November 10, 2003
Does Transit Mall Revitalization Properly Consider Urban Design?
In this weekend's Sunday Oregonian, Randy Gragg poses some questions about the transit mall revitalization project:
But a number of the city's urban designers contend that two more fundamental questions haven't been asked: What will be the quality of the mall as a place? How can light rail be used as tool to encourage development that would make downtown a better experience?
What "made the original transit mall such a success," read a draft letter to Mayor Vera Katz from the American Institute of Architects urban design committee, "was that it expressed a coordinated, strategic vision for downtown and the region as a whole."
"Unfortunately," the letter continued," "the same cannot be said" of the report TriMet and the city are submitting for the first stage of federal funding. "The pioneering approach to urban design of the original mall is lamentably absent from this document."
That report is the previously-mentioned "locally preferred alternative" and although it's not yet come before any political body for approval, it's already generating some criticism:
But the authors of the letter and others say the report is symptomatic of the project team's shortsighted approach.
"They're treating it as a transportation project rather than a comprehensive urban design strategy," said Rajiv Batra, who co-authored the letter and has overseen transit-system urban design in Hillsboro, Beaverton and Atlanta. "What they are doing can't be called 'urban design.' It's transportation engineering."
Gragg also reports on critics worrying that without this greater context, "the Portland Business Alliance's power-lobbying for adding cars and turnouts the entire length of the mall will gain greater traction."
In addition to all of this, we're still without any obvious access to the mysterious additional designs for station configurations, which all allegedly fall within the theme of "great pedestrian and transit streets around the world." These designs, a TriMet representative told me near the end of October, were supposed to be available on the TriMet website by the beginning of this month, but continue to be conspicuously absent.
Comments (3)
Bob Richardson on 10 Nov 2003
Thanks for posting this. I attended the October 21st public hearing, where a variety of opinions were voiced (including a large contingent of subway supporters, who were underrepresented in the Oregonian's coverage.)
At this meeting, we were told by the Mayor and by Commissioner Francesconi that because of multiple additional plans not yet presented, there would be another public hearing. To date, none has been scheduled.
I emailed Commissioner Francesconi's office asking when and where the new plans would be presented, and was replied to by a staffer who said my message was being forwarded to Steve Iwata with PDOT. Other than that, I have not received any information, and Tri-Met's site has not been updated either.
I was encouraged at the meeting (not that I felt my own ideas would be adopted) by the positive tone and the promise of another meeting, but now I wonder if those plans will ever get genuine public feedback.
None of the stated approval and process deadlines have been pushed back, so when do we see our plans and when do we get our hearing? The Mayor (whom I do not oppose as much as others, yet) almost encouraged people to hold back remarks on certain topics because we were going to get this additional hearing. Now is the time to either announce this timeline, or apologize for the mistaken announcement of a continued public process.
The One True b!X on 10 Nov 2003
My understanding was that this initial phase is a matter of accepting the general plan and design approaches, while later phases would include hearings and public comment on other aspects (such as shelters, public art, etc.). But as for the general overall plan, and station alignments, as far as I understand it, we're done with public comment as of November 17.
Which is why the continued absence of these other three options is so vexing.
Peter on 12 Nov 2003
Along with the decision to construct parking structures NW, I wonder if Portland is in some ways, not all, working against its infrastructural achievements that promote "liveability"?
Parking structures will compete with the trolley.
An automobile-friendly transit mall might undermine the pedestrian and light rail aspects of the mall.