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Recent Book — “Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It” by M. Nolan Gray

November 11, 2022 Books, Featured, Zoning Comments Off on Recent Book — “Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It” by M. Nolan Gray

Over a century ago a new idea called “zoning” began, intended to guide cities to grow in a less chaotic manner than they had until then. Reality, however, was very different. It’s time to let go, change.

book cover

A recently published book explains the why & how.

What if scrapping one flawed policy could bring US cities closer to addressing debilitating housing shortages, stunted growth and innovation, persistent racial and economic segregation, and car-dependent development?

It’s time for America to move beyond zoning, argues city planner M. Nolan Gray in Arbitrary Lines: How Zoning Broke the American City and How to Fix It. With lively explanations and stories, Gray shows why zoning abolition is a necessary—if not sufficient—condition for building more affordable, vibrant, equitable, and sustainable cities.

The arbitrary lines of zoning maps across the country have come to dictate where Americans may live and work, forcing cities into a pattern of growth that is segregated and sprawling.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be this way. Reform is in the air, with cities and states across the country critically reevaluating zoning. In cities as diverse as Minneapolis, Fayetteville, and Hartford, the key pillars of zoning are under fire, with apartment bans being scrapped, minimum lot sizes dropping, and off-street parking requirements disappearing altogether. Some American cities—including Houston, America’s fourth-largest city—already make land-use planning work without zoning.

In Arbitrary Lines, Gray lays the groundwork for this ambitious cause by clearing up common confusions and myths about how American cities regulate growth and examining the major contemporary critiques of zoning. Gray sets out some of the efforts currently underway to reform zoning and charts how land-use regulation might work in the post-zoning American city.

Despite mounting interest, no single book has pulled these threads together for a popular audience. In Arbitrary Lines, Gray fills this gap by showing how zoning has failed to address even our most basic concerns about urban growth over the past century, and how we can think about a new way of planning a more affordable, prosperous, equitable, and sustainable American city. (Island Press)

St. Louis’ first city planner, Harland Bartholomew, a civil engineer, was big on zoning. His planning firm unfortunately helped hundreds of municipalities adopt zoning laws — including in St. Louis. This form of zoning is known now as used-based zoning based on how it separates everything into separate pods. No longer can a business owner build a new building with their apartment over their store — these uses must be separate. No longer can a 2-family residential building be near single-family detached houses — these must be separate.

The latter ended up being a way of keeping immigrant/people of color communities separated from white folks — because whites shouldn’t be subjected to living near anyone different than themselves.  Idyllic new suburbs, in their mind, meant all white — except for servants, of course.  This attitude wasn’t limited to just the Jim Crow south, northern cities joined in this more subtle form of housing discrimination.

The St. Louis region is a prime example — it’s one reason why we have so many tiny municipalities. Going forward we must change the status quo, otherwise the entire region will continue to suffer.

Gray’s book will help you understand the problems & solutions.

— Steve Patterson

 

I’m Now More Optimistic (Less Pesemistic?) About The Next NGA West Campus

October 18, 2022 Featured, Neighborhoods, North City, Planning & Design Comments Off on I’m Now More Optimistic (Less Pesemistic?) About The Next NGA West Campus

A decade ago the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), located near Anheuser-Busch brewery, announced it intended to build a new campus. If you’re not familiar with the NGA here’s how they describe themselves:

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) delivers world-class geospatial intelligence that provides a decisive advantage to policymakers, military service members, intelligence professionals and first responders. 

Anyone who sails a U.S. ship, flies a U.S. aircraft, makes national policy decisions, fights wars, locates targets, responds to natural disasters, or even navigates with a cellphone relies on NGA. (NGA)

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The NGA site is a big chunk of the St. Louis Place neighborhood. The latest documents call it 97 acres, not 99 on this image used in a prior post.

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I just couldn’t see how building a large high security military facility was going to be a positive for the immediate area — people would drive in for work, maybe drive out for lunch, then drive home at night. Having seen the secure entrance to their current facility numerous times it’s not welcoming, nor pedestrian oriented.

Current NGA entrance, 2015

This February 2016 concept was prior to the final decision of the St. Louis Place site in April 2016

In the concept above we see structures in the center of the site, not edges — for security. In the very center is 7 separate buildings, with a parking garage to the north & south (left & right). If you’ve been watching the construction taking place you know NGA’s actual design is different than St. Louis’ concept rendering. Again, the concept above was part of the successful St. Louis effort to have the site at Jefferson & Cass selected.

