walkability_report_kjzhang

WOAKABILITYgenta ishimura jonathan yu kevin zhang

3

woakability | ends 440 | 2008

contents

intentions 4

introduction 5 what is walkability? why is walkability important? what makes a neighbourhood walkable?

scope and history 6 first impressions neighbourhood demographics housing types workplace distribution median household income population in low-income households

documentation & analysis 10modes of transport land use 5 min walking radius service coverage level of service typical sections connectivity transit coverage visibility permeability grey network long sections

conclusion 20 findings closing comments

tools & references 21

section one

section two

section three

section four

section five

CONTENTS

4


intentions

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.Friedrich Nietzsche

This study will allow us to analyze real-world built forms in terms of concepts discussed in Urban Planning. It will familiarize us with the theory, measurements and implications of walkability.

By comparing three different neighbourhoods, we will be able to obtain quantifiable measurements of the indicators explored in class. This allows us to use extrapolate findings to aid us in future design projects.

What makes a neighbourhood walkable?

A walkable neighbourhood has good proximity to necessities, well connected infrastructure and pedestrian oriented amenities.

- Ronald Kellett

INTRODUCTION

What is walkability?

Walkability is the extent to which the built environment is friendly to the presence of people living, shopping, visiting, enjoying or spending time in an area.

- Stephen Abley, Walkability Scoring

Why is walkability important?

In the last 20 years, child obesity rates have quintupled in Canada.

People who live in spread-out, car-dependent neighborhoods are likely to walk less, weigh more, and suffer from obesity and high blood pressure and consequent diabetes, cardiovascular and other diseases, as compared to people who live in more efficient, higher density communities.

-Report on Public Health and Urban Sprawl in Ontario

5


introduction

1

6


31Oak Street

Oak Street is a major arterial street in Vancouver. From north to south, it runs through a very busy commercial district, then by Vancouver General Hospital, then some very expensive Vancouver neighbourhoods, then to Marpole District, and into Richmond.

One can drive from Mexico to Vancouver and the first traffic lights they hit are at Oak and 70th avenue.

- Erick Villagomez

Fairview

1886 Fairview was named by CPR Land Commissioner L.A. Hamilton. Hamilton’s survey established the numbered system of east-west avenues and named the cross streets after trees.

1920s Fairview Slopes was zoned for 3 storey apartments and throughout the 1950s, the area south of Broadway developed as an apartment district.

1972 Plans initiated for the redevelopment of both Fairview and Granville Island for higher density residential and commercial uses.

Shaughnessy

1885 Shaughnessy developed on 6,000 acres of prime land in the heart of Vancouver to lure the city’s elite from the West End.

1907 CPR spends more than one million dollars developing the site before selling.

1914 Shaughnessy Settlement Act restricts development to single-family houses.

1922 Shaughnessy Heights Building Restriction Act prohibits the subdivision of lots and limits construction to one single-family dwelling per lot.

1930s Depression causes many homes to be repossessed and turned into rooming houses.

Marpole

3500 B.C. Two early village sites discovered along the north shore of the Fraser have been documented by archaeologists.

1929 Marpole is amalgamated into Vancouver. Saw mills along the river make it the industrial centre of the lower mainland.

1957 Oak Street opens and draws business and development away from old district

1960s Area south of 70th Avenue was rezoned and low-rise stucco walk-ups began to replace the original homes.

scope and history

SCOPE AND HISTORY

2

7


First Impressions of the Sites Before starting detailed analysis, we immediately noticed the different densities, building types, traffic flow and vegetation of each site. Qualitative aspects of the neighbourhood contribute greatly to the attractiveness of pedestrian routes.

scope and history

fairview marpole

shaughnessy

8


scope and history

Neighbourhood Demographics play an important role in determining the walkability of a region. Fairview, which has a large portion of young professionals, can better deal with less ideal walking conditions, such as low lighting and steep slopes. Shaughnessy, on the other hand, has a greater portion of people over 65; therefore, the walking requirements are more stringent. Paths with optimal safety and ease are needed.

