Portfolio Vol. III - Research & Engaged Design

Clint Ronsick | Portfolio 2019

CONTENTS Jennette Brothers | 1

Regional Infrastructures | 9 Fuller Heights Independent Study | 15

Jennette Brothers Community Campus Elizabeth City NC, Walkway Pavilion & Canopy Design Team: Baxter Wilson, Lauren Wick & Pankti Keyurbhai The following project was based in the coastal town of Elizabeth City, NC. My team and I conducted thorough research into the issues faced by the city and met with members of the city’s local government. This informed design interventions that we eventually presented to the citizens of Elizabeth City in order to start a conversation about potential opportunities.

We designed a walkable campus that would give local residents a place to attain valuable vocational skills that would help the community lift themselves out of poverty. The program also featured revenue generating facilitates that would help pay for the project. Apart from job training, our proposed program also incorporated, market spaces, event spaces, outdoor recreation, water recreation and childcare facilities. We also made sure to respect the history of Elizabeth City by taking full advantage the historic warehouse buildings on the site for the vast majority of our building program.

My work within the campus consisted mainly of designing canopy and shade structures that stitched the historic brick warehouses together as well as providing comfort and shade in the outdoor recreation areas. However, our individual responsibilities in the project remained fluid and every aspect of the projects design was collaborative.

1

Elizabeth City North Carolina Health Issues

28% Of adults in fair to poor health 20% Diabetes rate

Economic Insecurity 41% People in poverty

Environmental Hazards 42/100 Cancer risk from air toxins score 62/100 Traffic exposure score

Public Education 70% Adults with high school diploma or higher

16% Adults with bachelors degree or higher

Lack of Mobility 18/100 walkability score 30% Households without a vehicle 22% Workers commute over an hour 0% Commute with public transportation

Economic Jumpstart

-Market -Boathouse -Startups -Food vending -Docks

Community Enrichment

-Vocational labs -Child Care -Potential Partnerships -College of Albemarle -MACU -ECU -Coast Guard

Connections -Landscape pavillions -Adaptive Reuse -Event Space & Identity -Playgrounds -Skate Park -Basketball courts

2

Boat House Buisiness Startup Spaces

ctions tity

Mobility 18/100 walkability score 30% Households without a vehicle Auto Mechanic Trade School 22% Workers commute over an hour 0% Commute with public transportation Environment 42/100 Cancer risk from air toxins score 62/100 Traffic exposure score

Health

Outdoor Performance Area

28% Of adults in fair to poor health 20% Diabetes rate

Econominc Security

41% People in poverty

Education 70% Adults with high school diploma or higher

16% Adults with bachelors degree or higher 3

Commercial Public -event space -boathouse -docks - Park

-Startups -food vending -market

Learning -Vocational labs -Classrooms -Child Care

Elizabeth City, NC Educational Residential Municipal Commercial/ Downtown Demolition/ Landscaping

4

Grove

West Entrance “Jennette Daycare”

5

The Intersection Feild

Lawn & Rain Garden

Family Area

South Entrance “The Bridge”

6

1. Market

2. Boat House & Docks

3. The Intersection + The Grove

3

West Entrance

7

1

2

4. Family Area/Playground

5. The Bridge

6. Riverside Terrace

6 4 5

South Entrance

8

Regional Infrastructures Raleigh NC, Bike Infrastructure Research Maps The following research is focused on the state of bike infrastructure within Raleigh, NC. Information was gathered from GIS data & a myriad of online sources and documents. Guidance and direction was also gained from helpful conversations with members of the Raleigh Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Commission.

Residential Property Value $24k-$120k $120k-$240k $240k-$360k $360k-$480k $480k-$720k 2007-2015 Bike Crashes

In order to identify problem areas I used the method of overlaying different sets of visual data on a city-wide scale in order to create a visual filter that helped identify problem areas within the city (as seen in the collage of maps and graphics to the right).

From there I was able to assess issues and propose possible solutions in said problem areas, whether it be the completion of sidewalks along Rock Quarry Road or a revamping of the street section along New Bern Avenue.

The following pages are an edited collection of excerpts from a total of 42 graphic maps and their accompanying research narratives.

Link to full document https://issuu.com/clintronsick/docs/ clint_ronsick_influenceson_bikes_raleigh 9

Highest Poverty Areas (20% or more)

Sharrows Painted Bike Lanes Protected On Street Bike Lanes Off Street Paths

“Which of these bicycle facilities would you feel comfortable riding on?”

https://www.raleighnc.gov/content/PlanDev/Documents/TransPlan/BicycleProgram/RaleighBikeshareFea sibilityStudy.pdf

100%

82.6% 75% 50%

78.5%

78.5%

Protected on Street Bike Lane

Off Street Path

62.8% 34.4%

25%

No Bike Infra

Zero Vehicle Household Percentage 41%-86% 18%-41% 6%-18%

Sharrows

Painted Bike Lanes

Identified Problem Areaa Low Access to Rapid bus transit Low Access to Bike Infrastructure High Levels of Poverty High levels of Vehicle Ownership

Current Bike Infrastructure Planned Bus Rapid Transit

10

New Bern Avenue /BRT Conflict Another area of concern worthy of analysis would be New Bern Avenue. This is partially because of the city’s plans to install one of their four main Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) lines along New Bern and the potential conflict that this presents to the bike infrastructure along this road. BRT lines, by their very nature, affect the cross section of the street as they not only eat up two lanes of traffic specifically reserved for Bus Rapid Transit but also, by the specific model that the city of Raleigh is looking at, eat up a section betwixt these lanes to be used as pickup/drop-off stations. According to Eric Lamb, the conflicts between the BRT lines and bike lanes will, in the vast majority of cases, result in a removal of whatever bike infrastructure overlaps with the proposed BRT lines. This is due to narrow margins along existing roads that limit the widening of the street as seen both along Rock Quarry road as well as much of Raleigh within the original, centuries-old, building grid.