Construction of a parking garage in September 2021, as seen from the #04 Metrobus

Last month us residents participating in the process to create new plans for the 6 neighborhoods around NGA (St. Louis Place, Old North, Hyde Park, JeffVanderLou, Carr Square, and Columbus Square) were invited on site for an open house.

The open house was at Gate 3, off of Cass Ave. There was a presentation in the parking area, then we got to go up into the viewing tower on the right for a better view. Yes, I slowly walked up the flight of steps.

Photography & video were not allowed, but we were given a site plan for the actual design. To my knowledge this is the first site plan the public has seen of this project.

Site plan distributed last month, click image to see a larger version.

Finally seeing what the NGA is actually building gives my some hope that it can potentially have a positive impact on the trajectory of North St. Louis. My concern had been this becoming a big barrier, especially once the intact street grid was erased. Well, it’s still a barrier but the employees within the grounds will have opportunities to come & go relatively easily as pedestrians. Hopefully this will translate to businesses east, south, and west of the site.

I was also concerned about a line of cars on Jefferson Ave to enter the site.

There will be two “Access control points” for those driving to work — one in the NW & SE corners of the site. Each has a curved drive to give cars room to queue up without blocking through traffic on Parnell or 22nd. This design also means vehicles can’t get a good straight run at trying to crash through the gate.  All cars entering the facility are examined, especially for explosives.

The inspection facility in the NW corner will allow trucks with deliveries to unload and leave out the alley on the north. Items will be inspected before being loaded onto a secure truck for delivery to the main building.

You can see a sidewalk out to Jefferson. The SW corner of the site is the intersection of Jefferson & Cass avenues. The security fencing will be set way back from Cass to allow a corner park/plaza space and visitor parking. A park that’s not behind a security fence? They’ll allow visitors?

A visitor’s center will be adjacent to the visitor parking. This center is where guests will go through security. Apparently the main building is compartmentalized such that visitors can be allowed in part without risking security in the remainder. It will have an outdoor courtyard in the center of the building.

The SE corner of the site (22nd & Cass) is the other access control point — accessed via 22nd Street, not Cass Ave. Along 22nd Street is where I hope to see businesses in the existing buildings, or maybe urban new construction. Perhaps places workers see driving in/out so they decide to walk to them at lunch.

I think 22nd & Cass will likely become a signalized intersection, possibly another at the other access point.  I use the #32 bus along Cass Ave at times so I’m curious about the nearest bus stop to Jefferson — right now the westbound bus stop is before 22nd Street, so a long distance from Jefferson. No bus stops are shown on the site plan. Across Cass Ave to the south is the mostly vacant former Pruitt-Igoe site. How this gets developed will determine the long-term success of the area. I hope we don’t get a free-standing Starbucks with or without a drive-thru.  A coffeehouse on the ground floor of a multi-story building on the SE corner of Cass & Jefferson would be great.

Knowing NGA employees can get in/out of the site pretty easy as a pedestrian is encouraging.  The construction will be finished in 2025, the NGA expects to relocate to this new facility in 2026.

— Steve Patterson

 

New Book — “Build Beyond Zero: New Ideas for Carbon-Smart Architecture” by Bruce King and Chris Magwood

September 23, 2022 Books, Environment, Featured, Planning & Design Comments Off on New Book — “Build Beyond Zero: New Ideas for Carbon-Smart Architecture” by Bruce King and Chris Magwood

With all the talk of electric vehicles it’s easy to forget that buildings are a major contributor toward climate change. Building low or neutral carbon buildings has been the goal for a long time, now a new book is proposing going even further:

“Net Zero” has been an effective rallying cry for the green building movement, signaling a goal of having every building generate at least as much energy as it uses. Enormous strides have been made in improving the performance of every type of new building, and even more importantly, renovating the vast and energy-inefficient collection of existing buildings in every country. If we can get every building to net-zero energy use in the next few decades, it will be a huge success, but it will not be enough.  
 
