URBAN

DESIGN
PRINCIPLES
Case Study : Central River Front Development
!amilton Country" Cin#innati
Su$mitted By
R%S% &i'nes( )umar
A%S%Arvint( Samy
&t( Semester
R%&%S% S#(ool o* ar#(ite#ture
Dindi'ul+,%
Contents :
1. Introduction
2. Urban Design Principles
a. Central River Front Urban
Design Case Study,
Hamilton Country.
i. Streets,
ii. Parks and Open Spaces,
iii. Highway arriers,
i!. Parking,
!. "cono#ic De!elop#ent Sites,
!i. $ttractions,
!ii. Public %ransportation,
!iii. Scale o& De!elop#ent.
1. INTRDUCTIN:
UR!"N D#SI$N:
Urban design is the key to #aking places where
talented people will want to li!e, which will nurture
econo#ic success.
It is our hope that the Urban Design 'o#pendiu# will
assist proponents and designers in creating !ibrant and
dyna#ic neighborhood places within our co##unity.
%he !alue in building (people )rst* de!elop#ents is
wide ranging.
+ore#ost, it encourages a co#pact urban &or#, which
pro#otes alternati!e and healthy transportation
choices ,i.e., walking, cycling and transit-, better use o&
#unicipal in&rastructure and #aintains the !iability o&
neighborhood businesses.
O!er the longer ter#, this style o& de!elop#ent &osters
a distinct co##unity character that builds a brand and
ci!ic pride &or the 'ity and its neighborhoods.
Urban Design %rin&i'les:
1. %o #ake the Design.'ity rgani(ed.
2. %o ensure Sustainable "n!iron#ent.
/. %o #ake the spaces in the city )eaning*ul.
0. %o create +ell , %lanned, )ulti , %ur'ose
Spaces.
1. "nsure proper Fa&ilities and Servi&es in
Public Spaces.
2. %o incorporate Interesting S'a&es.
3. %o create a )utual S'a&es with
neighborhoods.
4. %o #aintain the -isual Conne&tivity
between spaces.
I. Streets:
Re-
establish the city grid to the river
a. %he e5isting ri!er&ront road syste# is a &rag#ent o& the
historic downtown street grid.
b. %he original street network e5tended &ro# 'entral
Parkway on the northern edge o& downtown to the
Public 6anding on the ri!er.
c. %he heart o& the city was thus connected to the ri!er.
%he construction o& +ort 7ashington 7ay in the 1819s
e:ecti!ely broke this link by se!ering !irtually all o& the
north.south street connections.
d. %he water&ront was &urther isolated in the early 1839s
by the erection o& 'inergy +ield and its parking decks.
e. In order to reconnect the 'ity to its Ohio ;i!er address,
north.south Street connections to the ;i!er #ust be
reestablished.
&. 'entral, "l#, ;ace, <ine, =ain, and 7alnut Streets
should all be e5tended to the water&ront to co#ple#ent
the lone e5isting connection at roadway.
g. Pedestrian>&riendly streetscapes #ust acco#pany the
rebuilt streets to in!ite residents back to the water?s
edge.
II. %ar.s and 'en S'a&es:
Transform existing isolated parks into a
riverfront park system.
a. %he e5isting parks to the east o& the central ri!er&ront
&or# one o& the world?s #ost in!iting ri!er&ront green
spaces.
b. @eat#an?s 'o!e, icentennial 'o##ons at Sawyer
Point, and International +riendship Park each reAect the
correct pattern o& ri!er&ront de!elop#ent, in which a
park acts as a #ediator between the 'ity and the ri!er.
c. %he only criticis#s which can be #ade o& these parks
are that they are disconnected &ro# downtown and
neighborhood pedestrian networks and isolated &ro#
residential and co##ercial de!elop#ent.
d. ;ede!elop#ent o& the area between the 'lay 7ade
ailey and %aylor Southgate ridges will trans&or# the
isolated parks into a ri!er&ront park syste#.
e. $ppro5i#ately 19acres o& parking lots and warehouses
can be re#ade into a public open space as a new &ront
door &or downtown. =ehring 7ay will be recon)gured to
create a de)ned northern edge to the park.
III. Hig/0ay !arriers:
Seize the
opportunity to remove Fort Washington Way as
a barrier to the riverfront
+ort 7ashington 7ay was built at the height o&
interstate highway construction in the 1819s to connect
I>31 to I>31 and to pro!ide direct interstate access to
downtown 'incinnati.
$lthough the concept see#ed correct at the ti#e, the
e5ecution o& the highway design resulted in a tangled
syste# o& ra#ps, bridges and intersections.
It also had the unplanned e:ect o& cutting o: the
physical and perceptual links between downtown and
the ri!er&ront.
$n opportunity e5ists today to re#o!e the ele#ents o&
+ort 7ashington 7ay?s design which #ake it a barrier to
the ri!er&ront.
%he proposed reconstruction is designed to &acilitate
below>grade east.west through #o!e#ents and to
restore the historic sur&ace street pattern.
Sidewalks and street trees will replace the e5isting
#aBe o& highway e5its and unclai#ed spaces and the
highway corridor will be narrowed to be in scale with
typical city blocks.
;e#o!ing +ort 7ashington 7ay as a barrier is a key
principal &or the success&ul rede!elop#ent o& the
central ri!er&ront.
