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civic, residential, and a rodeo, attract visitors at different times
<br />of the day and week. The formulas determined that shared
<br />parking would yield a surplus of spaces for most of the week and
<br />a 10 percent shortage on rodeo weekends.
<br /> Shared parking works so well for the town center in
<br />Redmond, Washington, that a I00 percent parking offset has
<br />been achieved between some businesses with complementary
<br />operating hours. The shared parking arrangement ensures that
<br />parking needs are met for tenants in the town center and spares
<br />additional land from unnecessary development.
<br />
<br /> Yielding fo Pedestric~ns and Bicycles
<br /> Reporting on the results ora 2I-town Georgia study of rural
<br /> communities participating in the National Trust's Main Street
<br /> program, Small Town in a 1989 issue stated that pedestrian
<br /> activity was considerably stronger in communities with town
<br /> squares. According to University of Geprgia researchers, the
<br /> town squares in the sample communities were strategically
<br /> located at the centers of bustling business districts. Despite their
<br /> relatively compact layout, business activity was spread around
<br /> the square rather than concentrated at one intersection, virtually
<br /> guaranteeing social activity.
<br /> The Woodridge town center, although not surrounded by
<br /> business activity, was positioned in the middle of the
<br /> community to maximize both visual prominence and high
<br /> accessibility for local residents. Woodridge planners say the
<br /> center's strategic location allows easy and convenient pedestrian
<br /> access tb and from adjacent neighborhoods.
<br /> The town center overlay district in Niskayuna, New York,
<br /> takes measures to reduce vehicular/pedestrian conflicts and
<br /> alleviate the negative impacts on what the ordinance calls "the
<br /> pedestrian experience." Sidewalks are constructed in accordance
<br /> with Niskayuna's sidewalk plan. Bikeways in the district are
<br /> encouraged and required in specified circumstances and must
<br /> meet the guidelines set by the Guide for Development of New
<br /> Bicycle Facilities, published by the American Association of State
<br /> Highway and Transportation Officials. The bikeways also must
<br /> follow the guidelines set by
<br /> the Town of Niskayuna
<br /> Bikepath Standards. To
<br /> further enhance the
<br /> Niskayuna pedestrian
<br /> experience, the town center
<br /> overlay district also calls for
<br /> adequate lighting of a
<br /> specified style, and amenities
<br /> such as benches, bicycle racks,
<br /> and trash and recyclable
<br /> receptacles as part of an
<br /> extensive landscape plan.
<br /> Proponents of Redmond's
<br />~ town center say its connection
<br /> to the community is what
<br /> makes the 120-acre, $200
<br /> million venture unique. An
<br /> abandoned railroad right-of-
<br /> way borders a large portion of
<br /> the development, across
<br /> which extends the street grid
<br /> from Redmond's older
<br /> downtown. The link increases
<br /> the ease and convenience of
<br /> [ pedestrian access between the
<br />
<br />two areas, a connection that Redmond planners say will
<br />strengthen as the buildings in the downtown "reorient
<br />themselves" toward the town center rather than remain
<br />physically and psychologically separate.
<br /> The site plan for Redmond's town center reflects the area's
<br />pedestrian friendliness, with typical building scale at two stories
<br />and a maximum building length of 300 feet. City-scale block
<br />sizes range from 250 to 600 feet and are divided in the middle
<br />with a pedestrian walkway, plaza, or both. Retail and office
<br />buildings range from 20,000 to 30,000 square feet. Such
<br />limitations meet floor-space demands without overwhelming
<br />building scale at the street level. Project designers were sensitive
<br />to the need to develop a town center where large buildings
<br />would not dominate the site.
<br />
<br /> Retrofitting Suburbia
<br /> Few places epitomize suburbia like Schaumburg, Illinois (pop.
<br /> 75,000). This upper-middle-class community northwest of
<br /> Chicago, home to one of the largest malls in the country, takes in
<br /> about $35 million in annual sales tax revenue. The community
<br /> typifies the late 20th-century sprawl phenomenon seen in fringe
<br /> areas around the country, with a seemingly infinite nmnber of retail
<br /> centers and residential subdivisions. What has eluded Schaumburg,
<br /> however, is an identifiable center.
<br /> Village officials sought to change that with Town Square, a
<br /> 29-acre, centrally located development complete with a library,
<br /> retail space, amphitheater facility, pedestrian walks, a clock
<br /> tower, and more. Critics argue that the town square's surface
<br /> parking lots perpetuate the suburban character so many find
<br /> objectionable. Schaumburg dismissed the idea of on-street
<br /> parking as a measure for traffic calming, fearing the impacts on
<br /> overall traffic circulation. The development also has been
<br /> accused of looking contrived and artificial and lacking any sense
<br /> of enclosure, and was likened to a "pedestrian-friendly parking
<br /> lot" rather than an urban village.
<br /> Harsh judgment aside, Schaumburg's town square has more
<br />thin a few of the variables needed for success: pedestrian and
<br />bicycle access to surrounding subdivisions, patron-generating
<br />commercial businesses complete with second-story offices, a
<br />nearly complete library with an exceptionally high circulation
<br />(estimated to attract more than one million visitors annually),
<br />and a surplus of olden public gathering space. Its defenders feel
<br />that it will meet its objectives by attracting visitors and
<br />providing the suburb with a sense of identity and place.
<br /> Smyrna, Georgia, outside Atlanta, also lacked a central core.
<br />Street widening led to the demise of many of Smyrna's older
<br />downtown buildings, and former downtown patrons flocked
<br />elsewhere for shopping and business. These problems and others
<br />contributed to Smyrna's battle for a positive image and
<br />identifiable downtown.
<br /> With a recognized need for additional civic facilities, Smyrna
<br />developed a downtown revitalization strategy that placed several
<br />public buildings at a central location. Today, the 29-acre
<br />Smyrna town center site is host to a community center, library,
<br />22 residential cottage units (at seven units per acre), retail and
<br />office space, city hall, public safety facility, and a senior center.
<br />Much more is either planned or under construction in the
<br />center, including a fire station, visitor center, and museum.
<br /> The Urban Land Institute awarded Smyrna's town center the
<br />1997 Public Award, finding that "the city of Smyrna's
<br />excellently accomplished repositioning of its once-disappearing
<br />center has brought new life back into town. Most such efforts
<br />start with retail development, but Smyrna catalyzed
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