In Build Beyond Zero, carbon pioneers Bruce King and Chris Magwood re-envision buildings as one of our most practical and affordable climate solutions instead of leading drivers of climate change. They provide a snapshot of a beginning and map towards a carbon-smart built environment that acts as a CO2 filter. Professional engineers, designers, and developers are invited to imagine the very real potential for our built environment to be a site of net carbon storage, a massive drawdown pool that could help to heal our climate.
 
The authors, with the help of other industry experts, show the importance of examining what components of an efficient building (from windows to solar photovoltaics) are made with, and how the supply chains deliver all those products and materials to a jobsite. Build Beyond Zero looks at the good and the bad of how we track carbon (Life Cycle Assessment), then takes a deep dive into materials (with a focus on steel and concrete) and biological architecture, and wraps up with education, policy and governance, circular economy, and where we go in the next three decades. 
 
In Build Beyond Zero, King and Magwood show how buildings are culprits but stand poised to act as climate healers. They offer an exciting vision of climate-friendly architecture, along with practical advice for professionals working to address the carbon footprint of our built environment. (Island Press)

We need as many “climate healers” as we can get! Like so many books this is highly detailed and technical. So here’s the chapters so you can see how they present their arguments:

  • Chapter 1: The Story of Carbon: The Birth of the Universe, of Carbon, and of Life
  • Chapter 2: A Brief History of Green Building: Waking Up to Climate Emergency
    Box 2.1: The Existing Building Solution by Larry Strain
  • Chapter 3: Life Cycle Analysis: Tracking Carbon’s Stocks and Flows
  • Chapter 4: Metals and Minerals: Steeling Ourselves
  • Chapter 5: Concrete: Many Ways to Make a Rock
    Box 5.1: Asphalt: the Other Concrete
    Box 5.2: The Case for Modern Earthen Building by Lola Ben Alon
    Box 5.3: Human Health is Climate Health by Gayatri Datar
    Box 5.4: Entering the Market as an Earth Block Producer by Lisa Morey
    Box 5.5: Can We Grow Carbon-Storing Buildings? by Wil Srubar
  • Chapter 6: Biological Architecture: Wood and Mass Timber, Agricultural By-Products, Purpose- Grown Crops, Waste Stream Fibers, and Lab-Grown Materials
    Box 6.1: Landscape: Connecting the Carbon Conversation by Pamela Conrad
  • Chapter 7: Witches’ Brew: Plastics, Chemistry, and Carbon
  • Chapter 8: Construction: On Site and Under Zero
  • Chapter 9: Education: We All Need Schooling to Make This Possible
  • Chapter 10: Circular Economy: Extending the Lifespan of Captured Carbon
  • Chapter 11: Policy and Governance: Twenty-first Century Cat Herding
  • Chapter 12: A Just Transition: Building a Better Society Means More than Capturing Carbon
    Box 12.1: A Manifesto for the Pivotal Decade by Ann Edminster
  • Chapter 13: The Next Three Decades: Where Do We Go from Here?  15 by 50
    Box 13.1 Case study, Trent University’s Forensic Science Building
  • Chapter 14: What’s Next? Wow. Just, wow.

I can’t say they’ve hit on the right solution, but those making building decisions (architects, developers, code officials, etc) should give this a serious review. If you’re planning new construction or a major renovation project these ideas might also be good food for thought.

— Steve Patterson

 

Rethinking Interstate 64 (aka U.S. 40) In Midtown St. Louis, Between Compton & Grand

August 15, 2022 Accessibility, Featured, Midtown, Planning & Design, Transportation, Walkability Comments Off on Rethinking Interstate 64 (aka U.S. 40) In Midtown St. Louis, Between Compton & Grand

Regular readers know I have a strong dislike of the interstate highways that were forced through existing dense urban neighborhoods, destroying social networks and dividing neighborhoods. So it’s no surprise I’ve thought about I-64 in Midtown St. Louis for decades.

Aerial of the vast area immediately west of Compton. Source: Apple Maps. Click image to view area in Google Maps.

It was August 2021 when I learned MoDOT would be undertaking the huge task of rethinking the stretch of I-64 between Jefferson and Kingshighway.  Nine months later, in May 2022, the Future 64 planning project finally went public:

The I-64 Corridor between Kingshighway and Jefferson is an essential route for homes, schools, and businesses. The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) is working with the community to determine the future of the corridor in terms of needs and desired outcomes. Before MoDOT makes any improvements to the corridor corridor, it will evaluate the existing conditions of roadways, interchanges, surface streets, and bicycle/pedestrian access.   

