Background

Lyman Place is a three-block street that has been closed to traffic in the summers for the past 34 years. The initiative was started by Hetty Fox, now seventy–three, when she moved back to the neighborhood in the Bronx where she had spent her childhood. Growing up there, she had learned to ride her bike on the block, and had played games and learned about conversation, confidence and respect. She wanted to give the same opportunity to current and future generations of kids.

It was not easy in the beginning. A vegetable garden in a vacant lot soon became a garbage-strewn lot, and funds for running a summer play street were always short. Initially the street stayed closed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. so parents could play with their children when they came home from work. During the last 11 years, police have directed that the closure cannot go beyond 5 p.m. in response to the crime and drug dealing in the greater neighborhood. Hetty Fox believes that keeping the street closed to traffic and allowing people to hang out actually discourages those kinds of activities.

Today the money situation remains difficult, Fox is dependent on grants and donations to fund supplies for the program. However, a second generation of children now run and play on the street–a testament to the need for such places in some of our most difficult neighborhoods.

Lessons Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Allows play to happen on the entire street.
• Creates a sense of real and perceived safety.
• Increases public space for children, families and the community.

Potential Issues:

• Address the lack of funding for organizing the play street.
• Work with police interference regarding activities and street closures.

Background

The British Home Zone Program developed from the Dutch “woonerf” concept. Key design features include level carriageways and shared surfaces. Alongside other landscaping and traffic calming measures, these serve to slow down vehicles, open up road space and create a place suitable for social uses in which the driver feels like a guest. Like the woonerf, Home Zones incorporate both formal and informal space for children’s play and social activities. In 1999 the British Government funded a pilot program in nine communities in England and Wales, which led to a £30 million Home Zone Challenge program and funding for 59 additional schemes in 2001.

Most streets designated as Home Zones have been existing streets that have been retrofitted. Physical design varies widely: “Designs tend to lie somewhere along a continuum from – at one end – a woonerf-style treatment involving level carriageways, shared surfaces and widespread use of visual and physical elements that break up drivers’ sight lines, to – at the other – conventional traffic calming, though with higher quality materials and greater use of soft landscaping than is usual in the UK (Gill 2006).” Overall, final designs are heavily influenced by and responsive to community input, which is seen as crucial for gaining local support.

The UK Department for Transport’s website (2005a) gives the following definition of a home zone: Home Zones are residential streets in which the road space is shared between drivers of motor vehicles and other road users, with the wider needs of residents (including people who walk and cycle, and children) in mind. The aim is to change the way that streets are used and to improve quality of life, by making them places for people, not just for traffic.

The Morice Town Home Zone, Plymouth, UK

Morice Town is an area within the City of Plymouth that was selected as one of nine pilot sites for the UK Home Zones program in 1999. Before this, Morice Town had received little physical investment during the 50 years since it was rebuilt in the aftermath of WWII bombing. A small residential community with a population just over 4,000 people, Morice Town consists of a primary school in the center with predominantly young families living in the surrounding flats and terraced houses (approximately 450 households).

The Morice Town Home Zone was designed and implemented with significant community input over a three-year period, and consists of 12 streets on a grid pattern. The single most important objective was to create an area where residents felt safe. That meant tackling the problem of traffic and speed, as well as introducing “friendly” features, such as designated parking spaces and attractive street furniture. The architects proposed a shared space for both pedestrians and vehicles on the same level. Speed limits in Morice Town are 5 mph, although most Home Zone schemes have a speed limit of 10 mph.

Funding for the project came mostly from government resources, both at the local and national level. Those involved in the project estimated that the cost of implementing a Home Zone design was about five times more than a standard traffic calming scheme, but argue that the extra cost is justified given the regeneration of the area and the improved quality of life for residents.

The UK Department for Transport has issued guidelines for Home Zone design that emphasize the following key principles:

1. Designing for people: Vehicles must be accommodated within the Home Zone as an integral part of daily life, but they must share the space with cyclists and people on foot. Motorists should feel that they are a ‘guest’ in the street.
2. Gateways: It is important that a strong gateway feature clearly identifies to users that they are entering (or leaving) a different environment. These features distinguish the boundary of the Home Zone and should set the tone and character for the rest of the area.
3. Movement: One of the main criteria for the development of a Home Zone is the creation of an environment where pedestrians and vehicles use shared space at comparable speed. This means tighter clear vehicle paths and the introduction of constraints to easy and direct vehicular passage are needed. The Home Zone should be embedded in a wider 20 mph zone so that the reduction of vehicular speeds is achieved gradually rather than in one step. Redefine the streetscape away from the conventional straight lines of carriageway and footway to incorporate a single shared surface between property boundaries, even blurring the distinction between private and public space. This approach has succeeded in creating areas where a.ctivities other than movement can be undertaken safely while still allowing vehicles access. However, consideration must still be given to defining the vehicle path. Different surface textures and colors have been used to influence driver perceptions. The preferred choice has been horizontal shifts in vehicle paths, rather than frequent vertical deflections. This has been achieved using a variety of features.
4. Delineation: While the overall concept is for pedestrians and vehicles to share the space, in some cases definition of space is still necessary. Using colored or textured paving or bollards to create more defensible space are two strategies to increase delineation where necessary.



