Urban Entertainment Destinations A Developmental Approach for Urban Revitalization by Christopher Shawn Tofte Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Landscape Architecture Department of Landscape Architecture College of Architecture and Urban Studies Terry Clements, chair Wendy Jacobson Nancy McGehee October 6, 2003 Blacksburg, Virginia Keywords: Urban Design - Festival Marketplace - Cultural Tourism - Brownfield Sites All photos, diagrams, and drawings by Shawn Tofte Copyright 2003, Shawn Tofte Urban Entertainment Destinations A Developmental Approach for Urban Reviatlization by Shawn Tofte Abstract: Urban Entertainment Destinations (UED) are a new form of development comprised of unanchored retail projects that mix entertainment venues and icon restaurants as a solution for enticing visitors back to the city. The difference between these destinations and the traditional shopping mall is the experience gained when leaving the destination. As a solution, several cities have considered Urban Entertainment Destinations as a developmental means for revitalizing the downtown. This thesis design project attempts to explore the significance of UED’s by conducting a literature review and case study analysis of nine UED’s across the United States. Studies extracted from each module revealed the importance of six key strategies- Placemaking, Multi- Anchoring, Contextual Links, Critical Mix & Mass, Programmability, and Branded Identity. Particular attention was placed on placemaking; designing gathering spaces, pathways, material choices, spatial relationships, and programmed land use. An emphasis has been made on incorporating the history and culture and the site’s sense of place, two placemaking components that help create a distinct destination. These strategies were used as a basis for developing a set of design criteria that were in turn applied to the development of a master plan for a new UED in Rockford, Illinois. For mom and dad iii Acknowledgements: Many people contributed to the completion of this thesis. My utmost appreciation and thanks go to Terry Clements, my committee chairperson. I could not have completed this project had it not been for her dedication, patience, advice, assistance, and encouragement. I would also like to thank my other committee members, Wendy Jacobson and Nancy McGehee, for their expertise, advice, and assistance. Much appreciation go out to the City of Rockford, especially Elizabeth Kinsinger (Rockford City Planner), Rosalynn Robertson (Midway Village & Museum Collector), and LaVonne Brown (Chief Operating Officer for Rockford Area Convention & Visitors Bureau) for allowing me access and providing me with any information requested to complete this project. Last, but not least, I would like to thank my parents for their endless support all these years. I could not have done it without them. Additional thanks go to my friends back home and my friends and classmates here in Virginia Tech, especially those who travelled to various UED’s with me. Sarah B. thanks for helping me out and always making me laugh these past years, and Sarah D., thank you for being there when the going got rough and being such a great friend. iv Table of Contents: Freestanding Destinations- Irvine Spectrum Center- Irvine, California TITLE PAGE: i CoCoWalk- Coconut Grove, Florida ABSTRACT: ii Retail Centers- DEDICATION: iii Reston Town Center- Reston, Virginia ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: iv Easton Town Center- Columbus, Ohio CONTENTS: v Streets at Southpoint- Durham, North Carolina LIST OF FIGURES: vii Matrix- Case Studies Study Models- CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION 1 Irvine Spectrum Center Navy Pier Major Findings from Study Model & Case Studies CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW of 2 URBAN ENTERTAINMENT DESTINATIONS CHAPTER 4: POSITION & CONCLUSIONS 34 History & Origin of Urban Entertainment Urban Entertainment Destinations CHAPTER 5: DESIGN PROJECT Defining Urban Entertainment Destinations 35 Why Rockford? Financing Urban Entertainment Destinations History of Rockford Designing Urban Entertainment Destinations Context Map 6 Key Strategies Role of Design CHAPTER 6: URBAN ANALYSIS Creating a Sense of Place 39 City Transportation Culture, Heritage, and Landmarks History of Settlement Security Top Visited Sites CHAPTER 3: CASE STUDIES 18 Top 10 Events Shopping Centers Entertainment Destinations- Movie Theaters Harborplace- Baltimore, Maryland Performance Theatres Navy Pier- Chicago, Illinois Museums Universal’s City Walk- Hollywood California Contextual Links Downtown Disney- Anaheim, California Hotel Accommodations Parks & Recreational Paths v CHAPTER 7: SITE INVENTORY & ANALYSIS 51 Feasibility of Site & Project Background of Site History of Site Building Descriptions Sense of Place CHAPTER 8: DESIGN DEVELOPMENT 76 Concept, Goals, & Objectives Retail & Dining Setup Comparison Study Illustrative Plan Design Breakdown District A District B District C District D CHAPTER 9: ANALYSIS OF DESIGN CRITERIA 109 CHAPTER 10: CONCLUSIONS 121 CHAPTER 11: BIBLIOGRAPHY 125 vi Figure 3.5. 