SeeClickFix Tackles Tomlinson Bridge "Disaster"; ConnDOT Vetoes Safety Improvements

Original Post, 3/19/09: Rather than simply profiling another SeeClickFix "Issue of the Month" this month, DNH has decided to highlight some of the significant coverage received by the Downtown New Haven, Google Maps mashup-based company over the past few days. Using a particularly strong example from the Tomlinson Bridge on Route 1 over New Haven Harbor (pictured at left), we also describe why we think the site will be spreading around the country even more quickly than predicted.

A Tool for Livable Communities: The Coverage

The City Fix, a well-known sustainable transportation blog, has a lengthy post summarizing the company's progress:

Lately, the SeeClickFix guys have garnered national media attention. They were profiled by Voice of America (en Espanol). They scored a $25,000 grant from the We Media Pitch It Awards. And last month, they started incorporating its RSS feeds into an experimental "hyperlocal" news site, sponsored by The New York Times, that covers three small towns in New Jersey. Just last week, SeeClickFix scored a deal with Philly.com, embedding their Philadelphia map into a new “pothole tracker” tool.... According to the San Francisco Chronicle’s technology blog, “They’ve wired up New Haven so well that everyone from city managers to AT&T execs monitor their site and see to it that complaints get addressed.”

Melissa Bailey of the New Haven Independent wrote a profile in yesterday's newspaper, giving detailed examples of how the site is being used in New Haven:

SeeClickFix.com now has over 2,000 users nationwide, said Berkowitz. The project’s success comes thanks to the way it was embraced by the New Haven community, he said. To be effective, the tool relies on commitment from a community of “watchers,” public officials, activists and institutions who take responsibility for maintaining the public space. When someone opens a ticket to document a problem, a report is sent out to relevant watchers based on location and keywords. There are now 454 watchers in New Haven, according to Berkowitz.... After complaints about its shuttles speeding down residential streets, Yale University recently set up a watch area to track those complaints. Given the precise time and location of a speeding shuttle, the university can identify the driver and address the problem.

The site was also highlighted on the Planning Pool, a website devoted to cutting-edge urban planning ideas, including crowdsourcing, and listed on the CEOs for Cities blog; in addition to several cities where it is already being used, a quick search reveals that all around the country, people are posting about the site on their blogs and wondering when it will come to their neighborhood. Downtown New Haveners are very proud of the site, and use throughout New Haven and its suburbs is rapidly growing.

Can SeeClickFix Spread to Large Cities?

Of course, adoption of SeeClickFix depends on involved citizens using the tool, plus government and private entities adopting it as a means of communication with their constituents and customers (typically, having many involved citizens is the first prerequisite). This has worked exceptionally well in New Haven, which has an intimate and legendarily robust civic sector -- after all, the Nine Squares of Downtown New Haven was the first city plan in the United States, Betty Brown wove a detailed story of virtually every building in New Haven in her famous book, the New Haven Independent is currently one of the nation's finest examples of "hyperlocal" online journalism, etc. New Haven's government has also been incredibly responsive: there have been many reported potholes quickly filled, and graffiti complaints have often been addressed within hours of appearing on the website. But will it ever catch on in a larger, more chaotic city like Philadelphia or Chicago?

DNH believes that SeeClickFix will be rapidly adopted by individuals concerned with transportation safety and downtown retail districts, particularly as walking, bicycling and transit use all continue to skyrocket to record levels and beyond. Creating a transportation system that serves these millions of new users requires a much greater attention to detail -- for the simple reason that a small transportation system "gap" such as a crack, missing crosswalk, pothole or gravel in the road is far less likely to damage a truck axle than it is to critically injure a pedestrian, cyclist or bus rider crossing the street.

Design New Haven was the first third-party site to host SeeClickFix, and we believe that transportation and city advocates, such as those hosting some of the roughly 250 other blogs in the transportation and livable communities-focused "Streetsblog Network", may be next. Transportation advocates and downtown boosters generally have amicable existing relationships with local municipalities; once these two user groups begin using the site together -- perhaps in collaboration with public/private entities such as Downtown New Haven's Town Green BID, one of SCF's first public "fixers" -- use can spread more widely throughout a city and even help cement those relationships. In New Haven, for example, See Click Fix was used as a planning tool to help the city identify locations where in-street yield to pedestrian crosswalk signs were needed (and the city has reportedly ordered dozens of such signs since, to be installed this spring).

The Tomlinson Bridge "Engineering Disaster": Fixed?

To give a more detailed example of how this works, and keeping with our SCF "issue of the month" series, New Haven's number one issue at the moment, based on the number of "votes" to have it fixed, is the railroad grade crossing on the U.S. Route 1 Tomlinson Bridge. Opened in 2002, this massive, $120 million bridge represents the only viable pedestrian and bicycle connection from Downtown New Haven to the eastern suburbs of the city, and ConnDOT is currently constructing another, $757 million highway bridge right next to it. Unfortunately, besides the fact that the bridge is not a "complete street" by any remote stretch of the imagination, the railroad grade crossing is at a 30 degree angle to the roadway, and is unsigned for cyclists and improperly paved -- and therefore is extremely dangerous for even the most experienced bicyclists. To view a Google street view of the problem area and the bridge -- which is widely referred to as an "engineering disaster" in terms of overall safety and contribution to community connectivity -- you may click here.

Following posting on SeeClickFix, over 500 people viewed the issue and many comments were posted on the site, all of which can be read on the issue itself, whose link is http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/1300.html. In addition to the posted comments (which are automatically sent to anyone who signs up for the issue with their email address), dozens of local commuters and cyclists emailed one another regarding the number of people they knew who had been seriously injured at the crossing. Frankly, the catalogue resulting from this exercise was frightening and deeply disturbing.

Based on the discussion on SeeClickFix, numerous individuals ranging from state and city officials to neighborhood activists have now been able to connect and advocate for a quick solution. According to sources, ConnDOT's crack traffic engineering squad is currently conducting an urgent review of the railroad grade crossing issue and plans to have a detailed report ready by April 1st. Hopefully a fix, or at least a temporary one, will happen very soon after that, given the serious injuries taking place on a regular basis. Following this, neighborhood leaders can move on to addressing the more complicated issue of the bridge's overall inadequacy when it comes to multimodal transportation. There's no doubt that many of these users will be back to SCF to report another issue in the very near future.

All in all, due to its potential to empower the community to find solutions for serious safety problems like this one, SeeClickFix gets our award for the best transportation safety innovation of 2008. We predict that within a few months, others watching livable streets issues nationwide will feel the same way.

Update 3/24/09: SeeClickFix has been incorporated into Miami's Urban City Architecture and profiled on Streetsblog San Francisco and Streetsblog New York.

Update 3/31/09: SeeClickFix leads to a successful narcotics sting near Downtown and is compared to Jane Jacobs, while the Tomlinson Bridge story is covered in the New Haven Register Sunday edition (original link here).

Update 7/6/09: The Register has another piece on the Tomlinson Bridge, indicating that more serious "fixes" to the problem are not currently being considered by the DOT, despite the large number of ongoing cyclist crashes at the site. A couple of small metal warning signs will be installed by August, however, which is a good start -- but still grossly inadequate at addressing the situation by any federal or state design standard.

For example, an excerpt from ConnDOT's own manual, posted on SeeClickFix, recommends installation of "flange way fillers." The design manual section refers to "high speed rail lines"; the rail track in question on the Tomlinson bridge was built for future port access and rarely (if ever) used for train traffic -- which, if it did occur, would certainly take place at an extremely low speed.

On low-speed, lightly traveled railroad tracks, commercially available flange way fillers can eliminate the gap next to the rail. The filler normally fills the gap between the inside railbed and the rail. When a train wheel rolls over it, the flange way filler compresses. This solution, however, is not acceptable for high-speed rail lines, as the filler will not compress fast enough and the train may derail. -ConnDOT Bicycle Design Guidelines, Page 42

Research into these "flange way fillers" (shown above) has found that although they are useful in some situations, when it comes to track crossings with extremely acute angles like the one at the Tomlinson Bridge, the fillers could increase the likelihood of cyclists' wheels slipping in a direction parallel to the rail, especially when wet. Although the fillers may be better than nothing if cyclists are appropriately warned of a slipping risk, the only acceptable solution here most likely involves re-engineering the street itself. The street pictured above has a wide shoulder, for example.

An excerpt from Mary O'Leary's piece in the Register:

James Newman, acting engineering administrator at the state Department of Transportation, in an e-mail to an Elm City Cycling member, said “it was not possible to improve the rail crossing geometry given the constraints of the location.”