5. Accommodating play: One of the key objectives of Home Zones is to increase the opportunity for children to play in the streets. This can be achieved through the introduction of both formal and informal play spaces. Formal play spaces have been developed as segregated areas with play equipment sited where it is well overlooked and caters to a range of ages. Involving children and young people throughout the design process has been particularly important in achieving acceptable schemes – from the perspective of both children and adults. Even without formal play spaces, the creation of a less formal street can encourage play and outdoor activities where it would otherwise have been unacceptable. Informal play is often the answer and just providing a safe space within the street may be all that is needed. Children will use their imagination to transform features of the environment. Large concrete balls in the street, designed to demarcate the vehicle path, can become anything in a child’s eyes.
6. Parking: Improve parking adjacent to houses (in-curtilage parking) or by creating structural (echelon) parking blocks along the street with a reduced and variable running width. In some schemes, on-street parking provision has actually been increased by providing more formalized parking arrangements. The best approach is a flexible one, identifying areas where people are able to park without causing an obstruction, even to the emergency services. Areas where parking is not acceptable should be readily identified by their restricted width.
7. Lighting: The level and quality of lighting in a Home Zone is important as it can increase feelings of safety and security. Lighting columns can have both a positive and negative impact within a Home Zone. They can mark routes but can also strengthen linearity of the street. Factors such as style, height and spacing of columns and color spectrum of the lighting will be important in determining both the day and night time appearance of the Home Zone.

While overall evaluations of the Morice Town Home Zone have been mixed, workshops conducted in the area after implementation of the Home Zone noted the positive effect for children; namely, the increase in play area and the decrease in traffic speeds of 10-15 mph.

Adapted from: Department for Transportation (2005) Home Zones: Challenging the Future of Our Streets.

A major challenge in implementing Home Zones schemes is the cost required. As a result, Sustrans, a mass-transit advocacy organization in the UK has created a program called DIY Streets that focuses on less capital-intensive traffic-calming designs. Interventions are often not permanent, are driving-psychology oriented and focus broadly on traffic calming rather than on creating child-friendly environments.

Lessons Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Use the UK Department for Transportation design guidelines for Home Zones for direction on design approaches.
• Solicit community input, particularly from children.

Potential Issues:

• Different communities will have different tolerances for more pedestrian-oriented design, so gauging where a community falls in this regard is critical.
• Dealing with the potential loss of parking is a concern.
• Community questions and anxiety around the safety of shared streets, particularly for children, is an issue.
• Bias against children, such as the perception that children “loitering” on the street is a public safety concern, may be an issue.
• Cost is a concern.
• Home Zones are most appropriate on residential streets and in the context of a larger traffic calming scheme for an entire neighborhood or community.
• Selling this concept to communities may be challenging. Tolerance for shared streets may grow in the future.

Sources

Department for Transportation (2005) “Home Zones: Challenging the Future of Our Streets”, London DfT.

Gill,Tim (2006) “Lessons from London Play’s Home Zones project Report”

The UK Department for Transport (http://www.dft.gov.uk/)

Sustrans “What is DIY Streets?” (http://www.sustrans.org.uk/what-we-do/liveable-neighbourhoods/diy-streets)

Photo Sources

MIG, Inc.

Historic urban cores in various towns and cities in United States and across the world have traditionally used the five senses to create memorable experiences. In the first half of the twentieth century, places could be recognized very easily by smells resulting from patterns of activities along streets. Newer developments in cities such as Las Vegas are building on this great tradition.

In Europe and older cities and towns in United States, bakeries were typically located in the town centers. Baking created streets with lingering smells of sweet dough and jams, followed by the excited clamor of families returning home to feast. Washday involved smells of heat, detergent and moisture, followed by the smell of ironing – all intensified when such work was performed by larger groups of women sharing facilities and equipment.

Smell is powerful. Research indicates that smell stimulates emotional or motivational arousal, whereas visual experience is more likely to involve thought and cognition. Odors affect us on a physical, psychological and social level (Classen 1994). Designers and planners have the opportunity to create memorable and revealing urban experiences for people through thinking about their projects through non-visual terms, conditions and outcomes. As an example of multi-sensorial city wayfinding, Madurai challenges designers to comprehend the city in an emotional and visceral way – not a rational, information and consumer-based understanding typical of western cities.