Fairview Shaughnessy Marpole

19 and under

20-39

40-64

65 and over

9.3 21.6 19.9

42.7 23.1 30.5

34.6 37.1 37.1

13.4 18.1 12.5

0

12.5

25.0

37.5

50.0

0

12.5

25.0

37.5

50.0

9

43

35

13

22 23

37

18

20

31

37

1319 and under

20-39

40-64

65 and over

Age Groups


Single-

detached

house

Semi-

detached

house

Detached

duplex

Row house Apartment,

under 5

storeys

Apartment, 5

or more

storeys

Fairview

Shaughnessy

Marpole

0.3 0.7 0.3 3.8 67.3 27

70.5 0.8 6.1 2.8 17.3 2.5

26.2 5.5 8.7 4 53.4 2.1

0%0%1%0%1%0%1%0%0%1%0%0%1%0%1%0%0%0%1%0%1%0%1%0%0%0%1%0%4%

68%

27%

Fairview

71%

1%1%6%3%

17%3%

Shaughnessy

Single-detached house Semi-detached houseDetached duplex Row houseApartment, under 5 storeys Apartment, 5 or more storeys

26%

6%

9%9%4%

53%

2%

Marpole

Housing Types not only give character to a neighbourhood, they also contribute to the overall walking environment of a region. Fairview, which has predominately low-rise apartments, has many semi-private spaces in front of buildings, adding to the neighbourhood’s social spaces. Shaughnessy, with mostly single-detached houses, has ample gardens and lawns abutting the roads, contributing to the attractiveness of a path.


NEIGHBOURHOOD DEMOGRAPHICS (%)

HOUSING TYPES (%)

9


scope and history

Socioeconomic Factors such as median household income and amount of population in the low-income household bracket affects the tendency to walk. In Shaughnessy, families usually have more than one vehicle and will drive more frequently. However, in Marpole, people own less cars and are more likely to walk and take public transit. As a result, neighbourhoods like Marpole have slowly and physically transformed to be more accommodating to pedestrians.

Work Commute is the single biggest contributor to transportation costs.

The closer one lives to their work, the less demand there is on the environment and the more likely they are to walk.

Marpole has the least people working from home, and the greatest demand on transportation. This can be attributed to the its economic characteristics below.


Median

household

Income

Population in

low income

household

52458 105731 41125

19.2 14.8 32.2

0

27500

55000

82500

110000

0

27500

55000

82500

52458

105731

41125

Median household income


0

10

20

30

40

27500

55000

82500

110000

0

10

20

30

40

19

15

32

Population in low income household



Other

Working at

home

Working in

the City,

outside the

home

Unemployme

nt Rate

28.2 23.2 38.4

10.1 17.2 8.2

57.3 53.6 46.6

4.4 6 6.8

0

25

50

75

100

0

25

50

75

100

28

23

38

1017 8

5754

47

4 6 7

Fairview

Shaughnessy

Marpole

Work place distribution

OtherWorking at homeWorking in the City, outside the homeUnemployment Rate

WORKPLACE DISTRIBUTION (%)

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME ($) POPULATION IN LOW-INCOME HOUSEHOLDS (%)

10


3Modes of Transport

Transportation mode data has been collected for each of the three sites and are the most accurate measures of walkability. Vancouver as a whole, has a greater portion of people walking to work and services compared to areas surrounding it.

This study will look at the three indicator sets below to determine how formal design factors contribute to the different levels of walkability.

Proximity

Proximity measures the relationships between a resident and all their necessities. This will be measured by mapping neighbourhood services, 5 minute walking radii and service coverage.

Connectivity

Connectivity measures the ease at which one can walk to one’s destination. This will be measured through crosswalk availability, path choice, block size, and other formal characteristics displayed in section.

Attractiveness

Attractiveness measures the intangible attributes of a walking route. This will be measured through safety, vegetation, visibility and permeability.

documentation & analysis

DOCUMENTATION & ANALYSIS

3

11




Car, truck van

as driver

Car, truck ,

van as

passenger

Public transit

Walked to

work

Bicycle

Other method

46.5 69.4 59.7

3.5 7 6.4

24 12.1 27.1

20.2 6 4.4

4.4 3.5 1.4

1.5 2 1

0

50

100

150

0

50

100

47

69

60

4

7

6

24

12

27

20

6

4

4

4

41

2

2

1

Fairview

Shaughnessy

Marpole

Mode of travel to work

Car, truck van as driver Car, truck , van as passengerPublic transit Walked to workBicycle Other method

MODES OF TRANSPORT TO WORK (%)

Modes of transport records the actual amount of people walking to work; and is a good indicator of walking in general. Fairview has by far the greatest percentage of people walking. The following analyses will probe into why that is from multiple perspectives.

12



5 minute walking radius}commercial mix}commercial general}public open space}civic general

Land UseA mixture of land uses and dense residential developments provide the ideal conditions for walking.

