polish village

Increasing Walkability in Parma's Polish Village

Jim Chambers, Becci Chambers

AUGUST 1, 2014AUTHOR & MAIN RESEARCHER, RESEARCH ASSISTANT

Table of ContentsIntroduction......................................................................................................................1Sidewalks.........................................................................................................................1

Survey...........................................................................................................................1Methodology..............................................................................................................1Data...........................................................................................................................2Results.......................................................................................................................3

Improvement.................................................................................................................4Mudjacking.................................................................................................................4Replacement..............................................................................................................5Costs..........................................................................................................................5

Trees................................................................................................................................5Survey...........................................................................................................................5

Methodology..............................................................................................................5Data...........................................................................................................................6Results.......................................................................................................................6

Improvement.................................................................................................................6Lacebark Elm Ulmus parvifolia...................................................................................7Northern Catalpa Catalpa speciosa............................................................................7Quaking Aspen Populus tremuloides..........................................................................7“Red Sunset” Maple Acer rubrum...............................................................................7

Other Benefits...............................................................................................................7Environmental............................................................................................................7Health........................................................................................................................8Economical.................................................................................................................8Public Safety..............................................................................................................8

Conclusion........................................................................................................................8References.......................................................................................................................9

IntroductionPolish Village is a neighborhood in Parma,

OH. It is situated along Ridge road with Pearl Road to the north and Thornton Drive in the south(Marschall, 2011). Polish Village was officially designated by city council on May 1, 2011 (PolishVillage Parma, 2014). The neighborhood is approximately .9 square miles and consists of 32 streets (Google Map Developers, 2014).

Polish Village is a vibrant community. There are about 3,800 homes and it plays host to four annual parades and has 111 businesses(Stefaniuk, 2014). Increasing the walkability of the neighborhood serves to enrich this community even further. The potential benefits are increased health, safety, security, and economy.

Walkability is how easy it is to walk in a neighborhood. To be walkable a neighborhood must be safe, pleasing to look at, and designed for people (Spiess, 2012). Websites such as walkscore.com grade neighborhoods on their walkability. The walkability of Polish Village is graded by walkscore.com as somewhat walkable(walkscore.com, 2014). The walk score is a 51 out of 100 making it one of the most walkable neighborhoods in Parma (walkscore.com, 2014).

The purpose of this report is to provide Parma City Council and residents of Polish Village information on making Polish Village better. It will also look at the feasibility of making Polish Village more walkable. Improving or adding sidewalks as well as adding shade trees will improve this neighborhood’s walkability, economy, and community.

SidewalksSidewalks contribute to the safety of walkability. Broken or uneven sidewalks

may cause trips, falls, or sprains. We wanted to quantify the current state of sidewalks in Polish Village and see what it would take to improve walkability.

SurveyIn order to quantify the safety of the sidewalks in Polish Village, a survey of the

sidewalks was conducted between July 12, 2014 and July 15, 2014. This survey also collected data on how many shade trees are in Polish Village (see Trees section below).Methodology

Two researchers walked seven streets in Polish Village and assigned the sidewalk of each home or business a score of 0-5. Each property counted as one sidewalk regardless of length. St. Charles Borromeo Church on Charles Ave. is the one exception; it is significantly longer than the other sidewalks.

One researcher used an objective guide to grade the sidewalk while the other researcher recorded the data. It is important to note that the researchers kept the

Figure 1: Map of Polish VillageSource: Google Map Developers

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same roles for each street to limit the number of variables. An objective guide was utilized so that the results would be repeatable. It is noted that there was a small degree of subjectivity in this survey. The sidewalks were graded as follows:

0- Non-existent. Researcher had to walk in the street.1- Worst possible shape. The only way to correct the sidewalk is a complete tear

out and re-pour.2- Needs work. At least one of the slabs needs replaced. If none are broken,

excavation of roots is needed to level slabs.3- OK. Trip hazards are greater than ½”; slabs are tilting quite a bit.4- Near perfect. Trip hazards are less than ½”; some tilting of slabs is acceptable.5- Perfect. No trip hazards; most likely new.Seven streets were surveyed to give a sample size of 21.9% of Polish Village by

number of streets. The streets surveyed were chosen by simple random sampling (Grady Klein and Alan Dabney, 2013) to reflect the different geographical areas of Polish Village. By area the sample size covers 0.187 square miles, or 20.4% of Polish Village. (Sample size by area was determined by using Google Map Developers tools.) The seven streets surveyed were:

Bertha Ave. Charles Ave. Dresden Ave. Frankfort Ave. Gilbert Ave. Kenneth Ave. Orchard Ave.

