retrofitting suburbia

All illustrations are for educational purposes. Copyright not received or given.

AIA Houston is a Registered Provider with The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems (AIA/CES). Credit(s) earned on completion of this program will be reported to AIA/CES for AIA members. Certificates of Completion for both AIA members and non-AIA members are available upon request.

This program is registered with AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product.

Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation.

Course DescriptionIn October 2010, the AIA/CES system was updated with the new CES

Discovery system, in that time we have transferred more than one

million records. This new update has made it necessary to remind

us of the AIA/CES policies and procedures, to introduce the “new”

provider ethics, and to reintroduce the AIA/CES audits/quality

assurance program. This presentation covers those areas giving

providers the opportunity to give feedback and input.

SAMPLE SLIDE

Learning Objectives

At the end of this program, participants will be able to:

1. Distinguish the three major urban design strategies in suburban

redevelopment and their appropriateness to different locations and market

conditions

2. Instruct communities and clients on the impact of changing suburban

demographics on development patterns and markets

3. Differentiate the environmental health and public health advantages of

walkable, mixed-use, and compact places versus automobile-dependent

spaces

4. Cite a variety of precedents for retrofitting different suburban property types

into more sustainable places

This concludes The American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems Course

Ellen Dunham-Jones

Georgia Institute of Technologyedj@gatech.edu

1100 malls: 150+ dead, 300 sick 60,000+ strip malls, 11% vacancy rate

350,000+ big box stores, 300 mil vacant sf

Retail square footage/capita in shopping centers:

U.S.A. 23sf (up from 15 in 1986)Canada 13sfAustralia 11sfSweden 3sf (largest in Europe)

Discretionary shopping as % of GLA: 1971: 25.7% , up to 31.9% in 2010

Source: Co-Star, Michael Nimira, ICSC

On average, urban dwellers in the U.S. have 1/3 the carbon footprint of suburban dwellers.

Interpolation from various studies

imperative :

climate change

The shift from the industrial to the post-industrail economy has shifted the public health focus from infectious disease to chronic disease. Suburban development patterns have been linked with sedentary lifestyles, dramatic increases in obesity and consequent higher risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Centers for Disease Control, Healthy Communities Initiative

imperative :

health: obesity

imperative :

poverty

Since 2005, more Americans in poverty have been living in suburbs than in cities – and their numbers are growing at a faster rate. The Brookings Institution.

Between 2000 and 2008, large suburbs saw the fastest growing low-income populations across community types. The Brookings Institution.

El Paso and McAllen metros lead the nation w/ 35-36% suburban poverty

ScrapteTV.com

Center for American Progress

imperative :

affordability Average U.S. household spending on transportation is 19% of income. -9-12% in “walkable urbanism” -25% in “drivable suburbanism”

-30% for those in the lower income 1/2 of U.S. households Center for Neighborhood Technology( 2005)

ABOGO and the Housing + Transportation Affordability IndexCenter for Neighborhood Technologies, http://htaindex.cnt.org

A household at 500 McKinney St spends approx $663/month on transportation ($3.39/gallon)

The Houston regional average is $1166/month

Housing + Transportation Affordability IndexCenter for Neighborhood Technologies, http://htaindex.cnt.org

13% of Houston Metro households live in areas with walkable blocks

80% of Houston households contribute more than 6.5 tonnes of GHG emissions/year, 55% are at or above the 8.6 tonnes/year (the highest number calculated)

market driver headlines :

demographic shiftssuburbia simply isn’t “family-focused” anymore. 2/3 of suburban hh’s don’t have kids, 85% of new hh’s won’t through 2025 . Millennials are looking for nightlife and value wifi and connectedness more than cars.

the new centersas metros have expanded, first ring suburbs and commercial corridors now have central locations, often meriting densification and urbanization of their “underperforming asphalt”.

• 43 regionally-significant walkable urban places

• 75% price premium for office rents 71% price premium for multi-family residential rents/sales

• Retail lags –only 13% in walk-ups in 2009 cycle, despite $6.71/sf premium for each tier ranking

• 77% have or are considering rail transit

• Walk UPS = 11% of metro area, but 33% of metro real estate income

strategy:

DC Walk UPS2012 FindingsGWU: Chris Leinberger, Mariela Alfonso

• 22 Regionally-significant walkable urban places

• 7 regionally-significant emerging walkable urban places

• 16% price premium for office rents • 120% price premium for multi-family

residential rents/sales • 116% price premium for retail rents

strategy:

ATL Walk UPS2013 preliminary findingsGWU: Chris Leinberger, Mason AustinARC: Jared Lombard, Dan ReuterGT: Ellen Dunham-Jones

relocalization of people, place, and landscape

diversification of incomes and activities

tactical urbanism, crowdsourcing, and collaborative consumption

cheap space for community-serving uses

“third places”

strategy :