Michael Piscitelli, New Haven’s transportation czar, said the city is looking at potential engineering changes to see if they come up with a fix for Forbes. “We have to figure out how to do it first, but I think the city would be interested in helping — finding a way to make that safer,” Piscitelli said.

Meanwhile, SeeClickFix continues to rapidly expand around the country, particularly through new collaborations with city government and media sites -- promising news for those concerned with creating more walkable streets and livable communities.

Update 07/13/10: Coverage and protests continue about the issue, which has caused yet more injuries in recent weeks. New Haven Safe Streets has a roundup of recent events.

Community Shares Ideas on Route 34 East Development

The New Haven Independent (article here) and New Haven Register (article here) each covered last week's community workshop on the future of Route 34's eastern section, also known as the Oak Street Connector. The city has received millions of dollars to study the boulevardization of the connector, a move requested by a broad civic coalition, and hopes to match that with millions more in construction funding. You may view our previous coverage and analysis of the corridor by searching under http://downtownnewhaven.blogspot.com/search/label/Route%2034 until we transition to our new website.

From the Register:

NEW HAVEN — A highway extension originally designed to get traffic out of the city as fast as possible is being re-envisioned as a destination in itself, as a team of urban-centered experts look to reconnect neighborhoods downtown and reclaim some 10 acres. Interested citizens came to the New Haven Library Thursday night to add their views as Chan Krieger Sieniewicz (CKS) architects, Parson Brinkerhoff engineers, Newman Architects and others outlined their goals for the eastern portion of the Route 34 connector.

A concept plan was presented last year, and the new team has been charged with figuring out the traffic components and $36 million in infrastructure changes that will prepare the land for development from the connector exits downtown near the railroad station to the Air Rights Garage.

Alex Krieger, a principal in CKS and chairman of the Department of Urban Planning and Design at Harvard University, said the proposal is to take advantage of the estimated 12-foot drop in grade for parts of the connector. This would allow two boulevards on either side of the depression to continue to move traffic, with a series of driveways under the reclaimed land that would lead to garages and loop roads for the new development, while allowing direct access to the Air Rights Garage.

About 100 people split up into several groups, each with a city official and a representative of the infrastructure team to explain the process. The team has worked on similar projects across the country, including highway conversion in Cincinnatti and on the Big Dig in Boston.

Pat Kane, a resident of nearby Dwight Street, said the key is mixed development with residential units as an anchor. “You can’t have it emptying out at 5 p.m,” she said.

Michael Piscitelli, who heads the city’s traffic department, agreed and said it is already zoned for this. “We need an all day, every day presence,” he said.

Krieger said a normal city grid system, which New Haven hopes to establish by reconnecting Orange and Temple streets, moves the traffic better and more efficiently than the connector. While the topography at Temple and Orange makes the connection problematic, “the team is bound to figure it out,” Krieger said.

Piscitelli said there are 10 consultant groups working on this, in addition to the state, which is vetting developer Winstanley’s plan to put up the first building adjacent to his medical research labs at 300 George St. That 400,000-square-foot private development is estimated to cost $140 million.

GNHCLF Breakfast Tackles Policy Efficiencies: April 13

The next in the Greater New Haven Community Loan Fund's ongoing series of community development breakfasts is a talk with Shelby Mertes, Chief Policy Analyst of Partnership for Strong Communities. The talk will build upon current policy directions in Washington, such as the recent creation of a White House Office of Urban Policy, that seek to break housing, transportation, environmental and land use policies out of their long-standing silos and lay ambitious foundations for more livable, walkable communities.

Efficiency in Public Policy: Better Housing to Improve the Economy, Climate Change, Land Preservation, Transportation, Urban Revitalization, Health, Education, Social Service Delivery and Family Stability
Tuesday, April 13, 8:30am to 10:00am
The Graduate Club, 155 Elm Street, New Haven

Affordable housing policy is undergoing transformation, using new approaches and better understanding interconnections with other policy areas. This can be leveraged to help solve a myriad of policy problems, resulting in better outcomes on many fronts, and better efficiency in the use of scarce public dollars. For more info, visit www.ctpartnershiphousing.com, www.homeconnecticut.org, www.housingpolicy2010.org, www.lyceumcenter.org.

Space is limited. If you plan to attend, please RSVP by April 8 to: Jackie Downing at the Loan Fund, jacqueline (at) gnhclf.org or 203-789-8690, ext. 127.

Press Event to Support Connecticut Ban the Box Legislation: March 23

Original Post, 3/18/10: Join Mothers for Justice in collaboration with the New Haven Prison Re-entry Roundtable committee in a press event to support Raised Bill No. 5207 at the Connecticut General Assembly: An act concerning Criminal Background Checks for prospective state employers.

Press Conference: Tuesday, March 23, 2010, 2:00pm

New Haven City Hall Steps, 200 Church Street, New Haven, CT 06510

Groups will discuss their support for legislation that gives fair opportunities for individuals seeking employment who have been incarcerated, and who want a chance to seek gainful employment.

"Ban the Box" supports Bill No. 5207 that says a person shall not be disqualified from employment by the state of Connecticut or any of its agencies. People who become employed after being incarcerated increase their contribution to their families, and their communities. Click here for a short video with clips from a recent press conference in Hartford.

The City of New Haven passed its own "ban the box" legislation last year, which the Yale Daily News called "the most substantial New Haven community services reform since the passage of the Elm City Resident Card — a municipal identification card accessible to all residents, including illegal immigrants — in the summer of 2007."

Update 3/24/10: Click on the following links for press coverage at the Yale Daily News, New Haven Register and New Haven Independent.

Connecticut Smart Growth Conference Features Traffic Calming Projects, Livable Communities

The past two Connecticut smart growth conferences have been excellent, well-attended events with a focus on cutting-edge urban planning methodologies. This year's program features a number of Connecticut projects of national significance, as well as a large group of presenters with ties to Downtown New Haven. See below for a complete list.

The conference coincides with the Livable Communities Act, a bill under consideration in Washington that would support the creation of more sustainable towns and cities.

March 18th, 2010
Third Annual Smart Growth Conference, 2:00 to 8:00 p.m., 950 & 960 Main Street, Hartford, CT

Agenda
1:30 - 2:00 Registration, front foyer of 960 Main St.
2:00 - 2:15 Welcome Sue Merrow, Chair, 1000 Friends of Connecticut, G. Fox Room, 960 Main St.
2:15 - 2:30 Opening Remarks Mayor Eddie A. Perez, G. Fox Room, 960 Main St.
2:30 - 3:30 Development Oriented Transit Rick Gustafson, E.D. Portland Streetcars, Inc., G. Fox Room, 960 Main St.
3:45 - 4:55 Workshop Session One 10th & 11th floor classrooms, Capital Community College, 950 Main St.
5:05 - 6:15 Workshop Session Two 10th & 11th floor classrooms, Capital Community College, 950 Main St.
6:30 - 8:00 Dinner, Keynote Address David Owen, author Green Metropolis, State of the State; Smart Growth in Connecticut Tom Condon, editor of Place commentary of The Hartford Courant, G. Fox Room, 960 Main Street

Pre-register either online at www.1000friends-ct.org. 1000 Friends has a limited capacity and expects to sell out, so pre-registering is strongly encouraged!

Workshops Session One: 3:45 to 4:55 p.m.

1. Clean Water and Smart Growth
Presenters: Charles P. Sheehan, Chief Executive Officer, MDC and Robert E. Moore, Chief Administrative Officer, MDC
The Metropolitan District Commission, created in 1929, is one of the first metropolitan governments in the United States, and one of the most successful. Today it daily demonstrates the economies of scale and cost efficiencies that can be produced by functional collaboration among its member municipalities to provide water and sewer services to central Connecticut. And by embarking on a carefully planned and managed "sewer-separation" project, it is playing a major role in reducing nitrogen content in the Connecticut River and Long Island Sound - preserving these iconic resources for the enjoyment of future generations. All of these projects demonstrate the benefits of deliberately and carefully constructing long-term plans.
The workshop explores how this archetypical metropolitan government operates to achieve smart growth, with the intention of stimulating new ideas of how it can better serve its constituents.

