Off the Rails : A Graduate Capstone Study

OFF THE RAILS

BACK ON TRACK

CLAIRE HILTON | CAPSTONE 2023

MASTER OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE

RESEARCH QUESTION :

HOW MIGHT THE OLDEST NEIGHBORHOOD IN MINNEAPOLIS BE REIMAGINED TO BETTER SUPPORT MODERNIZED FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION, AND NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY?

OF TRANSPORTATION , THE COMMUNITY ? HISTORY ?

HOW CAN THE LANDSCAPE BE REVISIONED AS AN ART DISTRICT AND MODERN TRANSIT HUB THAT PAYS HOMAGE TO OUR CITY’S INDUSTRIAL HISTORY?

THIS SITE EXISTS NESTLED BETWEEN E. HENNEPIN, HIGHWAY 35 W AND SE 8TH ST, ENCAPSULATING AN OLD POST-INDUSTRIAL NEIGHBORHOOD, POISED FOR REINVENTION.

DT MPLS

NE MPLS

EXISTING CONDITIONS

FIVE WATT HEADFLYER

OFFICE/STUDIO SPACE

MPLS CIDER CO.

NINTH STREET

SOCCER & COFFEE

GRAFFITI

5TH

EXISTING CONDITIONS

BUILDINGS ARE COVERED WITH GRAFFITI, INVOKING CREATIVITY WITH TACTILE ART.

FACING SOUTHEAST

VIEWS OF DOWNTOWN CAN BE SEEN IN THE DISTANCE FROM ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER. A DENSELY RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOOD SITS IN BETWEEN.

U.S. BANK STADIUM

DOWNTOWN MPLS

IN A SURVEY CONDUCTED, PARTICIPANTS WERE ASKED TO DESCRIBE THE NEIGHBORHOOD IN 3 WORDS. HERE, YOU CAN SEE RESPONSES. THE MOST FREQUENT ANSWERS WERE INDUSTRIAL, FRIENDLY, HOMEY, AND UP AND COMING.

SURVEY

NINTH STREET SOCCER + COFFEE

MARCY-HOLMES OPINION SURVEY

Please name a destination that you enjoy walking to

What do you like about that place?

What 3 words would you use to describe the neighborhood that you are currently in?

What activities/businesses/attractions bring you to this neighborhood?

Please list ways in which you think this neighborhood could be improved?

What activities/amenities would you like to see built on these 2 blank plots? **

What kind of activities, or new development, would you like to see in the neighborhood?

How do you typically travel to this neighborhood? Car? Bike? By foot?

Are you a resident of the neighborhood?

if answer yes

How many years have you lived at that residence?

Do you bike to work/school?

Have you ever witnessed/know someone who has witnessed a crime in this neighborhood?

On a scale of 1-10, how safe do you feel walking through this neighborhood...

During the day? At night?

SPECTRUM APARTMENTS AND TOWNHOMES

HERE YOU CAN SEE A VERSION OF A SURVEY, DISTRIBUTED AT NINTH STREET SOCCER AND COFFEE, A SMALL COFFEE SHOP WITH AN INDOOR SOCCER FIELD THAT IS LOCATED ON-SITE. ADDITIONALLY, AN ONLINE SURVEY WAS SENT TO ALL TENANTS AT SPECTRUM APARTMENTS AND TOWNHOMES. OVER 20 RESPONSES WERE COLLECTED.

SURVEY REQUESTS

GREEN SPACE

SAFETY COMMUNITY SPACE

ART HISTORY

GROCERY PARKING

ADDITIONALLY SURVEY TAKERS WERE ASKED WHAT FEATURES THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE INCORPORATED INTO THE SITE.

THE TOP RESPONSES WERE GREEN SPACE, SAFETY, COMMUNITY SPACE FOR GATHERING, CLOSE GROCERY OPTIONS, ART, AND PARKING SOLUTIONS, ALL WHILE RETAINING HISTORICAL FEATURES FROM THE RAIL INDUSTRY.

PROPOSED

SOUTHEAST 9TH AVENUE IS REIMAGINED AS A PEDESTRIAN + BIKE FRIENDLY

WOONERF THAT THREADS TOGETHER A MIXED-USE COMMUNITY WITH ART AND RECREATION.

A WOONERF IS A DESIGN STRATEGY USED TO SLOW AND REDUCE VEHICULAR TRAFFIC. IN THIS MODEL, CARS SHARE THE STREET WITH PEOPLE, BIKES, SCOOTERS, PLANTS, BOLLARDS, AND OTHER SPEED DETERRENTS.

