Traffic flow:

~ Traffic flow patterns on campus streets tend to be simple two, and three lane roads with stoplights being the main form of intersection crossings. On Lane Ave. the street widens. This is because Lane is a major road marking the upper limits of central campus. It also contains commercial property, and access to sports arenas. Traffic speed is safe at 20-25 mph on campus. This gives cars enough time to stop if someone walks out on the street. Drivers do not always follow this, but most of the time they get stuck behind drivers following the speed limit. One thing that could be improved is the light by the west side of Knowlton. This could be improved by adding a traffic circle to ease congestion during peak times. It would also help with the ability for pedestrians to cross the street quickly. 

Sidewalks:

~ The sidewalks that are on campus are nice for the most part. There is very limited cracks or chunks missing. There are many pathways that make foot traffic more movable and easier to move from point A to point B in an efficient manor. Neil across lane reveals a very different set of side walks. The sidewalks are less tended to in the residential areas. The tress that have grown underneath the sidewalks create cracks, bumps, and uneven surfaces for pedestrians. The growth of shrubbery also creates a barrier for foot traffic. The sidewalks are not as tended to because they aren’t seen by everyone as much as the lane and high street sidewalks are seen. The money is instead used for the public space, which makes sense to a degree, but the residential areas should have accessible sidewalks throughout the neighborhoods and streets as well. 

Street width:

~Street widths around campus is adequate for the amount of traffic. At the intersection of Tuttle Park Pl and Woodruff all streets are one lane going each way with a buffer/turn lane in the center. There is plenty of room on campus streets for one to comfortably drive their car without fear of hitting another vehicle in the oncoming lane. The street width near north campus allows easy access for driving through while still being narrow enough to allow for pedestrian traffic to stay the prominent mode on campus The narrow streets make it easier for students to cross when walking to classes, and allows for closer buildings. The streets directly off of campus in the residential area are adequate as well. Parking on the street is possible in the residential area but on campus there is no parking unless it is in the designated lots and garages. 

Street safety:

~There are lined larger crosswalks on campus that feel safe for pedestrian use.  However, when you leave campus, the crosswalks seem less safe, and are not lined unless they are at major intersections. Once again, there are a lot of places on campus and High Street for pedestrians to cross. However, there aren’t really options for safe crossing in the neighborhoods. The signal time seems appropriately timed for the different areas. However, pedestrians spend a long time waiting to safely cross roads such as North High Street and West Lane Ave. This is due to the increased automobile traffic on both roads. We believe that more crosswalks can be implemented in the neighborhood areas, and painted crosswalks could be beneficial to the overall safety of the streets.  

Accessibility: 

~Accessibility in the campus area and the main streets is well included. There are ramps at every cross walk and they have audible chirping for the blind to tell them when to cross. The sidewalks are in good shape for easy access for wheel chairs. In the residential areas, the sidewalks become more torn up and narrower. Residential areas need to be disability accessible so tenants with disabilities can easily live and access their homes. As mentioned above, the trees also get in the way of the sidewalk, and since they are narrow, its hard to navigate around them which makes these streets less accessible for many with disabilities.  If the shrubbery was cut back and the sidewalks repaved a little wider, the neighborhood would become much more accessible to those who need it.  

Hurricane Sandy (2012)  

Stats:  

• $72.2 Billion in damage  
• 159 Deaths  

https://www.tvguide.com/news/hurricane-sandy-path-1055167/  

Overview: 

 Hurricane Sandy turned from a tropical wave to a hurricane in under five days when winds heightened to a speed of 74 mph. At the peak of being category two, the storm devastated the Caribbean and Haiti where the death tolls of each were higher than the US deaths combined. The category one storm then hit the US starting in NJ and going through New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Virginia, West Virginia, Connecticut, and the Carolinas. The perfect combination of the full moon and the hurricane together caused flooding to become a huge issue very quickly. The subways of NYC flooded and all along the Jersey coast. The winds wreaked havoc on the skyscrapers, trees, powerlines, and homes. Over 8 million people lost power throughout the East Coast. Tropical storms are usually not an issue in the areas that were destroyed and rebuilding the homes destroyed proved to be difficult because of the lack of insurance and the pure number of houses that were wrecked. Shortages in gas lead to a rise in gas prices and gas rationings throughout New Jersey. During the storms glory, the election campaign was put on hold for many people. Although the effects are not known, there were exceptions for voting polls where areas were still damaged or being repaired. 