2. Active Transportation: An Essential Ingredient for Smart Growth
Presenters: Ken Livingston, Fitzgerald & Halliday, Jeff Olson, Alta Planning and Kartik Sribarra, Manager of Policy Outreach, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
Nearly half of all trips in the state are three miles or less, and one quarter are one mile or less, but very few of these are taken on foot or via bicycle. Communities across the country have realized that years of transportation policy focused on the automobile have not curbed ever-increasing congestion and have led to a decline in livability. They are now focusing upon "active transportation", investing in transportation improvements that lead to demonstrable increases in biking and walking AND create more livable communities. This session will provide a tour of what is happening in our state and nationwide to promote active transportation and how these investments work hand in hand with a local commitment to smart growth.

3. The Zoning Tool Box Project
Presenters: Dwight Merriam, Robinson and Cole, Adjunct Faculty at University of Connecticut School of Law
Students at the University of Connecticut School of Law this last Fall developed an annotated zoning ordinance of almost 400 pages as a tool for Connecticut towns to use in bringing their zoning regulations up to contemporary standards. Members of the class will describe their project in a session moderated by their teacher, Dwight Merriam.

4. Through the Lens of Climate Change and Sustainability: Innovative Approaches to Familiar Issues in our Country, State, Regions and Municipalities
Moderator: Representative David McCluskey
Presenters: Lynn Stoddard, Environmental Analyst, Office of Pollution Prevention & Climate Change, CT Department of Environmental Protection, Emily Moos, AICP Senior Community Development Planner, Capitol Region Council of Governments, Lyle Wray, PhD. Executive Director, Capitol Region Council of Governments, and Gary Anderson, AICP Senior Planner, Town of Manchester, CT
What does it take to create a sustainable community and what does that community look like? This session will provide a panel of state, regional and local leaders currently in the process of promoting sustainable communities to talk about their efforts and their visions for the future. Panelists will outline new federal partnerships and opportunities supporting sustainable communities, showcase new efforts at the state level toward reaching climate change goals, highlight the products of regional partnerships toward promoting sustainability and provide a glimpse of what a comprehensive approach to sustainable development could look like on the ground in Connecticut's municipalities.

5. Getting There From Here: The New London Parade Project
Presenters: Bruce Hyde, AICP, Senior Planner, Wilbur Smith Associates, David Stahnke, Division Manager, Wilbur Smith Associates, Sandra Chalk, Executive Director, New London Landmarks, Jim Butler, Executive Director, Southeastern CT Council of Governments, Ned Hammond, Economic Development Coordinator, New London
The City of New London is only 6 square miles and has a population of 26,000 but shares the same kinds of urban issues facing larger cities. An initiative by the city to address downtown traffic concerns led to an additional effort to address a broad range of issues, including those created by Urban Renewal in the 1960' & 70's. The city was able to coordinate traffic improvements with infrastructure improvements that contribute to a more pedestrian friendly, livable downtown environment. These improvements include traffic calming, a total reconstruction of the Parade (plaza) area, re-establishment of pedestrian connections between downtown, the waterfront, parking and the transportation center, improvements to downtown "gateways" and creation of outdoor exhibits celebrating New London's maritime heritage. The workshop will focus on how the effort to calm traffic in downtown New London resulted in major improvements in the urban core of the city. The project is scheduled for completion this spring.

6. From a Culture of Parking to Walking for Culture: Downtown Hartford and the iQuilt Project
Presentation 1: Norman Garrick, Director, UConn Center for Transportation & Urban Planning and Chris McCahill, Doctoral Student, UConn CTUP
Presentation 2: Doug Suisman, Principal, Suisman Urban Design and Tyler Smith, Principal, Smith Edwards Architects
The first presentation will cover the work by Professor Garrick and his graduate students documenting the 200% expansion, between 1960 and 2000, of urban space allocated to parking in downtown Hartford. It will consider the causes and consequences of this growth, and examine the prospects for re-use of this space to improve livability, vitality and sustainability, re-connect downtown to the neighborhoods, increase residential density, and support regional economic strategies. Lessons learned may be widely applicable in other urbanized areas of Connecticut. The second presentation will show the latest version of the iQuilt project for downtown Hartford, which would physically link its wealth of cultural institutions and activities with an enhanced pedestrian network. It envisions significantly improved public spaces, including existing jewels like Bushnell Park and several new public squares and walkways. The plan is intended to increase walking, biking and transit use both by residents and visitors. It is an exercise in re-envisioning the city that may be useful to planners, developers, and strategists in other Connecticut cities.

7. Supporting Smart Growth Projects: The New 1000 Friends Project Scorecard Program
Presenters: Toni Gold, President of Urban Edge Associates and Chair, Project Scorecard Committee and Dara Kovel, Chief Housing Officer, CT Housing Finance Authority
Is smart growth anti-growth? If not, then what projects would smart growth advocates support? A number of real estate project sponsors have asked 1000 Friends of Connecticut to go to bat for their projects in their struggles for permits and approvals. In response, the organization in the last year developed a "smart growth scorecard" to rate projects, and a committee with wide professional expertise to administer the program. Three projects have been scored to date: 360 State Street in New Haven; Storrs Center in Mansfield; and Metro Green in Stamford. The workshop, presented by two of those who developed and now help administer the program, explains the scorecard and the thinking behind it, discusses the specific projects and demonstrates the kind of support that 1000 Friends is able to provide to projects that meet smart growth criteria.

Workshops Session Two: 5:05 to 6:15 p.m.

8. Rethinking Hartford's I-84 Viaduct: Win-Win-Win Solutions for the 21st Century City
Presenters: David Spillane, AICP, RIBA, Principal/Director of Planning and Urban Design, Goody Clancy and David Stahnke, PE, Associate in Charge, Wilbur Smith Associates
Cities across the nation are grappling with aging highway infrastructure that is approaching the end of its life. Hartford's I-84 Viaduct is a nationally prominent example of this phenomenon. As the state's highest volume roadway it provides critical access to Hartford's core and the region's largest employment center . But the deteriorating structure requires almost continuous and expensive repairs that are a drain on state resources. The HUB of Hartford Committee, appointed by the City of Hartford, is working with the Capital Region Council of Governments, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, a consultant team to explore alternatives for replacing the Viaduct. This innovative partnership between city, regional and state partners is seeking creative and cost-effective solutions that integrate community, urban design, economic development and transportation concerns-and maximize public benefits. The session will report on the process that led to the study, the work that is currently underway and emerging directions.

9. Culture & Economy: What Wendell Berry Can Teach us about Smart Growth and Sustainable Communities
Presenters: William Hosley, Principal, Terra Firma Northeast, formerly Executive Director, New Haven Museum & Connecticut Landmarks, Robert Thorson, Professor of Geology, Ecology & Anthropology, University of Connecticut, columnist, The Hartford Courant and Phillip Langdon, Senior Editor of New Urban News, columnist, The Hartford Courant
Wendell Berry is the poet laureate of place whose writings belong at the core of any place-based pedagogy or public policy initiative. Berry observes that "the vitality of a local economy is strikingly related to the vitality of local community. A strong local economy depends on a love of place which depends on the stories we repeat to another." The concept of "Solving for pattern," coined by Berry, is the process of finding solutions that solve multiple problems, while minimizing the creation of new problems. Good solutions often require paradigm shifts. Putting our shared "smart growth" reforms in transportation, housing, education; land use and stewardship of natural and historic resources in the larger context of place-making and community renewal may bring greater unity and coherence to seemingly disparate elements. This presentation and panel discussion will relate smart growth for a healthy economy to Wendell Berry's thoughts and writing about place-making, community and the patterns of behavior that lead to good solutions.

10. Utilizing History and the Arts to Revitalize Downtown Danbury
Presenters: Brad Schide, Circuit Rider Program, Connecticut Trust for Historic Preservation, Peter G. Bachmann, AIA, Studio Director, JCJ Architecture, Steven A. Wolff, Principal, AMS Planning and Research, Fairfield, CT and Dennis Elpern, Director of Planning, City of Danbury
Every city and town in Connecticut has historic assets in their downtowns, many of them underutilized. Across the nation cities like Danbury are beginning to re-examine their downtown historic cores to see opportunities that produce vibrancy and livable environments. The historic Palace Theater was constructed in 1926, is located in the heart of downtown Danbury and closed in 1995. A grant funded an interdisciplinary team of professionals (the workshop's panelists) to study the restoration and reuse of this once majestic theater. The hands-on study, currently under way, will also look at the arts market to define a specific role/audience in the region and state for the Palace Theater's events. The completed study, expected to take six months, will produce a "roadmap" to bring back the theater to its initial prominence, both from a rehabilitation and building code viewpoint and market analysis viewpoint. Such a study could be a model for other municipalities as they re-examine historic assets in their downtowns.