3 MAIN SPINES BECAME APPARENT EARLY ON IN ANALYSIS : THE STREET, THE BIKE ROUTE, AND ONE COMPOSED OF A SERIES OF ALLEYS BEHIND BUILDINGS WITH THE POTENTIAL TO CONNECT INTO ONE LONG SWEEPING MOVE.

IS PROPOSED WITHIN AN EMPTY WAREHOUSE, ALONG WITH ADJACENT FLEXIBLE-USE GREEN SPACES TO PROVIDE A SOLUTION TO THE REQUEST FOR COMMUNITY GATHERING SPACE AND OUTDOOR RECREATION. YELLOW BOXCARS

CREATE INTERACTIVE SPACES FOR EAT OR PLAY AND INVOKE THE SITE’S RICH RAILYARD HISTORY. A DROP OFF ZONE ENCOURAGES CARPOOLING, REDUCES THE AMOUNT OF CARS PASSING THROUGH, AND IS A SOLUTION TO THE DRASTICALLY REDUCED STREET PARKING FOLLOWING REDESIGN.

A DROP OFF ZONE ENCOURAGES CARPOOLING AND LIMITS CARS ON SITE

BRANCHING OFF OF THE MAIN WOONERF SPINE, SMALLER NICHE AREAS ARE FORMED, CREATING UNIQUE POCKETS ALONG THE MAIN NETWORK. FOLLOWING THE STREET LINES, VISITORS ARE GUIDED FROM ONE POCKET TO THE NEXT. PLANTINGS ARE USED TO CREATE SHADE AND ABSORB RAINWATER AND TOXINS.

REPURPOSED LOADING DOCK PORTS AND GARAGES ACT AS WINDOWS, EXTENDING FROM INTERIOR SPACES OUT INTO THE WOONERF. DOORS CAN BE LEFT OPEN ON WARM SUMMER DAYS TO SEAMLESSLY TRANSITION FROM ENCLOSED TO OPEN SPACE.

AMBIENT GLOW TECHNOLOGY

THE STREETS ARE PAVED WITH A PERMEABLE ASPHALT WITH AMBIENT GLOW TECHNOLOGY, COLLECTING SOLAR POWER DURING THE DAY AND RELEASING LIGHT AT NIGHT ALONG WHITE STRIPES; A MODERN TAKE ON RAIL LINES.

BIOLOGICAL CONCRETE

A PROPOSED PARKING GARAGE OFFERS PARKING SOLUTIONS TO MITIGATE REMOVED STREET PARKING. BIOLOGICAL CONCRETE IS UTILIZED AS A FACADE LAYER, ENCOURAGING PLANT GROWTH ATOP THE ROOF AS WELL AS ON ALL 4 EXTERIOR WALLS.

1ST LAYER

1st layer - structural with waterproofing element to prevent water damage

STRUCTURAL WITH WATERPROOFING

2ND LAYER

2nd layer - organic material; supports moss coloniza�on while allowing water infiltra�on

ORGANIC MATERIAL; SUPPORTS PLANT LIFE WHILE ALLOWING WATER INFILTRATION

3RD LAYER

3rd layer - retains water to maintain desired moisture level in middle layer

RETAINS WATER + MAINTAIN MOISTURE LEVELS

PROGRAMMED GRAFFITI

BASE IMAGES GENERATED WITH MIDJOURNEY AI

FACING SOUTHEAST

AN EXISTING QUONSET HUT STRUCTURE IS CURRENTLY USED FOR EXCESS STORAGE. THIS DESIGN IMAGINES THE QUONSET HUT AS A EVENT STAGE TO BE USED FOR FLEXIBLE USES OF DIFFERING SCALE. LARGER EVENTS COULD CAUSE THE STREET TO CLOSE DOWN TO VEHICULAR TRAFFIC TO ENABLE STREET PARTIES AND LARGER CROWDS OF PEOPLE. A PROPOSED DECK LIFTVS PEOPLE UP TO FORMER LOADING DOCKS THAT CAN BE FITED WITH AN INDOOR/OUTDOOR BARTOP AND PROVIDES A HIGHER UP VIEW OF THE STAGE.

TREES ACT AS SCREENS, CREATING SEPARATION BETWEEN RECREATIONAL AND DRIVABLE SPACE.

