Salem Undercrossing Study

Salem Undercrossing Study
ARCH 431/531 • Community Design • Michael Fifield • Winter 2015
Spencer Emerick
Masters of Architecture
Monique Figueroa
Bachelors of Architecture
Bjorn Griepenburg Masters of Community and Regional Planning
Kinsey Johnson
Bachelors in Product Design
Joseph Merrill
Bachelors of Architecture
Jenna Mogstad
Bachelors of Interior Architecture
Ross Peizer
Masters of Community and Regional Planning
Efrain Vergara
Masters of Architecture
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Acknowledgments
The authors wish to acknowledge and thank the City of Salem for making this project possible. Specifically, we would
like to thank the following City Staff for their assistance and contributions that were vital to the completion of this report.
Annie Gorski – Senior Project Manager, Urban Development
Tory Banford – Management Analyst, Urban Development
Julie Warnke – Public Works
Courtney Busch – Strategic Initiatives Manager
Eunice Kim – Planner
We would also like to acknowledge Professor Michael Fifield for his instruction and guidance both in this Community
Design course and on the project. Thanks to both Michael and SCI for partnering the course and the Salem project.
We appreciated the chance to work on a truly multi-disciplinary team for this project.
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About SCI
The Sustainable Cities Initiative (SCI) is a cross-disciplinary organization at the University of Oregon that promotes
education, service, public outreach, and research on the design and development of sustainable cities. We are
redefining higher education for the public good and catalyzing community change toward sustainability. Our work
addresses sustainability at multiple scales and emerges from the conviction that creating the sustainable city cannot
happen within any single discipline. SCI is grounded in cross-disciplinary engagement as the key strategy for improving
community sustainability. Our work connects student energy, faculty experience, and community needs to produce
innovative, tangible solutions for the creation of a sustainable society.
About SCYP
The Sustainable City Year Program (SCYP) is a year-long partnership between SCI and one city in Oregon, in which
students and faculty in courses from across the university collaborate with the partner city on sustainability and
livability projects. SCYP faculty and students work in collaboration with staff from the partner city through a variety of
studio projects and service-learning courses to provide students with real-world projects to investigate. Students bring
energy, enthusiasm, and innovative approaches to difficult, persistent problems. SCYP’s primary value derives from
collaborations resulting in on-the-ground impact and expanded conversations for a community ready to transition to a
more sustainable and livable future. SCY 2011-12 includes courses in Architecture; Arts and Administration; Business;
Economics; Journalism; Landscape Architecture; Law; Oregon Leadership in Sustainability; and Planning, Public
Policy, and Management.
SCI Directors and Staff
Marc Schlossberg, SCI Co-Director and Associate Professor of Planning, Public Policy, and Management
Nico Larco, SCI Co-Director and Associate Professor of Architecture
Bob Choquette, SCY Program Manager
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About Salem, Oregon
Salem, the capital city of Oregon and its third largest city (population 157,000, with 383,000 residents in the metropolitan
area), lies in the center of the lush Willamette River valley, 47 miles from Portland. Salem is located an hour from the
Cascade mountains to the east and ocean beaches to the west. Thriving businesses abound in Salem and benefit
from economic diversity. The downtown has been recognized as one of the region’s most vital retail centers for a
community of its size. Salem has retained its vital core and continues to be supported by strong and vibrant historic
neighborhoods, the campus-like Capitol Mall, Salem Regional Hospital, and Willamette University. Salem offers a wide
array of restaurants, hotels, and tourist attractions, ranging from historic sites and museums to events that appeal to
a wide variety of interests. 1,869 acres of park land invite residents and visitors alike to enjoy the outdoors.
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Table of Contents
Executive Summary ........................................................................................... Page 8
Project Introduction ............................................................................................ Page 9
Context, Plans, & Policies
Context ............................................................................................................. Page13
Supporting Plans and Policies ......................................................................... Page 15
Case Studies and Lessons Learned
Why Public Spaces Fail/Are Successful ........................................................... Page 21
Elements Matrix ............................................................................................... Page 25
Fourth Avenue Undercrossing Case Study ...................................................... Page 26
Greenbelt Undercrossing Case Study ............................................................. Page 28
18th Street Railroad Undercrossing Case Study ............................................. Page 30
Lincoln Corridor Undercrossing Case Study .................................................... Page 32
Homer Avenue Caltrain Undercrossing Case Study ........................................ Page 34
Redesign Conceptual Renderings
Incorporating History into Undercrossing Design ............................................. Page 38
Aspirations and Character ............................................................................... Page 40
Second Street Woonerf Concept ...................................................................... Page 41
Design Master Plan .......................................................................................... Page 42
Park Space Rendering ..................................................................................... Page 43
Undercrossing Rendering ................................................................................ Page 44
Multi-use Pathway Rendering .......................................................................... Page 45
Street Cross Section ........................................................................................ Page 46
Potential Business Suggestions ....................................................................... Page 47
Conclusion
Conclusion ....................................................................................................... Page 50
Sources
Sources ............................................................................................................ Page 54
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Executive Summary
Under the direction of Professor Michael Fifield, a multi-disciplinary team of eight students in the University of
Oregon Department of Architecture and Allied Arts Community Design course reviewed and examined plans for an
undercrossing in West Salem. Their task was to come up with recommendations for a future connection between 2nd
Street NW and the Union Street Railroad Bridge Path that would function as a strong destination and key node.
The following report cites relevant policies and plans that support the project and its importance. Research on the
functionality of public spaces—and in particular, undercrossings—inform the possibilities. Included in the lessons
learned are elements that make public spaces both successful and unsuccessful.
Ultimately, the renderings presented in this project convey the careful consideration of design elements—such as
materials, street dimensions, landscaping, and lighting, to name a few—that create a successful underpass and, more
importantly, catalyze development in an emerging neighborhood.
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Project Introduction
In the winter term of 2015, undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Oregon developed plans for
how to make a future undercrossing in West Salem both a functional and desirable place that can help revitalize a
transforming industrial part of town.
West Salem has a unique history and is making plans to hopefully become the natural extension from downtown
Salem. Some current obstacles in connecting West Salem are busy roads including Wallace Road. The Union Street
Bridge path currently dead ends at Wallace and people walking and bicycling are left abandoned by the network.
Creating an undercrossing at Wallace makes sense as the west side of Wallace is transitioning from industrial uses
to possibly more “craft industrial” which would attract people to new shops and restaurants. A undercrossing is not
always seen as a desirable or welcoming feature of a city.
The following report addresses ways that an undercrossing can actually be a desirable place that welcomes people
to a neighborhood. The report features case studies of successful undercrossings and the elements that make public
spaces both successful and unsuccessful.
The conceptual renderings represent original student work based on the specifics of the future undercrossing provided
by Salem staff and consultants working on the project. The renderings aim to show what the undercrossing could look
like and help alleviate concerns of a dark and scary place. This undercrossing has potential to provide a new sense
of place in West Salem while also incorporating elements of West Salem’s history and providing a much needed
connection especially for people walking and bicycling.
This undercrossing in Salem, OR, demonstrates common design
issues that make people weary of marginal spaces. The case studies
outlined serve as exemplary projects and will help inform and build
community support for the conceptual design of a new undercrossing
in West Salem.
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