Street Design Term Project Spring 2017 Norman Garrick

Introduction to Project The term project will consist of two separate assignments: Re-imagining Storrs Road in Storrs Center as a Shared Space A Context Appropriate Storrs Road south of Storrs Center An overview of each assignment is given in the following slides

Re-imagining Storrs Road in Storrs Center

Re-imagining Storrs Road in Storrs Center as a Shared Space Storrs Center was conceived as a vibrant urban center with streets that should be good for commerce, for living and for all modes of travel - including walking, biking and transit. However, the streets in Storrs Center were largely designed using a systems approach. As such, the design of some of these streets is at variance with how people are actually using them. The purpose of this project is to re-envision these streets, particularly Storrs Road, as shared spaces. You will assess the current design and function of Storrs Road and other related streets in Storrs Center. As part of your assessment, you will need to categorize how the center is being used by various types of users, including shoppers, diners, residents, pedestrians, bikers, motorists and transit. Based on your assessment you will then suggest modification to the design in order to enable the streets to function more as shared spaces and, hopefully, more in concert with how they are actually being used. Finally, you will compare the expected performance of the re-designed streets to the performance in the streets as currently configured.

A Context Appropriate Storrs Road south of Storrs Center

A Context Appropriate Storrs Road south of Storrs Center The neighborhoods in the south of Storrs include The Courtyard at Storrs, Hanks Hill Road, Mansfield Apartments, Storrs Heights, Birchwood Heights, Davis Road, Warren Circle and Spring Hill. Most of these neighborhoods are predominantly residential, but they also have pockets of commercial and retail activities. At present, partly because of the design of Storrs Road south of South Eagleville Road, they feel disconnected from the rest of Storrs, both in a physical and psychological sense, even though much of this area is within a mile radius of the town green in Storrs Center. The purpose of this project is to develop a conceptual plan for Storrs Road in this area. This plan should aim to remove the sense of a divide between this area and Storrs Center and beyond to the University of Connecticut.

Project Guidelines Each project group should consist of a minimum of four members. Each group will be responsible for i) a project presentation and ii) a written report. Each presentation will be 12 minutes long. The written report should be no more than 10 pages, double spaced. The recommendations in the report should be based on best national and international practices. In other words, they should not be limited by what is allowable in existing Mansfield and Connecticut codes. Both of these assignments emphasize the importance of skillfully characterizing the existing conditions, including how the streets are currently being used.

Steps for Tackling the Term Assignments in Street Design Develop a Clear Statement and Understanding of the Goals of the Project   Assessing the Existing Condition What is the land use at the various locations (T1 to T6)? What are the thoroughfare types? How does the thoroughfare fit into and complement the local street network? Who are the existing users (including non-travellers)? How are the various types of users using the space? What are the speeds of vehicles? Is there any accident data available? Identifying Problems and Shortcomings with Current Design Are there missing links or barriers in the network for various users? Are there features of the design that discourage or intimidate potential users? Are there features of the design that detract from place making? Are there desired users who are not being served?

Steps for Tackling the Term Assignments in Street Design (continued) Identify Potential Solutions Re-visit the goals for the re-design What are the preferred thoroughfare types? What changes are needed to the cross-section design? What changes are needed to the intersections? What changes are needed to the local street network? Are the fixtures and furnishings appropriate for the location? How are users likely to use the new design? Is the new design consistent with the goal?   Develop Details for Proposed Designs Assess the Strengths and Weaknesses of the Proposed Design

Timeline for Project Develop and report a plan for collecting background data – March 7 Discuss preliminary sites assessment – March 21 Preliminary sites assessment report – March 28 Identify and discuss design exemplars – April 4 Preliminary design – April 18