Madurai, India

Background

The sacred city of Madurai is located in the southern Indian peninsula and is a major religious site for Hindu celebration. The city is organized around a central temple complex. All roads lead to religious sites of one kind or another. Up to 25,000 people a day, mostly religious tourists, pass through the temple complex on a given day.

The city’s rhythm, culture and commerce are reflective of the ever-present religious functions in the city that spill out onto the streets. Temple incense, oils, coconuts, camphor, flowers for offerings and other scented religious elements are readily available for purchase from street vendors at open air stalls. Temple ceremonies are multi-sensorial experiences. They include “a plethora of sense impressions as one enters the temple: the images of the deities, the smell of the incense, the touch of the priest, the sound of the temple bells and finally the taste of the Prasad( Drahos 2011).”

During regular days, the City is bustling with activity. All the major commercial streets are shared roadways with multiple modes of travel that include vehicles, bicycles, auto rickshaws, and pedestrians. The specific design of the retail stalls, especially with regards to the engagement of the wares with the street edge, the hawking of the wares, the use of colors and unconventional use of shop signs create a unique multisensory experience. The intensity of outdoor use and the accompanying sensorial experience increases as on moves towards the city core. The streets immediately adjacent and leading to the temple are imbued with scents of flowers, incense and other materials such as sandalwood. Similarly, paving materials and patterns change and are discernible to people wearing shoes or barefoot. The paths inside and immediately next to the temple complex are made up of cobbled stones. Finally, the set of three gateways elements (gopurams) and the 153-foot high gopuram on the sanctum sanctorum provide residents and visitors with a strong set of visual markers that help orient oneself in any part of the city.

During religious festivals held throughout the year, the city becomes charged with the smells and sounds of celebration. During the Chithirai Festival in particular, the entire city is a place for the religious experience, with the sounds, smells, and visual celebration enveloping the city. Madurai becomes navigable and known to people through overlapping pungent scents and the sound of marching drummers and temple bells.

As a wayfinding inspiration, we can extrapolate Madurai’s experience to make sensory-enabling design concepts that can potentially be applied to cities here in United States.

Lessons Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Brings a fresh, vibrant understanding of the city to people.
• Can be a boon to merchants without access to technology or traditional forms of advertising to attract customers. For example, food markets found across the developing world rely on smells to lure people in and make their location known. Street buskers and musicians can set up where sound travels well to attract more onlookers.
• Provides a sensualized experience of place – a nice compliment to information-centric wayfinding (signage) and mobile device technology that depends on the internet.

Potential Issues:

• Lack of support: There is cultural resistance, administrative barriers or misunderstanding regarding the use of non-traditional wayfinding approaches.
• Environmental factors: Environmental factors (wind, temperature, ambient noise, cleanliness, etc.) can impact the effectiveness of multi-sensorial wayfinding more than it does traditional or electronic wayfinding.

New York City, New York

Background

Jason Logan in an Op-Art piece in the New York Times (August 29, 2009) explored and documented the intended and unintended olfactory experiences of New York in summer. Titled the “Scents of the City,” Logan talks about how “New York secretes its fullest range of smells in the summer; disgusting or enticing, delicate or overpowering, they are liberated by the heat. So one sweltering weekend, I set out to navigate the city by nose. As my nostrils led me from Manhattan’s northernmost end to its southern tip, some prosaic scents recurred (cigarette butts, suntan lotion, fried foods); some were singular and sublime (a delicate trail of flowers mingling with Indian curry around 34th Street); while others proved revoltingly unique (the garbage outside a nail salon). Some smells reminded me of other places, and some will forever remind me of New York.”

Lessons Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Uses smells that are unique to a particular node, street, neighborhood or city itself.
• Provides an opportunity to involve the adjoining businesses.
• Creates a multisensory experience.

Potential Issues:

• Undesirable smells: Undesirable smells can be part of the sensorial experience.
• Unintentional smells: A number of the sensorial experiences are unintentional and unprogrammed.
• Variability: Smells described in this case study are affected by seasonal and environmental factors (wind, temperature, ambient noise, cleanliness, etc.), which can impact the effectiveness of multisensory wayfinding.

Background

There is no consensus regarding the proper aesthetics of street wayfinding. However, most people do agree that streets cluttered with an overabundance of wayfinding elements pose potential safety risks to distracted drivers and pedestrians – and obscure the legibility of the street itself.