Fairview’s services are concentrated on two strips on Broadway and 6th.Shaughnessy’s services are concentrated around the node of Oak and King Edward.Marpole is bisected by 70th and has dramatically different zoning on either side.

} residential attached} residential detached} residential mixed} residential stacked}commercial general}commercial mixed}civic general}open space natural}open space park

5 min Walking RadiusA quarter mile radius around a representative housing unit in each neighbourhood measures the availability of services.

Service CoverageA holistic representation of the service coverage in each neighbourhood.

Level of ServiceCombining the previous two diagrams, we see the complete picture of service availability in each region. Fairview is the best served because it has multiple commercial zones spread out through the neighbourhood.

fairview

shaughnessy

marpole

13



residential attached

residential detached

residential mixed

residential stacked

commercial general

commercial mixed

civic general

open space natural

open space park

street alley

street local

street collector

street arterial

level of service}area with 3 or more services}area with 2 or more services

service coverage}commercial mix}commercial general}public open space}civic general

fairview

shaughnessy

marpole

14




Average road

width

Average block

length

Intersections

Intersections per

km2

Distant between

choices

Total road

Total road per km2

Total area

10 m 7.5 m 10 m

133 m 190 m 172 m

16 13 13

80 49 57

133 m 190 m 172 m

3.37 km 4.33 km 3.94 km

16.9 km 16.2 km 17.5 km

0.2 km2 0.267 km2 0.225 km2

CONNECTIVITY STATISTICS

Physical characteristics of the infrastructure determine many factors of walkability, most notably: safety. Narrower roads, more intersections, and smaller cornering radii all reduce vehicle speeds. Fairview has the smallest average block size and also the most intersections per square kilometer. This reveals a denser and more finely connected neighbourhood, which provides pedestrians more path choices and a shorter distance between two points.

Typical Sections reveal much about the spatial relationships of a pedestrian and their surroundings. Fairview and Marpole both have street facing facades. However, Fairview’s buildings are at a more human scale. Shaughnessy has the most distance between the sidewalk and housing, offering the pedestrian more space, but a less involved walk.

fairview building buffer 1m | sidewalk 1.5m | traffic buffer 1m | road 10m | corner radius 5m

shaughnessy building buffer 17m | sidewalk 1.6m | traffic buffer 3m | road 7.5m | corner radius 4m

marpole building buffer 6m | sidewalk 1.6m | traffic buffer 1.8m | road 10m | corner radius 4.5m

15



SCHOOL GREEN

IRONWORK PASSAGE

W 7TH AV

W 6TH AV

OA

K S

T

W BROADWAY

W 8TH AV

LA

UR

EL

ST

LAMEY'S MILL ROAD

FORGE WALK SCANTLINGS

SP

RU

CE

ST

W BROADWAY

W 8TH AV

LA

UR

EL

ST

W 8TH AV

LA

UR

EL

ST

SP

RU

CE

ST

OA

K S

T O

AK

ST

W BROADWAY W BROADWAY

W 6TH AV

W 7TH AVW 7TH AVW 7TH AVW 7TH AV

SP

RU

CE

ST

SCHOOL GREEN

IRONWORK PASSAGE

LAMEY'S MILL ROAD


W 6TH AV W 6TH AV

OA

K S

T

W KING EDWARD

OS

LER

ST

SE

LKIR

K S

T

LAU

RE

L S

T

WIL

LOW

ST

W 23TH AVE

W 26TH AVE

W 27TH AVE

W 24TH AVE

OA

K S

T

W 70TH AVE

W 67TH AVE

W 64TH AVE

W 71TH AVE

W 72TH AVE

OS

LER

ST

SE

LKIR

K S

T

SH

AU

GH

NE

SS

Y S

T

FR

EM

LIN

ST

Public transit is crucial for a walkable neighbourhood. Bus stops must be within 5 minutes of the residence. Larger stops like a SkyTrain station will have a greater service area.

While all neighbourhoods are well served by transit, there are distinct patterns for each.

Fairview’s bus stops are all on two large east-west streets of Broadway and 6th Avenue. Therefore, pedestrians must walk north and south frequently. This could be a problem because of the steep slopes in that direction.

Shaughnessy’s bus stops are all concentrated around the node of Oak and King Edward. While this results in a small area with very high transit coverage, the areas surrounding the node are not well served.