https://www.livescience.com/24380-hurricane-sandy-status-data.html 

Communication:  

Human material impacts of Sandy were described in the New York Times as devastating and tragic. It mentioned the washed-out communities, the rampaging fires, and explosion of power lines. It also talked about the more than 40 lives that were claimed during this time period in New York. ABC covered the touchdown of the storm in Atlantic City, N.J. They mentioned the devastating impacts of sandy and how people died. They also showed images of the wreckage. This was shortly after the hurricane occurred but more recent articles are about prevention and what we can do to help those in need. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/31/us/hurricane-sandy-barrels-region-leaving-battered-path.html (2012) 

https://abcnews.go.com/US/hurricane-sandy-makes-landfall-jersey/story?id=17592795 (2012) 

 Vulnerability: 

Some of the problems that aided the impact of Hurricane Sandy were lack of disaster protection infrastructure. Power outages were abundant with more than 8 million people without power. Stations flooded and trees fell on the power lines. Transportation was another huge aspect affected by Sandy. Flights were cancelled, the subway was flooded, buses were down, AMTRAK trains were not operating, and bridges to and from Manhattan were closed. With basically all forms of Transporation down the city and surrounding areas were severely impacted. Fires were also common. Everyone was vulnerable to sandy, especially those commuting using public Transportaion. The homeless were also majorly affected because, well, they don’t have homes, so shelters were overcrowded. Crowded more than usual. So everyone was affected.  

https://www.thebalance.com/hurricane-sandy-damage-facts-330551 

Future Improvements:  

The eastern seaboard cities in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Virginia, and Maryland all felt the dramatic impacts of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. However, New York City is showing no interest in relocating businesses and houses along the Atlantic Ocean, rather investing $20 billion in protective measures. Other cities invested in flood walls (barriers) to protect against the heightened waves that accompany hurricanes and higher tides. Architectural plans for newer/recent projects have been adapted to account for heavy winds and flooding as well. Another popular example of improvement includes beachfront houses raised on platforms. This makes sure there is minimal flooding inside the home.  

https://www.archdaily.com/tag/hurricane-sandy  

https://www.thenation.com/article/3-years-after-hurricane-sandy-is-new-york-prepared-for-the-next-great-storm/  

 Implementation:  

While implementing strategies to reduce the effects of these disasters may seem in everyone’s best interests, there are some roadblocks that prevent some of these measures from seeing completion. For example, there is a monetary cost that affects these projects. When deciding between optional structural upgrades to buildings and cost cutting, some builders choose to save the money. In terms of the flood walls, this means increased taxes on citizens to fund the project. This also requires a vote, or specifically a levy to gauge support and seek approval from the community to move forward with the project. The problem regarding saving money in development can be solved by passing laws and regulations requiring increased structural stability and floodwater prevention systems in seaside cities and towns. These problems regarding community support can be fixed by hosting a community event where citizens can voice their opinions and concerns, and developers can share their ideas for the project before implementation. Allowing citizens the opportunity to feel included and heard goes a long way regarding the success of approving the project. 

Blog 5 – Proxima Project  

Due: 9 October 2019  

Luci- Building Use: Does building use make sense? Does the use of any buildings seem to be out of sync with other uses in the area? Are building uses appropriate for the location? Why or why not? 