The Naked Streets model advocated by Hans Monderman, which uses the deliberate removal of pedestrian-oriented safety and navigation features, such as traffic lights, railings, curbs and road markings, encourages communication between drivers and pedestrians that did not exist before. Sharing previously segregated space “exploit[s] the natural skills of humans to negotiate movement, resolve conflict and engage not only with each other but with their context. Shared space might look chaotic, but people are using their brains and intuition, not acting as mere automatons in response to signals from on high (May 2009).” Places that have used Naked Streets (also known as Living Streets) design concepts to address problematic street intersections have seen positive safety outcomes while also enjoying benefits of an uncluttered streetscape.

One example is the roundabout at Laweiplein, Drachten in the Netherlands. Here, approaching drivers perceive the unsignaled roundabout as utterly ambiguous, which causes them to slow their speed. The intersection serves 20,000 cars each day. Before the 2003 redesign, the intersection was signal-controlled with distinct zones for pedestrians and drivers. The redesign removed the signals and replaced them with a roundabout. Texturized pavement was installed where the sidewalk merges with roadway. Illuminated fountains at the four corners articulate and soften the intersection’s edges (Garrick 2006). Results of the intervention are positive with a 20% reduction in accident rates and shorter cross-city commute times. This suggests that shared streets are not just for low-volume local streets.

Benefits extend beyond measureable safety improvements. Laweiplein’s surrounding commercial and theater district has also experienced revitalization since the completed intersection improvements (May 2009).

Lessons Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Demands that drivers, cyclists and pedestrians think, evaluate and act on real-time feedback they are receiving from other road users, resulting in safer, slower drive speeds.
• Produces measureable reductions in traffic altercations and personal injuries.

Potential Issues:

• Applicability: The shared streets approach with no signals or signage cannot be applied to any intersection. It hinges on several dependent factors, such as traffic volumes, intersection geometry, topography and the prevailing mix of users (drivers, pedestrians, cyclists) (Vanderbilt 2011).
• Social norms: Shared streets interventions may work better where social norms do not overly privilege the individual nor reward litigious behavior.
• Safety: There is no more assurance of safety with shared streets than there is with conventional intersection design. There will always be some that break the rules.
• Accident liability: When accidents do happen, it may be more difficult to determine the party at fault.

Background

The Historic Columbia River Highway runs through downtown Troutdale in Oregon. It is an approximately 0.3 mile long and 50-foot wide boulevard, which consists of a 12-foot wide travel lane, an on-street parking lane, and a striped bike lane in each direction. The sidewalk on the north side is 8 feet to 9 feet wide while the one on the south side is approximately 4 feet at the narrow points. Crosswalks are in place at most intersections along this section.

It is a very popular route for weekend cyclists heading to the Columbia River Scenic Gorge. Traffic volumes are not excessive outside of peak hours. The street cross section with parking, wide sidewalks and zero setback storefront affords an improved retail draw for the area (Valencia 2011).

Troutdale's historic, five-block main street was in serious decline by the late 1980s. But a series of changes reversed the trend in the 1990s. The City attracted the Columbia Gorge Factory Stores, immediately adjacent to the downtown area along Interstate-84. The mall brings thousands of shoppers to this eastern gateway to the Portland region, setting up a larger market for the main street.

The creation of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area established Troutdale as the de-facto gateway to the Gorge from the Portland metropolitan area since the city abuts the scenic area’s western edge. The Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) bolstered the new scenic area designation with a major restoration of the Columbia River Highway to its former glory, attracting more visitors through downtown Troutdale en route to destinations in the Gorge like Crown Point and Multnomah Falls.

The project initially focused on the north side of the Columbia River Highway, a move that might have seemed ill-advised since most of the original storefronts were on the south side of the street. Yet, this strategy resulted in a ‘complete” main street, and is making the vacant parcels on the south frontage much more attractive as development continues.

A number of the new structures also include mini-plaza areas in their entry designs that expand the pedestrian area where it is needed most. The project also retains the historic street lamps that have decorated this section of the Columbia River Highway since it was constructed in the early 1900s. On-street parking was preserved on both sides of the street - a significant accomplishment in a state DOT-owned facility. The project also includes Mayor's Park, with a small plaza, seating and drinking fountains. Though modest, it serves as an important public gathering space in Troutdale.

Another piece to the puzzle was the acquisition of a former county poor farm, located just west of the downtown, by an eccentric brewpub chain operated by Mike and John McMenamin. Together the brothers converted the farm into McMenamin's Edgefield Estate, a sprawling campus with hotel, brewpub and winery that is now listed in the National Historic Register.

The City of Troutdale partnered with private developers to aggressively rebuild the missing half of storefronts along the north side of Columbia River Highway. In a unique public-private partnership, a row of nearly two dozen new storefronts has been constructed since 1995 on land originally owned by Union Pacific Railroad.