Marpole’s bus stops are arranged in an axial fashion along Oak and along 70th. This method is very efficient as it offers everyone in the neighbourhood medium transit coverage. More people are encouraged to walk to bus stops.

fairview

shaughnessy

marpole

Housing served by:

6 stops 22%5 stops 34%4 stops 11%

3 stops 8%2 stops 25%

7 stops 53%6 stops 17%


2 stops 15%

7 stops 4%6 stops 3% 5 stops 4%


16



Visibility of the surroundings is a key factor in determining the attractiveness of a walking route. People are more likely to walk on paths where they can have views of water, parks, squares and other attractive neighbourhood features. These diagrams map the visibility of every pedestrian accessible point in each neighbourhood.

Due to Fairview’s dense residential developments, the only areas of high visibility exist in the park on the northern side. Many people will take a longer route just to enjoy the scenery along the water.

Shaughnessy has sparse residential developments and this results in large view corridors along roads. Combined with substantial landscaping along the sidewalks, this neighbourhood becomes an area where people from other regions come for leisurely walks.

Marpole, similar to Fairview, has dense residential developments. This results in areas of high visibility only at intersections. The exception is Eburne park to the south. However, permeability becomes a problem, as shown in the next section.

fairview

shaughnessy

marpolelow visibility

high visibility

17



Moderate

None

Heavy

Residential Mixed

Commercial General

Residential Detached

Civic General

Open Space Park

LAU

REL

ST

WIL

LOW

ST

W 26TH AVE

W 27TH AVE

OA

K ST

W 71TH AVE

OA

K ST

SW MARINE DR W 72TH AVE

SCHOOL GREEN

W 6TH AV

LAMEY'S MILL ROAD

Moderate

None

Heavy

Residential Mixed

Commercial General


Civic General

Open Space Park

LAU

REL

ST

WIL

LOW

ST

W 26TH AVE

W 27TH AVE

OA

K ST

W 71TH AVE

OA

K ST


SCHOOL GREEN

W 6TH AV

LAMEY'S MILL ROAD

Moderate

None

Heavy

Residential Mixed

Commercial General


Civic General

Open Space Park

LAU

REL

ST

WIL

LOW

ST

W 26TH AVE

W 27TH AVE

OA

K ST

W 71TH AVE

OA

K ST


SCHOOL GREEN

W 6TH AV

LAMEY'S MILL ROAD

Permeability measures the accessibility of a site to pedestrians. All of the three respective parks are highly visible. However, they must also have enough entrances and exits for them to truly add to the attractiveness of a route.

}high accessibility}medium accessibility} low accessibility

The large open space of False Creek has edge conditions that are pedestrian friendly. Limited vehicle access, density, wide pathways and the water as an edge to the north allows for safe and attractive walking conditions.

Braemar Park is surrounded by single-detached houses and the G.F. Strong Rehabilitation Centre on the west side. There is relatively low traffic flow which is a result of traffic circles. In addition, the 30 km/hr speed limit for parks reduces the speed of vehicles. Large trees are planted along the edge of the park to give it some sense of separation.

Eburne Park is located next to the off ramp of the Oak Street Bridge. There are no trees on the edge of the park. Because of its location, the average vehicle speed is significantly higher than the other sites. There are also no crosswalks.

fairview park

braemar park

eburne park

18



SCHOOL GREEN

IRONWORK PASSAGE

W 7TH AV

W 6TH AV

OA

K ST

W BROADWAY

W 8TH AV

LA

UREL

ST

LAMEY'S MILL ROAD


SPR

UCE

ST

6

6

6

12

12

88

8

8

6

6

4 4

6

6

4

4

2

8

812

12

8

8

6

66

6

6

48

44

46

38

42

34

36

32

24

26

28

22

18

16

14

12

4

6

8

2

residential attached

residential detached

residential mixed

residential stacked

commercial general

commercial mixed

civic general

open space natural

open space park

street alley

street local

street collector

street arterial

18

14

48

44

46

3842

34

36

32

28

24

26

22

1416

18

12

4

6

8

OA

K ST

W 70TH AVE

W 67TH AVE

W 64TH AVE

W 71TH AVE

W 72TH AVE

OSL

ER S

T

SEL

KIRK

ST

SH

AU

GH

NES

SY S

T

FRE

MLI

N S

T

OA

K ST

W KING EDWARD

OSL

ER S

T

SEL

KIRK

ST

LAU

REL

ST

WIL

LOW

ST

W 23TH AVE

W 26TH AVE

W 27TH AVE

W 24TH AVE

74

74

74

74

72 72

68

68

68

6868

68

68

68

6666

68

68

72

72

84

82

78

72

74

76

68

64

66

58

62

56

Combining contours and the grey network shows the relationship of the built environment and the natural landscape. In all cases, a geometric grid has been imposed on the land, with Fairview suffering the biggest consequence. Its north south streets have slopes of 43%, which are well over the comfortable walking threshold of 8%.