OLD CONNECTION

HENNEPIN AVE

BY 1964, INDUSTRIAL GROWTH BECAME THE PRIORITY. ADDITIONAL WAREHOUSES ARE BUILT, CONTRIBUTING TO AN EVENTUAL CLOSURE OF 6TH AVE SE THROUGH THE SITE. 6TH AVE SE STREET NOW MAKES UP A LARGE STRETCH OF THE STONE ARCH BIKE BLVD, LEADING BIKERS IN A LINEAR PATH TO JUST NEARLY THE EDGE OF THE SITE, ONLY TO BE REDIRECTED TOWARDS HENNEPIN AT THE LAST MINUTE. HENNEPIN EXPERIENCES A GREAT DEAL OF SPEEDING VEHICLES MAKING THE ROUTE FAR LESS SAFE.

BIKE ROUTES

THE PROJECTED RAIL TRAIL WOULD ACT AS A CONNECTIVE FABRIC, WORKING TO NETWORK BETWEEN GAPS IN EXISTING BIKE ROUTES.

RAIL WITH TRAIL

A SCAR OF THE PRE-INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR REMAINS AS A MARK ON THE INTRUDING WAREHOUSE. WITH THIS PROPOSED CUT, BIKERS ARE LED TO THE TRAIN CORRIDOR THAT STRETCHES ALONG THE NORTH EDGE.

RATHER THAN BEING LIMITED BY THE RAIL LINE, A RAIL TRAIL ALLOWS FOR SAFER TRIPS BY DISTANCING BIKES AWAY FROM CARS, AS WELL AS IMPROVING TRIP EFFICIENCY IN MANY CASES, ALL WHILE ALLOWING UNINTERRUPTED DAILY RAIL ACTIVITY.

8.5’ MIN, 10’ PREFERRED 10’ MIN, 12’ PREFERRED

BNSF REQUIRES STANDARD DIMENSIONS TO BE FOLLOWED. GRASSES ARE USED BETWEEN CORRIDORS OF DIFFERING SPEEDS TO ALLOW SEPARATION WITHOUT IMPAIRING VISION FOR THE CONDUCTOR.

TRACK CENTER

FREIGHT

DULUTH

TWIN CITIES TWIN CITIES

THE RAIL LINE IS CURRENTLY IN USE BY BNSF. THE ROUTE IS HIGHLY UNDERUTILIZED WITH AS LITTLE AS 2 PASSES/DAY.

THE ‘EMPIRE BUILDER’ LINE RUNS ADJACENT TO THE SITE, STRETCHING FROM SEATTLE TO CHICAGO. FOR $30, PASSENGERS CAN GET TO DULUTH IN AS LITTLE AS 2.5 HOURS.

DULUTH

A NEW AMTRAK LINE, THE NORTHERN LIGHTS EXPRESS, HAS BEEN PROPOSED CONNECTING THE TWIN CITIES TO DULUTH.

TWIN CITIES

NEXT PHASE

LEFTOVER SPACE IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A NEW AMTRAK STATION, FOLLOWING THE COMPLETION OF THE NORTHERN LIGHTS EXPRESS PROJECT.

FUTURE AMTRAK STATION

PASSENGERS EXITING THE TRAIN CAN REACH THEIR NEXT DESTINATION BY HOPPING ON A BUS, RENTING A BIKE, OR DRIVING AWAY IN THEIR CAR.

TRANSIT

THE SITE MAY BE ACCESSED THROUGH PUBLIC TRANSIT. SEVERAL BUS STOPS EXIST ALONG THE SITE’S OUTER EDGE, ON ALL SIDES.

PARKS

THE HIGHWAY AND STREET ARMITURE ACT AS BARRIERS, CREATING A VOID OF PARK SPACE;

THIS FURTHER JUSTIFIES SURVEY REQUESTS ASKING FOR NEARBY GREEN SPACE.

LAND USE

UPON FURTHER INVESTIGATION INTO LAND USE TYPES, PROMENANT USES WERE NOTED. LAND TYPE, WITHIN SET SITE BOUNDARIES, CONSISTED OF MOSTLY INDUSTRIAL AND UTILITY, AS WELL AS MIXED RESIDENTIAL, OFFICE, AND COMMERICAL.

GROCERY

SURVEY RESPONDERS SHARED THEY WANT A CLOSE AND WALKABLE GROCERY STORE. ONLY TWO STORES EXIST WITHIN A 20 MINUTE WALKING DISTANCE SERVE FRESH PRODUCE. CONSIDERING THE WALK HOME, GROCERY TRIPS COULD AMOUNT TO AT LEAST 40 MINUTES, TOTAL.

