I’m a huge advocate of recycling. I also know making it easier will get more people to recycle. But that convenience shouldn’t come at the expense of walkability. Unfortunately that’s what happened in south St. Louis recently.
Trying to reach Chippewa along Clifton Ave behind Target I encountered a big blue obstacle blocking the sidewalk.I had to go off into the grass to get around the bins. Not all wheelchairs/scooters are as capable. Someone walking with a cane or walker would have trouble walking on the grass.The six recycling bins, oriented to the street, viewed from across Clifton Ave
It wasn’t until this point in writing this post that I realized the dumpsters probably sit on the road most of the time, they likely got moved to the sidewalk while Clifton Ave was being resurfaced. I’m going to verify with city officials to ensure this was only temporary.
Recently I was critical of a proposed big box development along Forest Park Ave, adjacent to the main Saint Louis University campus. My issue isn’t with big box retail stores themselves, my issue is with how big box developments are typically laid out: massive surface parking lots, large blank walls facing public sidewalks, too few pedestrian connections to the outside & internally.
From page 12 of a 2010 Brookings report:
Considering the economic benefits, walkability should be a critical part of all strategic growth plans. The implications of this study cut across the federal and state, metropolitan, and place levels.
Public policy should become more favorable toward walkable placemaking. Currently, many federal and state subsidies substantially favor low-density development and tip the scales against walkable development. Further, many local zoning codes make walkable development illegal, necessitating costly and time-consuming zoning changes with no guarantee of success. Federal, state, and local policy makers should conduct a systematic review of existing public policies that are biased against walkable development, and adopt new measures aimed at facilitating (or at least removing roadblocks to) this type of development.
For their part, local and regional planning agencies should incorporate assessments of walkability into their strategic economic development plans. Planning entities should identify where regional- serving and local-serving walkable urban places exist within a metropolitan area, seek out those places that are positioned to become more walkable, and determine potential locations of future walkable places. This type of assessment will help determine where infrastructure and other built environment improvements are needed. Since high-density walkable urban places seem to account for a small amount of a metropolitan area’s existing land mass, it is probable that the infrastructure cost per dwelling unit or commercial square foot will be a fraction of that of existing low-density drivable suburban infrastructure costs.
At the same time, the apparent supply-demand mismatch for walkable places may be contributing significantly to the price premium these places demand. To the extent that this is the case, the short- and medium-term shortage of walkable places makes them inaccessible (unaffordable) to many people who desire to live in such places. As such, it is important to have an affordable housing strategy in place while those improvements are being implemented. (Walk this Way: The Economic Promise of Walkable Places in Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Christopher B. Leinberger and Mariela Alfonzo)
The proposed “Midtown Station” project would turn its back on both Vandeventer & Forest Park Avenues, which is only marginally acceptable pattern out in suburbia, but unacceptable in an urban context — especially adjacent to a major university.
In searching for alternatives I remembered a project I visited about a decade ago and blogged about in 2005. This development has multiple big box stores including a 2-level Target, a Best Buy, a Sport’s Authority, and a Ross. Smaller size spaces front the sidewalk.
Urban big box development on Northgate in SeattleA Quizno’s fronts onto the Northgate Way sidewalk
This project isn’t located in downtown Seattle either, it’s nearly 8 miles up I-5 (map). The main mode in this part of Seattle is private automobile, but thankfully newer development isn’t geared solely to motorists.
The best local example of rethinking big box development the Market at McKnight in Rock Hill, with a 36,000sf Stein Mart that opened in October 2007. Ok, not exactly a big box, but a big portion of the 130,000sf development.
The Market at McKnight project in Rock Hill is the best local example of providing a more pleasant front along the roadway with big box behindOne story buildings along Manchester Rd give a more urban feel, windows give something for pedestrians to look into as they walk byNo business has a door onto the Manchester sidewalk, but it is pleasant as a pedestrian and motorists can see businesses as they drive by.The businesses actually front the surface parking lotPedestrians have a clear path to reach the Stein Mart on the far side of the development.My window view from The Original Mongolian Grill
The view isn’t great, but the point is there’s a relationship with the sidewalk & street. From inside I could see others going by and they could see me. Instead of creating something active along Forest Park Ave. Midtown Station wants to create something like this:
Back (Clifton Ave) side of the Hampton & Chippewa Target location.
Dreadful anywhere, but especially so close to a college campus and near public transit. Developers have shown there are alternatives to the standard big box project of the last 15-20 years.
