As communities turn from sprawl and work to retrofit existing districts and corridors, misfits between street and land use types often compromise livability, sustainability, and economic development. We’ll look at how some cities have responded by designing streets that go beyond the conventional arterial-collector-local street classification system and have implemented innovative streets with flexible spaces and uses - often overlapping the single-use functions of typical street "zoning." Presentation delivered at CNU 17, Denver, CO on June 12, 2009.

1. New Street Typologies/New Street Types
Getting more out of the same R.O.W.:
Overlap Space Street Types
CNU 17
June 12, 2009
Gregory Tung, Principal
Freedman Tung & Sasaki
San Francisco, California
www.ftscities.com

2. Street Types and New Urbanism
The body of work of new urbanists (and in
recent years, working with partners like the
ITE) has been instrumental in laying out a
range of street types and elements tied to the
urban transect.
Source: SmartCode v9.0

3. From The Lexicon of the New Urbanism

4. From The Lexicon of the New Urbanism

5. American street designers (and users) have often been “jealous”
of what European street designers achieve as apparent “standard
practice” – e.g. various types of shared & multimodal street
spaces
Gothenburg, Sweden
Gothenburg, Sweden

6. But we’re seeing that type
of “adaptive re-use” of
American street spaces
starting to happen
Photo: John Marshall Mantel, NY Times
Photo: Hiroko Masuike, NY Times

7. City of Huntington Beach
Life Magazine
YET: one of our biggest challenges is the retrofitting of suburbia
(and of suburban forms imposed on our older cities)

8. Single-purpose, “zoned” street types are deeply embedded in our
engineering, design, and maintenance cultures

9. Forces of economic and demographic change create needs and
opportunities for restructuring of focal places and streets

10. As we retrofit our suburban districts and corridors, streets need to
be similarly “retooled” to support the desired multimodal, alive,
beautiful and loved public places we know they need to be

11. Source: AASHTO

12. Source: AASHTO

14. “Street Type must match
Development Type”
“Street Type must serve
Development Type”

15. Let’s assume that your property frontages are correct for the district…

16. Does your street type serve your development type / place type?

17. It takes few vertical elements to effectively buffer pedestrians from traffic

18. ...and with plenty of $$$ and space, a great street can readily be created

19. Source: ITE

20. The “turfs” of the street section – pedestrians vs. automobiles
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

21. East 14th Street (CA-85) in San Leandro, CA 1991
EXISTING:
• Wide enough sidewalk, few pedestrians
• 4 lanes
• Curbside parallel parking
• No bike lanes
• Almost no trees or furnishings

22. East 14th Street (CA-85) in San Leandro, CA
TODAY
CHANGE:
• Continuous Street Tree Canopy Planting
• 4 lanes to 3 lanes + narrowing
• Added Bike Lanes
• Basis for sidewalk “zones” established
NO CHANGE::
• No R.O.W. expansion
• Same curbside parallel parking
• No curb reconstruction
• No changes to drainage

23. Building prototype in corridor Streetguidelines
East 14th design Enhanced Corridor Street Type as a
(State Highway 185) in 1991
condition for new Corridor
Development Type
New Senior Housing -
linked to corridor transit
th
East 14 Street Today
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

24. …But what if you need to do
more with the R.O.W. than
the existing width allows?

25. Two Techniques of Existing ROW
/ Street Modification that can
squeeze more functions –
especially the usually minimal
pedestrian “share” - out of the
same right-of-way:
1. Spatial Overlap
2. Use Overlap

26. The usual “share” of street use zones
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

27. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki

32. Source: ITE

33. The Strategic Placement of
Street Verticals – the
“Strong Force” in
streetscape design

34. Whittier Boulevard in “downtown” Montebello, CA circa 2003
(relinquished segment of State HIghway 72)

35. Corridor Revitalization Concept and Streetscape Support
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki
“Broad Brush” Concept Diagram
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki
Streetscape Plan with Segmentation

36. CONVENTIONAL ARTERIAL STREET DESIGN
Auto-dominated space
Sparse street tree planting
has limited buffering effect
HEAVIER T RAFFIC
Building architecture “armors” itself - becomes
less permeable, more inward-focused - in
response to unpleasant setting
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

37. STREET TYPE MODIFICATION: SPATIAL RETROFIT OF THE
EXISTING CONVENTIONAL ARTERIAL STREET DESIGN
Ped Auto-dominated space Ped
realm realm
Existing 80’ R.O.W.
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

