Rainwater Harvesting and Stormwater Management

ArchPlan has completed construction documents for two larger projects that include rainwater harvesting combined with stormwater management using a hybrid cistern solution.

The basic concept in both cases is to collect rainwater not only for flushing toilets and plant irrigation but to let the cistern also act as a tool in the stormwater management toolbox, both for quantity and quality requirements. In this function the cistern pretty much acts like an underground storage tank, a solution often chosen in projects where there isn't enough open space to install sufficient pervious areas, bioretention  or raingardens. The new Maryland stormwater management regulations encourage a mix of smaller solutions which can work in tandem. Maryland Stormwater Design Manual. In the case of our Sphinx Club Museum and Restaurant project we are using all these stormwater management tools:

• Green roof
• Bio-retention area with raingarden
• hybrid cisterne.

We specified initially a 10,000 gallon fiberglass tank but in the final version it was chnaged to a 8000 gallon concrete tank.

In the case of our Tacoma Langley Transit Center with its about 18,000 squarefeet of glass roof we combine bioretention and the hybrid cistern on a very tight site which is mostly paved for the buses. Here a steel tank is specified with a 20,000 gallon capacity.

Civil engineers and mechanical engineers need to closely cooperate regarding these systems, because they fall in the grey area (think grey-water!) between the two disciplines. The tank might be considered part of the stormwater management typically part of the civil scope while the pumps, filters and pipes are part of the water system typically under the mechnaical engineer.
Although a filtered rainwater harvesting system will not accept the very first minute of rain to avoid the high concentration of pollutants in the tank that come with the first wainitial flush after a longer dry period, it will contain the bulk of the critical initial rainfall that is so crucial to be kept out of our rivers and the bay. The filter will also keep leaves and objects out of tank while sediment settles in the tank itself. During very large storms the tank might fill up and excess water will flow out through overflow pipes. In that situation water quality is not so much an issue any more (later in a large storm most pollutant have already washed away) even if quantity would still be an issue. However, the delay in releasing water into the pubic sewer system that comes from filling the cistern first still helps to lower the peak loads in the municipal stormwater system.

The water in the cistern will be clear and plenty good enough for plant irrigation and flushing toilets. To achieve this a pump needs to be installed in the tank that pumps the water out of the cistern and into especially installed greywater pipes which are placed parallel to the freshwater system which is still required by law. This is for the case that the cistern should empty in a long draught or that the pump which is needed to pressurize the greywater would fail for example in a power outage.

The use of rainwater harvesting systems provides the following possible LEED credits:
From RMS website (Link)
 

·         Storm Water Design: Quality Control

Sustainable Sites Credit 6.1: 1 pt:

Limit disruption and pollution of natural water flows by managing stormwater runoff.
Sustainable Sites Credit 6.2: 1 pt: Limit disruption of natural water flows by eliminating stormwater runoff, increasing on-site infiltration, and eliminating contaminant.

Water Efficient Landscaping: Reduce by 50%

Water Efficiency Credit 1.1: 2 pts:

Use captured rain or recycled site water to reduce potable water consumption for irrigation by 50% over conventional means.

Water Efficient Landscaping: No Potable Use or No Irrigation

Water Efficiency Credit 1.2: 2 pts:

Use only captured rain or recycled site water to eliminate all potable water use for site irrigation.

Innovative Wastewater Technologies

Water Efficiency Credit 2: 2 pts:

Reduce the generation of wastewater and potable water demand, while increasing the local aquifer recharge.

Water Use Reduction: 20% Reduction

Water Efficiency Credit 3.1: Required:

Maximize water efficiency within buildings to reduce the burden on municipal water supply and wastewater systems. Use 20% less water than the water use baseline calculated for the building (not including irrigation).

Water Use Reduction: 30% Reduction

Water Efficiency Credit 3.2: 2-4 pts:

Maximize water efficiency within buildings to reduce the burden on municipal water supply and wastewater systems. Use 30% less water than the water use baseline calculated for the building (not including irrigation).

30% reduction: 2 pts
35% reduction: 3 pts
40% reduction: 4 pts

• Reduce energy demands

Rainwater harvesting water used for nonpotable needs consumes less energy than municipally supplied water, which undergoes high energy requiring water treatment and distribution processes.

