ahm talk march 2013

7/29/2019 AHM Talk March 2013

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BalancingGreenandBrowninUrbanDesign

DeanSai4a

UniversityofDenver

PresentedattheAuroraHistoryMuseum,19March2013


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Americanci;esna;onwidearedealingwith

numerousissuesthataffecttheirenvironmental

andculturalsustainability.Theyhavetoredesign

andre-fittoaccommodateenergyshortagesand

climatechange,aswellasthefactthatAmerica

asillustratedsoclearlyinthe2012presiden;alelec;onisrapidlybecomingamajority

minorityna;on.Thistalkconsiderstheurban

planningissuesandchallengeswithpar;cular

referencetothegreaterDenvermetropolitanarea.


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StudyranksDenveras5thGreenestCityinUSandCanada


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TheethnicdiversityofAmericansocietyisincreasing.This

willbeespeciallyevidentinciCes.


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TheInterculturalCity

Welcomesdiversity(ethnic,linguisCc,religious). Viewsdiversityasanopportunity,notaproblem. Adaptsitsservices,insCtuCons,andgovernance

structurestotheneedsofdiversepopulaCons.

TakesacConsandcreatespoliciesthatencouragesocialmixing,interacCon,andinvestment.

Designspublicspacetomeettheneedsofaculturally-diversepopulaCon.


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Intercultural UrbanismInterdisciplinary Perspectives on Urban Culture, Space,

Architecture, and Design

hLp://www.interculturalurbanism.com/


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ImagineaGreatCity

-ampaignsloganofFedericoPena,DenverMayor1983-1991


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Denverisna;onallyknownfor

implemen;ngNewUrbanistapproaches

toimagining,andregenera;ng,thecity.

NewUrbanismadvocatestherestructuring

ofpublicpolicyanddevelopmentpracCcestosupportthefollowingprinciples:

neighborhoodsshouldbediverseinuseandpopula;on

communiCesshouldbedesignedforthepedestrianandpublictransitaswellasthecar;i.e.,dedicatedtosmartgrowth;

ciCesandtownsshouldbeshapedbyphysicallydefinedanduniversally

accessiblepublicspacesandcommunityins;tu;ons;

urbanplacesshouldbeframedbyarchitectureandlandscapedesignthat

celebratelocalhistory,climate,

ecology,andbuildingprac;ce .

NewUrbanism


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Cri;csofNewUrbanismQues;onits

Newness.

Muchofwhatitrecommendsoverlapswith

EuropeanOldUrbanism.

whatisclaimedasnewwithinNewUrbanismisin

realityold.Whatisbeing

advocatedis,inreality,

everydaybarriolife.

-DavidDiaz,2005.


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#1.Stapleton

Airport

Prac;cingNewUrbanism:

ThreeDenverRegenera;onSchemes

Allseekto

reconnect

relaCvelybig

spacestothe

establishedstreetgrid,andto

regeneratethose

spacesin

conformancewith

NewUrbanist

designprinciples.


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TheseimagesexemplifyStapletons

redevelopmentasamixeduse,architecturally-

variable,greencommunity.


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Parkrescent,ondon

rescento`s

(topright)and

29thAvenue,

Denver

Stapletonalsodisplaysa

touchofwhatSpiroKostof

callsTheGrandManner:a

setofbaroqueplanningprinciplesthatemphasize

geometricorderandformal

vistas.


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#2.ElitchGardens

AmusementPark

Before

A`er:HighlandsGardenVillage


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HighlandsGardenVillage

PitchedRoofandFrontPorchAestheCc Preservedarousel

PreservedTheatre


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#3.VillaItaliaMall

(1965-2001).Atits

openingitwasthe

largestsuburban

mallwestofhicago.


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TheVillaItaliasitetoday.

KnownasBelmar,itsintended

toprovideanewdowntownfor

suburbanakewood.Its

surroundingcommunityis

largelyHispanicinethnic

composiCon.


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BelmarsNeo-ModernorAmericanMercanCle

AestheCc

o`s

PlazaAlley

Housing


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Block7ArCstGalleries


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DenversNewUrbanismhasmixedappealforadiversegroupof

interna;onalMillennials(American,English,Italian,Czech,African)

-EuropeanstudentsoverwhelminglypreferredHighlandsGardenVillage.

-AmericanstudentsnarrowlypreferredBelmar.

ThesepreferencessuggestthatNewUrbanismisontherighttrackintermsof

appealingtoatleastWesternAngloandCon:nentalinterculturaltastesand

values.

However,a4rac;ngandmixingethnicgroupsisanotherma4eraltogether.

ThebuiltformofDenversNewUrbandevelopments,theirretail

establishmentsandadver;sing,theirhousingprices,andtheirlackof

seamlessintegra;onwithsurroundingneighborhoodss;llsignaltoall

studentswhiteupper/middleclasshomogeneityandexclusivity.

-myoneHispanicstudentreluctantlythrewinwithBelmar.Myone

African(iberia)studenthatedallthreeNewUrbandevelopmentsequally.


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Theseresultsraisetheques;onofwhetherNew

Urbanismcansucceedinaccomplishing,atthesame

;me,itsdiversityandcivicengagement(community-

building)goals.