DataGrade 5 4 3 2 1 0 Totals

Bertha 24 45 21 3 0 0 93

Charles 50 51 17 4 0 0 122

Dresden 26 31 21 0 0 0 78

Frankfort 5 7 3 0 0 10 25

Gilbert 58 62 20 7 0 0 147

Kenneth 61 53 20 2 0 0 136

Orchard 83 47 10 3 0 0 143

Totals 307 296 112 19 0 10 744

ResultsLooking at the grade distribution (Chart 1) it is clear that the majority of

sidewalks in Polish Village are in good shape. However 18% of the sidewalks still fall in the grades of 2 or 3. Surprisingly there were zero sidewalks in the survey that were in complete disrepair. The biggest anomaly in the survey was Frankfort; this was the only street that ran north-south in the survey. Statistically 15% of the streets in Polish Village run north-south; Frankfort is 14% of the sample population. Though it is only


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one street, it does accurately mirror the population (Grady Klein and Alan Dabney,2013).

Frankfort is typical of other north-south streets in that any sidewalks present are put in by the property owner. The sidewalks put in are paths for the homeowner to get to their detached garage safely. In general these sidewalks are half as wide, and they are closer to the homes than the street. Adding a sidewalk to these north-south streets where none exists will improve walkability. This will give residents living along these streets more privacy.

Chart 2 illustrates the condition of the sidewalks by percentage. Overall 81% of the sidewalks in Polish Village do not need any work. This leaves 19% of the sidewalks needing some improvement.

5

4

3

2

1

0

0%

50%

100%

Chart 1: Grade Distribution

Bertha Charles Dresden FrankfortGilbert Kenneth Orchard Overall


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ImprovementAs can be seen by the results of the sidewalk survey, there is room for

improvement. Two methods can be utilized for sidewalk remediation. The solutions for improvement are mudjacking and replacement.Mudjacking

Mudjacking is the process of lifting/ leveling slabs with a slurry. Small holes, usually ½“, are drilled into the slabs. These holes are them filled with slurry to lift the slab; the hole is then filled with cement (Eckert, 2014). This method of improvement is ideal for sidewalks graded as a 3 or 4 and may be feasible for some sidewalks graded as a 2. The authors of this report have had this done and can attest to its effectiveness.Replacement

Replacement is the process of removing slabs, excavating/ leveling the ground, and pouring new concrete. In general it will cost more to replace than mudjacking as

Bertha Charles Dresden Frankfort Gilbert Kenneth Orchard Overall

26%

41%33%

20%

39%45%

58%

41%

48%

42%

40%

28%

42%39%

33%

40%

23%14%

27%

12%

14%15%

7%

15%

3% 3% 0%

0%

5% 1% 2% 3%0% 0% 0%

0%

0% 0% 0% 0%0% 0% 0%

40%

0% 0% 0% 1%

Chart 2: Percentage of Sidewalks by Grade

5 4 3 2 1 0


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there is much more work involved and a higher overhead cost. This method of improvement is necessary for sidewalks graded 0-2, but may be utilized for sidewalks graded as a 3 or 4.Costs

For 55% of the homeowners mudjacking will be the best method for making their sidewalks better. It will cost about $5 to $8 a square foot to level the sidewalk; up to $15 a square foot if the sidewalk is completely out of level (Eckert, 2014). Replacing a sidewalk costs $6 to $10 a square foot plus the cost of removing the old sidewalk(Concrete Network, 2014). Assuming the average sidewalk slab is 57”X54” then each slab is 21 square feet. The average sidewalk is 7 slabs, then the average sidewalk is 147 square feet. Using the figures above it would cost homeowners $700-$2200 to fix their sidewalk.

Leveraging the size of the project, the city of Parma could expect to pay $4.93 per square foot. This includes labor, removal, equipment, overhead, and profit(RSMeans, 2012). The cost would be as little as $100 per slab, up to $750 for a full sidewalk. This would be the most economical improvement to Polish Village sidewalks per unit; however, the cost could run up to $1.5million. This cost would be $400 per home in Polish Village. All the residents would share this cost. The actual cost would most likely be much less than $1.5million and would need a full survey of the entire neighborhood.

TreesTrees contribute to the aesthetics of the neighborhood, but they also play a small

role in the safety of the neighborhood. Trees offer protection from sunburn and offer cooling relief on a hot day. Trees not only add more oxygen to the air, but improve the quality of life in urban environments (David J. Nowak, 2007).