ARRIVAL TRANSPORTATION

ARE RESIDENTS BIKING TO SCHOOL OR WORK?

SURVEY RESULTS SHOW THAT MOST PEOPLE TRAVEL TO THE SITE VIA CAR.

ASKING MARCY-HOLMES RESIDENTS, THE SURVEY SHOWS MOST PEOPLE DO NOT BIKE TO WORK OR SCHOOL.

TO CONCLUDE,, BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE COULD BE IMPROVED.)

EXISTING BUILDINGS

BEGIN TO PONDER THE DESIGN INTERVENTIONS, EXISTING BUILDINGS WERE ANALYZED. COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS CREATE A MIXED -USE ENVIRONMENT, ENTERTAINING BOTH RESIDENTS AND THOSE VISITING FROM OUTSIDE THE NEIGHBORHOOD. A PROPOSED FOOD CO-OP IS POSITIONED ON THE SOUTH END, RESOLVING THE NEED FOR NEARBY GROCERY. ABOVE THE STORE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS ARE INCORPORATED TO KEEP RENT COSTS LOW AND REDUCE THE RISK OF GENTRIFICATION.

WOONERF

LOOKING AT ENTRANCES TO BUILDINGS AND POTENTIAL BIKE TRAFFIC, ‘NO DRIVE’ ZONES ARE INCORPORATED TO CREATE AREAS FOR SEATING AND RECREATION, FORCING CARS TO SLOW DOWN AND DRIVE AROUND.

BUILDING ENTRANCES

BIKE TRAFFIC

‘NO DRIVE’ ZONES

WOONERF

CONTINUING FORWARD WITH THIS STUDY, VEHICULAR TRAFFIC IS IMAGINED, WITH SCHEMATIC TREE PLACEMENT SERVING AS PROTECTIVE BARRIERS.

BUILDING ENTRANCES

BIKE TRAFFIC

‘NO DRIVE’ ZONES

VEHICULAR TRAFFFIC TREES

WOONERF

DEMOLITION WOULD OCCUR, REMOVING A VACANT BUILDING AND REMOVING A POORLY PLACED STREET. ADDITIONALLY, THIS DRAWING SHOWS THE DEMO THAT WOULD OCCUR WITHIN THE BUILDING CUT-THROUGH TO MAKE WAY FOR THE NEXT BIKE ROUTE.

DEMOLITION

AND HERE WE SEE THE FINALIZED MASTER PLAN ONCE AGAIN. THROUGH A WOONERF DESIGN MODEL, SE 9TH STREET HAS THE POTENTIAL TO BE A THRIVING NEIGHBORHOOD, ONCE AGAIN, EVOLVING TO A MODERN-DAY SOLUTION.

THANK YOU THANK YOU

WORKS CITED

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HILTON, CLAIRE. “CONTEXT”[MAP]. SCALE NOT GIVEN. MARCH 2023. USING: ARCGIS PRO (GIS SOFTWARE). VERSION 10.8.2. MINNEAPOLIS, MN.

HILTON, CLAIRE. “BIKE ROUTES”[MAP]. SCALE NOT GIVEN. MARCH 2023. USING: ARCGIS PRO (GIS SOFTWARE). VERSION 10.8.2. MINNEAPOLIS, MN.

HILTON, CLAIRE. “FREIGHT”[MAP]. SCALE NOT GIVEN. MARCH 2023. USING: ARCGIS PRO (GIS SOFTWARE). VERSION 10.8.2. MINNEAPOLIS, MN.

HILTON, CLAIRE. “AMTRAK”[MAP]. SCALE NOT GIVEN. MARCH 2023. USING: ARCGIS PRO (GIS SOFTWARE). VERSION 10.8.2. MINNEAPOLIS, MN.

HILTON, CLAIRE. “TRANSIT”[MAP]. SCALE NOT GIVEN. MARCH 2023. USING: ARCGIS PRO (GIS SOFTWARE). VERSION 10.8.2. MINNEAPOLIS, MN.

HILTON, CLAIRE. “PARKS”[MAP]. SCALE NOT GIVEN. MARCH 2023. USING: ARCGIS PRO (GIS SOFTWARE). VERSION 10.8.2. MINNEAPOLIS, MN.

HILTON, CLAIRE. “LAND USE”[MAP]. SCALE NOT GIVEN. MARCH 2023. USING: ARCGIS PRO (GIS SOFTWARE). VERSION 10.8.2. MINNEAPOLIS, MN

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ACCESSED 16 MAR. 2023.