Pop Up Rockwell - (CSS) National Dialog 2

POP UP
A Complete & Green Street Experiment | Cleveland, OH | March 26 - April 27, 2012
OVERVIEW
P
op Up Rockwell was a five-week experiment to
test Complete and Green Street enhancements
on Rockwell Avenue in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.
The temporary installation included Cleveland’s
first segregated cycle track, stormwater bio-filtration
benches, new crosswalks, enhanced transit waiting
environments, and wind-animated public art. The
four-block-long street transformation was designed
and built by graduate students from Kent State
University’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative
(CUDC), in close partnership with multiple
organizations, including the City of Cleveland,
the Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer District,
GreenCityBlueLake Institute, U.S. Department of
Homeland Security, Greater Cleveland Regional
Rendering of proposed Rockwell Ave. from Group Plan Report.
CONTEXT
Going beyond drawings and digital models, Pop Up
Rockwell allowed local officials, property owners,
nearby workers and the public to inhabit a future
vision within the real world context of grand historic
architecture, unique street pattern, varying weather
conditions, large programmed gatherings, and
rush hour traffic. Based on observations and data
collected during the installation, project planners
were assured certain novel proposals would be
feasible and discovered what must be improved.
Most importantly, key stakeholders developed strong
working relationships and built trust with the public
through creative and meaningful engagement.
Transit Authority, Bike Cleveland and many others.
The project created a physical embodiment, for
one week, of the aspirations conveyed in the City
of Cleveland’s recently passed Complete & Green
Streets Ordinance, as well as recommendations from
Mayor Jackson’s Group Plan Commission Report.
Clevelanders had been anxious to see on-the-ground
progress since the release of these documents. The
temporary and low cost nature of the installation
provided a valuable opportunity to assess possible
design options before significant financial (and
political) investments are made on the street.
Temporary installations, such as Pop Up Rockwell,
can introduce a crucial intermediate step between
conceptual plan and final construction.
Photograph of actual Pop Up Rockwell temporary installation.
The four-block Pop Up Rockwell site shown in blue.
D av i d Ju rc a , A s s o c i a t e D i re c t o r
Ke n t S t a t e U n i ve r s i t y C l eve l a n d U r b a n D e s i g n C o l l a b o r a t i ve
1 3 0 9 E u c l i d Ave n u e , S u i t e 2 0 0 C l eve l a n d , O H 4 4 1 1 5 | P 216.357.3434 | F 216 357.3430 | www. cudc .kent.edu
ENGAGE
ENGAGE
LESSONS
MORE
INFO
DESIGN
DESIGN
MAKE
MAKE
INSTALL
INSTALL
5 WEEKS
5 WEEKS
The five-week project culminated in a weeklong onsite installation of multiple street enhancements. The
temporary installation provided several lessons on
the appropriateness of the design options, including:
• Although the overall width of the vehicle travel
lanes were reduced from 38’ to 20’, bus loading
and traffic were able to continue smoothly.
• Bus and car traffic speeds were significantly
reduced to posted legal speeds by narrowing the
travel lanes to accommodate the cycle-track.
• Painting green cycle-track markings only at
vehicular/bicycle intersections was sufficient to
visually demarcate the corridor for all users.
• Based on bicycle counts taken by trained
volunteers on three separate days, bicycle
ridership was found to double during the cycle
track installation. The cycle track was also
observed to be preferred by less experienced
riders and families with children.
In addition to the observations made about the site
and installed projects, there are likewise lessons that
can be learned about the process of the temporary
use model for urban design projects.
• It would be advised to have a project of this
type installed for more than one week. While
there was valuable data collected during this
week, it was felt that a longer duration would
have provided more weather conditions to
Please visit: PopUpRockwell.com
•
•
ASSESS
ASSESS
test and more time for word to spread about
the installation, thereby increasing the level of
public engagement.
It was observed that many people walking
through the project area were not aware of
the specific intent of the various installations.
Interpretive signage explaining the function
of street elements could have provided useful
explanations for passersby.
Public engagement was not as robust during the
installation as desired, but it was much more
successful in terms of advocacy than expected.
Photograph taken during temporary installation shows vehicles
improperly cuing for library drop-off in the cycle-track, rather than
the adjacent driving lanes. This observation of real-world activity
was not expected by the design team, but indicates a need for
improved vehicular guidance in a permanent street solution.
Project supported by:
THE GEORGE GUND
FOUNDATION
Full Report
Documentary Video
D av i d Ju rc a , A s s o c i a t e D i re c t o r
Ke n t S t a t e U n i ve r s i t y C l eve l a n d U r b a n D e s i g n C o l l a b o r a t i ve
1 3 0 9 E u c l i d Ave n u e , S u i t e 2 0 0 C l eve l a n d , O H 4 4 1 1 5 | P 216.357.3434 | F 216 357.3430 | www. cudc .kent.edu