Complete drawing prototypes for urban complete streets

Complete Drawing Prototypes

For Urban Complete Streets

by

James Ira Winder

Submitted to the Department of Architecture in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Bachelor of Science in Art and Design

ACHNES

in Architectural Design MASSACHUSIETTS INSTITUTE_{OF TECHNOLOGy}

at the

JUN

O

9 2010

Massachusetts Institute of Technology

LIBRARIES

June 2010

@ 2010 James Ira Winder

All rights reserved

The author hereby grants to MIT permission to reproduce and to

distribute publicly paper and electronic copies of this thesis document in whole or in part in any medium now known or hereafter created.

Signature of Author ... .. ... ... r.. ...

/.

.. . . .. . ment of Architecture

May 21, 2

C ertified by ... . . . ... ... = ... ... ... John A cAsendorf

sociate Professor, Building Technology

Thesis Supervisor

Accepted by ... LelieK. Norford

Leslie K. Norford

Professor, Building Technology Chairman, Undergraduate Curriculum Committee

Complete Drawing Prototypes

For Urban Complete Streets

by James Ira Winder

Submitted to the Department of Architecture on May 21, 2010 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Bachelor of Science in Art and Design in Architectural Design

ADVISOR

John A. Ochsendorf

Associate Professor, Building Technology

READERS

Eran Ben-Joseph

Chair, PhD Program in Urban Planning Tim Love

AIA, LEED AP, Principal of Utile Design, Inc.

Ryan Sullivan

Complete Drawing Prototypes

For Urban Complete Streets

by James Ira Winder

Submitted to the Department of Architecture on May 21, 2010 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Bachelor of Science in Art and Design in Architectural Design

ABSTRACT

A study was performed to determine how drawings for streets may be tailored to a broad range of viewers and agendas, yet still be viewed as a credible design tool for architects. With a growing number of cities designing their own guidelines according to the Complete Streets movements, it's necessary to develop a graphic style that not only appeals to the typical engi-neering aspect of streets, but is also robust enough to include details for various design com-ponents and spatial qualities not before considered in street design.

New drawings and information graphics were invented to better describe multi-modal streets, spatial qualities, and a fully conceived taxonomy of urban street types. It was discovered that three drawing types are especially useful for conveying this type of information: Perspective-Sections, Overhead Views, and Transects.

Thesis Supervisor: John A. Ochsendorf

How can street drawings

be tailored to a broad

range of viewers and

agendas, yet still be a

Complete Drawing Prototypes

For Urban Complete Streets

by

James Ira Winder

CONTENTS

1. Introduction 8

II. Precedent Drawings for Streets 10

Ill. Observations 26

IV. New Street Drawing Prototypes:

Section Perspective 33

Overhead View 35

Transect 37

Boston Complete Streets Graphics 38

V. Conclusions 53

Performance-based Solutions ~ 1f~ $ 06Vfl/Lak, ,. q~0 0 0 -v S' 0 0 b 0 0 -J -C -. ~ Form-based Solutions C. 0

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a 0 'I' ~ q / Ot 8ted St0 Performance-based Solutions

This study began as a work-study with Utile Design Inc. in February of 2010. With the Boston Transporation Department as its client, Utile was comisioned to design the booklet and graphics for the new Boston Complete

Streets Guidelines. In order to complete the task, a research-based analysis of appropriate street graphics seemed an appropriate way to ensure Boston's complete streets guidelines outshined that of any other city.

COMPLETE DRAVVINGS

introduction

what

are complete streets?

As definied by the BTD, complete streets are multimodal, green, and smart. Essentially, it means that all mode-types, ecological methods for storm water drainage, and real-time traffic sensing are utilized in street design.

what

are complete drawings?

Complete drawings are robust enough to handle all the different kinds of data and spatial information of streets. They are also accessible enough to be legible to a broad audience of designers, engineers, lobbyist, politicians, and every-day street users.

GRAPHIC PRECEDENTS

Initially, a number of existing graphic precedents are researched to identify the current scope of street representation. These include plans, sections, street perspectives, icons, section perspectives, overhead views, and transects. Green dots denote drawings especially useful for representing complete streets.

Level of detail must

be appropriate to the

drawing's scale

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Most valuable drawing

type for describing the

defining characteristics

of a street

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COMPLETE DRAWING PROTOTYPES FOR URBAN COMPLETE STREETS 17

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Even a minimal amount of

receding space can have

a significant impact in

aiding legibility

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COMPLETE DRAWING PROTOTYPES FOR URBAN COMPLETE STREETS 19

Choose a view/angle that

maximizes exposure of

ground plane

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Water feature in cnstant change,

A pectacular auraction,

ACTIVITY SPACE

Open space for pubic events and actwity

COMMERCIAL

ACTIVITIES

Outdoor cafes anid Outdoor cornercial spaces

PASSIVE

RECREATION

Pubic testing

ACTIVE RECREATION

Sports and leIsure activities.

DESIRE LINES

Clear space for pedestrian acces and flows. FUNCTIONS & ENTRANCES

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Seek out opportunities to

represent systems, network

and processes visually in

order to enhance the

reader's comprehension

Minimize

cross-referencing

S S 3 3 3 * a 3 * 3 3 3 3 3

S-COMPLETE DRAWING PROTOTYPES FOR URBAN S-COMPLETE STREETS 25

GRAPHIC PRECEDENTS

Below - When designing the guideline book for complete streets, it's important to note the following organizational hierarchies. The focus of this study will be on section 1, the drawings and diagrams of streets.

DOCUMENT NAVIGATION VISION GRAPHICS INTEGRATIG TEXT-+ IMAGE

Right - The infographic Describes the various lessons learned concerning design of

graphics for streets.

