Sarah E. Cook Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Portfolio

Sarah E. Cook Landscape Architecture Urban Design Portfolio

Personal Statement Jane Jacobs in, Death and Life of Great American Cities, compares the vibrant, dynamic, and social scene of the urban sidewalk to that of an improvised dance performance “The Ballet of the good city sidewalk never repeats itself from place to place, and in any one place is always replete with new improvisations.� The metaphor is a rich and pragmatic one which illustrates the important role of urban design in providing pedestrian oriented, human scaled environments with usable social spaces. Cities are designed to serve multiple functions; economics, mobility and transportation, housing, work, and industry; yet we still experience the built environment through the human form. In my own journey from dance and choreography to urban design I have developed a design philosophy which sets its highest premium on the integration of the built environment, human health and well-being. A fine grained walkable urban fabric, active and public transit options, and a mixture of destinations allows people to meet their needs within a compact framework which in turn supports a more active lifestyle. This corresponds to less time spent in transit, less fossil fuel consumption, and a higher quality of life. The Landscape Architect has the opportunity to build healthy and vibrant communities by orienting urban design towards a human scaled and walkable urban fabric.

The work presented in my portfolio upholds my urban design philosophy outlined above. Livability at the Transit Stop is an investigation of rapid transit design and land use as it relates to the livability of a community. The Village Center at Reston, Virginia, demonstrates a pedestrian friendly mixed use town center. The layout of buildings and public spaces provide an experiential narrative for users where narrow streets open into intimate internal courts. Views to the lake are revealed in expansive vistas or framed by the streetscape. The Eugene Farmers’ Market Square is a celebration of local food and culture, featuring spaces for artisans and produce, a performance venue, and outdoor pavillion. The final project, Complete Street, Complete Neighborhood, is a study at neighborhood scale. I made planning and design recommendations to enhance active and public transit options as well as connection to regional identity by increasing visibility and pedestrian flow to a river path trail. The resulting plan allows for a more walkable neighborhood with increased access to greenways, and urban destinations.

Table of Contents A

Livability at the Transit Stop

4-5

B

Reconnecting to the Lake

6-9

C

Locally Grown

10-13

D

Complete Street, Complete Neighborhood

14-15

E

Urban Watercolors

16-19

LA Livability at the Transit Stop Research on Transit Design and Livability City of Eugene, Oregon, 2014 Current research on Bus Rapid Transit Systems has identified numerous livability benefits related to economic prosperity, community health, and the environment. When combined with land use development BRT systems assist in the creation of more compact, healthier, and walkable cities. Seven bus stops were evaluated in this assessment for the presence of transit infrastructure and land uses shown to increase the perception of livability at the transit stop. Recommendations were made for each stop based on the data collected. An ideal typological transit stop was modeled using sketch-up to demonstrate the integration of land uses and transit stop design to create livable urban environments.

Livable Streets Diagram

Street Trees Buildings Frame Streetscape Third Spaces 4

Dedicated Bus Lanes

Benches Bike Lane

Shelter and Seating Pedestrian Throughway

Pedestrian Amenities 1

1

Cover

2 Seating 3 Human Scaled Lighting

15

4 ADA Ramps

9

5 ADA Handrails

3

11

6 Pedestrian Crossings 5

2

13

4

7 Accessible Pedestrian Signals 8 Sidewalk Surfaces 9 Maps 10 Time Tables 11 Trash Bins

18

12 Transparent Ground Floor Windows 13 Bike Racks

12

7 17

14 Planters

16

15 Trees 8

6

16 Semi-public and Social Spaces.

17 Tables 18 Awnings

B Reconnecting to the Lake GROCERY

6 6

RETAIL

Before

RETAIL

For the South Lakes Village Center re-design, buildings were demassified and arranged in a fine grain layout to provide views to the lake, intimate streetscapes, and internal courtyards. Parking was moved to the parameter of the site to allow for a spacious plaza where visitors may enjoy an expansive vista and access to lake Thoreau.

RETAIL

South Lakes Village Center Reston, Virginia, 2012

After

South Lakes Plaza

Lake Thoreau

G

GROCERY

M MIXED USE R RETAIL G

P PARKING

P

P LAKE THOREAU LAWN

PLAZA

M

M R M

R

P

M

P

P

N 50’

100’

400’

7

View I: A Thin Blue Line A thin line of blue is framed by a narrow street in a distant view to the lake. The street opens into a small internal court.