150-foot Ferris Wheel within Navy Pier. 20 List of Figures: Figure 3.6. Retail/Restaurant placement (above); Primary pedestrian 23 circulation (below)- Reston Town Center- Reston, Virginia. Figure 2.1. Times Square nightlife- New York, New York. 5 Figure 3.7. Community art placed within UED- Reston Town Center- 23 Figure 2.2. Times Square nightlife- New York, New York. 5 Reston, Virginia. Figure 2.3. Times Square nightlife- New York, New York. 5 Figure 3.8. Movie Theatre serves as entertainment anchor- Reston Town 23 Figure 2.4. View of Camp Snoopy theme park in Mall of America- 6 Center- Reston, Virginia. Bloomington, Minnesota. Figure 3.9. Fountain serves as major landmark within UED- Reston Town 23 Figure 2.5. View of Camp Snoopy theme park in Mall of America- 6 Center- Reston, Virginia. Bloomington, Minnesota. Figure 3.10. Outdoor cafe provides activity throughout the day- Reston 23 Figure 2.6. Excalibur Resort & Casino with its medieval theme- Las 9 Town Center- Reston, Virginia. Vegas, Nevada. Figure 3.11. Retail/Restaurant placement (above); Primary pedestrian 24 Figure 2.7. MGM Grand Resort & Casino- Las Vegas, Nevada. 9 circulation (below)- Easton Town Center- Columbus, Ohio. Figure 2.8. Luxor Resort & Casino with its Egyptian theme- Las Vegas, 9 Figure 3.12. Destination built to human scale- Streets at Southpoint- 25 Nevada. Durham, North Carolina. Figure 2.9. Authentic performance. 11 Figure 3.13. Movie Theatre serves as entertainment anchor- Streets at 25 Figure 2.10. Sanctioned performance. 11 Southpoint- Durham, North Carolina. Figure 2.11. Programmed entertainment. 11 Figure 3.14. Colorful banners liven up pedestrian walk- Streets at 25 Figure 2.12. Impulse entertainment. 11 Southpoint- Durham, North Carolina. Figure 2.13. Choices & Options- Participation choice in water activities- 12 Figure 3.15. Lively statues placed throughout destination- Streets at 25 Washington D.C. Southpoint- Durham, North Carolina. Figure 2.14. Reinforcing patterns on bench and sculptural elements- 12 Figure 3.16. Bold signage repeated throughout...ensuring branded 25 Southpoint- Durham, North Carolina. identity- Streets at Southpoint- Durham, North Carolina. Figure 2.15. Rich material for fantasies- painted mural- Southpoint- 13 Figure 3.17. Retail and dining layout for Irvine Spectrum Center. 29 Durham, North Carolina. Figure 3.18. Conceptual diagram revealing spatial relationships and 30 Figure 2.16. Sense of identity- ship and logo- Harborplace- Baltimore, 13 pedestrian circulation within UED. Maryland. Figure 3.19. Conceptual diagram revealing spatial relationships and 31 Figure 2.17. Highlighting personal awareness- Harborplace- Baltimore, 13 pedestrian circulation within UED. Maryland. Figure 2.18. Highlighting opportunities- balloon ride- Powerplant Live- 13 Baltimore, Maryland. Figure 5.1. Illinois relationship within United States. 35 Figure 2.19. Place People- Local newspaper mounted- Southpoint- 14 Figure 5.2. City of Rockford location. 35 Durham, North Carolina. Figure 5.3. Rockford and marketable region. 38 Figure 2.20. Place People- Locator map- Southpoint- Durham, North 14 Figure 5.4. Winnebago county map. 38 Carolina. Figure 5.5. Rockford and surrounding townships. 38 Figure 2.21. Security booth allows guests to observe camera monitors- 17 Southpoint- Durham, North Carolina. Figure 6.1. Primary and secondary transportation corridors. 40 Figure 6.2. Inventory of settlement; Analysis of settlement. 41 Figure 3.1. Panoramic view of inner harbor- Harborplace- Baltimore, 19 Figure 6.3. Inventory of top visited sites; Analysis of top visited sites. 42 Maryland. Figure 6.4. Inventory of top 10 events; Analysis of top 10 events. 43 Figure 3.2. Renovated powerplant along Pratt Street- Harborplace- 19 Figure 6.5. Inventory of shopping center locations; Analysis of shopping 44 Baltimore, Maryland. centers. Figure 3.3. Themed-restaurants serve as attraction- Harborplace- 19 Figure 6.6. Inventory of movie theater locations; Analysis of movie 45 Baltimore, Maryland. theater locations. Figure 3.4. Park entrance to Navy Pier- Chicago, Illinois. 20 vii Inventory of performance theatres; Analysis of performance Figure 7.25. Building façade facing east; façade facing west. 67 Figure 6.7. theatres locations. 46 Figure 7.26. Building façade facing east; façade facing west. 67 Inventory of museum locations; Analysis of museum Figure 7.27. Building façade facing west; façade