Adopted from: Green Streets

In 2010, the 68-foot steel Centennial Arch was built as a welcoming gate to the downtown area. It is designed to withstand winds up to 110 mph and 3 inches of ice. Built-in lighting illuminates the two metal support sculptures at night. While the project cost approximately $363,000, the city and community expect this inviting arch will bring more tourists and economic boom to the community (Wells 2010).

Lessons Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Preserves neighborhood identity.
• Provides cycle lanes and access.
• Increases green space by providing mini-plazas and parks.
• Provides access to Interstate 84 and Columbia River Gorge.
• Creates an interesting small downtown area with some unique shops.

Potential Issues:

• Narrow sidewalk: The new striped bikeways on both sides of the street came at the price of relatively narrow sidewalks. The innovative mini-plaza design on several newer buildings increases pedestrian space. However, the sidewalk still feels cramped.
• Lack of adequate pedestrian crossings: Markings at all intersections and curb extensions at some intersections would be major improvements, as well as a controlled intersection at Buxton Avenue, where vehicles routinely fail to yield to pedestrians when making turning movements.
• Wind issues: Cold wind blasts out of Columbia River Gorge most of the year.
• Visual access: Most people miss the downtown shops due to the huge Factory Outlet complex by Interstate 84.

Background

The traffic circle at the intersection of two local streets in the Southside neighborhood of Berkeley, Carleton Street and Ellsworth Street, not only calms traffic but grows edible plants. Both Carleton Street (60-foot right-of-way with a 33-foot wide travelled roadway) and Ellsworth Street (60-foot right-of-way with a 38-foot wide travelled roadway) are two-way residential streets with curbside parking lanes. The traffic circle is lushly planted, even though there is a 24-inch sanitary sewer cover in the middle of the circle.

In the circle, edible plants and flowers are growing, such as kale and lavender. Considering that each traffic circle costs between $8,000 and $10,000 (including the cost of digging the hole, building the curb and raising the sewer catch basin), utilizing the multi-use garden on the circle is beneficial for residents and the city (Jones 2006).

There is high demand for traffic circles from neighbors in Berkeley, despite the fact that neighbors are responsible for planting and maintenance. Local residents living immediately around the circle regularly maintain the traffic circle. This includes weeding, pruning, and watering the plants. The plants are manually watered either by hand or brought through a pipe from an adjoining nearby house. While maintained by a few, all residents are welcome to use the fresh produce grown in the circle.

Lessons Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Brings the community together.
• Slows the traffic and strengthens the pedestrian-friendly character of the neighborhood.
• Enhances the visual attraction of the neighborhoods.
• Utilizes an underused space to grow edible plants and flowers.

Potential Issues:

• Damage by cars: Cars may damage the traffic circle gardens by running over the curb.
• Vegetation height: Tall plantings may obstruct cyclists’ and motorists’ views.
• Vandalism: Plants may be harvested by others or vandalized (Jones 2006).
• Maintenance: The edible landscape is currently very well maintained by immediate neighbors who are long terms residents of the neighborhood. However, other traffic circles in less well established neighborhoods may need to explore long term maintenance plans.
• Lack of guidance: The City of Berkeley lacks manuals or directions for planting or maintaining edible landscaping in the traffic circles.

Background

Tucson is located in the Sonoran Desert where it receives an average of 12 inches of rainwater per year. The City’s effort to promote water conservation and efficient use of water resources have resulted in Tucson’s average per capita residential water consumption being generally less than 112 gallons per day. That’s far below average rates in other parts of Arizona and in the western United States (City of Tucson).

Graywater can be a good source of irrigation water. In 2007, the state provided a tax credit of up to $1,000 for homeowners who install graywater systems (Feldman 2011). In 2008, Mayor and Council voted to require all new residences to be built with graywater capabilities. Beginning in June 2010, all new single family homes and duplexes were required to include plumbing for future graywater distribution. The city also provides manuals and guidelines to educate the public and to help install graywater facilities.

Brad Lancaster, a founder of the Desert Harvester, creatively found a way of harvesting rainwater—by cutting out a part of a curb and creating a water-catching basin around native plants. When he and his brother bought a house in the neighborhood in the 1990s, there were no trees or vegetation gardens. This also caused runoff on the street when it rained. With the neighbors’ and the city’s participation, now the street is filled with vegetation and large shade trees.

A water-catching basin, which can store street runoff and water street trees, is an effective way to conserve water. In addition, curb cutting allows more street runoff to be harvested in the basins or sidewalk strip. This is also a way to prevent storm water runoff pollution into waterways. In the desert area like Tucson, if a proper basin is provided, native plants, such as, Mesquite, Acacia, and Ironwood trees, can grow and produce edible flowers and seeds without additional watering.

