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Designing the Future Pedestrian Mall April 12, 2011 ---PAGE BREAK--- Welcome – Mayor Kimberley Driscoll Background for tonight’s discussion ---PAGE BREAK--- The Big Picture Tonight is the last of four meetings ---PAGE BREAK--- Objectives for Tonight • Summarize meetings 1, 2, and 3 - Meeting 1: Your initial input on Essex Street - Meeting 2: ‘Great Places’ and Essex Street observations - Meeting 3: Managing, connecting and designing a better street • Present Design Recommendations and Next steps for Street Management - Strategies and specific design interventions that will add to the vibrancy of Essex Street for any level of sharing (from pedestrian/delivery vehicles only to a fully shared condition) - How much and when should Essex Street be shared? How will sharing be managed? ---PAGE BREAK--- Agenda for Tonight 6:30 Welcome, background, objectives, agenda and ground rules for tonight 6:40 Summary of Meetings 1, 2, and 3 7:00 Design and Shared Street Management Recommendations 7:30 Feedback 7:50 Next steps 8:00 Adjourn ---PAGE BREAK--- Ground Rules for Tonight • Be brief — no speeches — give others a chance to speak — time is not on our side • Stay on Topic — avoid side trips • Respect others’ contributions – no debates • Speak in turn — raise your hand to attract a microphone — we want to hear from everyone who wants to say something ---PAGE BREAK--- Historic Essex Street Then and now. . . ---PAGE BREAK--- Your input on Essex Street What you thought was good about Essex Street ---PAGE BREAK--- Your input on Essex Street What you thought could make Essex Street better ---PAGE BREAK--- Your input on Essex Street Flexibility as a recommended tool for a better street ---PAGE BREAK--- What makes a great urban place? ---PAGE BREAK--- How does a great urban place work? Walkable, active (day and night), extroverted, flexible for public events Piazza del Campo, Sienna, Italy Campo di Fiori, Rome, Italy Copenhagen, Denmark ---PAGE BREAK--- Pedestrian Mall Comparison How do we compare to successful pedestrian malls? Successful North American Pedestrian Malls: Church Street (Burlington, VT), Main Street (Charlottesville, VA), 3rd Street Promenade (Santa Monica, CA), Pearl Street (Boulder, CO) Success Factors Include: ‘Critical mass’ (surrounding population density and institutional presence); A high degree of connectedness and openness to surrounding urban fabric; Low regional competition for urban public leisure space; Ground level retail occupancy and engagement with outdoor mall culture ---PAGE BREAK--- How does Essex Street compare? Compared to ‘successful’ North American pedestrian malls, Essex Street suffers from a high degree of regional competition (75 mile radius) ---PAGE BREAK--- How does Essex Street compare? Essex Street is a single, uninterrupted block with poor urban connectivity – over 900 feet long with no cross streets or vehicular intersections ---PAGE BREAK--- Essex Street Observations Peak event season is between July and October with very little activity between November and June ---PAGE BREAK--- How would a more flexible Essex street feel? Shared Street, Active Urban Space: New Road, Brighton, England ---PAGE BREAK--- Current Condition In spite of the varying event calendar, Essex Street’s use patterns are the same all year round: Shared between pedestrians and tourist/delivery/emergency vehicles ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street Option 1 ‘Maximum Pedestrian’ How flexible should Essex Street become? ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street Option 2 ‘Maximum Sharing’ How flexible should Essex Street become? ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street Option 3 ‘Daily Sharing’ How flexible should Essex Street become? ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street Option 4 ‘Weekly Sharing’ How flexible should Essex Street become? ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street Option 5 ‘Seasonal Sharing’ How flexible should Essex Street become? ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street Option 6 ‘Seasonal Pedestrian’ How flexible should Essex Street become? ---PAGE BREAK--- Time management options ---PAGE BREAK--- Opportunities for urban connectivity How could a shared Essex Street work within Salem’s urban fabric? ---PAGE BREAK--- Design tools for managing Essex Street What elements will make the street better for any level of sharing? Goal: encouraging, managing and enhancing diverse activity on a unique street ---PAGE BREAK--- Your Feedback from Meeting 3 ---PAGE BREAK--- Next Steps for Shared Street Management and Design Recommendations ---PAGE BREAK--- Your Comments (from meeting 3) ---PAGE BREAK--- Design Decisions and Street Management Two very different sets of decisions ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street – Recommendation Select a management scenario that will increase activity during the quiet months and enhance pedestrian safety and enjoyment year-round ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street – Next Steps Sort out how much and when sharing should occur on the Essex Street Mall and determine how the sharing is managed. ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street – Next Steps 1. Collect additional data - Conduct a further investigation into use patterns, generate a pedestrian movement survey 2. Select a preferred sharing option 3. Test the preferred option – test degrees of sharing during controlled test periods 4. Commit to a management scenario – Explore management options and decide upon the best entity to manage the mall moving forward ---PAGE BREAK--- Strategies and specific design interventions that will add to the vibrancy of the Essex Street Mall for any level of sharing – from a pedestrian-only (with managed deliveries) to a fully-shared condition Design Recommendations ---PAGE BREAK--- Managed Shared Street - Scenario 1 Tree/parking on south side of street / Linear paving ---PAGE BREAK--- Managed Shared Street - Scenario 2 Tree/parking on north side of street / Perpendicular paving ---PAGE BREAK--- Your Comments (from meeting 3) ---PAGE BREAK--- A design for peak event season Strategies to frame visitor activities, to manage events and vendors ---PAGE BREAK--- A Plan for Essex Street Essex Street study area Essex Street East lndia Square Armory Park Derby Square Central Street ---PAGE BREAK--- A Plan for Essex Street A better street: Open to a range of activities, seasons and connections ---PAGE BREAK--- A Plan for Essex Street Right of Way and programmed ‘eddies’ for any level of sharing: with or without vehicles, during festival days, early summer, quiet winter months ---PAGE BREAK--- Your Comments (from meeting 3) ---PAGE BREAK--- Active Space zones for performances, events and play ---PAGE BREAK--- Active Space (in detail) ---PAGE BREAK--- Rest Space zones ideal for pause and observation ---PAGE BREAK--- Rest Space (in detail) Capitalizing on unrealized opportunities for connection and pause – a local route through Cervoni Way, the well traveled path to Derby Square ---PAGE BREAK--- Your Comments (from meeting 3) ---PAGE BREAK--- Public Art Opportunity: Zone for active play, events and public leisure ---PAGE BREAK--- Public Art for Play and Public Leisure ---PAGE BREAK--- Public Art Opportunity: Engage underutilized vertical surfaces as backdrops for activity ---PAGE BREAK--- Vertical Public Art ---PAGE BREAK--- Your Comments (from meeting 3) ---PAGE BREAK--- Public Art Opportunity: Engage urban connections, enhance safety, rest space and the character that already exists along Essex Street ---PAGE BREAK--- Finer Grain Public Art ---PAGE BREAK--- Public Art Opportunity: Gateways to Essex Street ---PAGE BREAK--- Public Art as Gateway ---PAGE BREAK--- A design for peak event season Strategies to frame visitor activities, to manage events and vendors ---PAGE BREAK--- Your Comments (from meeting 3) ---PAGE BREAK--- A design for the quieter months Strategies to enhance activity and safety all year round ---PAGE BREAK--- A design for increased activity – day and night Strategies to enhance activity and safety all year round ---PAGE BREAK--- What happens next? Mapping out the design process: Once funding is in place, design and construction can begin ---PAGE BREAK--- Shared Street – Next Steps 1. Collect additional data - Conduct a further investigation into use patterns, generate a pedestrian movement survey 2. Select a preferred sharing option 3. Test the preferred option – test degrees of sharing during controlled test periods 4. Commit to a management scenario – Explore management options and decide upon the best entity to manage the mall moving forward ---PAGE BREAK--- What happens next? Mapping out the design process: Once funding is in place, design development can begin ---PAGE BREAK--- Ground Rules for Tonight • Be brief — no speeches — give others a chance to speak — time is not on our side • Stay on Topic — avoid side trips • Respect others’ contributions – no debates • Speak in turn — raise your hand to attract a microphone — we want to hear from everyone who wants to say something ---PAGE BREAK--- Closing Comments – Mayor Driscoll