Mistake Alert: Loop Trolley Proposal Looking Backward Rather Than Forward

It is no secret I love streetcars.  I’ve ridden old & new systems in seven North American cities  (New Orleans, Memphis, Little Rock, San Francisco, Toronto, Seattle & Portland).  While these systems have much in common with each other the main difference is the vehicles used. They vary from vintage to reproduction vintage to completely modern.

European cities  largely kept their streetcar systems intact over the years but have continually upgraded their vehicles to the newest designs over the years. Toronto’s system has lines dating to the 19th Century.  Every so often vehicles have been replaced with newer designs.  Their current vehicles date to the late 1970s:

But Toronto’s vehicles have the same problem as vintage vintage reproduction vehicles: access.  Stepping up into them is not friendly to wheelchairs, strollers, bikes, small kids or just a person carrying luggage or packages. The Loop Trolley folks want that vintage look rather than providing the best transportation for the 21st Century.  They are looking backward rather than forward.

They are looking at a system like they have in Little Rock AR:

Little Rock’s vehicles are new but have a vintage look & feel.

Filming a period movie?  Great, use these.  Investing tens of millions in a modern transportation system that will last into the second half of the 21st Century?  Wrong choice!  The Loop Trolley folks are stuck in 1904.  The World’s Fair is over guys.  So what is the right choice?

Modern “low-floor” vehicles such as the above in Portland.  The same type was used in Seattle.

The vehicle’s low-floor center design with wide doors make entry/exit easy for everyone.  Stroller & packages?  No problem.

The interiors are bright, modern and comfortable.  The type you’d feel comfortable wearing shorts and a t-shirt rather than wearing a dress and carrying a parasol.  We must look forward.  But the Loop Trolley advisory board feels the vintage look is more appropriate.

But in Helsinki Finland, founded in 1550, the old & modern blend beautifully.  We must build our new transportation systems and architecture of the current times.  Building a streetcar line to connect areas together is the right direction.  The system should be expandable to parts beyond the Loop & Forest Park.  Looking back to the glory days of 1904 is not going to help us in 2030.  Judy Garland, the star of Meet me in St. Louis.  has been dead for four decades.

To make the reproduction cars accessible they’d have a ramp like our buses do.  As a frequent wheelchair user I can tell you I would not use such a system.  It works most of the time but it would set me apart from everyone else.  The ramp would take time to extend & retract –holding up traffic in the meantime.  Why not just build an accessible system with low-floor vehicles?

The name “trolley” doesn’t matter much.  Could be streetcar or tram.  Seattle started out using trolley for their modern vehicles — the line was going to be the South Lake Union Trolley.  That is until someone realized it would be called SLUT, for short.  So it opened as the South Lake Union Streetcar instead.  So the trolley name is fine but not the reproduction vehicle.

The trick is the modern low-floor vehicles cost roughly three times the price of a reproduction vehicle. I don’t have figures to know how much of the estimated $50 million cost would be for the purchase of vehicles.

For more info on track options and other issues presented at the Loop Trolley open house last Wednesday check out, “Public Gets First Look at Loop Trolley Details, Feedback Solicited On Track Options” at STLUrbanWorkshop.com.

– Steve Patterson

STL & ATL; Lessons from the “New South”

My wife and I relocated from University City to Atlanta in May 2009.  I accepted a promotion with the brand consulting firm I work for after she was laid off as a radio reporter, and we reluctantly moved.  We loved the walkability of our neighborhood, the eccentricity of the nearby Delmar Loop, fabulous Forest Park, the city’s world-class architecture and its many unique neighborhoods with character to spare.

It was a painful decision to leave.  But the long-term job prospects for the marketing and media industries in St. Louis look grim for a laundry list of reasons.  So we cut our losses, put our recently renovated home on the market, and headed south.  As we explore the built environment and our new neighborhood in Midtown, oftentimes I find myself comparing and contrasting Atlanta to my beloved hometown.  And I can’t help but think there are important lessons the STL could learn from the ATL.

