CGP-SSRC Unpaving Urban Areas

8/6/2019 CGP-SSRC Unpaving Urban Areas

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Unpaving Urban AreasUrban Design Solutions to Environmental Issues

Center for Global Partnership - Social Science Research Council

Policy Forum on the Environment and Climate Change:Energy Saving and the Reduction of Air Pollution and CO2 Emissions within a City Level Framework

March 11-12, International House of Japan

Akito Murayama, Ph.D.Associate Professor of Urban Planning and Design

Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya University

[email protected]

http://homepage.mac.com/a.murayama/

Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Nagoya UniversityDepartment of Environmental Engineering and Architecture

Existing Land Use of Nagoya City2007

2,258,804

(2010.1.1)

Created Using Nagoya City Urban Planning Basic Survey Data

Issues of Expanded and Dispersed Cities

1. Increasing Cost of Urban InfrastructureDevelopment and Maintenance

Pressing Government Finances

2. Popularization of Automobile-Dependant

Lifestyles Increasing Energy Consumptionand Carbon Dioxide Emission

3. Urban Development Lowering VariousFunctions that Land Originally Posses:

Water Retention and Ecosystem Functions

Frequent Torrential Downpours and Urban Flood Damages

Flood Area by Torrential Downpours

of Late August, 2008 in Nagoya20088

(Chunichi Newspaper, September 25, 2008)

Urban Flood in Lowlands

(Chunichi Web, September 3, 2008)

Due to Climate Change?

Low Carbon City Initiative in Nagoya City

About Nagoya

- The Third Largest City Region in Japan

- Population: 2.26 million (February 1, 2010)

- Households: 1.01 million (February 1, 2010)

Goals to Reduce CO2 Emission

- 25% below 1990 Level by 2020

- 80% below 1990 Level by 2050

Lifestyle Visions

- Eki-Soba (Station Area) Urban Lifestyle

- Nature-Oriented Suburban Lifestyle

- Low-Carbon Lifestyle:

Innovations in Car, Live/Work and Energy

Action Plan to be Developed by March 2011

- Need to Address Effective Urban Design

Solutions to Environmental Issues Nagoya City (November 2009)

Low-Carbon Lifestyle:Innovations in Car, Live/Work and Energy

Nagoya City (November 2009)

Eki-Soba Urban Lifestyle

Nature-Oriented Suburban Lifestyle

Visions of Low Carbon City Nagoya


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Sustainable Urban Form (Portland)

Common Solutions Seem to be- Drawing a Boundary of Urban Area (Urban Growth Boundary)

- Creating Higher Density Mixed-Use City/Town Centers and Corridors- Connecting Centers with Public Transport Portland Metro (1994)

Unsustainable Urban Form (Phoenix)

Vacant Downtown Low & Spread Out Urban Form

Suburban Housing Development Exurban Housing Development

Creating Attractive Urban Area

Key Elements of Attractive Urban Area

- Life with Minimum Automobile Use

- Good Public Transit

- Good Pedestrian and Bicycle Environment

- Street with Vitality

- Higher Density

- Mixed-Use and Human-Scale

- High Quality Housing for All Incomes

- Great Public Spaces: Green, Water, Wind

Unpaving Urban Area

- Safety and Security

- Universal Design

- Sense of Place and Community

- History, Culture and Art

- Good Educational Environment for Children

- Energy Efficient

- and moreUrban Corridor in Toronto

Examples of Unpaving Urban Area

Viaduct Removal or Reuse

- Cheonggyecheon Restoration (Seoul)

- The Big Dig (Boston)

- Alaskan Way Viaduct and Central Waterfront (Seattle)

- The High Line (New York)

- Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris)

Other Urban Design Solutions

- Green Zoning (Nagoya)

- Street Design Manual (New York)

- Green Street Program and Innovative Park (Portland)

- Green Alley/Roof Programs (Chicago)

- The Blue Ring and its Projects (Seattle)

Viaduct Removal or Reuse

Nihombashi (Tokyo)

1 km

1999: Local residents and businesses

formed the Nihombashi AreaRenaissance 100 Years Planning

Committee to discuss the

restoration of Nihombashi river

and other issues

2003: Experts, MLIT, TMG, Chuo

Ward, Metropolitan Expressway

Company began discussion

2005: Chuo Ward established the

Nihombashi / Tokyo Station-

Front Area Machizukuri

Committee

2005: Prime Minister Koizumi

convened experts to come up

with policies by September 2006

2006: Policies recommended


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Nihombashi (Tokyo)

Nihombashi River and Metropolitan Expressway ViaductProposal by the Local Community:

Nihombashi Area Renaissance 100 Years Planning Committee

Study by experts, MLIT, TMG, Chuo Ward, Metropolitan Expressway Company

Cheonggyecheon Restoration (Seoul)

