131223 midtown marta final report - economic trans… · midtown alliance | marta station...

Midtown AllianceTransit Station Enhancement Plans:

MIDTOWN STATION

SMITH DALIA ARCHITECTS

DECEMBER 23, 2013Final Report

621 NORTH AVENUE, NE

SUITE C-140

ATLANTA, GA 30308-2805

404-892-2443

S m i t h D a l i aA R C H I T E C T S , L L C

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Ginny Kennedy

Brian Whitfield

Morgan Gabler

Jacob Vallo

Connie Krisak

Susan Stainback

Heather Alhadeff

Alex Brewer

Team Members:

MIDTOWN ALLIANCE | MARTA STATION ENHANCEMENT PLANS

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Table of ContentsSection A - Introduction A1 - Project Description

A2 - Approach

Section B -Station Assessment B1 - Existing Conditions

B2 - Summary & Project Brief

Section C -Concept Development C1 - Station Concepts

C2 - Enhancement Strategies

Section D - Implementation Plan D1 - Zone Plan

D2 - Project Cost Spreadsheet

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“Cities are re-making themselves around urban amenities and Transit is an essential component to defining the difference between world-class cities with vibrant 24-hour occupancy and the type of commuter city that empties out when work is over.”

Source: Peter David Cavaluzzi; EE&K

MARTA: Midtown StationIntroduction


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Arts Center Station

Midtown Station

North Ave. Station

Project Description:To develop implementable solutions for three Midtown Atlanta MARTA stations by enhancing the functional, operational, and aesthetic aspects of each station.

Project Goals:

Short Term: To create an enhanced gateway expe-rience that increases transit ridership and provides visitors with the best possible first impression of Midtown Atlanta.

Long Term: To reposition the transit stations as des-tinations in their own right that catalyze surround-ing development and sustain economic growth within the Midtown area.

Attract Users & Spur Economic Development

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Desired Outcomes:

A renewed interest by community members to view MARTA stations as an assetPlan that sustains the continued mixed use, high density development in Midtown, particularly in areas within the 5-minute walkshed of transit stations.Strategies that aim to increase transit ridership and station visitsActionable steps to:

Transit Station Enhancement

1. To increase public safety and improve perceptions of safety in and around stations2. Improve accessibility to and from the stations by all users3. Improve connectivity to the stations4. Enhance the sense of place around MARTA stations

Phase I: Station Assessment - June - July

Phase II: Visioning & Public Engagement - July - August

Phase III: Concept Development - August - October

Phase IV: Implementation Plan - October - November

Phase V: Final Report - December 2013

Project Work Plan:


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Urban Centers:

current condition

The designs of the original Midtown MARTA stations were mainly inwardly focused with little urban engagement beyond their immediate sites. As the city developed around them, there was minimal incorporation of the transit stations into the creation of public urban spaces. As a result, these sites became disconnected from the urban fabric and are contributing little to the perception or identity of Midtown Atlanta. The MARTA stations are under utilized in promoting Midtown’s community, culture, and activity in Atlanta which are essential components to the creation of “Place” in an urban setting. For these stations to be vibrant and successful, it is critical to re-introduce these elements to the MARTA sites.

Transit stations are integral components of urban living which impact the overall quality of life and impression of our city for the residents and the visitors of Midtown Atlanta. To become true urban generators, these MARTA stations need to appeal to patrons beyond the commuter and provide amenities that promote a social exchange regardless of the intent to ride the transit system.

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If we are to make Atlanta more sustainable we need to create transit places that will sustain and enhance urban life. The collective experience of over 400,000 daily MARTA riders is a major contributing factor in our city’s urban experience and reputation.

proposed solution

Making Midtown Atlanta’s Transit:

Urban Approach:

HOW?

EasierAccessSignageConnectivity

SaferLightingActivationMaintenance

DelightfulLandscapeArtInteraction

Productive Wait Time (Work, Entertain, Play)

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MARTA: Midtown StationStation Evaluation


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* Source|: MARTA GIS Analysis 2011 & ARC LandPro 2009.

