Urban Catalyst Francin Supervised Research Project Submitted to Prof
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URBAN CATALYST KATE-ISSIMA FRANCIN URBAN CATALYST Supervised Research Project Submitted to Prof. Raphaël Fichler School of Urban Planning McGill University May 2015 Cover page: Pathway on High Line in West Chelsea, between West 24th and West 25th Streets, looking South. Source: Iwan Baan,High Line Section 2 (2011) URBAN CATALYST By Kate-Issima Francin Supervised Research Project Submitted to: Professor Raphaël Fichler In partial fulfillment of the Masters of UrbanPlanning degree School of Urban Planning McGill University May 2015 ABSTRACT Figure 1. Section of High Line Park: Gansevoort Slow Stair i Source: Iwan Baan,The High Line Section 1, (2009). Land suitable for development has become be used, and the urban catalyst strategy as increasingly scarce and expensive in most a means of improving the physical conditions post-industrial North American and Euro- of an area, spurring urban change at a larger pean cities. As a result, underutilized areas scale and therefore improving the quality of that had previously been overlooked have life of individuals. The study concludes that become important assets in the urban de- well-thought and well-designed urban cat- velopment process, and planners must find alysts can promote quality urban design by alternative to traditional urban transformation connecting the old and the new, improving approaches which relied on massive public place identity, and stimulating more coher- investments. Urban catalysts appear to be ent development. Urban catalysts should be interesting tools to improve the quality of the at the core of a collaborative and integrated built environment, and hence, the quality of planning and design process. This process life, by jumpstarting and shaping the urban presents an opportunity for citizen needs and transformation process of underutilized areas. opinions to be considered and integrated into The aim of this study is to examine the prac- plans and designs. Citizen-led efforts should tical application of urban catalysts by means also be encouraged and supported by plan- of a literature review and a case study of the ning authorities. Finally, a framework should High Line Park in New York City. The litera- be established to guide future transformation ture review and illustrative case study explore projects with strategies and guidelines that the challenges posed by underutilized areas, are adaptable to site- and context- specific the urban transformation approaches that can conditions. ii RÉSUMÉ Figure 2. Section 1 of High Line: Gansevoort End, Plaza, and Stairs . iii Source: Iwan Baan,The High Line Section 1, (2009). Les terrains à développer se font de plus utilisées et la stratégie des catalyseurs ur- en plus rares et chers dans la plupart des bains comme moyen d’améliorer les con- villes post-industrielles d’Amérique du Nord ditions matérielles d’un lieu, provoquant un et d’Europe. En conséquence, des aires changement urbain de plus grande ampleur sous-utilisées, qui avaient été négligées dans et améliorant la qualité de vie des individus. le passé, deviennent des atouts dans le pro- L’étude conclut que des catalyseurs urbains cessus de développement urbain et les ur- bien pensés et bien conçus peuvent promou- banistes doivent trouver des alternatives aux voir un urbanisme de qualité en liant le vieux approches traditionnelles à la transformation et le neuf, en améliorant l’identité du lieu et en de la ville, qui dépendaient d’investissements stimulant un développement plus cohérent. public massifs. Les catalyseurs urbains sem- Les catalyseurs urbains doivent être au cen- blent être des outils intéressants pour amélio- tre de processus de planification et de de- re la qualité du milieu bâti et donc la qualité sign collaboratifs et intégrés. Ce processus de vie, en lançant et façonnant le processus rend possibles l’écoute des besoins et opin- de transformation d’aires sous-utilisées. Le ions des citoyens et leur intégration dans les but de cette étude est d’examiner l’applica- plans. Des efforts venant des citoyens eux- tion pratique des catalyseurs urbains par l’en- mêmes doivent aussi être encouragés et tremise d’une revue de la littérature et d’une soutenus pas les autorités. Finalement, un étude de cas sur le High Line Park à New cadre doit être établi pour guider les projets York City. La revue de la littérature et l’étude de transformation futurs, par l’entremise de de cas illustrative explorent les défis posés stratégies et de lignes directrices qui peuvent par les aires sous-utilisées, les approches être adaptées aux conditions spécifiques du à la transformation urbaine qui peuvent être lieu et du site. iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Figure 3. Section 3 of High Line: Detail of one of the three Rail Track Walks . v Source: Iwan Baan,The High Line