A few months
ago, I wrote that a longstanding assumption about
mixed-use TODs was breaking down. Urbanists
had long anticipated that the ground floor of most mixed-use structures could
be retail. However, changing consumer
patterns have reduced the need for retail, with the result that less retail
space is needed. For many projects, the
market is demanding that much of the first story be residential.
But the
relationship between sidewalks and buildings is different if the use adjoining
the sidewalk is residential instead of retail.
If the space is retail, having pedestrians peak inside is desirable. It’s called window shopping and is a
precursor to commercial activity.
If the space
is residential, having pedestrians peak inside is undesirable. It’s called voyeurism and is a precursor to
criminal complaints.
Instead,
residential space requires a perceived separation from the public space of a
sidewalk. In his book “Pockets
Neighborhoods”, Ross Chapin writes about the need to create transitions with
elements such as low fences, landscape buffers, and front porches.
But TODs
typically don’t have as much room for transitions as pocket neighborhoods. Creativity is required. In the Petaluma Station Area plan, the
consultant team offers a couple of transition suggestions for first story
residential space. They suggest small
enclosed gardens. And they suggest
stoops, between the back of sidewalk and the front door. (Depending on the other site conditions, stoops
can also facilitate tuck-under parking at the rear of the residences.)
But there is
drawback to either solution. They require
space that could otherwise be included in the square footage of the home. One can argue that private gardens and/or
stoops offer a sense of place that creates more value than mere square footage,
but developers and lenders often disagree.
In the
Petaluma Station Area, the owner of the land closest to the SMART station is
already suggesting that the proposed promenade approaching the station is wider
than necessary and can be narrowed to create more building space. One could expect that stoops will be the next
target.
With the
background in mind, my friend and I noted the transitions at the BART
TODs. We were mostly disappointed.
The photo above is of a stoop at the Pleasant Hill TOD. To be fair, there isn’t much need for stoops at the Pleasant Hill TOD. Much of the ground floor space is dedicated to retail or other non-residential uses. Only a few first story homes require separation from public sidewalks.
Which is a
good thing because this stoop configuration has minimal effectiveness. All it truly accomplishes is vertical
separation, which is good, but not enough.
With the minimal horizontal separation, as soon as a resident exits the
interior space, he is effectively in the public realm. Nor does the configuration allow space for plants
or other decoration that might enhance the separation.
But as
mediocre as the Pleasant Hill solution was, the Richmond solutions were
weaker. The photo is of the first block
leading away from the BART/Amtrak station.
The architecture differs on the two sides of the plaza leading away from
the station. To the left, small entry
porches offer a minimal public/private separation, although even less than the
Pleasant Hill solution.
But it is to
the right that there is truly no public/private separation. The unadorned front doors are perhaps a foot
from the back of the sidewalks, creating an interaction that is likely
uncomfortable on both sides of the door.
Residents probably must feel that they are an unacceptable part of the street
life. And pedestrians must feel as if
they are intruding on private life.
In “Walkable
City”, Jeff Speck writes that humans have a genetic disposition to prefer the
boundary between woodland and savannah, where they can control the risks from
either habitat. In an urban setting, the
genetic preference becomes a desire to occupy comfortable, well-framed
sidewalks at the edge of the public realm
The Richmond
solutions, particularly on the right side, take away that safe place. On the sidewalk, pedestrians feel that they
are encroaching on the homes. But if
they move into the plaza, then they lose the safety of the boundary. It’s a solution that takes away any
comfortable places. The result is an
underused plaza.
Fruitvale,
with its full retail use of the first story, largely ducks the public/private
problem. But to the small extent it
remains, it has been addressed elegantly, with Spanish-inspired steps leading
from the plaza to the residential stories.
There are
few immediate lessons for Petaluma from these stoop observations. The Station Area consultant has already identified
good solutions, which need only be retained when the plan is adopted.
Instead, the
concern could be longer term. When a
developer proposes replacing the solutions in the Station Area plan with
alternatives such as at Richmond, will a future City Council stand firmly by
the plan? Or will they yield to the political
expediency that any development is better than no development? Arguing firmly in favor of the design details
in the Station Area plan could be a task for urbanists over the next two
decades.
Scheduling Notes
Saturday, May 4, 11am
– A small group will gather in Petaluma to take Jake’s Walk. All are welcome. Be at the corner of B and 10th Streets at 11am
to participate.
Monday, May 6, 7pm –
The Petaluma City Council will take up the Petaluma Station Area Plan. The meeting will be in the Petaluma Council
Chambers at 11 English Street.
Tuesday, May 14, 5:30pm
– Petaluma Urban Chat will convene at the Aqus Café to continue the discussion
of “Walkable City”. All are welcome,
whether or not they’ve read the book.
As always,
your questions or comments will be appreciated.
Please comment below or email me.
And thanks for reading. - Dave Alden (davealden53@comcast.net)
Porches work too! Designs like this example from Philadelphia show how a porch both creates separation and a private public space--without sacrificing developable space on either the upper floors or in the basement. It's really an elegant solution.
ReplyDeleteSteve, thanks for the comment. I completely agree about porches, especially when they're deep enough to act as living space. (The latter point is key to Ross Chapin.) Also, I think raising them above the sidewalk by several steps, as in your example, can be a key element. It becomes a combination stoop/porch.
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