• Promote green technologies and water conservation
• Reduce stormwater runoff and non-point source pollution

Reduce stormwater fees
Reduce detention pond areas
Increase usable green space
Utilize land more efficiently for buildings
Protect sensitive waterways

• Reuse water on site for nonpotable demands like:
• landscape irrigation
• green roof irrigation
• pool or pond filling
• vehicle washing
• cars
• fleet vehicles
• emergency vehicles: fire trucks, police cars, ambulances
• lawnmowers
• tractors
• toilet flushing
• clothes washing
• fire suppression
• cooling towers
• cleaning

• Provide a water supply in areas where groundwater is diminished and/or municipal water supply is not available.
• Provide an onsite safe water supply during natural disasters and terrorist attacks.
• Allow for irrigation during times of drought, which promotes plant health, thus reducing the heat island effect and subsequent energy demands around buildings.
• Collect water during heavy rains, which can not be absorbed into ground, and reapply at the appropriate infiltration rate, thus encouraging plant growth and reducing stormwater runoff.
• Recharge groundwater aquifers with collected rainwater.

It is not easy to eat local

From A report by the 1000 Friends of Maryland
For the complete report: Link

1000 Friends of Maryland Report compiled with support from the Abell Foundation, the Bancroft Foundation, the Clayton Baker Trust, the Keith Campbell Foundation for the Environment, the Roswell Foundation, and the Town Creek Foundation for their generous support of our work.

The report is part of an continuing campaign called "Keep Farmers Farming". I am a member of the Board of Directors of 1000 Friends of Maryland.

Thanksgiving graphic design: Jane Polanka.
Photos: Kelly Carneal
Research: Justin Haas, Jennifer Bevan-Dangel
Review of statistical data: Agriculture Statistics Office at Maryland Department of Agriculture

CivicLAB, a new Program at Baltimore AIA

CivicLAB

Program Abstract

Message from Session Leader Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

Session Descriptions

Program Details

Apply Online: CivicLAB Application (PDF Form)

Download complete informational PDF

CivicLAB
to advance leadership development

AIABaltimore introduces CivicLAB (Leadership. Architecture. Baltimore), a series of participatory educational sessions that will help to mobilize members interested in taking on or expanding leadership roles in their communities, their professional lives, and in academia in order to help guide and implement public policies that ensue healthy, livable, sustainable, and high quality built environments for future generations. These sessions will introduce participating architects to opportunities for civic engagement across the full spectrum of their careers. We invite the chapter's emerging leaders to expand their role in learning how to respond to critical issues facing our communities and the profession.

The goals of CivicLAB are to promote opportunities and skills for civic engagement by architects and to build a network of leaders. The program will explore core topics that affect our profession and the region within which we practice. During monthly sessions, participants will learn about approaches to advocacy from proven leaders who have impacted communities at local and national scales. Participants will learn tools of engagement and the impact of architects in multiple areas of advocacy. Group activities and assignments will illustrate how we can make a positive change within our community. AIABaltimore’s membership includes leaders who have been successful at leading initiatives through the AIA and other institutions, and who are valuable assets to CivicLAB.

The Importance of Training New Architect Leaders

Thanks to the increasing awareness of environmental and social justice concerns, as well as a general realization that the built environment, indeed, plays a huge role in the well-being of both the planet and its people, architects are presented with a huge opportunity and responsibility. As professionals who are trained to coordinate many disciplines and solve problems holistically through the integrated approach of design, we are uniquely positioned to address these concerns. But even for us generalists, truly integrated design requires that we move out of our comfort zone and into areas which are adjacent and outside our fields of training. Learning to engage community and achieve acceptance; to influence legislators and the regulatory framework; how our designs fit into the bigger picture; how to reform established methods and procedures for better outcomes -- these skills are not only essential for progress in our society, but are increasingly necessary for personal advancement in our industry.

AIABaltimore has stepped up to this challenge and offers a program that teaches these very skills to our young, promising emerging professionals. This new and unique program, which is partly funded by a grant from The American Institute of Architects, relies upon local business leaders to nominate and sponsor promising young architects. AIABaltimore is one of the leaders in the nation in its level of committee activism and involvement in a wide range of topics relevant to the profession. We can only remain successful if we foster and support new talent. Please think of the talent you have discovered and nominate one or several people. Please support them with your encouragement and tuition. All sessions involve several architect leaders and are interactive.