Re-inhabitation

Source unverified

Build a Better BlockOak Cliff, TexasJason Roberts and Team Build a Better Block

Congress for the New Urbanism: Next Genshort-term projects for long-term gains

pavement to plaza depave

parklet yarnbombing

Walk posters guerrilla grafting

From Wal-Mart to Public LibraryMcAllen Public Library, McAllen TX; Boultinghouse Simpson Gates Architects, Meyer Scherer Rockcastle Architects

Lara Swimmer

Meds & Eds: From dying mall to revived mall and university medical centerOne Hundred Oaks, Nashville, TN: ATR & Assoc., Gresham Smith and Partners Architects

Source unverified

From Mies van der Rohe gas station to Sr and Youth Center“Le Station”, Nun’s Island, Quebec, Arrondisement of Verdun, Eric Gauthier -FABG Architects, 2011

Geothermal heating allowed removal of the HVAC system to cleanly expose the roof and ceiling systems

Updating the “L” strip mall as a “third place” with portals to the neighborhood Lake Grove Shopping Center, Lake Oswego, OR: Eric Shoemaker Beam Development

From “back” to a new front to the neighborhood

From strip to job and town centerWillingboro Town CenterWillingboro, NJCroxton Collaborative Architects

19601. Boscov’s Furniture2. Sears3. Woolworths4. Power plant

20095. Mail-service pharmacy6. Office building7. Public library w/ retail8. Community College9. Town Commons10. Townhouses11. Planted swales

Courtesty Croxton Collaborative Architects MTC Aerial Photography

New Leaf Center Affordable Equity Partners Habitat for Humanity townhomesSocial services, incu- Lease to Purchase NSP-fundedbator kitchen, restau- Low-income tax credits rant, classrooms, mtg 32 cottages space, with apts abv. 5 funding sources: NPS3,CBDG, SPLOST, FHLB- AFB, Newton Federal Bank

From zombie subdivision to mixed-income neighborhood: City as Master DeveloperWalkers Bend, Covington, GA: Covington Redevelopment Authority

urbanize – organize buildings to create connected outdoor rooms and walkable street networks

densify and diversify: reward the pedestrian eye

green the infrastructure

strategy:

Redevelopment

from 69 houses to TOD with 2,250 d.u., 300k sf office, 190k sf retail (2006)MetroWest, Vienna, VA: Pulte Homes, Lessard Arch Group, EDAW.

From grocery anchored strip mall to village centerThe A&P Lofts, Old Cloverdale, Montgomery ALCity Loft Corporation, McAlpine Tankersley Architecture, The Colonial Company

1985 2005 2025

Source: Dunham-Jones, Williamson 2009

from strip center to “attachable urbanism”Mashpee Commons, Cape Cod, MA1988-presentCornish Assoc. Ltd / Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co / Imai, Keller Moore

from strip center to “attachable urbanism”Mashpee Commons, Cape Cod, MA1988-presentCornish Assoc. Ltd / Duany Plater-Zyberk & Co / Imai, Keller Moore

“skinny” liner stores screen parking lots and provide incubator retail space for local shops-highest grossing $/s.f. on the site

From strip mall to Main Street with high-end shop, live, stay and now, officeSantana Row, San Jose, CA: Federal Realty Trust, Street Works, SB Archts, BAR ArchtsIn 10 years its grown from 35 to 100 merchants, 622 res’l units (w/ 20% premium) and has contributed more than $40 mil in property tax and $24mil in sales tax in 2011.

From dead mall to upscale live-work-play – during a down marketCityCentre, Houston, TX: Midway Cos.; Gensler; Kirksey Architects, James Burnett

From strip mall to PPP-funded town centerSugar Land Town Square, Sugarland, TX: Planned Community Developers Ltd.,

transit triggers infill of an office parkUniversity Town Center, Hyattsville, MDPrince George’s Metro Center, Inc.Parker RodriguezRTKL Associates WDG Architecture

University Town Center

1940

a large farm estate adjacent to the village of Hyattsville

Highway triggers a mall, the office park, and buffer buildings

University Town Center

1980

transit triggers infilling with new Main St, plaza and parking deck

University Town Center

2020

First retrofit triggers four more

University Town Center

2020(revised 6/10)

New Main StreetNnNEw

From a park-n-ride + mall to a civic centre w/ geothermal district heatingSurr Surrey Central City, Surrey, BC; Simon Frasier University, Bing Thom Architects, Incsource: Dunham-Jones, Williamson, 2009

Library Classrooms above shopping mall

Phase 1: college classrooms built above mall, + new high rise

From dead mall to green downtownBelmar, Lakewood,COContinuum PartnersElkus Manfredi Architects, Civitas Inc.Van Meter Williams Pollack Architects

Before

before - Villa Italia mall• 140 subtenant leases • PPP with City of Lakewood, Lakewood Reinvestment Authority, Continuum Partners• Infrastructure delivered by Developer, paid back out of sales tax collected on site

Belmar

1975

Belmar

1995

Belmar

2015

• 2002-8 fiscal and economic impact on Lakewood of $207.2 million ($49.5 million in 2008 alone), including a fiscal impact of $10.6 million

• 9 acres of public space and parks including a 2.1 acre park, 1.1 acre plaza • 8 bus lines come through the new downtown• 2/3 complete in ‘09: 1.1 mil sf retail, .9mil sf office, 1300 residential units

8 of 13 regional malls in the Denver Metro area have been retrofitted or announced plans to be.

