units:
587
Total non-market units:
0
Total # of Private Businesses: Total # of Employment:
Present Kingsway
117
57
32 <250
Speculative Statistics:
Population: total (21 blks): along kingsway (8 blks): surrounding (13 blks):
10,190 7,700 2,490
Dwelling Units: total (21 blks): along kingsway (8 blks): surrounding (13 blks):
2,760 1,977 783
Households: total (21 blks): along kingsway (8 blks): surrounding (13 blks):
2,659 1,876 783
Empty Units: Total rental units:
101 1840
Total Ownership units:
920
Total non-market units:
138
Total # of Private Businesses:
192
Total # of Employment:
>1250
Future Kingsway:
118
Sources + References: Web: 1. “Seven Innovative Affordable Housing Strategies in Higher Cost Markets: Lessons from Around the U.S.” Housing Association of Nonprofit Developers (HAND), www.handhousing.org/seven-innovative-affordable-housing-strategies-in-higher-cost-markets-lessons-from-around-the-u-s/. 2. Mindru, Iuliana, et al. “Housing Affordability: How Fast Could You Pay off Your Home in the 50 Most Populous Cities in North America?” Demographics & Statistics - Employment, Education, Income Averages in Atlanta - Point2 Homes, 20 Dec. 2017, www.point2homes.com/news/canada-real-estate/housing-affordability-north-america.html. 3. “The Case for Age-Friendly Suburbs.” Planetizen - Urban Planning News, Jobs, and Education, www.planetizen.com/node/61712. 4. “Home Page.” Missing Middle Housing, missingmiddlehousing.com/. 5. “City of Vancouver Forecasts New Demand for 47,800 Rental and Ownership Housing Units by 2026.” Georgia Straight Vancouver’s News & Entertain ment Weekly, 27 Mar. 2017, www.straight.com/news/886566/city-vancouver-forecasts-new-demand-47800-rental-and-ownership-housing-units-2026. 6. DH Vancouver Staff, DH Vancouver Staff. “Trending.” Daily Hive, 31 Dec. 2017, dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-neighbourhood-population-census-2011/. 7. “These 10 Points Show How Vancouver Aims to Create the Right Supply to Address Housing Affordability ⋆ Amrank Real Estate.” Amrank Real Estate, 25 Nov. 2017, amrank.info/2017/11/25/these-10-points-show-how-vancouver-aims-to-create-the-right-supply-to-address-housing-affordability/. 8. Delana. “Building a Better Burb: How to Fix Failing Suburban Towns.” WebUrbanist, 16 July 2013, weburbanist.com/2010/08/04/building-a-better-burbhow-to-fix-failing-suburban-towns/. 9. Globalnewscarto. “170921 Bc Income.” CARTO, globalnewscarto.carto.com/builder/bf902688-c7fc-4efd-8e10-85f2368a06be/embed?state=%7B %22map%22%3A%7B%22ne%22%3A%5B49.196624877579744%2C-123.30368041992189%5D%2C%22sw%22%3A%5B49.29938216794409% 2C-122.98919677734376%5D%2C%22center%22%3A%5B49.248030255832994%2C-123.14643859863283%5D%2C%22zoom%22%3A12.9166666 66666673%7D%7D. 10. “MountainMath Software and Analytics.” MountainMath, mountainmath.ca/. 11. “Smart Growth Policies for Urban Affordability and Fertility.” Planetizen - Urban Planning News, Jobs, and Education, www.planetizen.com/node/83847/ smart-growth-policies-urban-affordability-and-fertility. 12. Ink, Social. “Design Guides Archives.” National Association of City Transportation Officials, nacto.org/publications/design-guides/. 13. “The Solar Envelope.” Point of View, www-bcf.usc.edu/~rknowles/sol_env/sol_env.html. 14. “Vancouverism: Hybridisation and Spread of an Urban Model.” Métropolitiques, www.metropolitiques.eu/Vancouverism-hybridisation-and.html. 15. DH Vancouver Staff, DH Vancouver Staff. “Trending.” Daily Hive, 31 Dec. 2017, dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-neighbourhood-population-census-2011/.
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Book: 1. Lynch, Kevin. The Image of the City. MIT Press, 1960. 2. Global Street Design Guide. Island Press, 2016. 3. National Association of City Transportation Officials. Urban Street Design Guide. Island Press, 2013. 4. National Association of City Transportation Officials. Global Street Design Guide. Island Press, 2013. 5. Duany, Andres, et al. The Smart Growth Manual. McGraw-Hill, 2010. 6. Kaijima, Momoyo, et al. Made in Tokyo. Kajima Inst. Publ., 2012. 7. Tachieva, Galina. Sprawl Repair Manual. Island Press, 2010. 8. Dunham-Jones, Ellen. Retrofitting Suburbia: Urban Design Solutions for Redesigning Suburbs. 2011. 9. Williamson, June. Designing Suburban Futures New Models from Build a Better Burb. Island Press, 2013.
Special thanks: Thesis Advisors:
Jonathan Ochshorn + Timur Dogan
Thesis Coordinator:
Luben Dimcheff
Thesis Helper:
Justin Tan B-arch
Other contributors:
Javier Campos, Paul Leung, Patrick Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Sullivan, Gavin Shaefer, Bryn Davidson, Roy Chen, Cindy Wu, Scott Posno, Charles Fawke
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to be continued...