The method the department is using is formally known as a Planning and Environmental Linkages study or PEL. This PEL study will look at the potential impact future projects will have on the environment, the community, and connectivity in the area. MoDOT is conducting the PEL now so when funding is identified for corridor projects, construction can begin sooner.

The PEL study for the I-64 central corridor is called: Future64: Community. Transportation. Together. The title reflects the importance of public engagement and community involvement in this process. As a result, this study will incorporate ongoing engagement that is equitable and inclusive to help ensure that a wide range and extensive number of voices are heard, and that equity is the focus of proposed solutions. (MoDOT/Future64)

Typically MoDOT doesn’t take the time to rethink, they just replace what was there. Example: the South Broadway bridge over I-44 downtown being replaced without any pedestrian sidewalk (see This Is Our Chance To Reconnect Two Neighborhoods Long Separated By Highways).

So this planning effort is an important milestone.

After the project went public some immediately began posting their ideas, but I’m a little slower in both my analysis and presentation.  Now, a year after I began thinking about specifics, I’m ready to share what I’ve come up with — and why.

First we need to look back at what the area looked like pre-interstate. In February 1909 if you were heading west on Market and reached Jefferson the main road bent to the left but became Laclede. Market west of Jefferson was a minor residential street. Between Beaumont & Leffingwell the road split again, with Laclede continuing ahead and Manchester off to the left. To repeat: Market briefly became Laclede, which split off to Manchester at a diagonal. Yes, Manchester used to run at a diagonal heading through what later became known as Mill Creek Valley toward downtown.

From the February 1909 Sanborn map we see Manchester, not Market, intersecting with Compton. Click image to see the full page view on the University of Missouri digital library website.

Go ahead, look at a map and visually draw a line between Manchester & Vandeventer and Compton & Market. Because of the many rail lines Manchester wouldn’t have been a straight line, it would have bent to the north of them. My point is a century ago streets continued uninterrupted, but highways/interstates (and industrialization) radically altered the landscape to make life easier for those behind the wheel of those noisy new horseless carriages (shaking cane). It’s possible the Manchester  connection was severed prior to the highway but I didn’t want to further delay this post while searching the Post-Dispatch archives for the answer.

It’s a given that I-64/U.S. 40 will not be removed, or buried in a big dig. What is happening now will determine how it looks and functions for the next 50-70 years. Next we need to list and look at what I see as the problems to solve by changing how the highway and interchanges are currently configured.

  • Large amount of land used, wasted
  • Pedestrian & bicycle navigation of area is challenging, nearly impossible, the local street network decimated
  • Driving the area is also challenging, with awkward & confusing on/off ramps

Looking west northwest from Compton & Spruce…if only I had a drone to get video/aerial photos

The Grand exit from eastbound I-64 may have made since in the 1950s/60s but not today

After a right right turn back drivers that exited eastbound I-64 are facing west at Grand

Okay, here’s my proposed solution.

Below I’ll look at this in two sections. Click image to view larger version.

Key:

  • Yellow: existing streets
  • Green: new or revised streets
  • Red: interstate
  • Purple: existing ramp
  • Orange: new on/off ramps
  • Light blue:

Let’s start on the left/west side.

The biggest change from the left is the awkward existing Grand exit from eastbound I-64 has been replaced by a more conventional ramp. Drivers would be going up as they exited, but that would help them slow down. With the current ramp gone the building right at Grand & I-64 could be incorporated into a new development on reclaimed land. I’d also bring Forest Park Ave up to grade at Grand for a more conventional intersection.

The new exit would come up to Grand, the light could be moved. If the elevated section is completely replaced it would make this easier. The new eastbound exit would be similar to the one at 14th — just up instead of down.

Removing the current exit would free up a lot of land that can be used for new construction near the Grand MetroLink station and the heavily used #70 Grand MetroBus.

With Forest Park ducking under Grand the intersection on top is awkward for drivers, bicyclists, and pedestrians. As with Forest Park & Kingshighway, this intersection needs to be at grade and conventional.

Ok, lets move down to the big area to the east.

