« August 13, 2006 - August 19, 2006 | Main | August 27, 2006 - September 2, 2006 »

August 25, 2006

The Aspen, Boise, ID

Urban modular housing on a sliver of a site

While not exactly fitting in height-wise with the surrounding buildings, developer Scott Kimball's The Aspen, a $20 million proposed urban mixed-use development in Boise, Idaho has a number of significant innovative, progressive features, including:

- The building site is only 32 feet deep. Shows how much you can build in the tightest spaces.
- Home buyers have the ability to purchase 600 s.f. modules ($180,000) to build 600 to 2400 s.f. (or more) lofts, in the building locations they choose - a very beta community-ish approach. Not surprisingly, there's already a long list of potential buyers even though the project isn't approved yet.
- 10' 6" ceilings with floor-to-ceiling glass.
- Only 46 parking spaces for up to 70 residences, since the building is attached to a city-owned parking garage. Note the parking structures on either side of the building, though losing street corners to parking ramps is less than ideals.
- 3000 s.f. of ground-floor retail and 5000 s.f. of office space accompany the residences.

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August 24, 2006

Legacy Center, Lynchburg, OH

Can shopping environments be third places?

That's the question answered by the Urban Land Institute, and the answer is that at least for the newly built town-center-style shopping centers, they're trying.

All five examples provided in the report are unaffordable for most as far as residences and offices are concerned, and largely consisting of chains, but what's noteworthy is that the developers are providing public spaces for everyone that have the potential for being third places.

In addition to thousands of square feet of window shopping and dining options...

South Campus Gateway on the Ohio State University campus in Columbus - profiled South Campus Gateway">previously, features a central paseo (pedestrian-only street) restaurants patios, entertainment clubs, and a cinema entrance popular with students for hanging out.

First & Main, Hudson, OH - profiled in the previous entry, is adjacent to a 200-year-old village green with a new library.

North Hills, Raleigh, North Carolina - designed around a village green and open space hosting community events like town hall gatherings, musicals, theater productions and symphony performances.

Legacy Village, Lyndhurst, Ohio - centered around a town square with an intimate trellis-covered stage suited for outdoor events (concerts, plays).

Bloomfield Park, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan - provides eight parks linked by walking paths, two lakes integrated with wildlife habitat, an ice skating rink and town square.

What public events and amenities would you prefer? Comment below!

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August 23, 2006

First & Main, Hudson, OH

Growing an historic small town center

Most of the 22,000 residents of Hudson, OH (30 minutes from Cleveland) were no longer shopping downtown, but going elsewhere - a familiar story. Not so common however, is the level of vision and investment to reverse that trend.

The City and Hudson Village Development; a development company formed by Tom Murdough, a 31-year old entrepreneur who wanted better for his town, formed a public-private partnership to expand its historic 200-year-old downtown and village green. They sought extensive input from the residents before selecting Fairmount Properties of Cleveland, OH as the main developer.

The result is First & Main, a 14-acre mixed-use retail destination designed to enhance and complement the adjacent historic main street, though not exactly a model for affordability.

Some key statistics:

- 120,000 s.f. of retail/restaurants
- 40,000 s.f. of office
- 12 townhouses, 18 loft condos.
- Total project cost: $50 million
- City investment: $25 million (roads, sewers, utilities, parking, funded through 30-year loans generating a return of at least $29.5 million over 20 years in sales taxes.)
- Less than 50% national chains (however, most of the rest are regional chains)

Key takeaway? Identify (or become) a Tom Murdough in your town. Read more about First & Main's development here.

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August 22, 2006

Nanjinglu, China

The definitive report on the built environment's impact on public health

How does the planning of neighborhoods and cities affect your health? Thanks to the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC), the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), that's answered in the first report that comprehensively summarizes the impact of the built environment on public health, and how changes can be implemented.

The study, the LEED-ND Report on Public Health & the Built Environment, measure five areas of health:

- Respiratory and cardiovascular health
- Fatal and non-fatal injuries
- Physical activity
- Social capital
- Mental health

over the following built environment characteristics:

- Regional Accessibility/Location of Development - Developments sited in central cities or central business districts generate fewer automobile trips and emissions.
- Population and Employment Density - Higher density developments are correlated with increased physical activity, lower body masses and lower obesity rates.
- Land Use Mix - A doubling of neighborhood mix would result in a 5% reduction in vehicle miles traveled (VMT)
- Access to Transit - The highest level of transit use is observed at employment centers located within 500 feet of transit stops, 1/4 mile from residences.
- Streetscape Design/Pedestrian Amenities - Residents of a highly walkable/bikable neighborhood are likely to exercise for at least 30 minutes one additional day per week.
- Bicycle Amenities - Physical activity studies reveal that access to, quality of, and density of bicycle amenities is correlated to higher levels of bicycling for recreational purposes.
- Access to Recreational Facilities - Increased physical activity is associated with decreases in obesity as well as a host of illness, most prominently diabetes, hypertension and cancer.
- Distance from Roadways - Studies found that increased negative health impacts from PM, NOx, hydrocarbons, and CO are found between 2 to 300 meters from busy streets.
- Diversity of Population/Income in Communities - Research has determined that the homogenization of communities is a key factor in reducing social capital.
- Roadway Network (encompassing network design, intersection traffic controls,
access management and traffic calming) - Research shows that vehicle speed and volume are the two primary causes of traffic and automobile/pedestrian crashes.
- Street Cross Sections (encompassing street width, on-street parking, and
pedestrian countermeasures) - The weight of evidence suggests that narrower streets are safer.

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August 21, 2006

Storrs Center, Mansfield CT

Help! University needs town center immediately!

Of the accepted applicants to the University of Connecticut each year, about two-thirds decide to go elsewhere. The #1 reason, based on annual surveys? Lack of a college town.

So, the Town of Mansfield CT, the University, and a visionary real estate developer, Leyland Alliance, partnered to establish the Mansfield Downtown Partnership to build... a college town center. And a pretty cool one at that.

Next year, the $165 million Storrs Center will commence, with 200,000 s.f. of retail and restaurant space, 300 rental/500 for-sale housing units, 40,000 to 75,000 sq. ft. of office space and 5000 to 25,000 sq.ft. of civic and community space, surrounding a town square. 34 of the 49-acre project will be preserved for conservation. What's entirely forward-thinking however, is that most of the retail/restaurant venues will be independents rather than national chains, practically unheard of in new town center developments (but what the downtown market really wants).

Read more about the project in the NY Times, UConn Decides to Build Its Own College Town, or more about university town developments here.

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