St. Louis and Atlanta are two very different cities.  Unlike St. Louis, whose growth and revitalization of its urban core could be considered fledgling by almost any measure, Atlanta is a poster child for success.  It has enjoyed substantial growth since the 1996 Olympics.  Its Midtown area along Peachtree Street and nearby parallel streets, once a scattering of abandoned buildings and a hotbed for drugs and prostitution, is now a thriving, densely populated urban core with street-level retail and wide, pedestrian-friendly sidewalks.

But St. Louis and Atlanta also share much in common.  They are both home to prestigious universities that have a profound impact on their surrounding communities.  In addition, both cities have entire neighborhoods that were splintered by sprawling freeways.  Much like the depressed section dividing downtown St. Louis from one of its greatest assets, the construction of the 75/85 Connector disconnected neighborhoods, and Atlanta is still dealing with the unforeseen repercussions.

Technology Square, the Georgia Institute of Technology’s campus extension in Midtown, is a an interesting example of how to successfully reconnect parcels divided by a major highway with a “lid” approach.  Georgia Tech built a pedestrian-friendly, attractively landscaped bridge over the Connector and revitalized land that used to be a collection of surface parking lots to house its College of Management, Conference Center & Hotel, Barnes & Noble Campus bookstore, and non-university office space:

As opposed to Saint Louis University, which tends to create parking lots rather than turn them into part of the urban fabric, Georgia Tech had the vision to build a bustling multi-use development with wide, walkable sidewalks:

The planners incorporated efficient, plentiful bike racks that allow two bikes to easily fit side by side, securely locking both the wheel and frame:

The courtyard of the Centergy Building, home to the Royal Bank of Canada’s Atlanta headquarters, is a benchmark example of a well-designed corporate mall.  Street-level retail, including a cafe, and well-placed benches and xeriscaping, create an inviting, highly usable space where people actually congregate:

The neighborhood is linked to MARTA light-rail transit via the Stinger shuttle, free to students and the general public alike:

The only surface parking lot in the neighborhood features Zip cars:

And Wednesdays during the summer, 5th Street is closed between Spring and William for “Flicks on Fifth,” a weekly outdoor film series:

Atlanta has whole host of problems, including urban sprawl of gargantuan proportions, some of the worst traffic in the country, an underfunded police department, epidemic crime, a crumbling sewer infrastructure, recent drought…And much like Saint Louis University’s expansion projects, Technology Square is not without controversy or ill-conceived plans for parking lots.

Georgia Tech intends to demolish the Crum & Forster Building for additional campus parking.  (Ironically, according to Wikipedia, the building was originally designed by the architectural firm that helped found GT’s college of architecture 100 years ago this year.)  But overall the Georgia Tech expansion points to a few lessons the great city of St. Louis could learn from the “New York of the South.”

First, it’s the little things that count.  Details such as wider sidewalks, efficient bike racks, easy access to mass transit, and good use of “mall” space matter.  Without these complementary pieces, the likelihood of creating a vibrant and commercially successful urban neighborhood like Technology Square is greatly diminished.

Second, in order to reconnect two fractured parcels of land, there needs to be a solid anchor on both sides of the former divide.  Technology Square would not have succeeded if the extension to the west side of the 75/85 Connector didn’t include mixed-use development, street-level retail and a reason for students and other locals alike to use the area.  Even though it’s smaller in scale and the adjacent parcels are much different than downtown and the Arch grounds, any debate regarding a “lid” for downtown St. Louis should carefully consider the Georgia Tech expansion.

Finally, St. Louis needs to embrace its architectural treasures.  Atlanta’s were destroyed during the Civil War when General William T. Sherman ordered the city burned to the ground.  Despite having it’s own devastating fire in 1849, St. Louis still has one of its greatest assets: a superb building stock that’s arguably one of the richest in the country.  Unfortunately, in many instances it seems to be squandered away due to poor planning or auto-centric development.

Georgia Tech’s expansion was largely a start-from-scratch project, and it didn’t need to take architectural preservation into consideration. However, it’s possible to incorporate the modern elements that make Georgia Tech’s expansion a success while preserving architecturally significant buildings in the process.  Saint Louis University, public institutions, private developers and other local entities that have such a deep and long-lasting impact on St. Louis’ urban core owe it to the communities they serve to have a longer-term vision.