11. The Sustainable Communities Initiative: How Connecticut can have its cake and eat it, too!
Moderator: David Fink, Policy Director, Partnership for Strong Communities
Presenters: DECD Commissioner Joan McDonald, DOT Dep. Commissioner Jeffrey Parker, DEP Chief of Staff Graham Stevens, and David Kooris, AICP, Vice President, Regional Plan Association
From HOMEConnecticut to brownfields to the state's responsible growth initiative, housing, transit, environment and energy policymakers are coming together to take advantage of the federal government's Sustainable Communities Initiative, a HUD-EPA-DOT collaboration that promises to offer planning and capital funds in coming years to create strategically-located affordable housing near transit in energy-efficient designs so Connecticut can grow, and take care of all its residents, without eating up open space or threatening environmental quality.
This panel will explore the new resources being brought to the table by these agencies and how coordination at the federal level could result in improved regional planning in Connecticut.

12. Using the Plan of Conservation and Development as a Tool to Achieve Smart Growth
Presenters: Robert Orr, FAIA, is an architect and planner from New Haven, CT
Every town in Connecticut is required to create (and update every 10 years) a Plan of Conservation and Development (POCD). The purpose of a POCD is to record the best thinking of the Town as to its future growth and to give direction to both public and private development. The POCD should encompass a long-term vision of the community but also offer guidance for short-term decision- making. In practice, the POCD is an admirable and valuable document, but its legacy is mostly one of collecting dust on a shelf until it's appointed schedule for review and update. It seldom performs as a pro-active shaper of development. One of the major focuses of Smart Growth planning is to change perspective from large-scale auto oriented development to small scale pedestrian oriented development. This workshop will examine the impact of past policies and explore how the POCD might be a more appropriate outlet for such Smart Growth principles, and how the POCD might become a more pro-active player in Smart Growth community development.

13. How Complete Streets Can Transform Our Communities
Presenters: Eric Alexander, Executive Director of Vision Long Island, Nicole Freedman, Boston's Bike Czar and Erin Sturgis-Pascale, Connecticut Livable Streets Campaign
In the late 1800s, Col. Albert Pope of Hartford (and of Columbia Bicycles) and other New England bicyclists formed the League of American Wheelman (now known as the League of American Bicyclists) and rallied around the cry for Better Roads. Today bicyclists are still working for improved conditions on the roads. The Connecticut Complete Streets bill, passed in 2009, requires that all transportation projects address the needs of all road users, including bicyclists and pedestrians. This session will addresses what should expect as our state's streets and roads transition to complete streets.

14. Brownfields Redevlopment: How to Keep the Progress Going, Opportunities for the Future
Moderator: David F. Hurley, PG, LEP - Vice President Fuss & O'Neill, Inc.
Panelists: Mark K. McGovern, Deputy Director, Department of Development Services, City of Hartford; Dale Kroop, Director of Economic and Community Development, Town of Hamden; Mark Pelligrini, Director of Neighborhood Services and Economic Development
The current economic climate poses significant challenges to communities across the country as they try to proactively address brownfield sites. The panel will discuss what strategies and tools they are using to redevelop brownfield sites in today's economy and explore the opportunities they see for the future.

For conference information or questions please call:
Kirsten Griebel
1000 Friends of Connecticut
P.O. Box 1988
Hartford, CT 06144-1988
860 523 0003 office
kgriebel@1000friends-ct.org

Lord Norman Foster Unveils "Svelte" Glass Design for Yale School of Management; Concerns Raised Over Impact on Walkability

Original Post, 12/11/08: An article in today's Yale Daily News, describing Norman Foster's presentation to Yale this week of plans for the new Yale School of Management campus, contains striking new images from Foster + Partners.

YDN reporter Paul Needham writes that plans for the 246,000 square foot new complex are continuing to move forward at a rapid pace, despite a national economic decline that has caused the delay or cancellation of numerous college and university building projects around the country. The decline in endowment values and projected revenues have reportedly delayed projects even at wealthier institutions, such as Wake Forest, Wesleyan University and Trinity College.

The new Norman Foster design is focused around a central courtyard, making it akin to other buildings on the Yale campus. A rendering of the courtyard area, with its undulating panels of glass, is available in the article. Foster, who is renowned internationally for projects such as the Chek Lap Kok Airport in Hong Kong, places an emphasis on transparency and cutting-edge materials:

Speaking to the News, Foster pointed to several aspects of his design that relate singularly to management education. He noted that the building mirrors the school’s emphasis on transparency by making “its internal organization externally explicable,” and he added that he had tried to retain a collegiate feel for the building. “You shouldn’t walk past this building and think it’s a corporate headquarters or an administration building,” Foster said. “It should somehow signal that SOM is an academic institution.”

With its location on Whitney Avenue, a busy arterial leading from Downtown New Haven to points north, and directly across from the Peabody Museum, the new business school will also have important urbanistic relationships to consider. Access to and from the intimate street grids of the Orange/Lincoln neighborhood (on the opposite side from the Whitney elevation) has been a particular concern. Groups of students, faculty and staff met with the architects earlier this year to discuss these issues.

Additional details (including the impressive rendering of the main entrance, at left) are currently available from the Yale SOM website.

Meanwhile, in architecture news from the other side of Downtown New Haven, the Chicago Tribune's architecture blog has named Gwathmey's renovation of the Yale School of Architecture, described as a "Brutalist monster that practically became unlivable after its 1963 opening," as one of the top architectural feats of the year. Blair Kamin writes that the architect has proven that "even the most troubled modern landmarks can be brought back to life." Click here for DNH's previous round-up of reviews of the Rudolph Building.

Update 2/20/09: This project has been put on indefinite hold, due to economic conditions, along with a number of others around the Yale campus.

Update 12/14/09: Apparently, the SOM project is moving forward again. However, recent hearings at the City Plan Commission have spurred a mixed reception. Click here for reporting and more photos of the project, courtesy the New Haven Independent.

Writing in the Hartford Courant this weekend, New Urban News Senior Editor Philip Langdon criticizes the architecture of the new building, particularly its "fishbowl"-like courtyard and its "gargantuan" scale relative to other structures along Whitney Avenue. Here's an excerpt:

For the building's design, the university turned to Norman Foster, a Yale-trained London architect best known for the renovated Reichstag in Berlin and the Swiss Re headquarters in London (nicknamed "the Gherkin" because of its resemblance to a pickle standing upright). Foster's concept for Yale, which was debated in a public hearing in November, would be the latest chapter in the university's gradual remaking of lower Whitney Avenue.

You know something's out of the ordinary when most of a building's classrooms are oval or circular and are referred to as "teaching pods." The proposed SOM contains 16 such pods — double-height rooms with an array of high-tech display panels on their walls (and no windows to the outdoors). It seems the perfect business school for Starfleet cadets.

When students step into the corridors, they would pass by huge walls of wavy glass, which look down onto a central outdoor space containing a lawn, trees and places to sit. Yale describes this as a "courtyard," a descendant of the courtyards for which Yale's colleges and law school are famous. Certainly it is not your grandfather's courtyard. In older Yale buildings, courtyards are enclosed mainly by textured walls of brick and stone. Windows open onto them, but they're detailed discreetly enough that the courtyards offer a sense of repose and semi-seclusion. By contrast, SOM's courtyard would be on view through floor-to-ceiling glass from every direction. It would be a fishbowl....

Norman Foster operates at giant scale, and he dispensed with nearly all of those techniques. SOM's 64-foot-high Whitney Avenue facade stretches on for approximately 360 feet — too long for a pedestrian-scale city. Sixteen super-slim columns support a roof overhang that extends out from the facade for roughly 30 feet. Most of the facade is transparent glass.

Some of the teaching pods protrude from the front wall, their swelling forms covered in cladding in the same blue as a Yale pennant. Two staircases in semicircular walls of glass also project out from the facade, as does a lobby entrance. A glass-walled library is designed to look as if its been hung from the top of the building. Pedestrians are likely to feel puny when passing by this enormous, glassy, seemingly gravity-free interloper.

Concerns have also been raised about the existing, heavily-used pedestrian and bicycle connection between the Lower Orange Street neighborhood (near Pearl Street) and the main campus circulation route along Sachem Street. These types of facilities and shorter-block connections create urban permeability -- one of the most critical measures of a walkable city. According to some sources, the most recent site plans showed a gate along that route, which Yale could close if it deemed the connection unimportant.

