Chris_Townley-Portfolio_web

Urban Planning + Design Portfolio
2015

Chris Townley - Urban Planning + Design Portfolio 2
Education:
Rutgers University – New Brunswick, NJ, 2013 - 2015
Master of City and Regional Planning
GPA: 3.86
IndianaUniversityofPennsylvania–Indiana,PA,2011-2013
B.S. in Regional Planning - Land Use & GIS
GPA: 3.71, Graduated Magna Cum Laude
Experience:
Philadelphia City Planning Commission - Philadelphia, PA
August 2014 - December 2014
Assisted with implementation of pedestrian, bicycle
and trail plans, researching best practices for active
transportation, and assisting with public outreach for
transportation projects.
Project for Public Spaces - NewYork, NY
May 2014 - August 2014
Assisted with communications and social media for
the Pro Walk Pro Bike Pro Place conference. Other
various tasks as assigned.
IndianaCountyOfficeofPlanning&Development-Indiana,PA
February 2012 – May 2013
Designed and developed posters which detailed
the Indiana County comprehensive plan. Managed
the waterline georeferencing and digitizing project
for Indiana County. Performed GIS data processing
in support of County planning efforts. Provided
support to the Chief Planner for development and
implementation of plans.
JeannetteRedevelopmentAuthority–Jeannette,PA
May 2012 – August 2012
Developed a GIS Database from City and
redevelopment authority records. Created maps and
visual aids to assist the Jeannette Redevelopment
Authority and the citizens of Jeannette. Performed
public outreach through presentations to residents.
Honors/Awards:
• Bloustein Scholarship in Urban Planning (2013-
2014)
• Civic Engagement Award, Department of
Geography & Regional Planning, IUP (2013)
• Senior Academic Award in Regional Planning
(2012-2013), Department of Geography & Regional
Planning, IUP
• Pennsylvania Chapter of the APA - Student
Scholarship (2012-2013)
Professional Involvement:
Indiana Bicycle Coalition - Co-founder (2012 - 2013)
Advocated for bicycle safety and awareness through
coalition building of existing entities and organizing
individuals into a collective voice. Participated in the
planning process for municipal and county bicycle &
pedestrian projects.
Planning Student Organization at IUP - President (2012- 2013)
Organized lectures, events and volunteer
opportunities for the planning department students.
Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Planning Association -
Board Member/Student Representative (2012 - 2013)
Attended quarterly board meetings and provided
input from a student’s perspective for the board.
Summary:
Candidate for a Master of City and Regional Planning,
graduating in May 2015, with experience in the fields
of construction and architecture, providing a holistic
view of the built environment. Interests include
urban design, bicycling & walking issues,community
development, smart growth and sustainability.
Skills:
• Experienced in all aspects of Geographic
Information Systems, including data collection/
creation, management, and analysis, map creation
for print and web, and Python scripting.
• Familiar with web design, HTML & CSS
ArcGIS
AutoCAD
Rhino3D
SketchUp
Photoshop
Illustrator
InDesign
Word
Excel
Powerpoint
Access
Stata
Software Skills:
QGIS

3
Table of Contents
Jersey City Waterfront Redevelopment
Yorkship Village Renderings
Re-imagining the Trenton Transit Center
Agricultural Hamlet
On-Demand Transit
Franklin Area Commuter Transit
Collisions Involving People Walking and Biking
GIS Samples
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8
10
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16
18
20
25

JerseyCityWaterfrontRedevelopment
Completed: December 2014
For: Graduate Planning Studio at Rutgers
University
Our design challenge was to utilize
the construction of a seawall, based on Dutch
design influence, to create a redevelopment
plan for Jersey City’s waterfront. This
redevelopment plan ensures protection
from future floods and sea level rise as well
as devises a plan for funding through new
construction. The five member team worked
for eight weeks to create self-supporting infill
between the new seawall and the existing
coastline.
Left Top: A massing model of the proposed
seawall and redevelopment, created using Rhino 3D and
Adobe Photoshop
Left Bottom: Regional transportation network
as it relates to the project area. The has excellent
transportation connections, such as the PATH, the
Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, The Hoboken Terminal with NJ
Transit Service, as well as the NJ Turnpike and the Holland
Tunnel. Additionally, an extension of the East Coast
Greenway connection is proposed down the existing 6th
Ave embankment, which would cut across the middle of
the project area.
Facing page: A series a maps showing the
transit stops and there pedestrian sheds. Starting in the
top left, they shows the existing conditions, then the top
right includes the proposed site plan for the project area,
showing the gap in transit service, the bottom left shows
the proposed addition to the light rail network, with a
possible extension to Journal Square, and the bottom left
show the proposed stops and their pedestrian sheds, all
the buildings in the project area would be within a five
minute walk of a transit stop.
Following pages: Renderings of two of the public
spaces included in our design.