After starting from scratch after the Civil War, Atlanta’s city planners and developers seem to have had little appreciation for the past.  Few post-Civil War historic buildings have been preserved in the “New South.”  Today, Atlanta is a sprawling metropolis of glass and steel canyons, creating an awe-inspiring nighttime skyline.

But it lacks much of the richness, architectural detail and aesthetic diversity of St. Louis’ remarkable building stock and unique neighborhoods.  In this respect, St. Louis can learn a thing or two from Atlanta’s past mistakes.  Preservation doesn’t necessarily impede progress.  And once architectural treasures are gone, they’re lost forever.

– Bryan Oekel

Tearing Out A Pedestrian Mall

Soon we will see crews doing to St. Louis’ North 14th Street what I saw yesterday in the town of Rockford Illinois:  ripping out a tired pedestrian mall  (Map).

Crews began ripping out the two remaining blocks last month.

There were 48 retailers, restaurants and salons on the mall when it opened in 1975. Today only two of those 48 are still there. Five years later, in 1980, retail establishments on those four blocks were already being decimated as shoppers flocked to shopping centers and the CherryVale Mall that opened in 1973.   (source)

The same story can be told in places where the mall was seen as the way to lure shoppers away from new open-air & enclosed malls in the suburbs.  Rockford appears to have been on the cutting edge with efforts to revitalize their downtown.  Cutting edge planning has been destructive to cities and their downtowns.  Revitalization efforts today are often simply to undo past mistakes.  Rockford’s retail area is now firmly embeded in the think ring of sprawl.  The 21st century version will be different than it was 75 years ago but also different than it has been over the last 30 years.

I had lunch inside the restaurant you see pictured with the outdoor seating.  I asked my waitress what she thought of the mall going away.  She didn’t want to see it go. I should not the mall was older than she was.

She was skeptical of the plans for having traffic on the street.  “I hope it works out,” she said.  Indeed, I plan to return after the Main Stret reopens.

– Steve Patterson

Improving the Urban Wall Around Citygarden, Part 1

The new Citygarden, a 2-block sculpture garden in downtown St. Louis, is a wonderful space.  The surrounding buildings are not so wonderful.  For the long-term viability of the area we need to improve the urban edge around Citygarden.

Across Market Street to the South is the first place I’d start, the Bank of America tower.  A horrible Urban Renewal era building with no relationship to the sidewalk.  The building is mostly in the 800 block of Market St but the base of the tower extends over 9th St with part of the building in the 900 block.

Above is looking West from Market St at 8th.  The raised terrace is the main disconnect between the sidewalk and building.  In a walkable environment you want minimal separation between the pedestrian on the sidewalk and entrances to interior spaces.  Each city block needs 4-6 distinct entries to make the journey interesting for the pedestrian.  Razing the building and starting over would work but it would be wasteful and is not necessary.

Plants can do wonders.  If they replaced the boring ivy with something that would drape over the wall that would do wonders.  Lose the button down collar look in the planter.  Replace serious with fun.  The first block of the Citygarden is to the right, across Market St.

Above: we are approaching 9th Street.  The sign up on the terrace is for a restaurant space for lease.  Yeah, good luck with that.  To make it work you’d need a sign & menu board down at the sidewalk level.  Some potted plants on the steps (away from the rails) would soften these stairs and make it more inviting.  The brass handrails are like shoulder pads on the show Dynasty: classy at the time but oh so dated now.

Above: At 9th looking back East at the opposite view of the steps.  A step down planter on this end attempts to mask the huge change in height above the sidewalk but the plantings are too wimpy for the massive space.  Like the retaining wall earlier the plantings should hang over the wall and vary in height.  Some color would be nice too.

Above: 9th Street looking South.  Just horrible. I can see guests of the hotel 2 blocks South using this route to get to Citygarden.   Removing the section over the street is ideal but not likely.  So I look for alternatives to improve this street.