}street alley}street local}street collector}street arterial

19



-4% -3% -2% -1% 0% 1% 2% 3% 4% 5% 6% 7% 8% 9%

]]

]]

]

]

64th Ave 150m 72nd Ave 50m

False Creek Fraser River

Slope Diagram Legend

Selkirk St. 68m Willow St. 72m

22nd Ave 74m 27th Ave 70m

Spruce St. 36m Laurel St. 26m

Broadway 40m 6th Ave 10m

Path Sections display the overall slope of the land. Fairview is extremely steep north-south, with a maximum slope of 43%. Shaughnessy is the most walkable in terms of terrain, with no path above 4%. Marpole has a maximum slope of 6% by the Fraser river. However the rest of the neighbourhood is fairly level. The section of Oak Street from False Creek to the Fraser River shows all three neighbourhoods in a greater context and is vertically exaggerated 50 times.

20


3

conclusion

CONCLUSION

4Fairview Shaughnessy Marpole

Path directness

Total road/km2

Intersection/km2

Road width

Average block

length

Visibility

Permeability

Average slope

Service access

Transit coverage

1.17 1.44 1.27

16.9 km 16.2 km 17.5 km

80 49 67

10 m 7.5 m 10 m

133 m 190 m 172 m

Medium Medium Low

Medium High Low

15% 2% 3%

High Medium Medium

High Low Medium

FINDINGS

After analyzing Fairview, Shaughnessy and Marpole based on proximity to necessities, connectivity and route attractiveness, we found that there are many contributing factors to walkability. While each neighbourhood has its strengths, Fairview is more walkable in most categories.

What is also important is how a neighbourhood deals with major arterial streets. In Fairview, Oak street ends, but its density and services diffuse deep into the region.

In Shaughnessy, Oak street operates more as a node with King Edward. This concentrates the services and density to a fairly small area, relative to the rest of the neighbourhood.

In Marpole, both Oak street and 70th act as corridors, with businesses and civic areas along its length. This is a very efficient way of maximizing service area in a gird system.

CLOSING COMMENTS

It is evident that the lifestyles we live today are unsustainable and we are finally starting to take actions in different areas. Although one may think that walking on a regular basis may not contribute to protecting our environment; as a community, it makes a big difference. Increased walking will reduce GHG emissions, ecological footprint, increase social capital, and health benefits. It will be the responsibilities of designers and planners to create built environments that prioritize pedestrians.

3TOOLS

Depth Map http://www.vr.ucl.ac.uk/depthmap/

Google Earth http://earth.google.com/

Google Map http://maps.google.com/

Map My Walk http://www.mapmywalk.com

Microsoft Live Search Maps http://maps.live.com/

VanMap http://vancouver.ca/VanMap/

Walk Score http://www.walkscore.com

REFERENCES

City of Vancouver. 2001 - 2002 Pedestrian Study http://vancouver.ca/engsvcs/transport/pedstudy/index.htm

Community Services: Insights into Transportation http://vancouver.ca/commsvcs/cityplans/transportation/insightintotransportation.htm

Fairview Community Web Pages http://vancouver.ca/community_profiles/fairview/

Marpole Community Web Pages http://vancouver.ca/community_profiles/marpole/

Shaughnessy Community Web Pages http://vancouver.ca/community_profiles/shaughnessy/

Ewing, Reid H. Beyond Speed: The Next Generation of Transportation Performance Measure

Kansas City Walkability Plan. Measuring Walkability: Tools and Assessment

Krambeck, Holly. The Global walkability Index: Talk the Walk and Walk the Talk http://www.cleanairnet.org/caiasia/1412/articles-60499_paper.pdf

Metro Vancouver Sustainability Community Breakfast http://www.metrovancouver.org/region/breakfasts/Presentations/CreatingWalkableCommunities-CheeyingHo.pdf

Southworth, Michael. Designing the Walkable City


21tools & reference

TOOLS & REFERENCES

5

The sum of the whole is this: walk and be happy; walk and be healthy. The best way to lengthen out

our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose.

Charles Dickens

Documents

walkability_report_kjzhang