SurveyIn order to see how many sidewalks offered shade, a survey of how many trees

providing shade was conducted concurrently with the sidewalk survey. See the sidewalks section on pages 1-3 for more information.Methodology

Two researchers walked 7 of Polish Village's 32 streets to determine how protected the sidewalks are from the sun. Only trees that provided shade to the sidewalk were counted. The researchers excluded trees that were not near the sidewalk or did not provide shade. Except for St. Charles Borromeo (see sidewalks section), sidewalks with multiple shade trees were still counted only as one. Trees with large crowns (covering multiple sidewalks), were also counted as one.

DataShade Trees Percent Shaded

Bertha 18 19Charles 43 35


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Dresden 17 22Frankfort

12 48

Gilbert 46 31Kenneth 32 24Orchard 33 23Overall 201 27

Results

Bertha

Charles

Dresden

Frankfort

Gilbert

Kenneth

Orchard

Totals

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60%19%

35%

22%

48%

31%

24%

23%

27%

Chart 3: Shade Percentage

On average only 27% of the sidewalks are shaded. Though there are no hard and fast rules for how many sidewalks should be shaded, the number should be as high as possible. The walks for the surveyed streets would have benefitted from more shade. The streets would have also looked much more pleasing to the eye.

ImprovementThe Arbor Day Foundation sells trees for as little as $5 (Arbor Day Foundation,

2014). These trees are small and easy to destroy. Purchasing a mature tree from a nursery will cost $100 or more, but will be hardier. As an added benefit, a tree in a well-maintained yard will increase resale value of the home (Finholm, 2014).

In the city of Parma all that is needed to plant a tree is a permit application. The permit is free, but the city will assess a fine if a permit is not pulled before planting(City of Parma, Ohio, 2014). It is also recommended to call 811 before planting to avoid hitting buried cables, pipes, etc.

Research was done to identify some specific trees that would be ideal to plant for shading sidewalks in Polish Village. A variety of trees will prevent disease from taking all the trees at once as well as making the street more pleasing to the eye. An ideal height for these trees would be about 40’ to 60’ high. This gives enough height to


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shade the sidewalks and buildings as well as not conceal houses from the street. This height is also not too tall, if the tree were to fall it should not cause considerable damage to the typical 1.5 story home. Anything taller than 60' could interfere with power and communication lines. Trees must grow well in the clay soil that is typical of Northeast Ohio. They must also be able to grow in Hardiness Zone 6 (Arbor DayFoundation, 2014).

To make a better recommendation, some trees were discarded. One example is the Weeping Willow Salix babylonica. Though a beautiful tree, its roots aggressively seek water and damage drain pipes (Bruce Kershner, 2008). The Green Ash Fraxinus pennsylvanica was discounted due to the Emerald Ash Borer infestation in Ohio (OhioDepartment of Agriculture, 2014). There is a multitude of possible trees, but the following four are the best options.

Lacebark Elm Ulmus parvifoliaThis tree does well in full sun and various soils. It grows 40’ to 50’ high with a

40’ spread. It has dark green leaves that change to yellow and reddish purple in the fall(Arbor Day Foundation, 2014). In the spring it has many small reddish flowers. This ornamental tree is resistant to Dutch Elm Disease (Bruce Kershner, 2008)

Northern Catalpa Catalpa speciosaThis flowering tree does well in full sun and various soils. It grows 40’ to 60’ high

with a 20’ to 40’ spread. It has large heart shaped green leaves. The Northern Catalpa has large white trumpet-shaped flowers in the late spring (Arbor Day Foundation, 2014). Though not native to Ohio, the Northern Catalpa is widely planted and will do well in Ohio (Bruce Kershner, 2008).

Quaking Aspen Populus tremuloidesThe Quaking Aspen is fast growing and native to Ohio. It grows 40’ to 50’ high

with a 25’ spread. Its leaves change to yellow in the fall to accentuate its cream-colored bark (Arbor Day Foundation, 2014). In the wild the Quaking Aspen clones itself to create large stands of trees; it is often considered the world’s most massive organism(Bruce Kershner, 2008).

“Red Sunset” Maple Acer rubrumAnother Ohio native, the “Red Sunset” Maple is fast growing and does well in

Ohio soils. It grows 45’ to 50’ high and has a 35’ to 40’ spread. Its green leaves turn to a vibrant red in autumn. "Red Sunset's" flowers, leaf stems, twigs, and summer fruits are all reddish colored (Arbor Day Foundation, 2014).

Other BenefitsEnvironmental

More trees will have a greater impact on reducing the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (David J. Nowak, 2007). Increases in carbon dioxide is linked with climate change. Trees also help filter water as it enters the water table creating safer drinking


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water. Trees can become home to songbirds and squirrels that are pleasant to watch. Trees act as wind barriers if enough of them are planted together (Kuhns, 2014)

HealthMore trees in an area promote physical activity (Mary Anne T. Dallat, 2013).

