DESIGNING URBAN UNDERHIGHWAY SPACES by CRAIG BIESECKER (Under the Direction of Katherine Melcher) ABSTRACT The urban elevated highway was built to boost metropolitan economies by increasing access to their urban cores. The mid-twentieth century brought thousands of miles of elevated roads that bifurcated urban neighborhoods, dispersed communities, and created residual uninviting space below the infrastructure. Today, new planning solutions call for the removal of the highway and a return to ground level boulevards. This thesis looks for answers within the existing framework to transform the spaces underneath the highway into neighborhood commodities. The research looks at the conflict between a desire to design for a future community of the space or the existing culture of the space. An analytical framework is developed based on relevant stakeholder groups and applied to case studies, resulting in a set of informed guidelines that answer the thesis question, What design principles and conventions should be used in order to create relevant neighborhood spaces under the urban elevated highway? INDEX WORDS: Urban Highway Design, Elevated Highway, Elevated Expressway, Under the Highway, Landscape Architecture, Urban Design, Retrofitting Urban Highway Spaces DESIGNING URBAN UNDERHIGHWAY SPACES by CRAIG BIESECKER B.S., West Chester University of Pennsylvania, 1995 A Thesis Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree MASTERS OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE ATHENS, GEORGIA 2015 © 2015 Craig R Biesecker All Rights Reserved DESIGNING URBAN UNDERHIGHWAY SPACES by CRAIG BIESECKER Major Professor: Katherine Melcher Committee: Judith Wasserman Pratt Cassity Fenwick Broyard III Electronic Version Approved: Suzanne Barbour Dean of the Graduate School The University of Georgia December 2015 iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I cannot give enough thanks to my major professor, Katherine Melcher, for all of her guidance, intelligence, patience, and inspiration throughout the thesis process and my time at the University of Georgia. I would like to thank Martin and John for all of their help and inspiration. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS………………………………………………………... iv LIST OF TABLES…………………………………………………………………. viii LIST OF FIGURES………………………………………………………………... ix CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION………………………………………….................... 1 Chapter summaries………………………………………………… 2 History of the American Highway…………………………………. 3 Considering Solutions for the Urban Highway Dilemma………….. 6 Proposed Design Approaches……………………………………… 10 Design Goals……………………..………………………………… 11 2 CURRENT VIEWS OF THE URBAN UNDERHIGHWAY SPACE………………………………………….....……........................ 14 Authenticity…………………...……………………………………. 15 Jill Stoner’s Smooth and Striated Spaces…………………………... 16 Charlotte Malterre-Barthes’ Five Categories of Function…………. 18 Karen Franck’s Activity Matrix……………………………………. 20 Defining Authenticity in Relation to Underhighway Spaces……….23 Conclusion…………………………………………………………. 24 3 DESIGN STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESSFUL PUBLIC SPACES URBAN PUBLIC SPACES …………………………………………… 27 vi Planning Strategies…………………………………………..……... 28 Existing Guidelines for Successful Public Spaces…………………. 29 Points of Observation For Case Studies………………………….... 41 Conclusion…………………………………………………………. 43 4 DEFINING SPACE TYPOLOGIES.……….……………..................... 45 Neighborhood Parks……………………………………………...… 46 Linear Parks……………………………………………………….. 47 Urban Plazas…...…………………………………………………... 48 Conclusion…...………………………………………...…………... 49 5 CASE STUDIES……………………………..……………..................... 50 Neighborhood Parks Under ½ Acre……………………………...… 51 Neighborhood Parks Over ½ Acre…………………………….....… 65 Urban Plazas…...…………………………………………………... 80 Linear Parks……………………………………………………….. 94 Conclusion…...………………………………………...…………... 108 6 CASE STUDY ANALYSIS AND SYNTHESIS…………..................... 109 Introduction ……………………………………………………...…109 Guidelines………………………................................................…...113 Closing...………….…...…………………………….…...……….... 152 7 CONCLUSION……………………………..……………..................... 155 Reflections on the Significance of the Research…………………… 155 Closing……………………………………………………………... 156 REFERENCES…………………………………………………………………….. 158 vii APPENDEX………………………………………………………………………... 162 1. Chart of Case Study Cross-Comparisons of Design Strategies………… 162 viii LIST OF TABLES Page Table 1.1. Public Opinions for Propsed I-81 Solutions in Syracuse, NY..................8 Table 2.1. Franck’s Framework for Analyzing Cases of Occupying the Edge and the Underneath……………………………………………………... 22 Table 5.1. The Archway Case Study Points.……………………………………... 57 Table 5.2. Holton Street Bridge Case Study Points.………………………..…….... 