- Klaus Philipsen, FAIA, CivicLAB Session Leader

CivicLAB Session Descriptions

1. CITIZEN LOBBYING
Tuesday, January 24: Chris Parts, AIA, LEED AP

We will build on the many avenues for citizen lobbying and ways to navigate the regulatory process. Whether your goal is to create focus on a specific local issue, or to pursue a greater cause, your voice can have a powerful impact. Like architects, legislators need to be generalists, so your assistance with specific, well-founded information will enable them to make informed decisions and policy. We will provide an understanding of the legislative process and share strategies that have been effective in creating policy and affecting regulations. We will discuss opportunities to advocate, make connections, build support, create an effective message, and stay engaged. These opportunities enable us to lead by example and be proactive in our aim to create better buildings and communities.


2. ECONOMIC BENEFIT
Thursday, February 16: Jim Determan, AIA

We will identify the realms of economic benefit for which architects have been and continue to be called upon to advocate. These include benefit to the profession, community, nation and planet. Economic benefit is the wheelhouse of legislators. If they understand that good design is good business, elected officials, media and corporate leaders become allies. This session will present successful strategies and practices that have resulted in positive economic impact. We will discuss how to identify opportunities to engage, organize, and enlist change agents, as well as the many avenues of effective advocacy.


3. THE ART AND PRACTICE OF URBAN DESIGN:
THE MESSY PATH TOWARDS DESIGN EXCELLENCE
Tuesday, March 27: Gordon Ingerson, AIA, LEED AP

We will discuss the methods used to generate, and then realize, urban design concepts in the real world quest to achieve a sense of place. We will cover the general principles and goals of good urban design at all scales, from the private to the public realm, and from the point of view of different participants in the process -- developers, politicians, public officials, and community representatives -- as well as designers. Case studies will illustrate positive and negative outcomes in the real world. Participants will create their own urban design process which will then be compared with both a theoretical idealized process and the real world methods as they were actually applied – in response to the needs of constituents, funders, and authorities. Participants and panelists will discuss how their proposals might be improved, and how their suggestions might have improved the real world process. Emphasis will be on discovering how the designer can accept and use an untidy formula to achieve superior results for the entire community while elevating the profession.


4. SUSTAINABILITY, SMART GROWTH AND PRESERVATION
Tuesday, April 24: Klaus Philipsen, FAIA

We will learn through best practice examples why sustainability needs to be achieved, both on the building level as well as the community and regional level. We will discuss how the skills of urban design and place-making can be employed to achieve sustainability, and how smart growth and historic preservation are elements in this quest. We will not focus on the extremely broad field of green design tools, but rather on how new “design thinking” can help us reach a full integration of the many fragments. We will discuss the various arenas in which sustainability, preservation and smart growth are significant, and how to become an active player instead of an observer. We will learn how sustainability and preservation actually result in smart growth, and how these requirements are not added nuisances for architects but the very gateways to Design Excellence.

Civic Lab Program Details

Application and Selection Process

Participation in CivicLAB will be limited to a maximum of 20 participants: AIABaltimore members recruited from the emerging professional demographic within the chapter (Associate AIA or AIA members within their first 10 years of licensure). Participants will be selected on the basis of a nomination and statement of interest. Criteria for acceptance to the program will include prior involvement in community organizations or expressed interest in increasing one’s involvement. Each participant should be sponsored by a member firm, as evidenced by a signature below from a representative of the firm; however, scholarships will be available for members who are unemployed or employed by non-member firms. Architects may self-nominate.

Time Commitment
The monthly sessions will be held from 5pm – 7:30pm January -- April 2012 in the AIABaltimore Gallery. Applicants are expected to attend all four meetings:

Tuesday, January 24; Thursday, February 16; Tuesday, March 27; and Tuesday, April 24.

Light supper will be provided.

Additional meetings and opportunities may be suggested after the program begins.

Tuition and Funding

Tuition is $100 per participant and covers food, administrative fees, and other miscellaneous meeting expenses. Scholarships are available to participants for whom funding is a challenge. Tuition is due after applicants are selected for the program and prior to the first session in January.

Further Information

If you have questions, please contact executive director Karen Lewand, Hon. AIA, at 410.625.2585 or klewand@aiabalt.com.

Deadline

Completed applications and nominations are due by 3 p.m., Monday, December 12 to:

AIABaltimore
11 1/2 W. Chase St.
Baltimore, MD 21201

Fax to 410.727.4620
Email: klewand@aiabalt.com

Each applicant will be notified of selection results in early January 2012 or before.