Jersey City Waterfront Redevelopment5

Jersey City Waterfront Redevelopment7

Yorkship Village Renderings
Completed: December 2014
Course: Advanced Graphical Communications
for Planners at Rutgers University
Created using Rhino 3D and Adobe Photoshop

Re-imagining the
Trenton Transit Center
Completed: May 2014
For: Site Planning & Design Course at Rutgers
University
Working with a three person team,
we chose to redevelop the Trenton Transit
Center, and the nearby US Rt 1, NJ 129, NJ 33
interchange, for an urban infill design project.
The focal point of our proposal is
the large green space created by burying a
highway and removing an interchange. The
main entrance of the Trenton Transit Center
now has a large public plaza in front of it,
which expands on to an expansive green space
to the west. Additionally, a stream that was
previously buried will be daylighted, restoring
its ecological vitality, as well as providing
recreational opportunity and character to the
new park.
In addition to state and federal funding
to finance the public project, we propose to
providedensitybonusincentivestodevelopers,
allowing them to construct larger buildings
immediately around the train station and the
park, in exchange for a contribution to funding
for the park. The added value of the public
space in close proximity to there developments
is more than worth there financial contribution.
Lastly, to connect the Transit Center,
which is currently served by commuter and
long-distance trains on the Northeast Corridor,
and will be a stop on the coming high-speed
rail line, as well as the northern terminus for
the RiverLine, we propose adding a light rail/

Trenton Transit Center11
street car system that would connect this
transportation hub with downtown Trenton
and the capital complex to the west, as well as
extending to the east to serve the residents of
Trenton.
Above: An analysis of the pedestrian shed around
the Trenton Transportation Center. The 1/4 mile
circle represents a five-minute walking distance
in a typical grid street pattern. The Yellow line
is the area you could reach within a five minute
walk on the current streets. Our concept proposes
covering over a portion of Rt 1, and removing
the interchange to increase walkability and
connections to the surround areas. The green line
is the area that could be reached ones the street
network is reconfigured.

LV < IV
LV w/in 10%
of IV
LV > IV
LV > IV x2
No Data
LV = Land Value
IV = Improvement Value
Above: Property Value Analysis of the area
around the Trenton Transportation Center,
created by comparing the land value against
the improvement value based on the tax
assessed value of the property. This was used
to help determine properties susceptible to
redevelopment, however this can only be used as
a first step. The results need to be checked against
conditions on the ground, as tax assessments
may not be accurate.
Right: An Axiometric view of the proposed
changes from SketchUp. The new buildings are in
white while the existing are in gray.

Agricultural Hamlet
Completed: May 2014
University
The agricultural hamlet is a small
community designed to be self-supporting.
There is enough food production to sustain
the residents, and to attract visitors to farm-
to-table restaurants in the hamlet. In addition
to the large fields for food production, there
are community gardens in the central green,
as well as kitchen gardens in many of the
residential yards.
Our design focuses on a central green,
with the inner street that prioritizes people
who are walking or on a bicycle, but allowing
visitors in vehicles at slow speeds as necessary.
For residents who are driving, there is the outer
ring street, which connects to garages at the
rear of the buildings.
Energy is produced through solar and
wind power, and water and waste-water are
dealt with on-site, allowing the hamlet to be
completely off the grid. The hamlet is aligned
on a North-South axis, allowing for optimal
solar collection throughout the day.