64 Table 5.3. Underpass Park Case Study Points.…………………………………...... 72 Table 5.4. I-5 Colonnade Case Study Points.…………………………………….... 79 Table 5.5. A8erna Case Study Points.……………………………………………... 87 Table 5.6. Bajo Puentes Case Study Points.………………………………...……... 93 Table 5.7. New York City East River Waterfront Case Study Points……………... 101 Table 5.8. Buffalo Bayou Promenade Case Study Points………………………...... 107 Table 6.1. Guideline Summary Chart……………….............................................. 110-113 ix LIST OF FIGURES Page Figure 2.1. Below I-10 On Claiborne Avenue In Tremé, New Orleans, LA…..…... 18 Figure 2.2. Smooth Vs Striated Spectrum Interpretation ………………………….. 18 Figure 5.1.A and 5.1.B. The Archway Context Map: City Scale and Neighborhood Scale.…………………………………….. ……... 54 Figure 5.2. Looking Through The Arch. ………………………………………….. 54 Figure 5.3. The Archway Seating .………………................................................... 55 Figure 5.4. Archway Art. ……………………………………………………………………………… 55 Figure 5.5. The Archway Illuminated……………………………………………... 55 Figure 5.6. Archway Events. ……………………………………………...……….. 56 Figure 5.7.A. and 5.7.B. Holton Street Bridge Context map: City Scale and Neighborhood Scale.……………………………………. ……... 61 Figure 5.8. Holton Street Marsupial Bridge At Night With Step Lights.…………………………………………………………………...61 Figure 5.9. Holton Street Bridge Media Garden, Nightime View of Street.………. 62 Figure 5.10. Holton Street Bridge With Light Up Benches And Movie Screen Before The Swings.…………………………………………………... 62 Figure 5. 11. Holton Bridge Swing Park. …………………………...……………... 62 Figure 5. 12 Holton Bridge Swing Park Sidewalks. ……………………………… 63 Figure 5.13. Holton Bridge Swing Park Performances. …………………………………….. 63 Figure 5.14. Holton Street Bridge Public Space Light Comparison………………….. 63 x Figure 5.15. Plan of West Don Lands Development. ………………………………………... 67 Figure 5.16. Plan of West Don Lands Development. ………………………………………... 68 Figure 5.17. Overall Plan Of Underpass Park…..……………..…………………… 68 Figure 5.18. West Don Lands Before Development …………………………………………. 69 Figure 5.19. Vegetation Between The Highways And The Ribbon Wall Seating… 69 Figure 5.20. Basketball Half Courts In The Toronto Underpass Par.............................. 69 Figure 5.21. Skating Obstacles In The Toronto Underpass Park.………………………… 69 Figure 5.22. Skating obstacles in the Toronto Underpass Park……………………. 70 Figure 5.23. Colorful And Transparent Play Equipment In The Toronto Underpass Park……………………………………………….70 Figure 5.24. Art Installation, By Paul Raff In Toronto Underpass Park, As Seen At Night………………………………………………………………. 71 Figure 5.25. 5.24 Map of I-5 Colonnade Mountain Bike Park, Seattle…………….....75 Figure 5.26. I-5 Colonnade Mountain Bike Park Map. ………………………….... 76 Figure 5.27. A Crowd Gathered To Watch Experienced Riders..…………………. 76 Figure 5.28. I-5 Colonnade Mountain Bike Park Pass Through…………………… 77 Figure 5.29. I-5 Colonnade Mountain Bike Park.…………………………………. 77 Figure 5.30. Colonnade Seating Area…………………………………………...….77 Figure 5.31. Terraced Landscaping In The I-5 Colonnade Mountain Bike Park..….78 Figure 5.32. Figure Showing Difficulty Signage In The Skill Areas…….………... 78 Figure 5.33. Colonnade Column Signage…………………………..…….………... 78 Figure 5.34. Diagram of A8erna. ………………………………………………….. 82 Figure 5.35. Grocery Store Under Highway In A8erna. ……………………........... 82 xi Figure 5.36. Sightlines Through A8erna.…………………………………………... 83 Figure 5.37. Water in A8erna. ……………………………………………………...83 Figure 5.38. Retail Space Below The Highway With Orange Ground Plane............ 84 Figure 5.39. A8erna Recreational Zone. ………………………………………… 84 Figure 5.40. A8erna Adjacent Space and Parking.………………………………… 84 Figure 5.41. A8erna Recreational Area Fencing. …………………………………. 85 Figure 5.42. Reflected Light As A Texture. ………………………………………. 85 Figure 5.43. River Inlet to A8erna. ………………………………………………... 85 Figure 5.44. Adjacent A8erna Space. ……………………………………………... 86 Figure 5.45. A8erna Parking. …………………………………................................ 86 Figure 5.46. Bajo Puentes Public Space Uses. ……………………………………..90 Figure 5.47. Dining At The Bajo Peuentes..………………………………….......... 91 Figure 5.48. Variety of Uses For Bajo Puentes. …………………………………... 91 Figure 5.49. Children’s Playground And Bicycle Track In Bajo Puentes................. 91 Figure 5.50. Bajo Puentes Eateries. ………………………………………………...92 Figure 5.51. Bench And Vegetation Beneath The Elevated Highway At Bajo Puentes………………………………………………………. 92 Figure 5.52. East River Waterfront Map. …………………………………………. 97 Figure 5.53. Looking South onto East River Waterfront Park. ………..………….. 98 Figure 5.54. East River Waterfront Esplanade. …………………………………… 98 Figure 5.55. East River Waterfront Park Esplanade Looking North..……………... 99 Figure 5.56. East River Waterfront Park Looking North…………………………... 99 Figure