Download the CivicLab Application here, and submit a paperless application.

Open Space Protection Through an Urban Land Trust

This week's Tuesday morning bright and early, tucked away from the main arteries in the Towson University Field House, Baltimore County Executive Kevin Kamenetz was honored by NeighborSpace for his support and bills as a councilman which created NeighborSpace.

What is NeighborSapce?

NeighborSpace (NS) is named and modelled after a Chicago land trust which seeks to preserve open spaces in developed areas (urban land trust). In the case of Baltimore County, where 77% of the population live on about 30% of the County land area, NS tries to protect open spaces inside the URDL, the urban rural demarcation line which Baltimore County adopted in 1967 (!). Back then, in the middle of a period when new-towns, urban renewal and urban expressways were all the rage, concerns about the environment and the protection of rural areas were already flaring up. Concerned citizens in the green valleys of northwest Baltimore County formed already 1962 the Valleys Planning Council and found out through studies of the development patterns how threatened these beautiful landscapes were.

Baltimore County government listened and created the line which became famous as the URDL. The 1967 growth boundary puts Baltimore County 13 years ahead of Oregon and its famous Metro boundary around Portland.

Land outside the URDL was protected through revolutionary zoning of 1 unit per 50 acres. Back then this was considered to be almost undevelopable (the era of McMansions on huge lots had not yet begun). And it worked. The County, compensating for the fact that it had taken so much land away from developers, created three towncenters in which new development was encouraged to happen: Owings Mills, White Marsh and Security Square. The latter was later decommissioned as a designated center  (although some signs that call the Security Square Mall area a towncenter still remain). At the same time similar towncenter concepts took root in Howard County (Columbia) and in Fairfax County (Reston).

The focus back then was clearly on protecting the rural valleys and just like in Oregon, there was less consideration for what should happen inside the development boundary. As it turned out, there was still plenty of space inside the URDL allowing sprawl, large lot development on well and septic and many less than well designed subdivisions. The town centers of White Marsh and Owings Mills were nothing but huge malls in a sea of asphalt (in the case of Owings Mills eventually even with a subway connection which was kept in a safe distance from the mall) surrounded by standard vinyl suburbia, so drastically disconnected from the malls that the whole notion of town seemed outright frivolous. While all this went on, the older established historic communities of the County aged without much investment. It took a good while (around 1994) until under Executive Dutch Ruppersberger (now Congressman Ruppersberger) an understanding set in that the "inner ring suburbs" would follow the fate of "inner city neighborhoods" if there wouldn't be a push for "renaissance", investment and increased quality of life. It was in this period that the idea for NeighborSpace was first bounced around, then became part of the County Comprehensive Plan and was eventually implemented as a resolution-bill (sponsored by County Councilman Kamenetz) which established a County funding mechanism to allow a non-profit land trust to buy easements or land inside the URDL. The correct thought here is that the concept of concentrating development in already established communities needs to be complemented with measures that increase the quality of life. Good accessible open space for playgrounds, active or passive recreation or just as an environmental restoration area is a key component of this quality of life strategy.

Today NS is nearing its 10th year of existence and has protected nine green spaces with a total of 26 acres for about $625000. Some sites are less than a 1/3 of an acre small, some are up to 7 acres large. At least two more sites are in the immediate future. All sites are cared for by local "stewarts". Efforts are underway to create criteria for evaluating sites regarding the value they offer from environmental to recreational with special emphasis on networking and creating a system of spaces. With the new stormwater regulations in effect that put stringent nutrient reduction protocols in place to protect the Chesapeake Bay, small open spaces in built up environments have value from yet another perspective.

Thus urban green space protection and smart growth can not only co-exist but are actually conplementary to each other.

Gwynn Oaks green space dedication

I am Vice President of NeighborSpace, a 501c3 non-profit organization.
Links:
NeighborSpace
Slide Presentation at the Honor's Breakfast
History of Baltimore County land protection
Rural Land Preservation facts, Baltimore County
National Statistics on Land Trusts

Bicycling in the City

This year I bicycled in Denver, San Diego, Toronto, New York City, Richmond and Baltimore. In Baltimore I use my old sixties Euro bike with fenders, hub shifter and coaster brake which works well in bad weather and is really good for riding in traffic. In the other places I used a variety of bikes, mostly hybrids with 18 gears or more, no coaster brakes. The fixed gear direct drive fad is still a puzzle to me. I tried that once but didn't see the charm.