Retrofitting does NOT imply the wholesale redevelopment of existing neighborhoods.

Rather it provides existing neighborhoods with urban nodes on targeted underperforming sites-raising the question, how to connect the dots?

Source: Dunham-Jones, Williamson, 2009

Transportation innovations: The Schweeb and the Straddle Bus

Recapturing traffic islands for redevelopment while making walkable intersectionsFort Totten MetroRail stop, Washington DC Planning Department, WAMATA

Source: Washington DC Planning Dept website

Intersection retrofit and public placemaking as catalyst Normal Illinois Roundabout, Normal Illinois: Doug Farr Associates, Hoerr Schauer Landscape

Photoz; G. Komar

From 5-lane arterial to 2-lane Main Street with multi-use parking Ramblas & solarLancaster, CA: CT/KDF Community Development Partners, Moule & PolyzoidesSince revitalization started in 2009: $106mil in New Markets Tax Credits for redevelopment for local entrepreneurs; 50 new businesses; 10% increase in downtown property values; 50% cut in traffic collisions

from commercial strip to multi-way boulevard and new downtownPalm Canyon Drive, Cathedral City, CA; Freedman, Tung & Bottomley source: Dunham-Jones, Williamson, 2009

Retrofitting the strip corridor with transit-served nodesColumbia Pike, Arlington County, VA, Ferrell Madden Associates, Dover Kohl & Partners

From edge city sprawl to 430-acre BRT-extended TOD centered on boulevardWhite Flint, MD: White Flint Partnership, Montgomery County, Glatting Jackson, var designers-new high-rise downtown over 20 years, $6-7 bil tax revenue, 10k residents – 25% affordable

Connecting the Dots: Retrofitting the airport, mall, chemical plant and corridorAirport Boulevard, Austin TX: City of Austin, Gateway Planning Group

retrofitting land use, transportation and energy on a commercial corridorCambie Corridor, Vancouver, BC, Vancouver City Planning Department

reconstruct local ecology, daylight culverted streams, and clean run-off

add parks to increase adjacent property values

food and energy production

carbon sequestration

strategy:

Regreening

from shopping center to wetland w/ new lakefront property investmentPhalen Village, Phalen MN,U.Minnesota CALA (Dowdell, Fraker, Nassauer) and City of St. Paul

Before After

from mall parking lot to TOD with water treatment bioswale as park amenityNorthgate Urban Center, North Seattle, WA: LEED-ND pilot program Thornton Place, Mithun Architects for Stellar Holdings & Lorig Associates

• Added 530 units of housing at net 96 units/acre (another 1800 coming?)• Increased open space within the Northgate Urban Center by 50%• Provided pedestrian links that shortened walking distances by 50% from several adjacent neighborhoods

Source: Dunham-Jones, Williamson 2011

2000 condos to replace 200 apts?

Thornton Creek Water Quality Channel: City of Seattle, SvR Design• Reduced impervious surface by 78%

• Designed to remove an estimated 40-80% of suspended solids from 91% of the avg annual stormwater runoff from the 680-acre drainage basin

• Created new habitat: native birds were observed within one month and native volunteer plants have gotten established with the 85% native species that were planted. Source: Kaid Benfield, Natural Resources Defence Council

• Adds an estimated 30% increase in adjacent property values

From urban mall to park ringed with urban housing Columbus City Center Park, Columbus OH

From convention center parking lots to public/private parkDiscovery Green, Houston, TX: Brown and Kinder Foundations, Hargreaves Associates

Gentrification in the name of regreening?Dunwoody Glen, Dunwoody GA

Amateur photographers protesting for the right to public space on the Astroturf green at Downtown Silver Spring, MD, July 4, 2007

HYBRID PLACES“PUBLIC” spaces under PRIVATE management/ownership

URBAN streetscapes with SUBURBAN parking ratios

URBAN qualities at SUBURBAN costs

LOCAL placemaking with NATIONAL retail/design/funding

Populations that are MORE DIVERSE than typical suburbs, but LESS DIVERSE than typical cities

INSTANT URBANISM

challenge:

New Tools

Planning grants: Federal and Metro

The ITE street design manual

Community/Business Improvement Districts

Real estate transaction fees

Anticipatory retrofitting and contingent zoning

Design competitions

Retrofittability analysis & performance metrics

Street art

Partnering to Remove Obstacles to Urbanism by Reforming Standards and Practices

Past Initiatives: HOPE VI Mixed- Income Communities LEED-NDCNU/ITE Manual on Walkable Urban Thoroughfares

Emerging Initiatives: Tactical Urbanism, Urban Agricutlure, Code Reform, New Urbanism in China