Arts Center Station

Midtown Station

North Ave. Station

Arts Center Station:

Residential Demographics (1/2 mile):Population 8,884Median Age 37Households 5,271Median Household Income $78,822

Business Demographics (1/2 mile):Businesses 2,741Employees 50,162

Midtown Station:

Residential Demographics (1/2 mile):Population 9,674Median Age 35.4Households 6,645 Median Household Income $63,110


North Ave. Station:

Residential Demographics (1/2 mile):Population 12,426Median Age 25.7Households 4,006Median Household Income $53,396

Business Demographics (1/2 mile):Businesses 3,732Employees 73,918* Source|: Site To Do Business on-line, 2011

Arts Center Station

Arts Center Station:

Residential Demographics (1/2 mile):Population 8,884Median Age 37Households 5,271Median Household Income $78,822


North Ave. Station North Ave. Station:

Residential Demographics (1/2 mile):Population 12,426Median Age 25.7Households 4,006Median Household Income $53,396


Residential

Commercial

Institutional

Parks

TCU

Limited Access

Transitional

Urban Context

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Midtown Station

10 Street

Peachtree Place

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Existing Site Plan


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Key Topic Comparison

0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0 Daily Ridership

Land Use/Density

Walk/bike ratio

Vehicular Street Traffic

Visibility to Station

Bike Parking

Walkability

Wayfinding to Station

Park N Ride

Park N Ride Adequate space

Waiting Areas Directness Way-finding in Station

Pedestrian Flow

Maintenance Signage

Seating

Security

Lighting

Shelter from Weather

Landscaping Presence

Art Visibility

Cleanliness

Maintenance Signage

Arts Center

Midtown

North Ave

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Key Topic MatrixArts Center Midtown North Ave

Daily Ridership 4.0 3 3.5Land Use/Density 1.9 3.4 3.3

Housing 1.5 3.5 3Jobs 3.5 3 4

Shopping 1 3.5 2.5Services 1 3.5 3DU/acre 1 4 3.5

Jobs/acre 3.5 3 4Walk/bike ratio 3 4 4.5Vehicular Street Traffic 3.5 5 5Visibility to Station 2.5 5 4Bike Parking 5 2.75 1.5

Bike Rack Presence 5 3 2Bike Rack Visibility 5 2.5 1

Walkability 2.7 3.5 3.1Crosswalk Effectiveness 3.5 2.5 2.5ADA Compliant Ramps 2 2.5 3

ADA Compliant Sidewalks 3.5 3 3.5Intuitiveness of Short-cuts 1 4.5 2.5

Streetscape Lighting 3.5 5 4Wayfinding to Station 1 3 1Park N Ride 2.5 2.75 1

Park N Ride Adequate space 3 2.5 1 Park N Ride Visibility 2 3 1

Waiting Areas 4 4 5Train Waiting Area Size 3 5 5Bus Waiting Area Size 5 3 5

Directness 2.5 4.5 3.75Directness to Train 2 5 3.5Directness to Bus 3 4 4

Way-finding in Station 1.3 2.5 1.8Way-finding Vertical 1 2.5 2.5

Way-finding Directional 2 4 2Schedule Info 1 1 1

Pedestrian Flow 2 4 4Maintenance Signage 2 3 3Seating 3 3.5 5

Seating at Train Platform 2 2.5 4Seating at Bus Bay 3.5 1.5 3

Seating outside 2.5 2 2Security 3.5 3.25 3.5

Police presence 2 3 3.5Call box/station help 5 3.5 3.5

Lighting 2.5 3.75 3.25Interior 2.5 3.5 3

Exterior 2.5 4 3.5Shelter from Weather 2 2 3Landscaping Presence 3.5 1 2Art Visibility 2 2.5 2.5Cleanliness 2 1.8 2.0