On-Demand Transit
Completed: February 2014
University
In an effort to provide transit in lower
density suburban areas, we were tasked to
design an on-demand transit system, which
would have stops located within a 5 minute
walk from most places, and bring riders to any
other stop in the system.
Using a typical suburban road network,
I used ArcGIS Network Analyst to determine
how many houses would be within a 5 minute
walk if the typical 1/4 mile circle was used to
locate the stops. In the image on the facing
page, the stops are located using red dots.
The green area is showing the area you can
walk from to reach the stop within 5 minutes
if you walk along the road network. In most
cases, this area is significantly smaller than
the 1/4 mile circle (the dashed circles around
the stops), which is typically used to show a 5
minute walk.

Franklin Area Commuter Transit19
Franklin Area Commuter Transit
System
Completed: February 2014
For: Public Transit Planning & Management at
Rutgers University
An exercise in bus route planning and
scheduling, the system was designed to meet
the transportation needs of the workers in the
New Brunswick area who are employed in the
Somerset County area.The system is organized
around a central express route connecting
the New Brunswick train station to the Bound
Brook train station, with local collector routes
bringing riders to the train stations to transfer
to either another bus or the train.
FACTFranklin Area Commuter
Transit

Pedestrians
Municipalities
Interstate
Toll Road
US Route
State Route
County Road
º
0 4 8 12 162
Miles
Cyclists
Municipalities
Interstate
Toll Road
US Route
State Route
County Road
º
0 4 8 12 162
Miles
Collisions Involving People
Walking and Biking.
Ocean County, NJ 2001 – 2011
Completed: May 2012
For: Cartography II at the Indiana University of
Pennsylvania
These maps are examples from an
atlas showing traffic collisions involving
pedestrians and cyclists in Ocean County, NJ.
Data is displayed in various forms to show
how different variables affect collisions. Maps
include collisions per capita by municipality,
per total miles of road by municipality, by
season, by time of day, and by speed limit of
the road.
Between the years of 2001 to 2011,
there were approximately 2,000 collisions
involving pedestrians. With a 2010 population
of 576,567, this works out to an approximate
average of 3.4 collisions per every 10,000
people per year. To compare, 70,000
pedestrians were injured in traffic collisions
in 20101
nation-wide, which is a rate of
approximately 2 collisions per ever 10,000
people. This shows us pedestrian safety is an
issue in Ocean county, and as you can see
on the map to the left, a large majority of
the pedestrian collisions are on or near large
highways.
There were approximately 1,700 col-
lisions involving cyclists between the years
of 2001 and 2011 in Ocean County, NJ. There
were an average of 2.9 collisions involving
cyclists per every 10,000 people per year. In
1 http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811552.pdf
Total Pedestrian Collisions Total Cyclist Collisions
2010, there were 52,000 cyclists injured in
traffic collisions nationwide2
, which is a rate
of 1.7 collisions per 10,000 people. The rate
for Ocean County is double that of the nation.
Again, this shows that Ocean County needs
to improve conditions for people who are not
using a car to move around the county.
2 http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811552.pdf
Similar to pedestrian collisions, the
map below shows that a majority of cyclist
collisions are on or near large highways. Addi-
tionally, you can see a large number of colli-
sions on the coast, in the shore towns of the
barrier islands.
There were ninety seven pedestrian fatalities
in Ocean County between 2001 to 2011, 5%