Ideally, the diameter of the basin should be 1.5 to 3 times wider than the diameter of the mature canopy of the tree planted within it, because the roots uptake the majority of the harvested moisture beyond the drip line of their canopy. If there is not enough room to make a wide basin, a small basin or a number of small basins spread out around the plant is recommended. A building roof is a great source of additional runoff that can be harvested within the basin.

Increasing the number of rain gardens is another way to conserve water. In the Dunbar/Spring neighborhood, the residents petitioned the City of Tucson to build a traffic circle to slow down vehicles and capture more rainwater. Now there are several traffic circles in the neighborhood, which become a common space through special care of the community. In particular, there are traffic circles at every intersection on 9th Avenue in the Dunbar/Spring neighborhood between Speedway Boulevard and 6th Street. Each traffic circle is taken care of by the residents living at the corner, growing various edible plants with street runoff. Sometimes traffic circles also become a social gathering place. At University Boulevard and 9th Avenue, a community event was held to create an intersection mural.

Adopted from: Desert Harvesters

Lessons Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Conserves water by reusing street runoff as a source of irrigation water.
• Prevents storm water runoff pollution into waterways.
• Saves money on water bills for households.
• Grows native plants without additional watering when a proper water-catching basin is installed.
• Provides a better access to food for residents in the desert area by enabling them to grow edible plants.

Potential Issues:

• Neighborhood buy-in: Community participation is important to maintain the plants on the street.
• City support: Cutting curb and installing traffic circles require the city’s permission. Regulations should also be provided to encourage the planting of native species.
• Food-producing plants: Graywater surface irrigatation or street runoff should not be used to irrigate any plants that produce food, except for citrus and nut trees.
• Detergent use: When graywater is used for plant irrigation, care must be taken with detergent use (e.g., low sodium, no boron, no chlorine, low alkalinity).
• Basins: Basins should be installed before planting trees and should be an appropriate size and depth.
• Sensitive plants: Graywater should not be used on plants that are salt sensitive or need acidic soils.

Background

SolaRoad, a road covered with energy-generating solar panels, is scheduled to be installed on several miles of bicycle path in the town of Krommenie in northern Holland in 2012. TNO, a Dutch company who developed the SolaRoad, is working with the Province of North Holland, the consulting firm Ooms Averhorn Group, and the technology firm Intech, on this pilot program, hoping to expand the project throughout the country after a 5-year testing period.

SolaRoad consists of concrete panels (1.5 by 2.5 meters) with embedded thick crystal silicon solar cells, covered by a toughened glass surface. The smart ICT applications will maximize energy retention during peak sunlight times and efficiently store it during low-light periods. The energy produced from the road will be used to power streetlights, stoplights, and household appliances. It is estimated that the Dutch road network is comprised of 85,000 miles of roadway with the potential for generating 54 kWh per square yard. The pilot study will determine how the energy will be used and how smart ICT applications can enable the energy produced in peak sunlight periods to be distributed as efficiently as possible during the periods of little or no light.

Proposed US Solar Roadway

A solar-powered roadway is an idea of Scott Brusaw, a 53-year-old electrical engineer in tiny Sagle, Idaho. It is made from super-strong glass, instead of conventional asphalt or concrete. Solar cells inside its glass surface allow the roadway to act as a solar power generator. Electricity generated by the highway could be used to recharge electric vehicles and to power lights and LED warning signs along the road itself (Ligget 2010).

Solar Powered Road Studs, UK

Solar powered road studs automatically illuminates from dusk to dawn with its built in solar-powered light-emitting diode (LED). The studs deliver greater visibility of the road layout ahead, and thus have reduced road accidents by over 70% at their UK installation sites (Astucia).

Lessons Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Generates sustainable electricity.
• Minimizes the need for space for electricity generation and transmission.
• Reduces carbon dioxide emissions.
• Can be applied to bicycle paths, arterial roads, or highways to generate energy.

Potential Issues:

• Under development: Engineering, material selection, energy distribution, (social) business model and user criteria (safety, comfort) are still in the process of development. The pilot study began with a bicycle path because there are fewer traffic needs and requirements.
• Needed criteria: More criteria are needed for stiffness and maintenance (TNO).
• Cost: SolaRoad is profitable in 5-8 years in the Netherlands and in 4-5 years in southern Europe.

Background

Road Energy Systems ® is a solar-heat-storing asphalt developed by Ooms Avenhorn Holding BV,a Dutch company. The stored solar energy can be used for many purposes, such as heating and cooling buildings and homes. Water is run through pipes under the asphalt and heated from the warmth of the road. This heated water is then pumped underground and stays warm at 68 degrees F. The water can be sent to nearby houses, and this water can be pulled up to prevent ice from building up on the road during winter months. Moreover, carbon dioxide emissions from using fossil fuels are reduced.