Given clearly-articulated demands of neighbors and the fact that Yale SOM students themselves deemed the route a priority, the City should demand the integration of a permanent, 24/7 pedestrian and bicycle route between these two neighborhoods. The route should be designed with the highest standards of traffic safety, including a reconstruction of the intersections at Sachem and Whitney and Orange and Pearl, and a separation of bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

Update 12/17/09: The New Haven Independent provides excellent coverage of last night's City Plan Commission meeting. Commissioners approved the project pending available funding, and a few other restrictions (including an improved pathway). The project now goes to the Board of Aldermen for public hearings.

Update 2/12/10: The Yale Daily News provides excellent reporting on approval of the plan by the New Haven Board of Aldermen's legislative committee -- after four years of negotiations between Yale and neighbors:

"The approval process for the SOM designs has had its share of difficulties. Before the first public hearing, held Jan. 28, Yale asked Foster + Partners, the firm that designed the new campus, to modify the plans for the 230,000-square-foot SOM structure. The new plans included more landscaping and walking space. At Thursday’s meeting, which ran six hours long, aldermen remained attentive to the nearly 20 different testimonies, including one from University Associate Vice President for New Haven and State Affairs Michael Morand ’87 DIV ’93 and University Planner Laura Cruickshank. Lemar said Thursday that he is excited to move on with the process. Morand said the approval marks a success after four years of the University cooperating with neighbors and city officials."

Another excellent article on yesterday's hearing appears in the New Haven Independent. Amendments to the plan include a requirement that Yale improve bicycle and pedestrian access around the building, a critical demand of neighbors. Questions about the additional curb cuts the school will create on Whitney Avenue, and reconstruction of the extremely dangerous and inaccessible intersections along it, were not resolved as part of this process.

According to the YDN article, construction on the new campus is expected to begin this summer. Extensive additional coverage of the project, editorials about its design and its approval process can be found within the New Haven Register and New Haven Independent.

January 19: Traffic, Parking and our Green Future

Please join the Yale Journalism Initiative and Yale Transportation Options for a forum event featuring Tom Vanderbilt, author of the New York Times bestselling book Traffic: Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What It Says About Us), and UCLA Professor and Yale Alumnus Donald Shoup, author of The High Cost of Free Parking for a discussion about sustainability through the lens of traffic and parking.

The event will take place from 7:00pm to 8:30pm on Tuesday, January 19th at Sudler Hall—100 Wall Street, New Haven, CT. It is free and open to the public.

The discussion will include such multidisciplinary topics as land use, economics, human behavior, transportation engineering, social change, and the health of the community.

Sculpture, Architecture and Lee Lawrie

Figurative and ornamental detailing are finding increasing use as a way to relate the scale of new urban buildings to the pedestrian. For example, Kent Bloomer's world-renowned ornamental work will be seen wrapping the $180 million, 31 story 360 State development. Another local example, the Columbus Family Academy (designed by Downtown New Haven architecture firm Svigals + Partners), was recently featured in the New York Times' education section for the way its integrated artwork is used as a teaching tool.

This trend is attracting interest not just from architects, but also from psychologists, scientists who study "mirror neurons" and humanists interested in the human perception of the environment. An excerpt from the New Haven Independent's coverage of a Wine Dine Design event on the topic last year:

Two speakers joined Svigals on the subject — a Svigals mentor from Yale, Kent Bloomer, and local architect and teacher Patrick Pinnell. In returning to representational forms, Pinnell, who has authored a well-respected architectural guide to Yale, said that his friend Svigals’ approach was not retardetaire, but on the cutting edge.

“New neurological research that shows the human brain is hardwired to recognize itself even in forms such as architectural columns. The Doric is Arnold Schwartzenneger, and the narrower composite column is your average teenage ballerina.”

As those familiar with the Yale campus' public art, New York City's Rockefeller Center (shown here) or any number of other American cities will recognize, the integration of sculpture, public art and architecture is a discipline that thrived in American architecture between about 1850 and 1930. One of the foremost architectural sculptors during that time period was Lee Oscar Lawrie. He is probably most recognized for the bronze Atlas sculpture at New York City’s Rockefeller Center. Lawrie, who taught sculpture at Yale from 1908 – 1918, also designed sculptures that grace Yale’s Harkness Tower and other buildings.

Over the past few years, Svigals + Partners and others have been holding a series of local discussions about how figurative art and sculpture are again becoming part of contemporary architecture. While a number of graduate theses and other materials have been written about some of Lawrie's work, the literature is still quite sparse, particularly regarding his projects in New Haven and New York City.

DNH believes that another use of public art and ornamentation may be to differentiate high-quality urban structures from bland, false-fronted, cookie-cutter subdivisions. The former demand far more attention to the pedestrian scale in terms of material, lighting and design quality. If this differentiation helps distinguish historic urban cores from their suburban counterparts, it will be a welcome development in contemporary architecture.

Unfortunately, the exponentially higher cost of creating "urban" buildings -- which, unlike suburban structures, require good design on all four sides, plus site remediation -- may be one of the factors driving development away from our city centers. Improved land use and urban economic policies are needed to address this problem, but well-designed, human-scaled buildings within our cities are also essential.

Local Code: "Distributed Immune Systems" for the 21st Century City

Coming out of a long tradition of land survey analysis within the field of landscape urbanism, the Local Code project proposes using advances in digital mapping and open data to heal neglected urban parcels within contemporary cities. Although individual "urban scars" can be very small, collectively, they often add up to a space greater than all the parkland in the city combined. What is the potential of all that land?

Local Code, which recently was honored by the prestigious Working Public Architecture 2.0 design competition organized by UCLA's cityLAB, argues that the re-use of these spaces, often located next to poorly-planned interstate highways and in neighborhoods chock-full of health inequities, has broad implications for economic development and public health. This type of planning project seems as relevant to New Haven as to any of the places studied by the project team -- San Francisco being one example:

Tapping into the Department of Public Works catalogue of San Francisco's "unaccepted streets" (those no longer maintained by the city and hence neglected and often impassable), this proposal utilizes various computer models and statistical data to determine and propose new public, park-based uses for these interstitial spaces. Over 1600 of these sites are available, a selection of which are analyzed for the proposal in terms of elevation and topography, microclimate, soil type, hydrology, population density and demographics, economics, crime, and existing networks to determine the most parametrically appropriate transformation of use.

Check out Local Code's excellent animated video -- hosted on the Landscape and Urbanism blog -- for a bit of inspiration. The project is clearly framed and defined, but putting it into place on a citywide scale would most likely require the continued development of electronic community governance tools to allow citizen participation around public space issues -- one of the key recommendations of the Knight Commission -- as well as greater access to such tools. The video hints at this, with its depictions of iPhone displays that could be used to turn brutal industrial backstreets into beautiful, tree-lined chicanes and swales. For another demonstration of this potential, check out the new City-Go-Round site, which shows how open data is improving transportation information.

Given declining city resources for planning and zoning, which entities might be able to bring this type of analysis to smaller cities like New Haven? Could a place-based participation tool like SeeClickFix be improved as a tool for documenting urban issues across a city, and for subsequent public space planning? A number of proposals or "informal design competitions" have popped up on that website -- e.g., a new street between Chapel and George to promote walkability, the redesign of an I-91 underpass, and calls for low-level pedestrian street lighting on State Street -- and may offer a window into future progress.

New Urban News: New Research and Resource for Walkable Urbanism

From New Urban News, a publication that provides concise information and research on smart growth, walkable streets and New Urbanism, comes an excellent aggregation of articles on walkability. The editors summarize why walkable urbanism is such an important topic:

Conventional street design focuses primarily on the expeditious and safe movement of automobiles. That single-minded focus is fading. Many transportation planners and engineers recognize the following:
• Mobility is not measured primarily by automobile movement.
• Streets must have character as well as capacity.
• Streets serve a vital social function.
• Streets should be highly interconnected.

If you haven't kept up with New Urban News's recent work -- such as the study we profiled in our "Mind the Gap" post on the need for permeable street networks -- it is definitely worth a look. The publication's senior editor, Philip Langdon, is based in New Haven, Connecticut and actively involved in Downtown New Haven issues.

Second High-End Boutique Hotel in New Haven?

Original Post, 5/4/09: The New Haven Register confirms today that Hampshire Hotels & Resorts, owner of 205 Church Street, is funding that building's $3 million makeover. With the exception of Wachovia Bank, which occupies the building's stunning 1920s-era lobby, all remaining office tenants have been asked to move. The building's facade, which had deteriorated somewhat, is currently wrapped in an impressive shroud of blue construction mesh, including its faded gold cupola (which is receiving a new coat of gold).