I-. %ar.ing:
reate centrally-
located!
multipurpose
parking
$ 188/ study o& 'incinnati?s downtown parking
resources re!ealed that although the 'ity has an
abundance o& parking spaces, #any o& the# are
located &ar &ro# where they are #ost needed.
"5cess capacity at the peri#eter o& downtown currently
o:sets a se!ere shortage o& parking in the 'entral
usiness District.
%he ri!er&ront, with its o!er 4999 spaces, is a key part
o& this e5cess capacity and an essential resource.
%o preser!e the balanced parking supply, new
structured parking #ust be built to ser!e both
downtown oCce and stadiu# users.
Since oCce workers will typically only walk a Duarter o&
a #ile or less, new structured spaces should be
concentrated in the central ri!er&ront and.or west o&
roadway 'o##ons.
%he creation o& a new shared parking reser!oir is the
best insurance against downtown parking shortages
and unecono#ical re#ote garages.
-. #&onomi& Develo'ment Sites:
"reserve sites #hich are linked to do#nto#n!
the stadiums! and parking for economic
development
%he ri!er&ront and roadway 'o##ons are the two
likely sites &or stadiu# and econo#ic de!elop#ent.
7ithin these two sites, the central ri!er&ront between
"l# and 7alnut Streets and the western tip o&
roadway 'o##ons ha!e the uniDue &eature o& being
si#ultaneously linked to downtown, the ri!er&ront, the
stadiu# sites, and parking.
%his characteristic #akes these two areas the best sites
to preser!e &or &uture de!elop#ent opportunities.
;e#o!ing +ort 7ashington 7ay as a barrier to
ri!er&ront de!elop#ent is a critical supporting initiati!e
&or the ri!er&ront strategy.
'reating a #ulti>#odal transit and parking &acility in the
+ort 7ashington 7ay corridor is also a key to attracting
new in!est#ent.
De!elop#ent on the roadway 'o##ons site will not
only bene)t &ro# supporting uses, but will in turn &uel
residential re!italiBation in the O!er>the> ;hine
neighborhood.
y preser!ing the central ri!er&ront between "l# and
7alnut Streets and the western tip o& roadway
'o##ons &or &uture econo#ic de!elop#ent, 'incinnati
will be establishing the &oundation &or the only
opportunity to e5tend the downtown core.
-I. "ttra&tions:
$ink attractions to the do#nto#n retail and
o%ce core
a. $ #aEor goal o& the public in!est#ent in the two
sports stadiu#s is to strengthen downtown retail,
entertain#ent, and cultural businesses and
organiBations.
b. I& cultural attractions, residential de!elop#ent,
and.or co##ercial de!elop#ent are located on the
central ri!er&ront, they should be linked to the +ourth
Street retail core, +i&th Street hotels, +ountain
SDuare, and the backstage cultural district.
c. %he new ri!er&ront attractions can be seen as a
Fstring o& pearls,? a collection o& !aluable cultural
assets. %his Fstring o& pearls? runs &ro# the ri!er&ront,
across the reconstructed +ort 7ashington 7ay, and
into the downtown.
d. %hus the de!eloped ri!er&ront beco#es Eust one part
o& a !ibrant and sea#less downtown with a !ariety o&
uses, including stadiu#s, cultural attractions, retail,
hotels, entertain#ent, housing, oCces, and parks > a
true 20>hour city.
-II. %ubli& Trans'ortation:
onstruct an $RT or parking shuttle to link
neighborhoods and parking #ith do#nto#n incinnati
and &entucky.
a. $ new light rail transit line to link the airport,
Gorthern Hentucky, downtown 'incinnati, the
Uni!ersity o& 'incinnati, and northern neighborhoods
has been in the conceptual planning stages &or so#e
ti#e.
b. %he pre&erred align#ent would include a new bridge
parallel to the 'lay 7ade ailey ridge on the upri!er
side. $n Finter#odal? hub below Second Street is
planned as the line?s key trans&er point to bus and
inter>urban rail networks.
c. $lthough the region?s transportation plan has #any
other i#portant proEects, the option o& light rail ,or
an eDui!alent parking shuttle syste#- should be part
o& the re!italiBation o& the 'incinnati ri!er&ront.
d. One key argu#ent &or the 6;% is that it would link
re#ote parking reser!oirs with stadiu# and 'entral
usiness District parking needs, thereby reducing the
reDuire#ent &or new downtown structured parking
spaces.
-III. S&ale o* Develo'ment:
"reserve the vie# from do#nto#n to the river
and
from the river to do#nto#n.
a. $#ong 'incinnati?s greatest assets are the !iews
&ro# the 'entral usiness District to the ;oebling
ridge and Ohio ;i!er, and &ro# the Ohio ;i!er and
the Hentucky ri!er&ront back to downtown 'incinnati.
b. =any citiBens said that the 'ity skyline as !iewed
&ro# the south is 'incinnati?s signature i#age. In
order to preser!e this asset, new buildings in the
central ri!er&ront should be scaled to the support
e5isting sight lines.
c. uilding heights should step down &ro# +ort
7ashington way to =ehring 7ay, with stadiu#s
pushed as &ar to the east and the west as possible.
d. %his approach will guarantee that the #a5i#u#
nu#ber o& the e5isting and &uture downtown
buildings will share the 'ity?s #ost prestigious
ri!er&ront address.