Bike accommodation in NYC, Broadway near Times Square

I have biked also in Muenster, Germany, which is sort of a bike capital there. I watched bikes in Copenhagen (link), the Danish bicycle Mecca and I admired complicated bike lane arrangements in DC. So how does it all compare?

First, across the US there is really a trend towards bicycling. No longer is one the lone rider among all the cars. In New York you find yourself among bikers of all descriptions, although Latino delivery guys with front baskets seem to dominate. In Denver I saw mostly office workers and what could have been students. In Toronto tons of people ride to work. In San Diego it was weekend and I saw mostly recreational riders. In Baltimore we seem to have a really diverse mix. So the good news is, nowhere are you alone and the car and bus drivers are more used to seeing somebody on a bike.

How about the accommodations? As a member of the Mayor's Bicycle Advisory Committee in Baltimore I am used to long debates about laws that protect bicyclists and the many variations of accommodations from marked lanes to sharrows and bike boxes at intersections to the full blown bike boulevards. Near Takoma Park ArchPlan designed bike solutions on Carrol Avenue for the Maryland State Highway Administration. Baltimore, like many other cities, has added hundreds of miles of bike lanes and installed dozens of racks to show businesses how to do it. (Bike Master Plan) New York as revamped entire streets to let the bike have some designated space. (New York Bike Plan).

Somehow expecting that the Canadians would be right up there with the Danes when it comes to providing space for bikes, I was a bit disappointed about Toronto's lack of lanes. (Toronto bike plan)Yes, there are some, but the new mayor, an arch conservative, has started to take some out again.  (Jarvies Steet bike lanes). The downtown area is incredibly crowded, pedestrians are so numerous that they block at most intersections anyone who wants to turn right for the entire green phase. The effect is that cars are queuing endlessly on the curb lanes forcing the bicyclists to weave in between the stopped cars and the moving ones one lane out. Nevertheless, I found car drivers accommodating and courteous. I had a blast riding around until a hotel lift boy stepped into my path to flag down a taxi and I found myself flying over the handlebar breaking a toe in the process due to one handed (front only) reflex breaking since I had just removed my right hand from the handlebar to adjust a shoulder bag.

In New York and in Toronto the Taxis are the biggest problem. Even without lift boys they dart in and out of lanes at all times, always their eyes on the potential fare and never on the bicyclist. In Baltimore the biggest problem is the horrible pavement with all its potholes and buckled asphalt. Plus bus drivers like to sneak up from behind in their new rather quiet hybrids and then honk at you just for good measure. The three foot rule now in place in Maryland is probably unknown to most, certainly it is consistently ignored.

Bike racks are common in Toronto along most sidewalks

Even with the trend towards using the bicycle in everyday settings, the infrastructure is only skin deep. In Toronto even the GreenBuild conference didn't set up any secure bike parking inside the convention center. In DC the RailVolution conference, taking place in a hotel didn't even have bike racks in front of the hotel. The funniest thing happened in the Marriott Courtyard in Toronto where I stayed when I asked about bike parking. Since I had the bike initially in the trunk of my car they suggested to keep it there and everytime I would need it they would drive the car up with a valet. Only after some protest did they find a spot on an emergency stairway landing. Even for this, I needed the valet each time for access. The MTA office building downtown Baltimore doesn't allow bike parking in their underground garage (the rack was removed for whatever reason) but the AECOM office tower across the street has a nice rack in their parking garage securely in view of the attendant.

There is also a backlash to bike accommodation. Transportation planners have avoided bike lanes in many poorer DC neighborhoods because of a persistent perception by neighborhood leaders that those bike facilities are just for white yuppies and don't serve their community. A similar sentiment brought down the recently striped bicycle lanes on Monroe Street in Baltimore. (Link). "Nobody asked us" was the response of community leaders and removal appeared to be the only option. In Brooklyn affluent folks along Prospect Park took up a fight to request removal of a bike lane that had killed a car lane but lost. (More). It sure remains to be seen if the bicycle really remains an accepted mode of transportation in US cities.

Aside from the griping and the definite dangers (ironically, the broken toe forced me to abandon walking in favor of biking), I find the bicycle by far the most convenient and enjoyable way of exploring a city or getting around for destination in the 1-3 mile range. Not as exhausting and slow as walking, yet you can see everything, stop anytime and ultimately don't have to worry much about parking. Beats being trapped in a box any day except for pouring rain.