Graffitti Presence 1 1 1Litter Presence 2 2 2

Dirt 3 2.5 3Maintenance Signage 1 3 2

Site

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Stat

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0.0

1.0

2.0

3.0

4.0

5.0 Daily Ridership

Land Use/Density

Housing

Jobs

Shopping

Services

DU/acre

Jobs/acre

Walk/bike ratio

Vehicular Street Traffic

0

1

2

3

4

5 Visibility to Station

Bike Parking

Bike Rack Presence

Bike Rack Visibility

Walkability

Crosswalk Effectiveness

ADA Compliant Ramps

ADA Compliant Sidewalks

Intuitiveness of Short-cuts

Streetscape Lighting

Wayfinding to Station

Park N Ride

Park N Ride Adequate space

Park N Ride Visibility

Urban Character

Site AccessArts Center

Midtown

North Ave

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1

2

3

4

5 Seating

Seating at Train

Seating at bus

Seating outside

Security

Police presence

Call box/station help

Lighting

Interior

Exterior

Shelter from Weather

Landscaping Presence

Art Visibility

Cleanliness

Graffitti Presence

Litter Presence

Dirt

Maintenance Signage

0

1

2

3

4

5 Waiting Areas

Train Waiting Area Size

Bus Waiting Area Size

Directness

Directness to Train

Directness to Bus

Way-finding in Station

Way-finding Vertical

Way-finding Directional

Schedule Info

Pedestrian Flow

Maintenance Signage

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Safety/Experience

Site Circulation

Arts Center

Midtown

North Ave


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Summary:

The Midtown station seems to be the most efficient and compact in terms of internal transit function and circulation. Directness and travel distance is proficient in this station which creates a sense of intuitiveness for the transit user. The transparency of the glass at the street level gives the commuter a sense of place and orientation to their surroundings.

The exterior spaces and amenities for the commuter are limited however. There are few opportunities for shaded pick up and drop off areas causing commuters to loiter at the entrances to the station. There is very limited green space to soften the concrete plazas and provide relief from the heat. These plazas are overwhelmingly dominated by concrete, which as a material, tends to damper commuter experience.

The addition of the stair and elevator entrances on the north side of 10th Street have not been integrated well into the transit experience. From the train platform level, ineffective signage & wayfinding makes these exits unnoticeable and commuters feel unsafe using the secluded stairwells. Given a choice, commuters are opting to use the 10th street crosswalk as a preferred alternative. This puts more demand of crossing 10th Street as daily commuting

experience.

Midtown Station Comparisons: (Target Issues)

Station Visibility – highest

Wayfinding – highest

Directness – highest

Shelter – lowest

Art Visibility – low

Landscape – lowest

Station Goals:

wayfinding markers within the MARTA station as well as identify ways to communicate real time information to the transit users at street level.

the urban fabric and creates a sense of place. These spaces should create a street presence that activates the entry plazas with program and pedestrian conveniences.

MARTA site to an audience beyond the daily commuter. The eastern parking lot can be re-pur-posed as a pocket park introducing activity and a public amenity.

that inform, entertain, and direct the transit user.

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D E

F(North of 10th St.)

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10th St.

Peachtree Place

Midtown StationStreet Level

1. Artistic Expression: (A, B, C, D, E)Multi-Medium opportunities

2. Flex Space: (A, B, C)Both temporary and permanent programming

3. Landscape: (C, E, F)Both temporary and permanent

4. Lighting: (A, B, C, D, E)Utilize higher impact expressive lighting designs

5. Revenue: (B, C, E)Vending, retail, or commercial programming

6. Development (N/A)Both T.O.D. & Joint Development land possibility

1. ADA2. Shelter from Weather3. Seating Outside4. Bike Rack Visibility5. Schedule Info6. Park N Ride Adequate Space

Key Topics: (In blue) Opportunities: (In red)

* This site plan identifies the existing needs and future opportu-nities for the Midtown MARTA station. This criteria will be used as the foundation for decision making in developing the strate-gic direction for each station moving forward in this project.