Increases in physical activity reduce health problems and creates gains in life expectancy. Altogether this also leads to decreased absenteeism, increased productivity, and a better quality of life (Mary Anne T. Dallat, 2013)

EconomicalAs health increases, economic productivity also increases (Mary Anne T. Dallat,

2013). An increase in economic productivity would be realized in increased tax revenue; income tax revenue will increase with a healthier populace. Sales tax revenue will increase with more persons walking the neighborhood supporting local businesses.

Trees also provide economic benefit to the homeowner. Solar heat can increase cooling costs during the summer; planting a tree can cool the air around it by as much as 9°F and the air directly under it by 25°F (US Dept. of Energy, 2012). Shade trees act as natural air conditioning units. Trees not blocking sunlight to solar panels are a cost saver. Towering trees can also increase the value of a home 7% to 19% (Finholm,2014).

Public SafetyTrees in the public right of way (on the tree lawn or close to the street) lower

crime rates in neighborhoods (Prestemon, 2012). This is a great side-effect to having trees. The general perception is trees provide places to conceal criminal activity. The studies on this have shown the opposite is quite true. Large trees provide less view obstruction as their crowns are higher. Trees that provide shade to a sidewalk will be farther from a home and be less obstructing for the resident (Prestemon, 2012).

Pruned trees increase safety. Low hanging branches will hit people in the head as they walk under them. Low branches also force pedestrians to walk on the lawn or street. A well-maintained tree is more likely to signal a well-maintained neighborhood. The “broken window theory” suggests criminals prefer poorly maintained neighborhoods. Better looking neighborhoods suggest a greater authoritative presence and a greater chance of being caught (Prestemon, 2012).

ConclusionPolish Village in Parma is already a great place to live; yet it can be greatly

improved. Increased walkability will realize better health, economic stability, and a greater sense of community. Repairing and adding a few sidewalks in Polish Village will make the neighborhood more walkable. Adding more trees will give the people in and around Polish Village a desire to walk the community. More people walking the streets of Polish Village will increase the safety of the neighborhood. Increased safety will give the citizens a greater sense of belonging as well as ownership of the community.


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ReferencesArbor Day Foundation. (2014). Aspen, Quaking. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from

arborday.org: http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?id=122Arbor Day Foundation. (2014). Catalpa, Northern. Retrieved July 11, 2014, from

arborday.org: http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?id=130Arbor Day Foundation. (2014). Elm, Lacebark. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from

Arborday.org: http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?id=121Arbor Day Foundation. (2014). Maple, "Red Sunset". Retrieved July 13, 2014, from

arborday.org: http://www.arborday.org/trees/treeguide/TreeDetail.cfm?id=463Arbor Day Foundation. (2014). Shop for Trees. Retrieved July 16, 2014, from Arbor Day

Foundation: http://www.arborday.org/trees/index-shopping.cfmArbor Day Foundation. (2014). What is my aroborday.org Hardiness Zone? Retrieved

July 19, 2014, from arborday.org: http://shop.arborday.org/LookUp.aspx?nursery=false&zipcode=44129

Bruce Kershner, D. M. (2008). National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees of North America. New York, NY, US: Sterling Publishing.

City of Parma, Ohio. (2014). Tree Planting and/or Removal Permit Application. Retrieved July 13, 2014, from cityofparma-oh.gov: http://cityofparma-oh.gov/pdf_Parma/en-US/Tree%20Planting%20and-or%20Removal%20Permit%20Application.pdf

Concrete Network. (2014). Walkway Costs. Retrieved July 15, 2014, from Concrete Network.com: http://www.concretenetwork.com/concrete/walkways/cost.html

David J. Nowak, R. H. (2007, May). Oxygen Production by Urban Trees in the United States. Arboriculture & Urban Forestry, 33(3), 220-226. Retrieved July 16, 2014, from http://www.nrs.fs.fed.us/pubs/jrnl/2007/nrs_2007_nowak_001.pdf

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Finholm, V. (2014). Increase Your Home's Value With Mature Trees. Retrieved July 29, 2014, from FrontDoor.com: http://www.frontdoor.com/real-estate/increase-your-homes-value-with-mature-trees

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Grady Klein and Alan Dabney, P. (2013). The Cartoon Introduction to Statistics. NY, NY, US: Hill and Wang.

Kuhns, M. (2014). Planting Trees for Energy Conservation: The Right Tree in the Right Place. Retrieved July 14, 2014, from Utah State University: http://forestry.usu.edu/htm/city-and-town/tree-selection/planting-trees-for-energy-conservation-the-right-tree-in-the-right-place

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