Bike parking in Denmark (Copenhagen)

The Stuttgart (Germany) cog rail with a bike trailer in front
Stuttgart's Mobility Plan

AIA Convention 2012, architects from six US cities will present how they help to shape the city of tomorrow

Thanks to increasing awareness of environmental and environmental justice concerns and a general realization that the built environment plays a huge role in the well being of both, the planet and its people, architects are presented with a huge opportunity.  As professionals who are trained to coordinate many disciplines and solve problems  holistically through the integrated approach of design we are uniquely positioned to address these concerns. But even for generalists, truly integrated design requires to move out of the comfort zone and into areas which are adjacent and outside the fields of training. Learning to engage community and achieve acceptance, learning to influence legislators or the regulatory framework, learning how designs fit into the bigger picture, learning how to reform established methods and procedures for better outcomes, these skills are not only essential for progress in our society but increasingly are a must-have to advance in our industry. This is the idea of the"Community Architect" as a change agent in the rebuilding of our cities towards a healthy and sustainable future.

To this end the Baltimore Urban Design Committee proposed a two track presentation for the National AIA Convention in 2012 in Washington DC. Those presentations were accepted. They

will showcase initiatives of community leader architects in Boston, New York, Baltimore, Detroit, Seattle and Los Angeles.

Stock Photo

The National Convention will be running under the slogan "Design Connects". AIA explains the motto in this lofty manner:

Design Connects implies that in a world of individuals we are stronger as a collective and design holds the power to make these connections. The architect works at the intersection of art and science and sees these not as antagonists, but each components of the solution. They are connected. They are the same. It is in this connection that the power of design is revealed. Design Connects celebrates the uniqueness of design as the synthesis of theory and practice, the relationship of the built and natural environments and the aspiration of architecture to serve the broader goals of humanity. See this somewhat annoying Convention Link YouTube clip.

Below the description of the accepted presentations:

How can the interdisciplinary and holistic knowledge of the architect be leveraged to solve urban problems? What do local AIA chapters contribute? Learn how architects and AIA components have been effective in their community in three cities across the nation as:

· activists for the community,

· advocates for good design and

· ambassadors for their profession.

In this session learn how architects in Baltimore, Detroit and Los Angeles tackled huge urban problems such as shrinkage, disinvestment, post industrial restructuring (Baltimore, Detroit) or the lack of an urban planning culture in a sprawling metropolis (Los Angeles). See how issues of health, sustainability, place making and the value of good design are common issues from east to west. See how local chapters through volunteer activities have shaped their cities and regions in the process and built credibility for the profession with government agencies and the public alike.

The presentations will stress the importance of the profession's collective efforts in supporting the ongoing renewal of communities, the advancement of good design, and the value of the design profession. The presenters will  demonstrate mechanisms to build social capital for the community as well as the profession.  They will show the importance of public policy and the value of long range planning which is based on professional principles.

The presenters will show how all these things can be done and what successful tools they have used in their communities such as research, best practice analysis, white papers, concept plans, editorials, podcasts and public forums to name a few techniques. 

Baltimore architects in their Urban Design Committee have created plan concepts, conducted public workshops and organized best practice conferences to push new concepts and ideas for over 20 years. Their scope ranges from a second Baltimore waterfront plan to complement the legendary Inner Harbor, to the opportunities of leveled urban expressways to sound urban policies in zoning, transit oriented development, inclusionary housing and sustainability.

Detroit architects formed an Urban Priorities Committee to “right-size” their drastically shrinking city and capture opportunity from the loss of population and industry. The committee organized “Detroit: By Design”, a series of exhibits and symposia to deal with shrinkage head on through public engagement, dialogue and creative, sustainable design.

In Los Angeles, William Roschen, FAIA,  the first architect in 90 years to head the Planning Commisson, assists Mayor Villeraigosa in making LA  green and healthy with transit, bike plans and a lively civic discourse about the value planning and helps other architects to become part of the process.

Boston architects in their urban design and other committees have helped to shape the dialogue around the development of the South Boston Seaport/Innovation District, Rose Kennedy Greenway (Big Dig), and future of Government Center/City Hall Plaza.