Building uses vary depending on where you are. Campus and city of Columbus buildings are very different. When walking on campus it is easy to distinguish the fact that it is campus. The reason it is easy to tell is because of the style and quality of the buildings. For example, the stadiums are next to parking garages, which are next to a hotel. That way visitors can drive from their homes, park in the parking garage, stay in the hotel, and walk over to the games. When walking from campus to off campus the buildings are houses as opposed to midrise apartment, office, and class buildings. On Lane Ave. A stadium is directly located across from non-campus commercial property, and the housing is behind them.  Building uses are appropriate for the location because student need housing close to their classes, and close to amenities such as restaurants, and convenience stores. The housing is kept together, and the commercial/office spaces line the main streets. No buildings are close to industrial areas. The layout of these buildings provides convince for the residents. It does not provide convivence for those that are driving, but most citizens in this area choose to walk. 

Jared- Structural Characteristics/Building Spacing: Describe how you feel about the height, size, and shape of buildings in the area. Do you feel like the building layout contributes to the area feeling like a cohesive community? How is the spacing between the buildings? Does it feel as though structures are appropriately close to one another? Does the area feel overcrowded?  

The height of the buildings seemed no higher than 5 stories, rectangular in shape, and larger in size than the average American home today. The rectangular shape is ideal for more people in smaller areas, as city blocks limit the amount of space properties can have. There has to be a sense of community living in such tight quarters. There is not much space between buildings, and between these buildings and the road. The area feels mildly overcrowded, but not as overcrowded as other areas in Columbus. 

Mandy- Setbacks/Parking: Do the setbacks of properties seem appropriate? How do setbacks differ for different properties? How do these differences affect the character of the neighborhood? Does there appear to be sufficient amounts of parking? Does the configuration seem appropriate and functional? Would you change anything about the parking layout? What are some ways parking could be improved? 

One setbacks of the residential area was how close it was to busy bars and shopping areas. Most residential areas are separated from commercial but what’s interesting about cities is that many apartments are built on top of shopping buildings. The Wilson Apartments are a perfect example of a residential building being situated on top of a popular attraction (Starbucks and Chipotle). Another setback of the building is the variance in look from building to building. Most are functional but there is a divide between old apartments and brand new/renovated buildings. One side of lane has old and obviously weathered apartments, then right across the street are the newly built Wilson Apartments which are cost much more than the buildings across the street. 

Parking is always an issue in cities. What makes parking harder, is the lack of parking areas in a residential area. All the cars from the leased apartments on Norwich are forced to park in the street since there is no allotted parking area for their cars. Over the tour, Proxima Project saw one parking garage. It was on campus and it also costs a lot of money to park in short or long term. The street makes the street navigation more delayed and hindered by blocking cars. 

Problem: New York City Education 

 Summary and Planning:

The articles below really come together to show that even though inner city schools have thousands of in need children, the infrastructure of the schools are not built up to set up the kids for success. New York City has the highest population in a city in the US, yet the governments serving them are not doing them justice by not providing them with the funding they need to prosper educationally. New York prides themselves on their educational standards, but when it comes to inner city schools in need, they let them fall by neglecting them without funding. 

Planning as an advocate in this situation would be extremely helpful and strategic. The reason these schools have not been remodeled is because the people inhabiting them aren’t being heard and no one is taking control of that responsibility. The people really need a voice to be heard in order to get support for the funding and grants to pay for the new schools being planned for. Since there is such little support for such a big project, they need an expert to back their needs. An advocate planner can accomplish all these priorities. 

Approaching the issue from the standpoint as a consensus builder might be effective in helping shine light on the public schools of New York City and its burrows. The issues vary a lot depending on where you are in the city. A consensus builder may help by educating policy makers on the problem and offering some solutions to help the crumbling infrastructure of these inner-city schools. A downside to using this method would be the possibility of the officials doing nothing. Another downside would be the chance for bias and more harm when getting the publics opinion and forming statistics. The chance for bias and possibly advocacy against a plan may hurt the crumbling infrastructure even more. 