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MARTA: Midtown StationConcept Development


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C1

Site Access

Station Concepts:

Branding of the block corner to show MARTA locations & direction

Branding of Block Corners

Impactive Expression

key points forstation visibilityand wayfinding

vehicular circulation flow

bicycle circulationflow

pedestrian circulation flow

marta station entrance/exit

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Establish street Edge Reinforce Main Axis Activate Corners

Proposed Site plan

Pocket Park


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C2

Enhancement Strategies:

Stairwell Section

Interior Environment:Introduce color to the interior of the station to overcome the monotony of the grey concrete finishes and increase a sense of awareness within the station. This will have immediate impact on one’s overall station impression and provide a series of experiences for the com-muter.Interior spaces should be activated through art installations and color enhancements in a way to guide the transit user through the levels of the station. Selective color will be used to help define wayfinding elements and destinations within the MARTA station.Supplement the existing lighting with different fixture types that wash the surfaces of the station to create a more vibrant experience

Tunnel Ceiling Plan

Dichroic Glass Acoustic Panels: Before & After

Dichroic Glass at Stairwell Skylights

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10th Street Perspective

Activating the roof plane:Incorporate dichroic glass into the roof structure to animate the exterior & interior spaces of the station. Architectural lighting will illuminate this structure at night. The interior sky-lights at the stair wells will be activated through adding color glazing and concrete stains to the surrounding areas.The acoustic paneling is in need of recovering. This is an opportunity to enhance color into the station’s experience.

Urban Plaza:The plaza spaces on both sides of the station will be activated though the ground plane. A mixture of seating, landscape, and shade structures will be used to create a sense of place in the urban fabric. This enhancement will also reinforce street presence and orient the main axis and connection from 10th Street through the station to Peachtree Place.

Personal Engagement:Projection images could be displayed on the urban fabric & surrounding buildings. The imaging could be informative in nature or simply crate visual experiences during waiting times. The scale of the projection will need to be large enough to engage and define a pub-lic space.Productive wait times could be created though smart phone technology. Commercial uses like internet shopping can be achieved through the use of QR codes and visual displays lo-cated internal waiting areas of the station. Information of local amenities, maps, and direc-tions can also be an asset here.

Up lit Roof Structure Light projections


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Peachtree Place Shade Structure

Wall Murals

Midtown Branding

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Pocket Park Perspective

Mixed use & Green Space:By reclaiming the surface parking on site, there is an opportunity to add a pocket park and small urban space for a commercial program. This will appeal to a broader audience than just the transit user and pragmatically engage the public for a sustained day & night life to the station.With the limited available landscape onsite, this area could also be a refuge for commuter wait time including amenities such as .green space, covered seating, wifi, charging stations in association with the shuttle waiting area.


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Information Boards: Digital boards are to be used to communicate real time schedules & relevant MARTA up-dates (such as maintenance and directional messages)The locations will be strategically places at circulation points and waiting areas.

Information Towers: The tower communicates real time information at the street level which frees the commuter from having to stay at the platform while waiting. Transit riders can enjoy the amenities of the station and know when they need to return for their next bus or train.The tower acts as a way finding element at the urban scale. It is important that they are vis-ible at distances away from the MARTA sites and anchor the street edge. The tower is also a information kiosk that contain maps of the immediate context and could communicate information like events in the Midtown area.

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Peachtree Place Perspective:Final Concept

Public Feedback:

A Public meeting was held on September 11, 2013 to present the Midtown MARTA station en-hancement design concepts for community feedback and approval. Overall, the designs were well received with particular interest in improving the overall experiential nature of the transit sites both for the commuter and the community.

The main critiques of the existing MARTA stations were focused on the stations usability and overall lack of public amenities on site. There is a negative perception of the site as public space and people did not want to spend more time there than they needed to commute. The MARTA station is considered a place of function and not for enjoyment. Suggested areas of im-provement ranged from basic maintenance to creative programming that would improve daily expe riences.

These enhancement strategies addressed this major conflict as the core principle of the proj-ect approach: Easier, Safer, and Delightful. By increasing the flow of real time information to the commuter and providing amenities that engage daily experiences, the transit sites become more appealing as destinations themselves and broaden their impact into the community. The integration of technology at the stations is a key aspect of enabling productive wait times and allowing free movement throughout the station. The intended result is to make this station more intuitive and usable, activated with program, and enjoyable to occupy.


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MARTA: Midtown StationImplementation Plan


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Zone Map: Summary Sheet


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Zone Map: Summary Sheet


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ENHANCEMENT PROJECT PRICING


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SMITH DALIA ARCHITECTS

131223 midtown marta final report - economic trans… · midtown alliance | marta station...

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