The local chapter  has cultivated a culture of civic engagement through interplay with organizations such as Common Boston and programs geared to engage the many academic institutions that infuse our region with fresh ideas (Harvard, MIT, Northeastern, Wentworth, Boston Architectural College, MassArt, etc.).

In New York the AIA Metro Chapter Planning and Urban Design Committee took an active role in PlaNYC, an unprecedented effort to prepare the city for one million more residents by 2030, strengthen the municipal economy, combat climate change, and enhance the quality of life for all New Yorkers. The Plan brought together over 25 City agencies to work toward the vision of a greener, greater New York.  The Chapter's supporting role in NYC's transportation renaissance will also be examined, from major projects like the long-delayed 2nd Avenue Subway to smaller initiatives such as the establishment of bicycle lanes throughout the City.

The Seattle chapter's Urban Design Committee and other ad hoc AIA member committees such as the Central Waterfront Task Force have been playing the role of community urban design conscience to the city for many years.  The UDC is currently working with the City's planning department on a multi-year initiative to add an urban design element to the municipal Comprehensive Plan, Seattle's top tier planning and policy document.  The Central Waterfront Task Force has been extremely active in advocating for the removal of earthquake damaged elevated freeway that cuts downtown Seattle off from the shoreline. 

The presentations will address typical issues of the contemporary American City and will show how intervention can be organized thorough local chapters, committee work or participation in government commissions, task forces and advisory panels. The presenters are seasoned professionals who as “citizen architects” apply the skills they have acquired in their practices, as teachers and as lecturers to their cities either as committee chairs (Baltimore, Detroit) or as head of a Planning Commission (Los Angeles). 

 

Collaboration with the community, with developers, politicians and public agencies is essential in fulfilling the civic mission of design professionals. Urban design committees and participation of architects on commissions and bodies of governance  play a vital role in providing professional know how to the community and city government and in getting architects out of their professional “silos”. See how such involvement positively feeds back into the professional practice or the university design studio.

Topics addressed will include sustainable design, smart growth, economic development, adaptive reuse, transit oriented development, value capture, economic development, community development, capacity building, social capital, form based zoning, rehabilitation codes and how the built environment influences health and welfare.  

The presentation will show the importance of connection among architects, the connection between architects and their community, the connection with local officials and government and will show the importance of holistic thinking that manifests itself in connecting across various disciplines to link architecture, urban design, zoning, transportation and land use with preservation with communication and visualization.

Integrated Transit Design

Building acceptance through an integrated design approach and making a difference in the community.

 What creates community support?

Flawless operations, good engineering and cost efficiency are must-have ingredients of any transit project. However, public perception, support and ultimately use and relationship to a transit project is rarely measured by those core criteria. Rather what matters for community acceptance is how riders and non riders experience the system. How attractive and convenient the system is, how transit “behaves in the community”, how it fits into the community day in and day out with all its hard (trains, guideways, stations etc.)and soft elements (operations, mobility and equity enhancements, community improvements, place making) and how it has leveraged positive change. Many of these aspects which were once considered tangential are now central in the evaluations of the federal government for funding. (Livable Communities Initiatives).

Modern light rail lines have a lot in common and are also different in many ways. They share that, they run for large parts on the surface and often in existing communities and public right of ways. Once in place, they will become part of the public realm. This makes them not only highly visibility but also requires mitigation of potential conflicts with existing circulation and existing use of the area and a grasp of what areas might look like many years from now. Systems that will mostly be placed into an existing built environment need to not only “fit in” but also contribute to positive change where the existing settings are disinvested, characterized by underutilized land or visually less than desirable.

To achieve this, the process of designing and engineering the preferred alignments  must be organized around the principles of Integrated Design (ID).

"Place Making" could be a component of Integrated Design such as an intermodal transit plaza
which also acts as a community center and catalyst for new development

 What does Integrated Design (ID) mean?

Generally, ID can be applied to design in many cases (buildings, cars, transit etc). The constituting element is interdisciplinary collaboration and inclusion of a multitude of consideration and goals early in the project. Integrated design is not a cumulative linear process in which layer is placed over layer. Instead it is an interdisciplinary approach where many performance and outcome objectives are considered concurrently and early. Thus, a project evolves in optimization loops rather than in a linear way. In the case of light rail transit integrated design means that the core engineering aspects and the soft community concerns need to be comprehensively evaluated at every step of the design process and across all specialties.  Fully integrated design also means that design and engineering do not stop at the limits of transit construction or at property lines but go seamlessly deep into the communities along the corridor. Integrated design means full and consistent collaboration between the community, property owners, stakeholders, jurisdictional agencies, all transit providers and the MTA with the goal to transform communities so that they become better through the proposed transit.