Articles:  

https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2019/01/17/struggling-schools-nyc-essa/ 

https://www.chalkbeat.org/posts/ny/2018/09/17/nyc-schools-with-high-share-of-low-income-students-lag-in-funding/ 

https://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/05/opinion/the-central-crisis-in-new-york-education.html 

https://wibx950.com/how-bad-are-new-yorks-schools-and-teachers-really/ 

Problem: Traffic in LA 

Summary and Planning:

These articles highlight the traffic issue in Los Angeles, CA USA. These articles recognize the problem, some even going as far as ranking LA as the worst place for traffic congestion in the United Sates. Drivers and commuters in LA can experience hours in traffic and significant losses in gas, therefore wasting on average $2,800 per year. The articles also mention shocking statistics for how long a person spends in traffic (9 days each year alone). While a congestion level of 45% does not seem that high, the statistics stated show the dramatic effect of traffic congestion at the current level.  

We believe the best style of planning to fix the problem is entrepreneurial. This style of planning is strategic and task oriented. These two ideologies are crucial when dealing with public transportation and the effectiveness of roadways.  However, with this style comes some drawbacks. Planners who use this style can be distracted by the heavy business aspects and lose sight of the overall wellbeing of the population, and out of the box thinking required to fix the problem. An entrepreneurial planner may suggest things such as increased public transportation, or a special lane designated for paying drivers.   

Another solution would be approaching this problem would be using radical planning to enact change. To use radical planning, one could file a lawsuit against the city, and/or organize protests to create awareness for need of an effective, reliable public transit system. Another reason this viewpoint might be addressed is from the angle of climate change. Protestors could express how the traffic in Los Angeles contributes to the warming of the planet and that a public transit system would be much less damaging on our environment. A downside to using this approach would be the fact that it could do nothing. Without facts and neutral opinions, it may hurt the development of a massive public transit or other ways to alleviate congested traffic. It may hurt it by not providing a detailed plan on what the government should do in some cases.  

Articles: 

https://usp100la.weebly.com/history-of-transportation.html 

https://www.sgvtribune.com/2018/09/14/los-angeles-ranks-no-1-for-traffic-congestion-in-u-s-heres-what-you-can-do-to-avoid-or-ease-lengthy-commutes/  

https://www.dailynews.com/2018/04/19/los-angeles-has-the-worlds-worst-traffic-congestion-again/ 

Corner of E Woodruff Ave and High Street

Problem:

The first problem to arise with this corner is the overall appeal and inability to fit in with the existing characteristics of the neighborhood. With the revitalization and expansion of the dorms on north campus, the west side of high street look updated and revitalized while the east side hasn’t faced an update since the 1950s when the building was constructed. The pavement (whether it be the sidewalk or roads) are not flat and have many holes in them creating an unsafe environment for pedestrians and drivers. Safety should be a top priority when designing and revamping areas of a crowded city.

Recommendations:

The first recommendation we have for redoing this corner is making it a shopping and apartment area with greenery out front. The surrounding buildings follow a certain trend of storefronts on the bottom and also doubling as apartment complexes on top. The new building could be built higher to accommodate more people. Apartment complexes are beneficial for college students from OSU who don’t want a house, like the safety provided by a complex, and who are looking to get off campus.

The second idea for this corner is very similar to the first but with no greenery. The store fronts would be flush to the sidewalk. This would match the other buildings surrounding it and would allow for more apartments to be put to use. The apartments are an important feature because the building that used to stand there had apartments in it as well. Without the greenery the sidewalks would flow more with each store front flushed against the pavement.

Feasibility:

The first point to think of is the people already inhabiting that building. There are apartments that are full. For this reason we would need to check lease renewals and find new living arrangements for the people living in the apartments. Next we would have to get it cleared by the city for approval. The people need to agree with the new look that would be implemented. In order to pay for the new building, grants and loans would be taken. The rent from the new stores and new tenants would slowly amount to the cost of the building and it would essentially pay off itself. As for maintenance, those costs would be put into the rent of the stores and apartments to cover and issues that ensue within the building.