It makes sense to continue to allow interstate drivers in both directions an exit in this area. but it can be accomplished in a far more compact manner.  Specifics below.

The two green circles are roundabouts. Market Street could continue into the center of the newly developed area. Ideally 5+ story building would be built as a terminus to the view when heading west on Market. A new north-south connection through the new development would allow access to Spruce Street and the other parts south of I-64. The eastbound lanes of I-64 would need to be shifted north to give room for the on/off ramps at roundabout at Compton & Spruce. The westbound lanes of I-64 can shift south to free up land for development.

I’m not a traffic/civil engineer so I might not have sufficient room for say acceleration/deceleration on on/off ramps or some other detail, but I think this accomplishes the job of fixing the current problems. It gives more room for development, and increases connections for all modes of travel.

I’d love to see the new development include a variety of residential price points from low income to top market rates, parking available at a rate of less than one space per dwelling unit. It shouldn’t all be expensive housing geared toward college students. Other uses include office, retail, small manufacturing, perhaps business incubator space, etc.

I don’t know that I’ll live long enough to see any changes, but hopefully these ideas will be helpful to the process.

— Steve Patterson

 

Potential North-South & County Light Rail Line Should Include ‘Green Track’

June 30, 2022 Environment, Featured, North City, Planning & Design, Public Transit, Transportation Comments Off on Potential North-South & County Light Rail Line Should Include ‘Green Track’

No, I don’t want the rails to be painted green. Instead I want the space between the rails to be green with vegetation, where possible.

Why? Aesthetics, cooler temperatures, management of stormwater runoff, etc.

Pre-Katrina you could see natural green track in New Orleans LA, April 2004

Green track isn’t limited to only historic lines, it’s increasingly common in Europe with some limited use in North America.

Over more than 6 (six) decades Green Tracks are popular through out Europe in dense urban areas. They are a fantastic tool to mitigate stormwater issues, to reduce noise and certainly to beautify their integration. Green light rail tracks demonstrate environmental responsibility and they value their customers by making things nice, green and beautiful. Today there are over 500 miles of Green light-rail tracks in Europe.

The living green layers within and around the tracks reduces the noiseand absorbs stormwater. Thus, reducing combined sewer overflow. Modern track systems are typically Ballastless Tracks or Slab Track systems. Basically, a traditional elastic combination of ties/sleepers and ballast is replaced by a rigid construction of concrete or asphalt. Because such systems are ideal for greenery, it is even possible to create additional stormwater retention and detention from surrounding impervious areas with the system.

Already, in 1995 Green Roof Technology filed patents for greening systems on Ballastless Track systems. Currently there are around 300 miles of green tracks in Germany alone. As a result, these tracks eliminate at least 150,000 gallons of water per years from entering the combined sewer system.

In North America, Baltimore started with some experimental Green Light-rail Tracks in 2011 insisting on Sedum mats. The testing was less promising because Sedum mono-cultures are not a good choice for most green light-rail track system. Unfortunately the advice from Green Roof Technology using a smart mixtures of grasses, herbs and wildflowers was not heard. Some call it learning by doing – well – they just don’t do it. (Green Roof Technology).

Typically rails are supported by ballasts, treated wood or concrete pieces set into the ground perpendicular to the rail. Our original 1993 light rail line used wood ballast, the 2006 Shrewsbury extension (aka Blue) line was constructed with longer-lasting concrete ballasts.

Our current lines are Red & Blue so naturally I’d like this new line to be the Green Line. Green track for the Green Line!

It can’t be everywhere, but in many places it can be. A lot of the new line would be in the center of Natural Bridge, which recently went through a quick traffic calming project that reduced vehicle travel lanes to one per direction. Adjacent to Fairgrounds Park the center is green — would be greener if not on top of asphalt.

Looking east toward Grand

Looking west from the same location.

I think the green looks nice, helps keep the area slightly cooler.

While we’re on the subject of alternatives to impervious concrete, another would be water — yes, wet track! Rail going through a fountain…

Not sure if or where this might work, but I think it’s very interesting. Perhaps on Jefferson near the stop near Olive or Market? Guests in new hotels could look down from their rooms and see transit & water converge.

I’d just like us to consider something other than boring ordinary impervious paving.

— Steve Patterson

 

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