38. Whittier Boulevard in Montebello – “before” (2004)

39. Whittier Boulevard in Montebello – retrofit concept
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

40. Whittier Boulevard in Montebello – retrofit concept built (2007)

41. Whittier Boulevard in Montebello – retrofit concept built

42. Whittier Blvd in downtown
Montebello, CA TODAY
SUCCESSES:
• “Healed” street proportions
(though not as emphatic as on
narrow main street type)
• Recognizable downtown
segment along strip
• “Family of objects” furnishings
& landmarks
LESSONS/OBSERVATIONS:
• Some trees & pylons have
been hit by cars – arterial
setting less tolerant than main
streets
• Streetscape completed in
2007; infill development
interest is present but
proposals slowed by recession

43. School Street circa 1994
School Street in downtown Lodi, CA today

44. sidewalk circa 1994
School Street sidewalk in downtown Lodi, CA today

45. School Street in downtown
Lodi, CA TODAY
SUCCESSES:
• “Healed” street proportions
• Larger tree canopies, better
shade in 100º sun
• Sidewalk colors/paving help
define zones
• “Family of objects” furnishings
& landmarks
LESSONS/OBSERVATIONS:
• Bollard tree protection @
parallel parking tree islands
didn’t work well (OK w/mature
trees now)
• Remaining complaints about
lost street parking due to trees
despite new parking structure
1 block away

46. Mission Boulevard, Mission San Jose District of Fremont, CA

47. Auto-dominated space – before and after
SUCCESSES:
• Improved street proportions
• Modest cost, modest intervention
• Lighting operates well
• Reinforced pedestrian scale

48. Pedestrian realm – before and after
LESSONS/OBSERVATIONS:
• Effect not as strong as trees in parking,
but still useful

49. Key Streets in Downtown Phoenix, AZ: Second, Adams, Monroe
1994: #1 Issue of Downtown Visioning – Lack of Pedestrian
Friendliness

50. Second Street before project
2nd Street’s verticals in
parking lanes – pylon
streetlight columns -
reproportioned the
street

51. SUCCESSES:
• Improved street proportions
• Modest cost, modest intervention
• Reinforced pedestrian scale
LESSONS/OBSERVATIONS:
• Effect not as strong as trees in
Monroe Street before project parking, but less problematic for
visibility
Other streets were reproportioned with palms and shade trees
centered in parking lanes, and 1-way to 2-way conversions

52. Summary – Spatial Overlap at the
pedestrian/car interface (using verticals)
• Allows the reproportioning • Tree in pkg. feasibility a
of ped/car “turfs” where no function of U/G utilities
additional ROW is available • Trade-off of lost on-street
& w/out curb moves “teaser” parking, may
• Most effective overall at require district parking
narrower streets (2-3 supply & strategy
lanes), but sidewalk space • Trade-off of higher
always made better maintenance costs
• Efficiency of investment – • Snow area issues
“spend $$ on verticals, it’s • Young tree trunk protection
what people see” @ parallel parking an issue
• Regular spacing important • Tree pits may merit load
• Tree or pylon uplighting bearing design such as
recommended in focal structural soils or “Silva
areas cells”

53. The Strategic Placement of
Horizontal Surface Types –
the “Weak Force” in
streetscape design

54. Colored textured asphalt topping at center turn lane narrows visible
roadway width, changes the “feel": State Highway 114, Barrington, RI

55. Colored textured asphalt topping at aprons narrow the visible roadway
width, articulates bikeway/shoulder: State Highway 16, Capay, CA

57. Summary – Spatial Overlap at
pedestrian/car interface (using horizontals)
• No interference with • Topping products are only
existing road space usable for low traffic
allocation applications (shoulders,
• Effect is purely visual - no “medians”) and do not
safety conflicts, but effect have the lifespan of unit
also not as strong pavers or stamped
• As such, more readily concrete
approvable by DOT’s • Pavers are expensive and
• Relatively new topping require higher
product treatments make maintenance in most cases
this more affordable than
unit pavers

58. …OK, but what if overlapped
visual space is not enough –
what if I want pedestrian
activity to expand –
especially if there isn’t
enough R.O.W.?

59. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki

60. The “Flexible Zone” Main Street: A Use Overlap
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

61. First Street (CA-84) in 2004

62. First Street after streetscape (2006)

63. First Street (CA-84) in 2004
First Street today (with flexible zone café space)

64. First Street sidewalk in 2004
First Street sidewalk today (with flexible zone café space)

65. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki

66. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki

67. Google search: Livermore permit "flexible zone"
Source: City of Livermore

68. Former slip lane and traffic median at crossroads…

69. …converted to a new town green
with interactive fountain

70. New Investment: Shops, Offices, & Entertainment Anchors

71. The First Flexible Zone Main Street: Mountain View, CA (1989)

72. Castro St. in 1982
t
Stree
tro
Ca s wa
y
P ar k
el ine
Shor

73. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki

74. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki

76. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki

77. The Latest Flexible Zone Main Street:
Plumas Street in Yuba City, CA (2008)
Plumas St. in 2005

78. Theatre Way in Downtown Redwood City, CA
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

79. Middlefield Road in 2004
“Theatre Way” Today

82. “THEATRE WAY” - Section
“On
Broadway”
Multiplex
Fox Cinema-
Theatre Retail
& ground complex
floor
shop-
fronts
Ground floor
restaurants
Flexible Zone Dining Terrace
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki
Underground Public Parking Structure

83. Flush (no step) flexible zone

84. San Jose Mercury News - August 2, 2007

85. Summary – Use Overlap at the
pedestrian/car interface (Flexible Zones)
• Accommodates change of • Trade-off of some lost on-
parking/pedestrian use per street “teaser” parking -
changing business needs, requires district parking
w/out construction supply & strategy
• Maximizes the visibility of • Trade-off of higher
pedestrian retail district maintenance costs
assets – on street parking • Snow area issues
AND street life activity • Needs permit procedures
• Relatively higher cost due & required furnishings for
to wall-to-wall re-do and outdoor dining uses plus
regrading “early adopter” incentives
• Requires a 2 step curb OR • Requires specialized
a flush transition between furnishings (“level change
sidewalk and flexible zone, devices”) and tree well
NOT a single level curb detailing

86. ANOTHER STREET TYPE WITH INHERENT FLEXIBILITY:
THE MULTIWAY BOULEVARD
Slow lane, Slow lane,
parking, parking,
walking, Arterial Traffic walking,
shopping, 4 lanes + left shopping,
outdoor dining turns outdoor dining
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

87. Downtown Bothell, WA – SR-527
New Expansion
Opportunity
SR-527 today
SR-527 Historic
Downtown
Core
Main
Stree
t
R
SR-522 ealignment
Park at
Bothell iv er
Landing Sammamish R

88. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki
Strategy: Don’t allow state highway to become a
barrier within downtown

89. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki
Strategy: Apply a street design treatment that
can transform state highway into a unifying
“seam” that is also a distinctive place

90. Existing State Route 527
Rendering of Multiway Boulevard Concept
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

91. An essential factor in livability
is “buffering” of fronting rooms
of buildings from the effects of
fast traffic

92. Would you want your
living room this close and
this exposed to arterial
traffic?
Will this hold value over
time?

93. Avenue Daumesnil, Paris
Dwellings are buffered from fast
traffic by 2 rows of trees and
slow speed, pedestrian friendly
environment
Photo: Payton Chung

94. Ground floor shops activate a
downtown pedestrian walking
environment with curbside parking and
a slow lane for cars and bicycles; also
works well for residential ground floor
Ground
floor
storefront
or
residence
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki

95. Octavia Boulevard, San Francisco, CA

96. Boulevard D’Arcole, Toulouse, France
Flexibility: Individual block-lengths of side lanes may
be closed off to host farmers’ markets, street fairs, etc.

97. The Multiway
Boulevard is a
composition of two
“opposite” AASHTO
street types
Source: AASHTO

98. MULTIWAY BOULEVARD DRAINAGE CONCEPT
Pervious Rain Impervious Sheet
Unit Gardens Paving Drainage
Pavers
© Freedman Tung & Sasaki
The drainage concept for the Multiway Boulevard uses pervious unit pavers and
rain gardens to reduce runoff for cost savings and sustainability reasons.
Unit pavers also contribute to the multiway boulevard concept by distinguishing
pedestrian-oriented “slow lanes” from higher speed asphalt arterial lanes.

99. Pervious pavers
at side slow lanes Pervious
drain runoff water Unit
into structural soil Pavers
beneath, and
provide tactile Rain
and visual design Garden
cues for slow
speed and
pedestrian use.
LED streetlighting
also reduces
energy &
maintenance

100. © Freedman Tung & Sasaki
GOAL: Enable a broad taxonomy of street types, some plain,
some specialized, that apply to existing AND new urban fabric.

101. As we build more compact (and dense) communities, so must we
increase the quality and variety of urban open spaces – including
streets – to live up to promises we are making about urbanism

102. Gregory Tung, Principal
Freedman Tung & Sasaki
gregory@ftscities.com
www.ftscities.com