Collisions Involving People Walking And Biking21
Lacey Township
Jackson
Township
Manchester
Township
Stafford
Township
Berkeley
Township
Little Egg Harbor
Township
Toms River
Township
Brick
Township
Barnegat
Township
Ocean
Township
Plumsted
Township
Lakewood
Township
Eagleswood
Township
Long Beach
Township
Long Beach
Township
Tuckerton
Borough
Point Pleasant
Borough
Long Beach Township
Beachwood
Borough
Beach Haven Borough
Surf City
Borough
Point Pleasant
Beach Borough
Harvey Cedars
Borough
Lavallette
Borough
Barnegat Light
Borough
Lakehurst
Borough
Seaside Park
Borough
Long Beach
Township
South Toms
River Borough
Ship Bottom
Borough
Bay Head
Borough
Seaside Heights
Borough
Mantoloking
Borough
§¨¦195
GARDENSTATE
PARKWAY
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¬«70
¬«72
¬«35
¬«37
¬«88
¬«70
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Municipalities
nterstate
Toll Road
S Route
State Route
County Road
Ocean County
º
0 4 8 12 162
Miles
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r Fatalities
Municipalities
Interstate
Toll Road
US Route
State Route
County Road
º
0 4 8 12 162
Miles
rr
r
r
r
rr
r
r Fatalities
Municipalities
Interstate
Toll Road
US Route
State Route
County Road
º
0 4 8 12 162
Miles
Total Pedestrian Fatalities Total Cyclist Fatalities
of the total collisions during that time period..
At a rate of 1.7 fatalities per 10,000 people per
year, compared to a national rate of 0.14 fa-
talities per 10,000, this further shows that the
county needs to improve pedestrian safety.
Map 2.3 shows that location of fatal
pedestrian collisions, and we can see that a
large number of these fatalities were along
the US. Route 9 corridor, which runs north/
south through the county.
There were ten fatal collisions involv-
ing cyclists in Ocean County between 2001
to 2011, 0.6% of the total number of cyclist
collisions. While the total number of fatalities
is low, it is a rate of 0.17 per 10,000 people,
which is significantly higher than the national
rate of 0.02 per 10,000 in 2010. Map 2.4 shows
the location of the ten cyclist fatalities, and
they are all on or near large highways.

Pedestrian collisions per road mile by seasonIn this series of maps, collisions involving
pedestrians were separated by season. Spring
consists of March, April & May. Summer is the
months of June, July & August. September,
October & November are the fall months. Last-
ly, December, January & February are grouped
into winter. Comparison to road miles was
used in lieu of population, due to the large
number of tourists that come to the area in
the warmer months.
Pedestrian collisions remain fairly con-
sistent throughout the year, with the excep-
tion of the shore towns. Seaside Heights has a
higher number of pedestrian collisions in the
spring (8 per 10mi of road) and summer (15
per 10mi of road) than the fall (2 per 10mi of
road) and winter (3 per 10 mi of road). Seaside
Heights has the highest number of pedestri-
an collisions per road miles in the summer,
followed by Seaside Park with 8 collisions per
10mi of road, and then Point Pleasant Beach
with 6 collisions per 10mi of road.
In the fall, collisions in Seaside Heights
& Seaside Park drop by approximately 87%,
while in Point Pleasant Beach they drop by
they drop by 50%. This could be due to the
larger, more stable year-round population in
the Point Pleasant Beach area as compared to
the Seaside Heights & Seaside Park area.
This series of maps show that the
problems for pedestrians in Lakewood are not
seasonal. The rate remains at 5 collisions per
10mi of road in the spring through the fall,
and moves up to 6 collisions per 10mi of road
in the winter.

Collisions Involving People Walking And Biking23
Cyclist collisions per road mile by season Next we look at cyclists collisions by
season. It is apparent that there is a stronger
correlation between the season and collisions
involving cyclists. This probably due to the fact
that people are less likely to ride there bike in
inclement weather or the cold than they are to
walk.
Every municipality along the coast,
with the exception of Mantoloking and Bar-
negat Light Boros, have a significant increase
in cyclist collisions from spring to summer.
Point Pleasant Beach has the highest number
of collisions in the summer, with 4 collisions
per 10 mi of road in the spring going up to 15
collisions per 10mi of road in the summer, an
increase of 73%. However, Ship Bottom Boro
sees the highest increase from spring to sum-
mer, going from less than 1 to 14 collisions per
10mi of road, or a 96% increase.
In the fall months we see fewer cyclists
collisions, due to tourism slowing down, pos-
sibly also because children are going back to
school during the days. Point Pleasant Beach
still has the highest number of collisions, and
6 per 10mi of road in the Fall, followed closely
by Lakewood and Point Pleasant Boro, both at
5 collisions per 10mi of road.
Lakewood is relatively unaffected by
the changing seasons, the township has a
40% increase between spring and summer,
a 22% drop from summer to fall, and a 34%
drop from fall to winter. Contributing to this
is likely the large year-round population of the
municipality, and the fact that the municipali-
ty is bisected by US Route 9.

GIS Samples
A selection of additional GIS mapping samples.

GIS Samples29
Land Use Patterns Along the
NJ Transit River Line

Chris_Townley-Portfolio_web

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