Onestudentques;onedwhetherNewUrbanismis

capableofproducinganinterculturalcityatall.As

sheputit,perhapsaninterculturalcityalreadyexists

intheurbanfabricandjustneedssomepokingand

proddingusingothervarie;esofurbanismasa

guidetodrawitout.


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Minimally,therewasafairlygoodconsensus

thatarchitectsandplannersinterestedininterculturalcity-buildingmusteither

(a)structurespacesothatdifferentculturesmightseeanduseitinavarietyofways,or

(b)createmoreopen-endedspacestowhichadiversityofpeoplecanadapt.


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ImagesoftheexisCnghospitalsite.Allofthiswillbedemolished.


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Asmallpieceofthishistoric,1920sNursesDormalongwithitsadjacent

grassyquadranglewillbepreservedasthesocialheartofthesite.


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Mapoftheproposed

andsCllun-named

development.The

preservedNursesDorm

willhouseretailand

officespaceonthe

northsideofthepublic

square(center).The

largeretailstoreat

upperle`willbea100,000squarefoot

BigBoxstorethat

willbetheanchor

tenantforthesite.

ResidenCalbuildings

formulC-familyhousingareatlower

right.


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UrbanDesign

Standardsand

Guidelines

reflectthe

planning

principlesof

New

Urbanism.


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AModelfor9thandoloradosRestaurantRow:

SouthPearlStreet,Denver


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onceptualrenderingsfeaturepedestrian-orienteddesignandgroundfloortransparencythatallowsacloserconnecConbetweenthebuildingsandstreet.


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Parkinglotswillbeconcealed.Thiswilllikelyprevent

developmentofinformaleconomies(e.g.,foodtrucks)importanttosomebarriocultures.

O f i t lt l b i t i th t th i


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Oneworryforaninterculturalurbanististhatthemain

squarewillenduplookinglikeaplacethatsmoreinvested

inCdyGrandMannersymmetryandvisualorderrather

thanmessycosmopolitaninteracCon(e.g.,Placedes

Vosges,Paris,early1600s)


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Barcelona,PlazaReal


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RenderingsoftheBigBoxStorealsohaveaNeo-Moderncast.TheseexamplesofBigBoxdesign(fromciCesaroundtheUnitedStates)rangefromthebanal(upperle`)to

themoreadventurous(lowerright)..

Architecture and Place Making


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Ivesuggestedtothedeveloperthat

somethingdifferentwouldbe

appropriatefortheBigBoxat9thand

olorado.AnexposedskeletonstructurelikeParisCentreGeorges

Pompidouwouldhonorthesites

historicuseasahospitalandalsolikely

makeforaninteresCngconversaCon

piece.AsScoLDoyon,aNewUrbanist,

percepCvelysuggests:

(Memorablevisualevents)makeour

communi:esmoreinteres:ng,and

interes:ngplacesengagepeopleata

morein:mate,emo:onallevel.When

wetalkofmakingplacesmorepedestrianfriendly,weo.enfocuson

sidewalks,roadgeometriesand

diversityofdes8na8onsbutitsless

o.enthatwealsofocusondelight

thevisualcandythatengagesoursenses

aswetravelfrompointAtopointB.

ArchitectureandPlace-Making


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AlternaCvely,somethingliketheIdeaStoreinWhitechapel,ondonabuildingthat

inCmatelyconnectstoitscontextandthatalsoaLractsanethnicallydiverseuser

populaConwouldalsoworkfortheBigBox.


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The9thAvenueBridge:WhyNotSaveit?

h th d l d l d d h h d h


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Whynota9thAvenueandoloradoBoulevardpedestrianoverpassthatthreadsthe

developmentintoongressPark?

An Urban Planning Sideshow


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AnUrbanPlanningSideshow


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DoesitBeLerResonatewithMillennialSensibiliCes?


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Intercultural Urbanism


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RetrofiLngDeadandDyingSuburbanPlacesPOSTEDBYDEANSAITTAONFEBRUARY07,2013

WhystudentslikeCityCenterEnglewood!

outdoorsculpture,publiclibraryandartmuseum. greaterresidenCalaffordability. ightRailtransitconnecCvity(BelmarseightconnecCngbuslinesdidveryliLleforthem).Inthisrespect

mystudentsdisagreedwithAlanEhrenhaltsassessmentthatityenterEnglewoodturnsitsbackonthe

lightrailstaConandontransitorienteddevelopmentingeneral.

greateropportunityforencounteringethnicdiversityatityenterEnglewood,whichsomestudentsexplicitlylinkedtothenearbypresenceofvalueshoppingretailoutletslikeWalmart.Walmartis

apparentlynotanissueforthesestudentsasitisforciCzensoftheirparentsagelivingelsewhereinthecity.

Inshort,CityCenterEnglewoodstruckmystudentsasamoreauthen;curbanplacethanotherDenver

urbanretrofits.Belmarisseenasar;ficial.

TakeawayLesson:Studentexperiencein,andevalua8onofDenversuburbanretrofitswasverydifferent

fromthatoftheprofessionalopinion-shapers

ahm talk march 2013

Documents