EYE-LEVEL PERSPECTIVE . e 0- e Steeet StG r .. h i

2

AXON, ISO, AERIAL TRANSECT DIAGRAMS SECTION SECTION PERSPECTIVE

Level of detail must be appropriate to the drawing's scale PAGE LAYOUT DOCUMENT NAVIGATION VISION GRAPHICS INTEGRATIG TEXT -+ IMAGE DIAGRAMS OF PROCESSES /

Use color and/or page tabs to aid frequent readers in navigating the document. Integrate these

elements with the table-of-contents and/or index.

Minimize

cross-referencing

Seek out opportunities to represent systems, networks and processes visually in order to enhance the reader's comprehension

Use color to help articulate the brand identity of the entire document EYE-LEVEL PERSPECTIVE Com -te Stret 3. .6. -s

I

PLAN AXON, ISO, AERIAL TRANSECT DIAGRAMS SECTION SECTION PERSPECTIVE USE OF COLOR

Choose a view/angle that maximizes exposure of ground plane

Most valuable drawing type for describing the defining characteristics of a street

Even a minimal amount of receding space can have

a significant impact in

aiding legibility

DOCUMENT

BRAND-IDENTITY

The document should be engaging and easy-to-use; it should not look like a manual or final report. It must function as both a storytelling piece and a reference guide.

What is Everyone's Graphic Common Ground? Two-Point I I it

Parallel Projection, Perspective

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COMPLETE DRAWINGS

prototypes

The following graphics demonstrate isolated, hypothetical representations of different street configurations, all tailored to show different information regarding streets. The drawings are derived from the lessons learned from the precedent studies. (Graphics were created with Google Sketchup 7 and Adobe Illustrator and Indesign CS4.)

Section-Perspective

-minimal amount of receding space can have significant impact on legibility

-legend shows range of possibilities for street items that could be called out

-graphic is sensitive to facade permeability

Overhead View

-great for intersection detailing

-information called out directly on drawing -cabable of showing travel mode densities -linework generally avoided for legibility/ scalability concerns

Transect

-gradient across time Boston Complete Streets -various highlighting strategies

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COMPLETE DRAWING PROTOTYPES FOR URBAN COMPLETE STREETS 33

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Crossing the street is

a breeze, and there

are plenty of places to stop, rest, and shop!

Uniform paving for

pedestrian gnd vehicle surf& ot intersections Safe, vehicular cycling in slow rate of traffic even though not specifically designated for bike lanes.

A New Urbanists

Dreami Appropriate scales and small shops allow for relaxed, pedestrian atmosphere.

Vegetation is

creatively deployed to calm traffic and unify public spaces.

No Immediate

parking, but the

drive is pleasant and the way is marked

by thoughful use

of materials rather than painted lines and signs.

Past Trends

Shared Streets

Dirt and Clay Pavement Slow and Simple Travel Modes Nature as Commodity Opaque Building Facades as Wall to Sidewalk Realm

4

Future Trends

Lane Use and Ownership Designated

.- Diverse and Durable Paving Types

-... Fast and Diverse Travel Modes

---- Nature as Drainage Infrastructure

...---

Increasing Facade Permeability

to Sidewalk Realm

URBAN

STREET

1860

Steam Road Roller Tree Shade As

Ornamentation (Ottawa) ₁₉₁₀

City Planning of

Streets and Lots

Peak in Urban Greenery

Parking Meter

First Asphalt (NYC) Sand Clay Roads (South Carolina)

First Brick Rural

Road (Ohio) Coal Tar Experiments (NYC) Concrete Road (Michigan) Federal Highway Administration Walk/Don't Walk Signs Invented A 1960 Subd v d ng for Traffic Safety (ITE)

Parking Dimensions (Automobile Manufacturers Association)

National Committee

on Uniform Traffic Laws and Ordinance

New York City

Street Design Manual

Deployment of Dedicated Cycle Lane

Plan

Sectional information of a hypothetical

and

Plan and Sectional information of a hypothetical

Optimizing Use of Street Space

Determine if the street is a

candidate for a road diet:

Determine if the street is a

candidate for a lane diet:

Minimum

Lane Width

Collector / Arterial

Two-way left turn lane (TWLTL) Peak hour restricted parking lane Inside travel Lane

loft /loft

12ft / 12ft

loft /loft

Most City streets should be designed to produce an operating speed

Travel lane adjacent to on-street parking: Shared use lane

Adjacent bicycle lane available Travel lane adjacent to curb, no parking:

Shared use lane

Adjacent bicycle lane available

1 Oft / 12ft 1Oft / loft

1Oft / 12ft

Other Lanes

Bicycle lane - parking permitted

Bicycle lane - parking not permitted, curb Bicycle lane - parking not permitted, no curb

5ft /10ft

4ft / 5ft

4ft /10ft

Parking lane Bus-only lanes Bus and bicyle lanes

7ft / 7ft NA / lift

NA /12ft

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V

Intersection Travel Mode Study

I

Complete Drawing Prototypes

For Urban Complete Streets

by James Ira Winder

Submitted to the Department of'Architecture on May 21, 2010 in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of

Bachelor of Science in Art and Design in Architectural Design

CONCLUSIONS

The graphics derived in this study are useful for designers engaging in discussions about Complete Streets with any combination of other designers, engineers, politicians and street

users.

Software like Sketchup and Illustrator can be used to easiliy swap library components and share street design ideas.

As an Architectural Design student, this street space study was incredibly useful for under-standing a building's street context, an aspect often ignored in architecture education.