Section 3, (2014). I have many people to thank for help- Special Thanks to my classmates ing me complete this supervised research James Di Paolo, Magdalena Barrera, Daniella project. First, I would like to thank my su- Guerrro, Mark Elsworthy, and Kimberly Fils- pervisor, Raphaël Fischler, for his critiques. Aimé, for the ideas, comments, jokes, encour- I would also like to thank my second reader agement, and company. Most importantly, I Nik Luka, for his remarks and for taking the want to thank my family for the support and time to review my draft. Second, I would also especially my mother for asking me everyday like to thank Gladys Chan, Anand Sood and if I was finished and to just get it done. for their kind words of encouragement. A spe- Merci ;-) cial thanks to Julie Jones, your introduction to Endnote saved my life. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS TABLE i ABSTRACT iii RÉSUMÉ v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii TabLE OF CONTENTS ix FIGURES 1 1.INTRODUCTION 2 1.1 RESEARCH STATEMENT 3 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH 3 1.3 METHODOLOGY AND STRUCTURE 5 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 6 2.1. UNDERUTILIZED AREAS 12 2.2. URBAN TRANSFORMATION 17 2.3. URBAN CATALYST 23 3 THE HIGH LINE CASE STUDY 23 HIGH LINE PARK, NEW YORK CITY,NY 24 3.1 PROJECT INFORMATION 27 3.2 PROJECT HISTORY 33 3.3 PROJECT INCEPTION 39 3.4 PROJECT PROCESS/STRATEGY 55 3.5 PROJECT DESIGN 63 3.6 PROJECT IMPACT 67 4 CONCLUSION 68 4.1 Conclusion 71 5 URBAN CATALYST STRATEGY 72 5.1 STRATEGIC PLAN PART 1 74 5.2 STRATEGIC PLAN PART 2 75 REFERENCES Figure 4. High Line Wilderness vii Source: Joel Sternfeld, Portfolio-The High Line. Places., (2001)14(2), 56. i ABSTRACT iii RÉSUMÉ v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS vii TabLE OF CONTENTS ix FIGURES 1 1.INTRODUCTION 2 1.1 RESEARCH STATEMENT 3 1.2 OBJECTIVES OF THE RESEARCH 3 1.3 METHODOLOGY AND STRUCTURE 5 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 6 2.1. UNDERUTILIZED AREAS 12 2.2. URBAN TRANSFORMATION 17 2.3. URBAN CATALYST 23 3 THE HIGH LINE CASE STUDY 23 HIGH LINE PARK, NEW YORK CITY,NY 24 3.1 PROJECT INFORMATION 27 3.2 PROJECT HISTORY 33 3.3 PROJECT INCEPTION 39 3.4 PROJECT PROCESS/STRATEGY 55 3.5 PROJECT DESIGN 63 3.6 PROJECT IMPACT 67 4 CONCLUSION 68 4.1 Conclusion 71 5 URBAN CATALYST STRATEGY 72 5.1 STRATEGIC PLAN PART 1 74 5.2 STRATEGIC PLAN PART 2 75 REFERENCES viii Fig.1 Section of High Line Park: Gansevoort Slow Stair FIGURES & TABLES Fig. 2 Section 1 of High Line: Gansevoort End, Plaza, and Stairs Fig. 3 Section 3 of High Line: Detail of one of the three Rail Track Walks Fig. 4 High Line Wilderness Fig. 5 Section 2 of High Line Fig. 6 Grassland High Line Section 2 Fig. 7 Aerial View, from West 30th Street, looking South toward the Statue of Liberty and the World Trade Center site Fig. 8 West Chelsea aerial photo Fig. 9 West Side Cowboys Fig. 10 Train on West SIde Rail Yards Fig. 11 High Line Wilderness Fig. 12 Promenade Plantée Coulée Verte Fig. 13 Friends of the High Line Identity Logo Fig. 14 Designing the High Line, exhibition at Grand Central Terminal’s Van- derbilt Hall Fig. 15 High Line competition proposal Swimming Pools Fig. 16 1999 West Chelsea land use map Fig. 17 1999 West Chelsea land use auto related and vacant space map Fig. 18 Existing Zoning in West Chelsea Fig. 19 Illustration of projected build out under West Chelsea District Pro- posed District Fig. 20 High Line redevelopment rights transfer corridor Fig. 21 West Chelsea proposed zoning and FAR Fig. 22 West Chelsea modified inclusionary housing areas Fig. 23 Development projects as a result of development rights transfer Fig. 24 Projects, designed by starchitects, that used development air right from parcels adjacent to High Line Fig. 25 Map of High Line ix Fig. 26 Integrated paving system Fig. 27 High Line Art Deco structure Fig. 28 Hawere miniature daffodil in Grassland Fig. 29 Exterior LED lighting of High Line Fig. 30 Rashid Johnson’s Blocks artwork Fig. 31 High Line wayfinding signage Fig. 32 Tenth Avenue Square Fig. 33 26th Street viewing spur Fig. 34 One of three Rail Track Walks Fig. 35 Delancey Underground Rendering Fig. 36 Bloomindale Trail Chicago Table 1 Charcateristics of urban redevelopment, revitalization and regeneration Table 2 Catalytic Strategies Table 3 High Line project information Table 4 Urban Catalyst Project Guidelines Figure 5. Section 2 of High Line Source: Iwan Baan,The High Line Section 2 (2011). x 1INTRODUCTION Figure 6. Grassland High Line Section 2 Source: Iwan Baan,The High Line Section 2 (2011). 1 URBAN CATALYST present many opportunities for areas that were once seen as burdens to cities. 1.1STATEMENT RESEARCH “On average, fifteen percent of a city’s land was deemed vacant. This total includes wide- ly varying types of land, ranging from undis- turbed open space to abandoned, contami- nated brownfields”(Bowman & Pagano, 2001, p.1).