Enloe High School

Harrison Library

A

11

B

C WakeMed Raleigh Campus

AA

AA 10’ 22’ 10’ 22’ 32’ 32’ 14’ 14’ 14’14’ 14’ 22’ 14’ 10’ 22’21’ 10’ 21’

BB 92’ 92’

CC

22’ 22’ 10’ 24’ 10’ 15’ 24’ 15’ 15’15’ 15’ 25’ 15’ 10’ 25’ 30’ 10’ 30’

124’ 124’

BB CC

119’ 119’

26’ 10’ 26’ 10’ 31’ 31’ 15’ 15’ 15’15’ 15’ 27’ 15’ 27’28’ 28’ 15’ 15’

12

12

C - Wake Med Bike Intersection The public asset that one can assert as the main destination for New Bern Avenue would be the Wake Med Campus, which could act as yet another organizational hub for public engagement for bike infrastructure as well as a location for useful bike-focused amenities. In cross section, however, it does function as an example of some of the limitations that topography has on the expansion of road infrastructure.

As seen in Section D, despite the total 43 feet of distance between the Wake Med Parking deck and the road, the topography within this zone is not conducive to street expansion and would best be served with the designation of a non-separated bike lane or at least a sharrow in order to not put too much strain on possible sidewalk installations.

The other side of the road, however, has a rather gentle slope and generous buffer zones to accommodate both a fully-fledged separated-bike-lane as well as sidewalk facilities.

13

14

Independent Study Fuller Heights High School & Community Center For this project I was nominated for the 2019 AIA Triangle Scholarship; a recognition that inspired and motivated me to develop my design proposal even further as an independent study. I have since used the materials produced in my study to advocate for more equitable development with both the community and local experts in the City of Raleigh Parks Department and the NC Justice Center. It was the product of a research driven, public equity focused studio taught by Bell where the determination of the program, scale and location were all left up to the individual student.

Through my background research I focused my efforts on the at-risk Fuller Heights neighborhood bordering Dorothea Dix Park. In order to determine the most appropriate project for said community I conducted a door-to-door, seven-question survey designed to help me gain insight into the issues faced by said community. After knocking on upwards to 80 doors, I had accumulated pages of notes from my conversations with community members and had collected 39 responses for my survey. Several of the residents I had gotten to know on a first name basis also became consistent sources of information and invaluable points of contact throughout my design iterations.

This entire process solidified into my design of a Public Highschool/Community Center that both establishes connections to the community and coordinates with the Dorothea Dix Park Master Plan. My project also stipulates practices and procedures that address the communities concerns of at-risk youth, affordable housing, accessibility and gentrification.

15

Mass, Levels, Topography & Circulation

16

The Field .6mi 10 min walk

The Grove .2 miles 3 min walk

Valley Theater .3 miles

5 min walk

State Farmers Market .6mi

10 min walk

17

The Ridge .1 miles 2 min walk

Fuller Heights Affordable Housing Zone

Wake County Demographics by Census Tract

Median Household income Change from 2010-2016 https://www.newsobserver.com/news/databases/article193724129.html

Downtown Raleigh

Yearly Income Change 2018 30% or more Increase in household income 15%-30% Increase in household income 0%-15% Increase in household income 0%-15% Decrease in household income

Dorothea Dix Park Fuller Heights

15% or more Decrease in household income

18

19

“Do you have children who go to public school in Raleigh?”

“How much do you know about the development plans for Dorothea Dix Park?”

16%

A

Li

No t

33%

28%

10%

Yes

Yes

gh l Hi hoo Sc

School Hours M-F 8am-4pm

al g at l hin

ot AL

“Have you attended any meetings or events concerning Dorothea Dix Park?”

ttl e

51%

No

No

72%

90%

ity un ter m Cen Co m

“On a scale of 1 to 7, rate the following building types on how helpful they would be for your community if built nearby, 7 being the most helpful, and 1 being the least helpful”

School Hours

Outdoor Recreation

M-F 8am-4pm

Affordable Housing Community Center

Setting for the community to connect and thrive Positive opportunites for youth to create a better future

Public School Shopping Office Building

ity un ter m Cen Co m

Hotel 1

More pedestrianigh ol H ho Accessibility access into the park Sc Increased usage Stipulated affordable housing of Dix Park for all options near the park

2

3

4

5

6

7

Overlapping Use Youth Leadership in the Community

AfterSchool Usage M-F 4pm-11pm Sa-Su 24hrs

ity un m lex m p Co om C

20

Boys & Girls Club 21

Lobby & Circulation

Community Center Multi-Use Spaces Community Kitchen Community Center Admin Offices

Boys & Girls Club Collaborative Tech Lab Boys and Girls Club Flexible Classrooms

Career & Emotional Support Counseling Multi-Use Creative Classrooms Music & Chorus Rooms

Circulation & Casual Spaces Security & Check-In Restrooms

Level 1 1/128”=1’

22