The project was initially reported last month in Business New Haven. Hampshire, owner of high-end properties in New York City, London, South Beach and Hyderabad, India, is also apparently looking at a residential use for the building. A residential use would make sense for the developer, given the very high rents currently found at The Eli, a luxury office conversion just a block down the street.

A new hotel would follow on the footsteps of the highly-acclaimed Study at Yale boutique hotel, completed last year by an offshoot of the Starwood / W Hotels group led by Paul McGowan. At the time, the project was among a flurry of several other proposed hotel expansions in New Haven, several of which have now been completed. The market analysis for the Study at Yale in particular, which may be the best hotel in Connecticut, was largely driven by burgeoning activities at the city's medical campus as well as an increase in academic conferences hosted by Yale University. City tourism and development officials believe that the medical center is expanding rapidly enough to warrant additional top-end hotels.

Update, 5/6/09: The New Haven Independent covers the story, with an interview with Kevin Lillis, Hampshire's VP for real estate development. Lillis discusses some of the architectural problems inherent in a hotel conversion, but indicates that a hotel use is a likely possibility for the structure. Lillis also points out the need for an attached hotel parking garage, which he indicates is in preliminary review. A city-owned "mid block" garage that had initially been planned for the parking lot adjacent to 205 Church was never built due to the high cost of acquiring land, although the city is still planning to construct the garage on a site that the city later purchased just one block down Wall Street. Initally planned for a 2008 completion, the State/Wall garage is now on hold pending market demand.

Update 7/14/09: Eric Gershon of the Hartford Courant discusses New Haven's hotel boom:

Hotel occupancy in New Haven rose 2 percent in 2008, to 62.8 percent, even as local supply grew and occupancy nationwide fell more than 4 percent, to 60.4 percent, according to SmithTravelResearch. In Connecticut, occupancy fell nearly 5 percent last year.

Hampshire thinks there still is unmet demand for upscale lodgings and for meeting space, said Brendan McNamara, a company vice president, but is still researching how best to meet it.

Update 12/11/09: According to reporting in the New Haven Register and New Haven Independent, planning for the 180-room hotel is underway and expected to be presented to the City of New Haven in the near future. According to the Independent's reporting, the city notes that plans contain four restaurants and 20,000 square feet of meeting space, which would complement the 25,000 at the Omni Hotel just across the Green and possibly enable New Haven to host larger conventions.

Millions have been spent on the building renovation so far, with a final pricetag upwards of $50 million, according to Mary O'Leary's Register reporting. O'Leary also covers the historic preservation of the building, which is one of New Haven's early 20th-century glories.

Though $25 million has been spent so far, the financing arrangement going forward apparently continues to be an unanswered question:

Lillis said the $7 million spruce-up, which included repointing the facade, a restored cupola, as well as the marble railing around the decking on the 11th floor, is completed. Inside, all the upper floor tenants are gone, but historic elements, such as the original elevator cabs with classic dials indicating each floor and brass mail chutes, among other items, have been restored. Wachovia Bank has a long-term lease for the ground floor.

“We wanted to bring it back to its 1927 glory,” Lillis said. The renovation has left the 11-story building with “no environmental issues. It’s clean and ready to go.”

Purchase of the Cross & Cross brick building, whose cupola was designed to mimic the churches on the other side of the Green, plus the renovation, has cost Hampshire $25 million so far. Lillis said they are debt-free on the building, but are looking for a partner on the $50 million conversion cost to a hotel.

Science and Potatoes: PepsiCo Opens Ninth Global Research Center in Science Park

Competition for Rudy's? According to PepsiCo's news release, a new research laboratory in New Haven, focusing on developing healthier food products, will be PepsiCo's ninth global research center. Four centers are located in the United States with others in the United Kingdom, Mexico, China and India along with satellite centers in Thailand, Brazil and Australia.

From Brandweek's coverage:

What will the potato chip of the future look and taste like? PepsiCo aims to find out. The food and beverage giant announced this week that it is opening a new long-term research laboratory next to the Yale campus in New Haven, Conn.

“We felt we needed to expand,” said Gregory Yep, global vice president of research and development, long-term research. “We’ve built this long-term research lab to understand the diet and nutritional needs of consumers around the world.” The lab is PepsiCo’s ninth such global facility.

Pepsi has boosted its outlay for research and development by 40 percent in the past three years. “We’re investing in natural products research . . . different fruits, vegetables and botanicals around the world,” said Yep. “We’re looking at what nature has to give us and improving product lines.”

Using different ingredients and technologies, the plan is to create a pipeline of new healthier products as well as to re-imagine some old ones. “What will products look like in five years? Beverages could look, feel and taste differently. What will the potato chip of the future look like? It’s definitely not fried," Yep said. "Utilizing baking technology, you want it to have the right texture and flavor. How do you do that with [healthier] oils, no sodium or low sodium and low fat? We’re definitely getting there. I’ve tasted prototypes.”

Yep noted that the lab is also looking at different formats in cereal bars, ways for the Quaker line to really take advantage of oats, as well as the areas of protein and fiber. The new lab is also partnering with Yale to fund a graduate fellowship at its School of Medicine that will support nutritional science research.

The laboratory will be located in Science Park, a rapidly expanding complex of former Winchester Arms factories just north of the Yale Campus and its School of Forestry and Environment. In the past year, Yale University has moved hundreds of administrative employees to the facility and several new buildings have been developed. According to a recent article in the Yale Daily News, the renovation of the complex's largest building is set to begin next year.

Local Government 2.0: Text to Vote on Civic Issues

Useful news this week from SeeClickFix, the open-data civic governance system that has been officially adopted as New Haven's "311," and which has been rapidly spreading to hundreds of other American cities and internationally.

Users can now flier for their issues with an easy print flier button, and can also text to vote on their favorite issues by sending "issue X" to the company (41411).

For example, if your issue of greatest concern is http://www.seeclickfix.com/issues/1300 -- i.e., the Tomlinson Bridge "Disaster" -- you can tell your neighbors to text "issue 1300" to 41411 if they are too busy to visit the site and add comments or votes.

SeeClickFix-related flyers have been popping up around Downtown New Haven as a result of this new feature. For example, dozens of flyers are affixed to a series of pedestrian-scale lightposts that have burnt out in the residential neighborhood along the northern edge of the Yale University campus.

These activities, and the burgeoning use of SeeClickFix to address everything from barking dogs to individual reports of muggings to creating neighborhood visions for public art projects, are a model for community engagement and local media that supports improved public spaces.

Transport Blog Outlines New Haven Streetcar Proposal

Original Post, 4/23/09: Nationally-renowned transportation blog The Transport Politic has published a great analysis of New Haven's proposed streetcar line, including the map shown at left (which is by no means a "final" route). Most likely funded through the Federal New and Small Starts program, the line would incorporate the Yale campus, Union Station and a boulevardized Route 34. Blog editor Yonah writes:

While I have confidence that this project would be relatively succesful, having lived in New Haven for four years and understanding traffic patterns well there, one-way operation would be a problem for people attempting to get to the station from downtown, as they’d be forced to go north before heading back south. That’s one easy way to turn off potential riders. Meanwhile, this line is too Yale-centric, a problem for a city that already has some signficant town-gown disparities.

Click here to read The Transport Politic's post and comment.

Update 5/5/09: Yonah blogs about America's streetcar renaissance on today's Infrastructurist.

Update 12/2/09: Yonah writes that New Haven could be a beneficiary of USDOT's plan, announced yesterday, to fund $280 million worth of city center streetcars.

Legion Avenue Envisioned as Two-Way Boulevard

Mary O'Leary of the New Haven Register provides excellent news coverage of a community meeting last week on the future of Route 34 West. According to the Register, residents strongly preferred a plan that would create a two-way boulevard, freeing up much of the land surrounding the current North Frontage Road for smaller-scale, traditional development (similar to surrounding districts) and a narrow, interconnected street network:

A large swath of the Legion Avenue neighborhood was cleared during the 1960s to make way for a state connection to Route 34 over the West River to the Naugatuck Valley, which never materialized.

