Pedestrian Malls of Southern California, the Present, the Past And
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PEDESTRIAN MALLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE PRESENT, THE PAST, AND THE FUTURE A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of California State Polytechnic University, Pomona In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Master of Urban and Regional Planning By Fernando Herrera 2017 SIGNATURE PAGE THESIS: PEDESTRIAN MALLS OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, THE PRESENT, THE PAST, AND THE FUTURE AUTHOR: Fernando Herrera DATE SUBMITTED: Summer 2017 Urban and Regional Planning Department Gwen Urey Ph.D. Thesis Committee Chair Urban and Regional Planning Courtney Knapp Ph.D. Urban and Regional Planning Dina Abdul Karim Ph.D. Urban and Regional Planning ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to first and foremost thank my family for their support for always being there for me when I needed them the most. I would like to thank all of the various city departments which spent time and effort assisting me to gather information regarding the pedestrian malls. I would like to thank the good people at Google for creating tools such as Google Maps that are immeasurably useful. I would like to thank the Urban and Regional Planning Department for all that they have done for us, the students. A special thanks to my thesis committee who without their help this would not have been possible. Lastly a special thanks to Ms. Tirabassi for always being there for all of her students, and always going the extra mile. iii ABSTRACT This study examines pedestrian malls in the downtowns of cities in Southern California, the impacts which they have had on the surrounding environments, and the lessons these spaces offer us. This study applies a more holistic definition of “success” by analyzing factors indicative of social, economic, and recreational success. This is accomplished through three case studies: The Main Street Pedestrian Mall in Riverside, the Second Street Mall in Pomona, and The Paseo in Pasadena. Factors that were analyzed include population data, median household income data, land use data, the amenities provided, the aesthetics, the ambiance, pedestrian activity, and regional trade areas. This was accomplished by obtaining data from site visits, literature review, United States Census Bureau data, and Google Maps. The findings demonstrated that each pedestrian mall had unique lessons to offer and that pedestrian malls are not one-size- fits-all solutions. Pedestrian malls were found to offer a wide array of benefits including spaces to socially interact, to recreate, to build community, and to establish community identity. A main lesson was derived from each pedestrian mall. Second Street demonstrates that a space does not have to be active twenty-four hours a day, the Main Street Pedestrian Mall demonstrates that cities should not give up on their pedestrian malls if they do not flourish, and lastly The Paseo demonstrates that pedestrian malls and amenities can also be privately owner but utilized by the public. A list of pedestrian resources; including pedestrian malls, paseos, and shopping centers is provided in Tables 3.1 to 3.11. This, of course, is by no means a definitive list. iv TABLE OF CONTENTS Signature Page . ii Acknowledgements . iii Abstract . iv Table of Contents . v List of Tables . ix List of Figures . xi Chapter 1: Introduction . 1 Thesis Statement . 1 Background . 1 Significance of Study . 4 Definitions . 6 Chapter 2: Literature Review . 9 Introduction . 9 History – The City Before the World Wars . 9 History – The Decline of the City . 11 History – The Modern World . 12 History – The Battle Between Commerce . 14 Benefits of Pedestrian Malls . 16 Major Studies on Pedestrian Malls . 18 Chapter 3: Methodology . 21 Introduction . 21 v Step 1 Identification . 22 Step 2 Selection . 36 Step 3 Data Collection . 37 Step 3.1 Census Data . 37 Step 3.2 Historic Context . 37 Step 3.3 Site Measurements and Distances . 38 Step 3.4 Site Visits . 38 Land Uses . 38 Amenities and Aesthetics . 39 Pedestrian Counts . 42 Social Interaction . 43 Accessibility . 47 Step 3.5 Identification of Special Events . 48 Step 3.6 The Greater Context . 48 Step 3.7 Supporting Data . 49 Step 4 Lessons . 50 Chapter 4: Case Studies . 51 The Second Street Mall: Pomona, CA (1962) . 53 Historical Background . 55 Trade Area . 58 Site Visits . 60 Ambiance and Amenities . 60 vi Community Events . 62 Pedestrian Counts . 63 Census Data . 66 Site Accessibility . 70 Main Street Pedestrian Mall: Riverside, CA (1966) . 71 Historical Background . 73 Trade Area . 75 Site Visits . 77 Ambiance and Amenities . 77 Community Events . 79 Pedestrian Counts . 80 Census Data . 84 Accessibility . 87 The Paseo; Paseo Colorado: Pasadena, CA (2001) . 88 Historical Background . 90 Trade Area . 93 Site Visits . 95 Ambiance and Amenities . 95 Community Events . 97 Pedestrian Counts . 98 Census Data . 102 Accessibility . 105 vii Chapter 5: Discussion and Conclusion . 106 Census Data Characteristics – Median Household Income . 106 Census Data Characteristics – Population . 107 Pedestrian Counts . 108 Homeless and Safety . ..