A test demonstrated the great potential of this technology. One test patch—200 yards of road and a small parking lot— generated enough heat for 70 apartments in a four-story building. This occurred under the typical cloudy Dutch weather with only a few days a year of sweltering temperatures (Blanco 2008).

In Waarland, Netherlands, the Road Energy Systems ® (RES) was combined with a d'Waert housing project in 2009. Thirty-five houses use the heating and cooling system generated by the RES collector. This collector also serves as an energy supplier for the entire neighborhood (De Peyler).

Lesson Learned
Potential Benefits:

• Provides economic and environmental benefits in the neighborhood.
• Generates clean electricity, eliminating the need for fossil fuels and preventing global climate change.
• Eliminates energy losses and transmission costs.
• Increases the durability of roads since the temperature-regulated pavements prevent rutting damage (Patterson 2011).

Potential Issues:

• Upfront cost: The pipes and solar road system double the cost of building the road, but payoff can be expected within 5-6 years (TNO 2011).
• Surface maintenance: There is concern about the system’s ability to support the weight and wear and tear of asphalt.
• Bumper-to-bumper traffic: Energy collection effectiveness is unknown in bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions.
• Financial and political barriers: The lack of revenue sources result in reluctance of federal and state government support (Patterson 2011).

Background

Portland is a leader in using strategies that manage storm water runoff, enhance community and neighborhood livability, and strengthen the local economy. A street that uses vegetated facilities to manage storm water runoff at its source is referred to as a Green Street. A Green Street is a sustainable storm water strategy that meets regulatory compliance and resource protection goals by using a natural systems approach to manage storm water, reduce flows, improve water quality and enhance watershed health.

In April 2007, the Portland City Council approved a Green Street resolution, report, and policy to promote and incorporate the use of Green Street facilities in public and private development.

The council recognizes that a comprehensive Green Street approach is an important development strategy to:

• Reduce polluted storm water entering Portland’s rivers and streams.
• Improve pedestrian and bicycle safety.
• Divert storm water from the sewer system and reduce basement flooding, sewer backups and combined sewer overflows (CSOs) to the Willamette River.
• Reduce impervious surface so storm water can infiltrate to recharge groundwater and surface water.
• Increase urban green space.
• Improve air quality and reduce air temperatures.
• Reduce demand on the city’s sewer collection system and the cost of constructing expensive pipe systems.
• Address requirements of federal and state regulations to protect public health and to restore and protect watershed health.
• Increase opportunities for industry professionals.

Adopted from: Portland Green Street Program

A critical piece of the City’s pioneering effort on green streets is public education. The City uses signage, tours, art displays, workshops, meetings, newsletters, fact sheets, fun outreach tools and events, and school lessons and tours. The city also encourages private participation in the development and implementation of the Green Street solutions.

Green Street Guiding Principles

1. Manage storm water runoff both at the source and the surface.
2. Use plants and soil to slow, filter, cleanse, and infiltrate runoff.
3. Design facilities that aesthetically enhance the community.

Types of Green Streets

• Storm water curb extension: Extending into the street, storm water curb extensions transform the curb lane into a landscape area. Curb extensions can conveniently integrate a ramp for safe pedestrian crossing.
• Storm water street planter: Storm water street planters between the sidewalk and the curb work well in areas with limited space, and they allow for adjacent street parking or travel.
• Rain gardens: Where there is plenty of space, rain gardens are ideal. They can also transform awkward street intersections into safe pedestrian and bicycle crossings.
• Simple Green Street: Excavating an existing planting area behind a reinforced curb, making curb cuts for inflow and outflow, and landscaping with appropriate vegetation is a simple approach to capture and treat street runoff.
• Green Streets tour: Green Streets are implemented all around the city. The illustration below show detail plans (City of Portland).

1. Portland State University street planters: Managing storm water runoff from the street through vegetated planters for flow and water quality benefit.
2. NE 35th Place and Siskiyou Street curb extension swales: A green street retrofiw, which manages storm water at the source through a vegetated swale, while enhancing the neighborhood.
3. NE 313st Avenue and Fremont Street landscaped curb extension: This argay Neighborhood site was retrofitted with a curb extension to manage street runoff.
4. Glencoe Elementary School rain garden: BES and Portland Public Schools worked in partnership on this project.
5. SE Division Street New Seasons Market: Landscape planters in sidewalk area take street runoff while beautifying a commercial/retail zone.
6. Westmoreland permeable pavement project:
7. N Gay Avenue porous pavement pilot project: pervious asphalt

Planting Design Guidelines (Text and photos from City of Portland):