Four lanes?  Four!  Insanity.  Thankfully Citygarden cuts this down to two after crossing Market Street. Ideally I’d put on-street parking on the two outer lanes.  But I’m guessing they don’t want vehicles parking under the building here.  Fine, but we still only need two travel lanes.  The sidewalks should be widened so that only two lanes remain.  The section of the building between 9th & 10th at grade is the drive thru.  A blank wall faces Market St & 10th concealing the drive-thru.  That is both good & bad.  Good because we don’t want to see a drive-thru in a city but bad because blank walls are no better.

Above: Continuing along Market St we see the blank wall along the side of KSDK channel 5.  To the left we see open space.  Yes, the trees are nice and the grass is green but this space, across Market St from the 2nd block of Citygarden is screaming out for a building(s).

Citygarden Dedication Today

At 10am this morning (Tuesday 6/30/09) Mayor Slay will dedicate Citygarden, the new 2-block long sculpture garden downtown.  Before I get into the garden I want to talk about what existed on these two blocks previously.

The two blocks (bounded by Market St on the South, 10th on the West, Chestnut on the North and 8th on the East) were the last two blocks to have their historic long-standing structures razed for a grand vision of a Gateway Mall — a vision of a long green spine that dates back to the early 20th Century (map).  The city was vastly different then — it was populated, dirty (coal was still burned for heat) and anything but uniform.  Early planners sought to clear away a section of the city to offer some relief and to bring some order to a bustling chaotic city.

The problem is city leaders over the decade became addicted to demolition as a solution.  That new order would invigorate the city, they thought.  But it was the unplanned chaos that gave the city life.

In 1993 two city blocks remained to complete this ordered new vision.

Stunning huh?  But in a city with more open green space than people to occupy what we had it was decided we should create more.

What we got was two more passive (boring) city blocks.  I argued with the city’s head architect at the time but it did no good:

Unlike some older mall blocks, particularly ones west of Tucker Boulevard, Royse said, the new ones “will be inviting and attractive . . . and
people should use the mall more.” (Post-Dispatch of July 16, 1993)

Royse, now retired in Seattle, was in town recently.  I saw him last Thursday at the Loop Trolley forum.  He had not yet seen how his two blocks of the mall, the last two, had been altered.

But the two blocks were not inviting, unless you wanted to be alone with nothing to do.  The buildings surrounding these two blocks have been uninviting since new. Blank walls, raised entrances, parking garage entries.  The stuff that sucks life out of a city.

And now, these two blocks are once again recreated.  They are the opposite of the 1993-2008 blocks — a good thing as Martha Stewart would say.

From what I’ve seen from Citygarden so far it is interesting, complex (requiring exploration),  colorful, and a delight to the senses. With a permanent cafe on the Eastern block you can stay and enjoy the space.  There is seating throughout.  We shouldn’t have razed the old buildings but once they were gone we should have created dynamic space.  Instead we got 16 years of dead passive space added to the many acres of additional dead passive space we’ve had for decades longer.

While I like the Citygarden I don’t like the process that led to today.  I wrote the following just over 2 years ago (see post):

In a classic St. Louis move, the city’s “leadership” is already moving forward with a plan the public has yet to see. Mayor Slay, Aldermanic President, Alderman Phyllis Young, and Downtown Parnership’s Jim Cloar last week talked of the newest concept as a done deal even though we the public have not seen anything yet. Typical.

The public open house is scheduled for this evening, Monday June 11, 2007 at 6:30pm in the rotunda at City Hall. This is one of those meetings designed to give the appearance of public participation without any actual participation. The usual round of types — officials, business executives, etc… — have already approved of the plan on our behalf. How big of them to do so. I assume tonight will also be a chance for all these folks to congratulate each other on a job well done. I’ll be there simply because I need to see what sort of disastrous plan the city has drafted this time. Any comment forms will likely be a waste of paper.

Hopefully these two blocks will serve as an example of the level of excitement necessary as we look at the remaining blocks of the Gateway Mall.  I’ve got a good relationship with Patricia Roland-Hamilton, the person in charge of The Gateway Mall Project.  We’ve had ongoing conversations about the qualities needed along the mall.

Once inside I’ll do a full review of Citygarden.  Again, I like it already.  But I have noticed a few details I would like to have seen done differently.  These can now serve as lessons for when the remaining blocks are addressed.

– Steve Patterson