 Truly integrated design is more complicated initially but saves money in the design process itself, possibly also in the construction and certainly for operation and maintenance. Fruitless battles and conflicts as well as dead ends due to lack of information can be avoided. Seamless integration of transit into the community will enhance ridership, operations and community support of the system. Integrated design will leverage land use and allow aspects of value capture to be channeled back into construction or operations.

How can integrated design be accomplished?

 In spite of many participatory efforts of transit agencies and local jurisdictions with the objective of better understanding community needs and creating community acceptance, transit design and engineering processes are still predominantly driven by single discipline considerations and linear processes (one step after another) rather than a comprehensive integration of design and performance standards. Speed, initial cost and engineering functionality tend to outweigh the “softer” and often less quantifiable benefits, especially long-term benefits, even though these benefits might well outweigh short term cost benefits in the long run. The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has signaled that they would like to soften up their rigid cost effectiveness formula for federally funded "New Starts" projects, yet, so far these formulas are still in effect.

An effective way towards integrated design would be collaboration between the transit agency, the design team, community stakeholders and jurisdictional representatives on the creation of design guidelines early in a project process. This would establish criteria for integrated design are early on from which future steps can be measured and evaluated.

A key component of design guidelines would be a succinct project description that goes beyond the “Purpose and Need”statements required by FTA. The project description would be a short synopsis that tries to encapsulate what kind of project a transit project wants to be and what its aspiration are in terms as community game changers.

Guidelines could be developed with a system or corridor wide "universal" component ("system branding") and a location specific set of guidelines for specific geographies within the planned corridor.

• “Universal” design guidelines establish goals and standards for the full transit system and its relation to the community and for all elements that are visible or affect the appearance or “behavior” of the proposed transit. The guidelines are not only numeric or expressed in details but they express holistic urban design performance and include benchmarks and comparables derived from already built systems that would provide a baseline standard.

• Specific guidelines addressing conditions that are unique to the spatial and functional qualities and settings of corridor segments or station locations and their geographies.  

What should be addressed by Integrated Design Guidelines?

1.     Description of the transit systems goals in terms of branding, transit rider experience, interaction of the system with the community and urban design.

2.     Branding  of transit system identity in terms of system design and interaction with its surroundings

a.     Elements of continuity corridor or system-wide versus elements of local idiosyncrasy

b.     Way-finding and signs

c.      Visibility versus mimicry of the system 

3.     Rules for full integration of station areas for seamless circulation and access from surrounding areas and all other modes of movement

a.     Walking

b.     Bicycle access

c.      Car parking and drop off

d.     Bus access

e.     Other rail transit access

f.       Access to and from attractions

4.     Integration of land use around station for and enhanced activity (eyes on the street), convenience safety and security and transit supportive land use through optimal “place-making”

a.     Retail

b.     Workplaces

c.      Attractions

d.     Housing

e.     Outdoor uses

5.     Guidance for tapping into economic development opportunities

a.     Use of publicly owned land

b.     Better use of vacant or underutilized property

c.      Transformation of car oriented uses to transit supportive uses

d.     Services for community and transit riders alike

e.     Value capture (leveraging the transit investment for land use)

6.     Guidance for street-scaping and design of the corridor in terms of visual and functional integration of the system between stations

a.     Guideway design, traction power design

b.     Transformed opportunities for adjacent public ROW

7.     Criteria for (environmental) sustainability of all proposed transit components

a.     Guideway, pervious/impervious surfaces (stormwater, heat island)

b.     Power consumption, water consumption

c.      Natural ventilation

8.     Criteria for Art Inclusion

9.     Guidance for efficiency and maintenance for sheltering, weather protection, services and conveniences necessary for the transit user

10.  Guidance for understanding and reflecting the social, economical, ethnic and functional diversities of the specific geographic areas and the future plans and visions developed for those areas for the time of the expected transit service (5-50 year horizon).

Related to Integrated Design are the topics of "Whole Building Design" and "Integrated Project Delivery". See below links for more information.

Link for "Whole Building Design"

Link for Integrated Project Delivery