Pat Kane, a newcomer to the Dwight area, said a two-way landscaped Legion Avenue would function more like Whitney Avenue in the East Rock neighborhood, that moves traffic, but leaves the neighborhood intact. State approval has always been seen as the biggest barrier to eliminating North Frontage Road. “The thing to understand is that it (the connector) is not needed anymore,” Kane said. For decades, the city has forfeited taxes and human capital that once constituted a poor, but thriving neighborhood. Having destroyed it, Kane said “the state has a moral obligation to give back” by allowing a new road configuration.

Previous DNH coverage of meetings about the future of the Route 34 Corridor, including the Route 34 West MDP project, may be found by clicking here.

DNH Reader Polls: Results on Transportation Questions

These two DNH reader poll results are highly unscientific and imprecise, but we thought that we would create a permanent record nonetheless before the data disappear (again). What do you think of the results? Do you have suggestions for future polls?

Thank you for voting. Our new website, still in development, will have many additional features for user feedback, including an improved poll system.

POLL: How do you get to Downtown New Haven?
Walk / I live here already 43%
Bicycle 39%
Drive 27%
Local Bus (CT Transit) 18%
Train, Air, or Other 8%
250 Votes (possible to select more than one choice), June 2008-November 2009. DNH had about 30,000 unique visitors during this timeframe, but considering that the poll was not very prominent on our site and only 5,000 or so of our unique visitors hailed from Connecticut (presumably most of the voters), it is not a bad response rate.

POLL: How often should Chapel Street (Downtown) be pedestrianized?
Always 44%
Once a week 21%
A few times per year 28%
Never 4%
100 Votes, May-November 2009

Short Stories, Improvised Music in Downtown New Haven Reviews

The New York Times recently published a great piece about Listen Here, the series of free weekly short story readings organized by the New Haven Review, as well as a story about the New Haven Improvisers Collective (NHIC). These two arts collectives are just two out of the many that make New Haven such a great community for those interested in arts, music and design.

An excerpt from the NYT piece about Listen Here:

Mr. Lovett-Graff created the series with David Brensilver. They modeled Listen Here on “Selected Shorts,” the radio program produced by Symphony Space and WNYC in which actors read short stories, but Mr. Lovett-Graff had certain criteria in mind. “It had to be low maintenance,” he said. “It had to be short fiction, no poetry. We wanted material to be already published because in essence it had already been vetted for its quality.”

They chose to stage the readings in coffeehouses in an effort to incorporate the slightly bohemian aura — hissing espresso machines and all. “It feels like the right spirit of the thing rather than sitting in a tiny black box with one actor with a spotlight over his or her head,” said T. Paul Lowry, the creative director and producer of the New Haven Theater Company, whose actors are donating their time. “My definition of theater is storytelling with tools,” he said. “Short stories for me are really a good way for an audience to be part of a narrative without investing hours and hours in a theater or a movie or days and days in reading a narrative.” .... He said he has also learned that while some stories may be classics, they do not necessarily work when read aloud. “Short stories that are too cerebral really don’t work,” he said. “It has to have a certain amount of dramatic content, and it has to have entertainment value.”

Among the New Haven Review and its contributors are some of the Northeast's most preeminent writers, journalists and story-tellers. Brian Slattery, a writer affiliated with the group, discusses the NHIC on the New Haven Review's website. He compares the NHIC's occasional host venue, Firehouse 12, which you can also read about in the NYT here, to New York's famous CBGB nightclub:

As just about everyone who’s lived in this area for longer than a year or so knows, New Haven labors under a reputation that is probably about ten years out of date. Many people outside of New Haven think of the place and imagine a city in trouble. But we know that it is not so. New Haven has its share of struggles, of course—and I do not mean to belittle those troubles at all, or perhaps even worse, aetheticize them—but it is a positive thing as much as it’s a problem. It energizes the place, makes it vital. It makes the people who live here give a damn about it. And right now, New Haven is that wonderfully unstable combination of interesting and affordable. It is ethnically and culturally rich, thanks to both the town and gown sides of things. It is economically diverse. And it’s a place where something like Firehouse 12 and the New Haven Improvisers Collective can exist without having to fight, every single minute, for survival.

The month or so before CBGB closed, you may remember, was a great time to write an article about a) the death of New York City as a vital cultural force or b) the inability of American pop culture to replicate anything like the heady heyday of the late 1970s. Obviously both of these statements dramatically overstated things. But nestled within the hyperbole is a kernel of truth: It is difficult to innovate and take chances—artistically or otherwise—when the cost of simply living is too high.

Could a relatively moderate cost-of-living be one of the reasons that New Haven's artistic and literary communities are more vibrant than many of those found in cities 10 times its size? Is New Haven a "Sixth Borough" of New York?

While you ponder, here are a few upcoming Downtown New Haven readings and concerts:

November 5: In the Blink of an Eye
Koffee on Audubon 7-8PM
Ambrose Bierce's "Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge"
Dave Eggars' "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Was Drowned"

November 7: New Haven Improvisers Collective
Firehouse 12
The New Haven Improvisers Collective returns to Firehouse 12 to celebrate the release of its new CD, Inflection, bringing two new groups. Set 1 (8:30PM) features the Erasmus Quintet. Electro-chamber-minimalists focusing on eternal rhythms. Intense, Interlocking, hypnotic. Searching for that everlasting ONE. Set 2 (10:00PM) features Mayhem Circus Electric. Extravagant improv lowdown jazz with more expressive rhythms, a nod to the deep groove of electric miles, and a fresh look at the limits and joys of tonality.

November 12: The Future of Our Discontents
Blue State Coffee 7-8PM
Harlan Ellison's "Along the Scenic Route"
Ursula LeGuin's "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas"

November 19: Family Romance: Pre-Thanksgiving Special
Lulu: A European Coffeehouse 7-8PM
Steve Almond's "The Soul Molecule"
Marie Bertino's "North of"

Paul Goldberger Tonight on Why Architecture Matters

Original Post 10/28/09: The New Haven Public Library at 133 Elm Street hosts an event this evening, Wednesday, October 28 at 6:00pm, entitled "Civic Conversations on Public Architecture."

Paul Goldberger, author of newly published "Why Architecture Matters" and Pulitzer-Prize winning architecture critic for The New Yorker, will join Tom Condon, the Hartford Courant's "Place" editor and excellent columnist on smart growth and other urban issues, for a civic conversation focused on public architecture.

The event is free and open to the public. A frequent visitor to Yale, Goldberger will also be participating today in a private lunchtime fundraiser for the Library with Bob Stern and a Master's Tea for undergraduates at the College.

Update 10/29/09: Allan Appel of the New Haven Independent's post-event coverage, which has an interesting discussion of how smart growth and federal policies currently discriminate against cities (see previous DNH article on this), can be found here. An excerpt:

“I’m someone who desperately wants to live in an affordable city,” replied Jason Stockmann in a question from the audience. The Yale graduate student in medical physics lives on Chapel Street. He is committed to riding his bike, not owning a car, and keeping that carbon footprint as petite as possible.

So he asked the gurus how come federal policy even under President Obama seems to be persisting more in greening the suburbs as part of an environmental campaign against global warming, rather than in developing long-range policies for revitalized urban centers, like New Haven. You can fuel your cars with “granola” and put in dozens of solar panels and cells in your suburban house, he said. Still, all that added up would not equal the energy savings of moving into the most modest apartment in the city.

Plattus, who is on the Yale Architecture School faculty, offered an answer. He acknowledged that equivalents to the federal highway support and other policies that created the suburbs post-World War Two were nowhere yet in place for the new urban centers.

Paul Goldberger could not attend due to a family emergency, but a trio of excellent panelists -- Pat Pinnell, Alan Plattus and Douglas Rae -- were present to discuss these issues. Rumor has it that Goldberger will be returning soon to do the talk that he missed.

School Reform Panel Features National Education Leaders

The city has issued an invitation to those interested in school reform to join Mayor John DeStefano, Superintendent of Schools Dr. Reginald Mayo, and New Haven Federation of Teachers President David Cicarella in an education panel this Monday.

Guests include:
Randi Weingarten- American Federation of Teachers, President
Martha J. Kanter - United States Department of Education, Under Secretary
Charles P. Rose - United States Department of Education, General Counsel

The panel will address the state of school change in New Haven and education reform around the nation. Moderated by the excellent Hartford Courant columnist, Rick Green, panelists will answer questions from a pool submitted in advance. If you are interested in submitting a question please visit the City’s website: www.cityofnewhaven.com.

The event will take place in the Ground Floor Theater, which vaguely resembles Shakespeare's Globe, of the Cesar Pelli-designed Cooperative Arts and Humanities High School (pictured here), at 177 College Street in Downtown New Haven, on Monday, October 26, 2009 from 3:30 - 5:00pm. Seating is limited and doors will close at 3:30pm.

