Grantee Research Project Results

Final Report: Smart Growth: Infill Development Along a Multilane Transit Corridor

EPA Grant Number: SU831853
Title: Smart Growth: Infill Development Along a Multilane Transit Corridor
Investigators: Deakin, Elizabeth
Institution: University of California - Berkeley
EPA Project Officer: Page, Angela
Phase: I
Project Period: September 30, 2004 through May 30, 2005
Project Amount: $10,000
RFA: P3 Awards: A National Student Design Competition for Sustainability Focusing on People, Prosperity and the Planet (2004) RFA Text |  Recipients Lists
Research Category: Pollution Prevention/Sustainable Development , P3 Awards , P3 Challenge Area - Sustainable and Healthy Communities , Sustainable and Healthy Communities

Objective:

Urban revitalization and infill development along transit corridors are important smart growth strategies. This project is an urban transportation and land development study designed to support and promote urban revitalization of older, low and moderate income communities along a major urban arterial and transit corridor, San Pablo Avenue in Oakland, Emeryville, Berkeley, Albany, and El Cerrito, CA. The objective is twofold: 1) to establish and test an interdisciplinary approach for developing revitalization and traffic management strategies for complex urban corridors, and 2) for the case being studied, to develop realistic, feasible plans for improved traffic management and transit operations, pedestrian and bike facilities, land use planning and development incentives, and related policies and programs. The research performed in Phase I involved traffic operations and transit operations studies; surveys of transit users, bicyclists, and residents of the study area; interviews with developers, merchants, city officials, and other key stakeholders; analysis of census data; review and evaluation of land use plans and development regulations; urban design studies; and real estate analysis. From these studies we developed recommended transportation and land use changes for the corridor, working with elected officials and staff from the affected communities. The integration of these recommendations into an overall plan (or set of plans) for the corridor is an ongoing task.

Summary/Accomplishments (Outputs/Outcomes):

The assessment of transportation and land use conditions along the corridor found auto-pedestrian conflicts, speeding, inadequate pedestrian lighting, underutilization of transit resources, marginal businesses and empty lots, uneven availability of neighborhood-serving retail, negative spillovers from corridor activities onto adjacent neighborhoods, safety concerns, and inadequate attention to landscaping, property upkeep, and the maintenance of public spaces. Key strategies for change identified for the study corridor include: redesign of portions of the street to include landscaped medians, providing aesthetic, pedestrian safety, and traffic management benefits; adding street trees and other plantings along the length of the street to create a greener space in the city; repairing sidewalks and curb cuts; installing pedestrian-scale lighting throughout the corridor, starting at major development nodes; installing pedestrian bulbouts, zebra striped crossings, and extra lighting at uncontrolled intersections; increasing pedestrian crossing time at signalized intersections; retiming traffic signals using advanced coordination methods and transit-weighted signal timings; reducing speeds through street design and traffic control; providing alternative routes for bicyclists with connections to the avenue from side streets; installing bus queue jumpers to allow buses to bypass congestion; improving bus stops by adding shelters, seating, lighting, and transit information; protecting neighborhood streets from traffic incursions by installing traffic calming devices; focusing pedestrian and transit-oriented development at key intersections that also serve as major transit interchanges; providing incentives for mixed use development with first floor retail and offices and mixed income housing on upper stories at the nodes; extending programs for façade and signage improvements, earthquake retrofit, and other property enhancements to existing transit and pedestrian-oriented businesses; reducing the number of auto repair shops and other car-oriented uses along the avenue; encouraging cafes, neighborhood restaurants, entertainment, and related uses that create night-time activity along the corridor; reducing excessive parking requirements and requiring parking to be placed away from the street frontage; organizing merchants and businesses to support commute alternatives through deep discount transit passes and other programs; developing specific plans for key nodes that will integrate these recommended actions into a single document that has community support and will allow development and revitalization to proceed expeditiously.

Conclusions:

In the first phase, in cooperation with the project advisory committee (elected officials and agency staff from the corridor jurisdictions); we developed and analyzed a variety of strategies for transportation and urban development along the study corridor. There is broad agreement among stakeholders that these strategies should be pursued. Their implementation would reduce auto dependence and allow growth and revitalization to proceed without a worsening of traffic impacts. Some of the recommended improvements (including sidewalk repairs and improvements, median installation plans, and landscaping) have been adopted by participating cities and are underway, as is street repaving. Discussions among the jurisdictions continue on 1) how to put together a final plan (or set of plans for the participating cities); building community support, requiring more analysis of parking and traffic issues associated with new development along the corridor; and finding funding to support the implementation of the plan(s).

Proposed Phase II objectives and strategies:

In Phase II we propose to continue to work with the project advisory committee on ways to implement the proposals that emerged from Phase I. We propose to conduct six substantive tasks. 1) Study the auto ownership and use patterns of the occupants and customers of new developments along the corridor, especially those near transit and in pedestrian-friendly nodes, and recommend appropriate parking requirements. The traffic and parking implications of new development are a major issue in discussions about revitalization of the corridor, and new data and analysis are needed to inform the discussions. 2) Develop a strategy to encourage more transit use by residents and employees in the corridor, and in particular to improve the affordability of transit to low income residents and workers. Underutilization of transit resources may in part call for better regional connections to corridor services. Transit pricing and funding strategies to keep services affordable are important equity and quality of life issues. 3) Work with local government on specific plans for nodes, incorporating and integrating the transportation and land use strategies recommended for the corridor. Specific plan development can be the basis for building community agreement that can allow development and revitalization to proceed more expeditiously. 4) Work with the advisory team to develop funding strategies for the proposed improvements. 5) Estimate the mode shifts toward walking and transit that can be expected from implementation of the proposed courses of action, and calculate implications for emissions, noise, and other key traffic impacts. 6) Organize workshops and focus groups on the findings of the study in cooperation with the advisory team, increasing public involvement in the process.

Journal Articles:

No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 5 publications for this project

Supplemental Keywords:

transportation, infill development, transit corridors, urban revitalization, pedestrians, traffic management, modeling, simulation,, Sustainable Industry/Business, RFA, Scientific Discipline, Technology for Sustainable Environment, Sustainable Environment, Urban and Regional Planning, Environmental Engineering, community based, environmentally friendly infill development, sustainable urban redevelopment, ecological design, environmental sustainability, green design, sustainable urban environment, collaborative urban planning, transitway development, environmentally conscious design, environmental conscious construction

Relevant Websites:

www.uctc.net/sanpablo Exit