• Grasses: A massed planting design that emphasizes the fine textures, year-round structure and color variation of grasses. The deciduous trees and shrubs add more fall color (e.g., California Grey Rush, Dwarf Redtwig Dogwood, Creeping Bramble, Orange Sedge).
• Shady woodland: An informally arranged planting design using native and ornamental plants (e.g., California Grey Rush, Blue Oat Grass, Boxleaf Euonymus, Sword Fern, Creeping Oregon Grape, Daffodil).
• Blooming garden: For a more formal, manicured neighborhood setting. The plants are tidy and compact with an emphasis on year-round flower and foliage color. Full sun (e.g., California Grey Rush, Heavenly Bamboo, Little Rascal Holly, Magic Carpet Spirea).
• Full gold garden: A design that emphasizes year-round structure and color variation of grasses, with a splash of pink flowers in summer. The deciduous trees add fall color. Full sun to partial shade (e.g., California Grey Rush, Gold Fountains Sedge, Gold Flame Spirea).
• Single species: Narrow, flat-bottom facilities are planted with a single species due to limited space. This creates year-round interest with a bold, simple design of color and texture (e.g., Ice Dance Sedge, Gold Fountains Sedge, California Grey Rush, Slough Sedge, Orange Sedge).

Adpoted from: City of Portland
For more information visit: Green Streets
(http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=34602&)

Planting Approach

• Do not plant where vegetation will impede flow into the facility. For example, do not plant directly in front of curb openings, and take care when planting next to the edges where runoff sheet flows into the facility. Consider growth and spread of groundcover over time to reduce potential of blocking inlets.
• Dense plantings at the time of construction are recommended to:
• Provide immediate facility function, e.g. slow and detain storm water flow. trap sediments, and infiltrate storm water.
• Reduce soil erosion.
• Limit weed growth.
• Shade the soil and reduce evaporation.
• Planting a row of juncus species behind the forebay can reduce the migration of sediment into the facility.
• Avoid planting in summer months to reduce transplant shock and excessive irrigation. Plant in fall or early spring after frost.

Maintenance

The type and frequency of short-term start up and long-term maintenance can affect plant vigor, growth habit, and facility aesthetics.

• New facilities will require more frequent maintenance to ensure plant vigor in the first two years after planting. Activities include regular irrigation during dry summer months, controlling weeds before they become established, debris removal, and occasional mulching.
• Overhead spray irrigation systems can encourage weed growth, given the right conditions, by wetting the entire area. Drip irrigation systems appear to be better alternatives to control water delivery directly to the selected plant.
• Concentrated sediment deposits, especially from street runoff, should be removed frequently so as not to create conditions that support germination of non-native or undesirable species and so deposits do not smother healthy plants. Frequency will depend on each site.
• Depending on the selection of plants and the particular constraints of a facility site, large rambling shrubs may require regular pruning or shearing to control their height and spread. This practice can increase vegetative growth.

Adopted from: 2007 Vegetation Survey Report for Landscaped Storm water Management Facilities, City of Portland

Lessons Learned

Potential Benefits

• Provides clean air and water.
• Enhances neighborhood livability.
• Increases community and property values.
• Enhances pedestrian and bicycle access and safety.
• Protects valuable surface and groundwater resources.
• Adds urban green space and wildlife habitat.
• Helps meet regulatory requirements for pollutant reduction and watershed resource management.
• Reduces storm water in the sewer system.
• Saves money on wastewater pumping and treatment costs.
• Demonstrates that Green Streets can be applied to residential streets, commercial zones, school zones, and parking areas.

Potential Issues

• Parking: Depending on the type of facility, parking space can be removed (e.g. curb extensions).
• Mosquitoes: Green Streets are designed to drain in less than 48 hours to prevent mosquito breeding, but continuous monitoring is necessary.
• Plant survival: Attention should be given to site characteristics, such as location, solar exposure, and soil type and condition, to provide optimum success for plant survival. To increase survival rates, vegetated facilities must receive proper and consistent irrigation and weed control, especially during the first two years of establishment.
• City codes: City codes can prohibit use of ornamentals in some areas, such as environmental and greenway zones. Even if native species require little irrigation and no pesticides or fertilizer, native species alone can limit plant diversity.
• Maintenance: The city needs to regularly monitor facilities. In Portland, Environmental Services maintains Green Streets. Also neighbors’ help is essential to keep the facilities free of litter and leaves.

Adopted from : City of Portland Q&A: http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=45379&a=212485, and 2007 Vegetation Survey Report for Landscaped Storm water Management Facilities

Sources

City of Portland, “Portland Green Street Program” (http://www.portlandonline.com/BES/index.cfm?c=44407)

City of Portland, “2007 Vegetation Survey Report for Landscaped Storm water Management Facilities”

City of Portland, “Green Streets” (http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=34602&)

City of Portland, “Q&A” (http://www.portlandonline.com/bes/index.cfm?c=45379&a=212485)

Photo Sources

MIG, Inc.