For background on school reform in New Haven, the New Haven Independent is providing up-to-the minute coverage and has a long thread of past articles on the topic. You can also read about the city's "School Change Campaign" and reform programs on the NHPS website.

500-unit Shartenberg Mixed-Use Development Progresses

Larger-than-Expected Grocery Store for 360 State Tower (Posted 10/21/09): At a meeting of the Downtown-Wooster Square Community Management Team last night, 360 State Street developer Bruce Becker gave an update on plans for the 32-story tower. The structure of the tower (shown at left) is already up to about 23 floors, and its major impact on the New Haven skyline can already be felt from virtually anywhere within the Downtown or its surrounding neighborhoods.

The most exciting announcement was that, after trying to negotiate with Trader Joes for a 14,000 foot neighborhood grocery store, Becker & Becker is instead on the verge of signing a lease with a much-larger, 140-employee, 30,000 SF grocer -- a fact which has necessitated a complete redesign of the basement and first floor of the building.

The city's push for a Downtown grocery store, such as a Whole Foods, Trader Joes, Fairway or Shop-Rite, even resulted in a ticket being created on SeeClickFix. Bruce Becker anticipates that a lease will be finalized by Thanksgiving.

Becker & Becker also confirmed that the lot at the corner of Orange & Chapel, originally planned as a temporary pocket park (until, perhaps, an Apple Store could be convinced to move in) now will be developed as part of the structure. It will host a state-supported daycare facility for Downtown New Haven employees and residents on the 2nd floor and a premium office space above, in addition to part of the grocery store at retail level.

The company also confirmed that Bozzuto will be in charge of leasing, and will be renting a nearby ground-level retail space to serve as its leasing office in the near future.

Design New Haven liveblogged the presentation on Twitter, with five Tweets:

DWSCMT live: Bruce Becker developer of $190m 360 State #nhv project: new 32 story tower to begin marketing units in Jan 2010 w/ nat'l mgr. (continued) swimming pool @ 6th flr terrace level has views of Long Island Sound, first move-ins Aug 2010. 500 spaces w/ @zipcar @Hausladen (continued) construction by Suffolk on time w/ 10,000 task schedule, 250 workers. Adding 1 floor every 4.5 days w/ staggered truss system. (continued) BB had hoped for 14000SF Trader Joes orig'ly, has negot'd for 5 months w/ 30000SF grocer, requiring expanded project scope #nhv (continued) 2nd flr daycare ctr confirmed w/in CHFA bdgt; 6000SF 3rd flr corner office only space remaining. Expect grocery lease by Nov 09.

See reporting in the New Haven Independent and in the New Haven Register for more information and images from the meeting. Business New Haven has recently done an in-depth interview with the developer (PDF File here), also worth reading.

Update 12/11/09: Steel framing reached the 31st story today; the Yale Daily News reports on the structure's topping-off ceremony.

-- Previous Coverage Below --

Original Post: Construction Begins (4/21/08): Becker + Becker's "360 State" development on the former Shartenberg Site at the heart of Downtown New Haven is now beginning early-phase and underground construction. An 8-foot high blue fence with concrete barriers has been erected around the complete perimeter of the block, and informational graphics along the length of the fence will be installed this week (see photos below). Utility and site work has already begun, with a significant amount of underground work planned as part of the project. Major construction activity will be underway within the next few weeks.

Scheduled for completion in 2010, the 355-foot-tall tower will be the second-highest building in New Haven, bringing the residents of 500 new apartments to Chapel Street between Orange and State.

The site is conveniently located across the street from the State Street train station. Aside from its dense urban location, the development contains energy efficient design features. Elements like geothermal heating and cooling and solar cells, if used, would benefit from various state subsidy programs designed to promote energy efficiency. There will also be indoor bicycle parking spaces for each unit. The project also is planned to contain a massive ornament program, running the full length of the facade, designed by internationally-renowned New Haven-based public sculptor Kent Bloomer.

The 500-unit, 34-story building is designed to be set back from the street and tower above a retail and parking garage base with glass entrance towers. The project, tentatively called "360 State" for its actual street address as well as its panoramic views of the region (and the fact that it is 36 stories tall), will even feature a half-acre landscaped terrace (sitting on top of the parking) with an outdoor pool. The developer expects to get the same rents as what the 227 Church Street luxury building currently gets -- $3,500 for 3BRs, $2,300 for 2BRs, $1,700 for 1BRs and $1,250 for studios. Most of the building will consist of studios and 1BRs. 10% of units in the building will have subsidized ("affordable") rents tied to income level.

According to Business New Haven this week, a "high end" grocery store on the first floor may be leased shortly. The city hopes that the project will help encourage walkability between the Downtown New Haven core area and Wooster Square, a historic neighborhood just a couple blocks to the east of the site.

Click here for the preliminary renderings by Becker + Becker; updated renderings should be available shortly. In the meantime you can also download a CT Business article about the Downtown New Haven project.

Update 5/1/08: New Haven Independent coverage of the 360 State project appears here, along with a new rendering of the project. It appears that the building on the corner of Orange and Chapel Street has been changed from its original design, which was to have continued the retail and parking garage along the entire length of the block. If the building ends before the corner with Orange Street, it might create an opportunity for another developer or architect to create a concept for a second building on the site.

Update 7/31/08: The New Haven Independent reports that building permits have been approved for a revised design, following a brief delay to adjust for rising prices and a change in the construction manager, formerly Fusco, to Suffolk.

Above-Ground Construction Begins; No Pedestrian Crosswalks at New Intersection? (Posted 10/1/08): State tax credits for the 360 State Street project are now in place, including the $3.2 million sales and use tax exemption that developers had requested from the Connecticut Development Authority. Major excavation work began this week and construction trailers are currently on the site. Please click here for the New Haven Independent's report on a community meeting held this week to discuss the construction phase of the project.

From start to finish, the project schedule is now 27 months, as the type of structural system used for the tower has been modified from its original design. Since the project is 90% financed through equity (through the Multi-Employer Property Trust, a fund that invests public employee and corporate pension plans), and 10% financed through state credits, the current financial crisis will have no impact on construction schedule.

Interestingly, a new traffic intersection will be added added directly across from the parking garage and tunnel entrance - and, on the other side, across from the State Street Station. A cut will be made in the median, allowing traffic to more easily flow into and out of the garage, helping to enable the success of the grocery store which will be located on the ground floor of the building.

However, despite the enormous numbers of pedestrians spilling out of the 1,000-person apartment tower and the heavily-serviced (and rapidly-growing) train station directly across the street, the new intersection in between the two will not include any pedestrian accommodation or crosswalks.

Over the next two years, this is something that the city may wish to rethink as it reportedly moves forward with a study on narrowing this section of State Street. In general, pedestrian accommodation should always be provided along major "desire lines."

360 State will be one of the largest mixed-use "green" (LEED ND Pilot) buildings in the Northeast, and represents the largest commercial private sector investment in New Haven's history.

Update 11/6/08: A critical review of the project appears in the Hartford Courant. Coverage and analysis by DNH here.

Update 12/1/08: Coverage of 360 State's official groundbreaking ceremony.

Steel Frame Erection Begins (Update 7/7/09): Mary O'Leary of the New Haven Register covers the ongoing progress on the impressive tower's construction. No word yet on whether the first floor has been leased to a grocery store. Excerpt below:

The crane has been “jumped” and the steel frame of a 27-story apartment tower is next up on the construction schedule. The five-story concrete garage and ground-level retail area is in place for 360 State St., a mixed-use development that will feature 500 apartments across from the [State Street] Train Station.

Last week, workers “jumped” the massive crane on the building lot with state and local building officials overseeing proceedings. The crane lifts itself up on a jump frame, which is wrapped around the crane tower. Four 20-foot sections were added to the frame, raising it 80 feet and putting it in position to erect steel to at least the 14-floor, officials said.

On Monday, a crane operator moved steel around the Suffolk Construction site and lifted equipment to the sixth level of the project, where a green space, pool and other amenities are planned for the apartment dwellers.

Economic Development Director Kelly Murphy said the building’s developer, Becker & Becker of Fairfield, is shooting for a gold LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) designation for the building. The development agreement with the city called for a silver LEED designation. A number of energy-saving technologies, including photovoltaics and a fuel cell, are planned for the building. The project, which will be completed in September 2010, is on schedule.