Recently I wanted to cross Manchester Rd, state highway 100, at McKnight. I quickly found out doing so is far from ideal in a wheelchair. On the surface it looks good: crosswalks, pedestrian signals, etc. Let me show you one glaring problem I discovered:
Looking north across Manchester at McKnightLooking southwest from the NE corner of Manchester & McKnightClose up of cut out for those crossing McKnight. Attractive, huh?But those trying to cross Manchester are out of luck
Over the last 20+ years three out of the four corners at this intersection have been redeveloped, and Rock Hill has been trying nearly as long on the fourth. Why is this still an issue? Who cut out part? How long ago?
The cutout existed in 2011. I drove this day so I didn’t attempt to cross either McKnight or Manchester
Three possible culprits: Rock Hill, St. Louis County, or most likely, MoDOT. I suspect MoDOT because Manchester Road is Missouri State highway 100. I hope to find out why this wasn’t addresses recently when a gas station replaced the stone Rock Hill church on this corner.
This is part of the problem with having too many entities: municipal, county, & state.
Last month Alderman Scott Ogilvie called Ballpark Village a “total failure”:
“Taxpayers have earned a better project than they have delivered,” Ogilvie tells us. “The city of St. Louis has been a great home for the Cardinals…and this is a place downtown where we could use a great project…. It’s just maddening to see what I would call the total failure of this project. It is completely unacceptable that the citizens of St. Louis have been asked to subsidize two themed bars [and a parking lot].” (Riverfront Times)
It’s too soon to call it a total failure, large undeveloped areas used for parking is par for the course with a multi-phase development. They should’ve planned the site as a phased project from the start, they’d be further along by now. But it is what it is, we must wait to see about the success of the total project.
Looking east from the Stadium West garage on August 27, 2013, the striped walkway appears like an afterthought
In the meantime, I can already say the pedestrian access & circulation is a failure. I got a sense of this back in February when the Phase 1 site plan was released:
Site plan for BPV Phase 1 released 2/8/2013
No internal pedestrian was shown on the drawing, but I knew the final might be more detailed. Might, but it quickly became clear the released site plan was pretty accurate. In fact, what’s built so far isn’t even as good. Let me show you what I mean:
This east-west route should’ve been planned as a sidewalk for the long-term. Instead it was an afterthought.Newly poured walkway connecting new parking to the Clark St sidewalk has a curb instead of a ram.The newly poured sidewalk & curb along Clark ignores crosswalks & ramps to reach Busch StadiumAnother example of ignoring the crosswalk to BuschLooking across Clark at the first crosswalkAnd the second crosswalk leading to a solid curbLooking north from the first building toward 7th Street we cab see no planned route for pedestrians to enter BPV from the north at the centerThe site plan showed a wide sidewalk connecting to 7th Street, but this wasn’t built as the previous image shows. Likely sacrificed to maximize auto parkingPedestrians will be forced to walk over curbs & landscaping or into cars leaving. Total pedestrian failure.In July I noticed the perimeter of BPV wasn’t ADA-compliant. The single ramp is point sorta across Walnut, no ramp for crossing Broadway. This needs a “blended corner” due to high volumes of pedestrians on game days, click image for explanation of a blended corner (PDF).Looking west across Broadway at WalnutLooking south across Walnut
Looking at the above images it may not be obvious to you, but to the various city staff that I emailed in July they quickly knew Cordish would need to redo this corner of BPV. Upon site inspection, one city staffer said; “Everything they’ve done so far is questionable. Many areas are extremely tight. ”
Expect to see these mistakes busted out and corrected. If only Cordish & the Cardinals had taken pedestrian access seriously…
Thankfully GGP was very cooperative from day one, they willingly recognized the access issues I raised and quickly agreed to address them. For the last 18+ months we’ve been working together on a mutually agreeable resolution. GGP and I share a desire to increase accessibility for persons with disabilities.
For those pedestrians arriving at The Galleria via the Richmond Heights MetroLink light rail station, a new pedestrian access route will be completed.
This sidewalk that goes no where will be removed, a sidewalk safely leading pedestrians to the SE corner of Dillard’s will be built. See drawing below.New access route from Brentwood & Galleria Parkway, click image to view full 10-page PDF of construction drawings
Additional pedestrian access routes will be constructed as well.
Again, I’m very pleased to be able to make this announcement.
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