View II: Hide & Reveal Turning the corner, a bent street conceals the large lawn and plaza.

8

8

View III: The Vista Rounding the bend, the street opens unexpectedly into a spacious lawn and expansive vista of the lake.

South Lakes Village Center was designed to provide an unfolding sequence of views and experiences; a modern picturesque interpretation of an urban space.

9

10 10

C

Locally Grown

Eugene Farmers’ Market Eugene, Oregon, 2012 Eugene boasts a forty three year run of the Saturday Farmers’ Market founded in 1971. The market features live music, crafts, food carts, and locally grown produce from the Willamette Valley. The market is set-up every Saturday within four consecutive park blocks in the heart of downtown Eugene.

A surface parking lot covering a portion of the park blocks has been redesigned as a public square, offering more tent spaces, a covered pavillion, ampitheater and interactive water feature as well as providing a central gathering space in the heart of downtown Eugene.

11 11

11

The Market Square

SECTION AA’

The Market Square is a multi-functional public space accommodating fifty-five tent spaces, comfortably fit between walkways marked by local basalt paving. The square features an interactive fountain with stair seating which may also function as a performance venue. A large pavilion offers shelter from the elements and creates a recognizable landmark in the downtown.

PAVILION

SCALE

12 12

Planters

Tent Spaces

Pavilion

0’ 10’ 20’

40’

Water Catchment Pillars

N

Main Walkway

INTERACTIVE FOUNTAIN

Stair Seating

Interactive Fountain

SECTION AA’ PAVILION & INTERACTIVE WATER FOUNTAIN Pavilion

Water Catchment Column

SCALE

Structural Cables 0’

5’

10’

20’

Interactive Fountain Stair Seating

13

13

D Complete Street, Complete Neighborhood

Minimum Complete Street Dimensions Sidewalk 4’

Sustainable Transportation Systems Eugene, Oregon, 2014

Bike Lane 4’

A river path extends along the east and west banks of the Willamette river accommodating foot and bicycle traffic. The path runs adjacent to many residential neighborhoods and a vast parking lot of the River Valley Shopping Center. The proposal for this neighborhood study is to provide a safe, pleasant, and walkable community through infill development, efficient public transit, and the enhancement of active transportation networks servicing destinations. Specific planning strategies are to re-purpose a portion of the shopping center parking lot to provide destinations which can be easily reached by foot, bus or bicycle. A complete street along Good Pasture Island Road is recommended featuring buffered bike lanes which connect to the river path and new development within River Valley Center.

Traffic 10’

e Sid

La

ne

lk wa

e Bik

fu Re

ile ob

ne

r ffe Bu

Bus Lane 11’

4’

4’

3’

La

ian

om ut ’A 10

US ’B 11

tr es ed ’P 10

Neighborhood GIS Analysis

Vegetated Buffer 3’

ge

Pedestrian Refuge 8’ Reference:s

NATCO Urban Street Design Guide NATCO Urban Bikeway Design Guide

River and Wetlands

100 Year Flood

COMPLETE STREET SECTION

14 14

Parks

Bus Stops and Routes

Streets

Features • • • •

Sidewalks Buffered Bike Lanes Dedicated Bus Lanes Pedestrian Refuge

PLANNING STRATEGIES

1 Good Pasture Is. Road

Design a complete street for Good Pasture Island Road.

2

Repurpose Large Surface Parking Lot at Valley River Center to create a walkable and bikeable destination for neighboring residents.

Image 1: Urban Design Elements

3

= 2000’

50% Building frontage of street 50% Parking fronts street 75% Canopy Cover Presence of Vegeation Presence of Multi-modal transit: Bike lanes

Connect the Good Pasture Island road bike lanes to the existing Riverfront trail.

Image 1: Urban Design Questions: Elements

Existing Bicycle Infrastructure

COMPLETE STREET

15 15

50% Building frontage of street Proposed 50% Parking fronts street 75% Canopy Cover Presence of Vegeation Presence of Multi-modal transit: Bike lanes

Bicycle Infrastructure

PARKING LOT RE-PURPOSING

E

Urban Watercolors Paris, August 2013

Luxembourg Gardens 16 16

Luxembourg Gardens Fountain

Paddle Boating on the Seine River 17

Urban Watercolors Bath, August 2013

The Roman Baths 18

The River Avon

Bath Abbey 19