Chapter 6 – City Design Project

There are 7 selections in this part of the volume organised in 2 groups:

1. Projects in the Boston area.

The following 2 Groups Focuses on:

1.Government centre and the water front, Boston.

2.Revitalization plan for Columbia point.
3.Planning principles
4. Public Safety, Health and Comfort.
2. The small towns of gay head cliff.
5.University Circle Area Planning.
6. The Rio Salado Development Plan.

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

1. Government Center and the water front, Boston
In the Government center plan the
old market area & Scollay Square
(was a vibrant city square in
downtown Boston) were studied as
Government Service Center - 1960 Government Service Center - 2010
a site for a new government center.

Major Goals

1. To preserve and renovate historic sites and

monuments in the area and to create a new
civic square.
2. There was also a desire to improve the
functioning and the economy of the districts.
Scollay Square

Fanewil Hall Quincy Market Durgin Park Restaurant Hencock House

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

 Problems in planning :

- Lynch had pointed several structural problems in the area of Boston i.e.

• People had difficulty imagining the connection between downtown, The west
side and the water front, Probably because the street pattern was so circuitous &
there was no intervisibility between the districts.

Down Town Boston The West Side Water Front

Solution:

The plan strengthens the visual & functional structure of the districts in several
ways. The old tangled web of streets is simplified, providing improved
vehicular connectons between downtown, west end and north station.

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

Water front Planning principles

-The water front plan was proposed at a crucial

time in the history of the water front.
-Boston chamber of commerce commissioned a
study to examine ways of redeveloping the
water front.
- One major goal of the planning was to make
the water front more accessible for public
recreation and enjoyment, another was the
creation of new open space on the water front by
keeping in mind the preservation of the old
wharf building.

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

 The Governmental Zone
The Basic Concept of governmental zone was that it was lying between school, street
and public square so that it be the general locus of the major public buildings. These
private uses would draw on the trade of the governmental center, replace the taxable
values eliminated by its construction, and give the area the life and movement that
purely official zone often lacks.

The Conservation Area

Hanover Street New Congress Street Central Artery

- The area lying between Hanover Street, New Congress street, The back side of state
street and central Artery has been designed as Conservation Area.

- It was a tourist attraction space with colourfull market, food and drug stores, fine
restaurants etc.

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

Community Revitalization Plan for Columbia Point
- Lynch dealt with ways of improving ill
designed low income public housing
development which were in miserable
condition in Columbia.
- The Columbian point resident development
was a basic goal of which was to guarantee
decent and affordable housing.
- Columbia point was englands largest public
housing development.

Planning Principles Includes

1. A predominantly low Rise Family Oriented community.
2. No separate areas by income or racial group.
3. No Distinct separate areas of development.
4. No sharp visible differentiation between old and new Buildings.
5. A Single, connected circulation system.
6. A continuous & Ample flow of open spaces.
7. Appropriately located community Facilities & Services.

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

 Boston Tomorrow : Draft Development Policies

Policies proposed in Boston for better tomorrow:

1. Maintain & Strengthen district & neighbourhood character.

2. Maintain the human scale of Boston.
3. Establish and maintain connections among parts of central Boston.
4. Preserve a sense of continuity with the post within a context that allows for
change.
5. Encourage visible human activity along the street and street frontage.

Boston 1975 Boston 2005

Description: Land Use in 1975
Originally from the 1960s
General plan, each color
represents a land use category.
This map was the graphic
representation of all major
land use policies and
recommendation set forth in
the 1975
Description: Land Use in 2005
Data Source: MassGIS 2005,
The Sanborn Company
This Map was created using
digital data in a geographic
Information System (GIS)

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

Public Safety, Health & Comfort

1. Ensure sunlight in the public ways and spaces & adequate daylight and views of
the sky along the city streets.
2. Prevent heavy winds in the public areas but ensure that light prevailing winds and
sea breezes are not blocked.
3. Prohibit undue noise in the public environment.
4. Reduse air pollution, particularly that generated by construction activity &
vehicular traffic.
5. Ensure that the public environment provides adequate seating, shelter from wind &
rain and toilet facilities.
6. Enhance existing open spaces & create.

Access
1. Minimize vehicular traffic & congestion
2. Improve access by public transit
3. Make pedestrian access easy, direct & inviting.
4. Facilitates access for bicyclists.

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

 The Rio Salado Development Plan
Regional Plan

- This project was the last major professional involvement of Kevin Lynch.
- His firm was retained to prepare a development plan for the flood plains of the
salt river.
CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN
 Site Information : Public and Private

The red line above highlights full scope of work under consideration. Area east of Rural Road added for review of connections to new
private development projects. Of in this diagram are the light yellow and orange areas representing public and private ownership of
property, respectively. Rio Salado Park is seen as a shared resource with opportunities to create productive relationships between
commercial amenities and recreational open space. Multiple exist with availability of acreage for open nature/gathering space
combined adjacent to vibrant urban fabric.

Area is dry most of the time, this barren and neglected wasteland undergoes periodic
flooding

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

 Site Utilities and Infrastructure : Exisitng Network

Understanding Tempe Town Lake from a practical perspective allows new development to work within favorable conditions, with
awareness of resources and limits. This diagram shows infrastructure for water, power, and public transit, as well as restrictive
delineations for and erosion control. The Masterplan takes these into account as form-givers for both type of use and character of park
additions. Creative additions are most likely if built with the of these requirements or in service to further protection of the resour

Major focus was to prevent flooding and develop river corredors.

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN

 Site Opportunities : Hidden Treasure

The original vision is underway. As the adjacent urban fabric becomes dense and dynamic, the river bank will continue to grow in Rio
Salado Park has entered the imagination of countless patrons: artists, athletes, nature lovers, academics and entrepreneurs-all in
service to Tempe and the betterment of the public realm. The combination of public will, available land and a climate of collaboration
sets the stage for diverse, passionate and rapid development. The Masterplan offers a cohesive template to clarify and unite
development over time.

This astonishing redirection of the Rio Salado will draw vigorous new development to
its edges. It also shows how the careful use & reuse of water in an arid land.

CITY SENSE AND CITY DESIGN