1 km

1958: Cheonggyecheon covered1968: Viaduct constructed

1991: Idea of Cheonggyecheon

restoration discussed by

university professors and

discussion started

2000-2002: Restoration project

plan developed through the

series of symposiums

2002.6: Lee Myung Bak became

Seoul Mayor, promising

Cheonggyecheon

Restoration in election

2002.7: Cheonggyecheon

Restoration Headquarters

established

2003.7: Construction started

2005.10: Restored river opened


SSD Research Group, cSUR, The University of Tokyo (2008)"Sustainable Site Design 100 Cases: Acupuncture of Sustainable

Urban Regeneration", Shokokusha


Strong leadership and integrated approach

in Seoul

Strong leadership of Mayor Lee MyungBak and strong political support

Cheonggyecheon Restoration and

Transit System Improvements at the

same time: Small impact of viaduct

removal without providing alternative

route

Triangle Governance System to

execute the project quickly

Headquarters (within city government):

Executive function

Citizen Committee: Judicial function

Research Team (within Seoul Development

Institute): Research function

The Big Dig (Boston)

1959: Central Artery opened

1987: The Big Dig approved(burying CA underground)

1986-1989: Alternatives and a

competition

1991: Boston 2000 Plan - a first

master plan

1991: Zoning change

1995, 1997: Surface Street

Consensus Plan

1998: Boston Plan 2000 update

2001: Boston Central Artery

Corridor Master Plan

2004: Viaduct torn down

2005: CA reopened and

developments began1 km


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The Big Dig (Boston)

Lack of planning and question of

sustainability in Boston

Segregation of

engineering work

and urban design:

lack of planning

(weak planning

agency)

Water leak and

ceiling collapse:

another vulnerable,unsustainable

infrastructure?

What will happen

after 50 years?http://www.boston.com/ http://www.boston.com/

Alaskan Way Viaduct and Central Waterfront (Seattle)

1933: Seawall constructed

1954: Alaskan Way Viaduct

constructed

2001: Alaskan Way damaged

by Nisqually Earthquake

2002-: Five alternatives

carefully studied

(Environmental impact

assessment)

2004: Reduced to two

alternatives: tunnel orrebuild

2006: Central Waterfront Plan

based on citizens input

proposed by Mayor

2007: Seattle residents vote

down both alternatives1 km

Surface Bypass Tunnel

Rebuild Tunnel

Aerial

Five Alternatives Studied Central Waterfront Plan

Participatory planning and politics in Seattle

Central Waterfront Plan: Active citizen participation

including design workshops and forums

Mayor and City Council with different political stances

Referendum to evaluate two alternatives independently:

No to both alternatives

Process too long!

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/viaduct/


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Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris) Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris)

Viaduc et Faubourg Saint-Antoine (Paris)

Other Urban Design Solutions

Green Overlay Zoning (Nagoya since 2007)

Nagoya City (2007)

Designated percentage of land parcel must begreen (for large parcel) by land use regulation

Green Zoning (Nagoya since 2007)

Nagoya City (2007)


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Street Design Manuals Street Design Manual (New York)

Green Street Program (Portland) Green Street Program (Portland)

Tanner Springs Park (Portland)

Herbert Dreiseitle and Dieter Grau eds. (2009) Recent Waterscapes, Birahkuser

Tanner Springs Park (Portland)

Herbert Dreiseitle and Dieter Grau eds. (2009) Recent Waterscapes, Birahkuser


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Tanner Springs Park (Portland) Tanner Springs Park (Portland)

Sidewalk Near the Park (Portland) Green Alley/Roof Programs (Chicago)


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The Blue Ring and its Projects (Seattle)

The Blue Ring: connecting places: THE NEXT DECADE (Seattle) Olympic Sculpture Park (Seattle) by Weiss/Manfredi

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/

Olympic Sculpture Park (Seattle) by Weiss/Manfredi

http://www.seattleartmuseum.org/

Learning from Examples

Projects of Unpaving Urban Areas can be effective measures to

implement Low Carbon City Initiatives.

Viaduct Removal Project has great impact, but is very costly and time

consuming, might even have negative impacts to the environment and

sustainability.

Other urban design solutions are available such as green zoning,

street and park designs focused on environment and sustainability ,

and the incremental development of green infrastructure in urban

areas. These solutions are less costly and can be applied to various

cities.

It is important to have a long-term vision (100 year in Seattle), a short-

/mid-term strategy (10 years in Seattle) and pilot demonstrative

projects to gain support from various actors of society.

Projects of Unpaving Urban Areas must not only contribute to the

mitigation of environmental issues but also enhance peoples quality

of life in cities.

Documents

CGP-SSRC Unpaving Urban Areas