city dossier: boston - Audi Urban Future Initiative

AUDI URBAN
FUTURE INITIATIVE
CITY DOSSIER:
BOSTON
Höweler + Yoon Architecture
with Mobility in Chain
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Audi Urban Future Initiative - City Dossier: Boston
Höweler + Yoon Architecture with Mobility-in-Chain
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BOSWASH: SHAREWAY 2030
The megalopolis spanning from Boston to Washington, D.C., home to 53 million people and one
third of the US domestic product, has passed
from exception to norm.
The term Boswash was invented in the 1960s to
describe the emerging megaregion of sprawling
networks, exurbs and high-density urban corridors. Boswash is the byproduct of the American
Dream, the dream of freedom, mobility and
opportunity that is inscribed on the American
landscape in the form of interstate highways,
clover leaves, suburban cul de sacs, big box
stores and a sea of asphalt parking. Given the
significant decline in investment since the Eisenhower era, American infrastructure is aging all
at once. It has reached a mid-life crisis and its
impending demise threatens the viability of the
American dream and the promise of free-flowing
mobility.
Surveying the contemporary city, we bear
witness to the shift from center-periphery to
sprawling orbits of diffuse urban territories.
The mechanisms that produced this condition
are bound by the technological and lifestyle
aspirations of the American dream. To rethink
the city and mobility is to rethink ownership and
the economics of opportunity.
Shareway 2030 speculates on a new kind of
infrastructure and user-driven operating system.
As American highways, bridges and tunnels are
on the verge of obsolescence and collapse, we
need to rethink the hardware of the road and
the software of its interfaces to enable a smart
sustainable mobility platform for the Boswash
megaregion.
Shareway replaces the highway with a bundled
infrastructure system that situates a high-speed
rail line on top of the existing interstate, enabling
easy switching between transportation modes.
Five projects along the Shareway examine the
diversity of the region to highlight the potential
of infrastructure to address issues of mobility,
energy, and collective consumption. Shareway 2030 envisions alternative American
dreams and their corresponding territories
to create a new landscape of mobility ecologies which shift emphasis from ownership to
membership, and from efficiency to experience
- from places to people.
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SHAREWAY
SUPERHUB
The Shareway Bundle is made in the model of a
physical internet. Around a new high-speed rail
core, it coordinates formerly disparate car, regional rail and freight infrastructures so that they
may work together. The Shareway Bundle offers
options for a new lifestyle in which share-ability
becomes a new currency. Shareway reinscribes
work, life and communication opportunities for
the future, encouraging Boswash citizens to
identify with it as a regional community.
Superhub joins mobility platforms at a single
major node in Newark, New Jersey. It switches
between modes at a scale that acknowledges
the unique connectivity of the Boswash megaregion and the role that it plays within a global
network of megacities and megaregions.
SHARESTAY
The timeshare house is enabled by the
networks of mobility provided by the Bundle.
The Sharestay operating platform ensures that
everyone in Boswash is a neighbor and all are
banded together into interdependent networks.
Members of Sharestay live conveniently all
over the Boswash corridor – a night in D.C.,
lunch in New York, and the weekend in Boston.
Sharestay facilitates new lifestyles based on
movement and a way of life unencumbered by
the accumulation of objects.
FARM SHARE
Vacant neighborhoods are converted into a hybrid system of large-scale industrial agricultural
production and bottom-up neighborhood lots
of organic gardening serving local and regional
needs. Farm to fork, hastened by the Bundle,
has never been a shorter trip.
TRIPANEL
The Tripanel replaces the inert curb and contentious congestion pricing with the smart street,
the responsive roadway and the empathic park.
The intelligence within the urban surfaces creates a variable cityscape that is self-regulating,
communicative, and human-scaled to support
the full diversity of urban life.
Audi Urban Future Initiative - City Dossier: Boston
Höweler + Yoon Architecture with Mobility-in-Chain
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CITY DOSSIER: AN OVERVIEW
Switching and Sharing have emerged as key
strategies for urban mobility in the Boswash
region. Switching will become increasingly
important as no single mobility system will
be able to meet all of our needs, and we will
increasingly need to switch from various modes:
private car to shared bike, to shared car and
public transit subway system. Sharing is already
a prevalent means of using resources, including
music, information, bikes and cars. Mobility will
increasingly be shared between multiple users
and communities of users.
The Boswash region is characterized by a high
level of mobility, both public and private: many
forms of mobility coexist within a diverse mobility ecology. However these different mobilities
are not integrated in the sense that switching
between modes is difficult and inconvenient, if
not impossible. Taking the subway may not be
an option, given that people’s homes are often
too far from a station or stop. This gap between
the public transit system and houses is often
referred to as the Last Mile phenomena. The car
has often been the only mobility system to close
the gap in this Last Mile. Similarly, the First Mile,
and the Mid Mile have also been identified as
gaps within contemporary commuting practices.
Commuting is...
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SUN
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SUN
SUN
MON
TUE
WED
THU
FRI
SUN
BOS
NYC
NYC
NYC
BOS
BOS
BOS
90 min.
15 min.
JAN
...becoming longer and shorter.
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
NOV
DEC
...no longer just the daily grind.
...no longer just the conscern of the businessman.
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Audi Urban Future Initiative - City Dossier: Boston
Boston
Worcester
Springfield
Providence
Hartford
New Haven
Regional Commuting Intensities
in Southern New England
As part of the City Dossier: Boston, undertaken by Höweler + Yoon Architecture, Audi and
Stylepark, the First/Last Mile System is being
developed to address mobility challenges and
opportunities. A thorough analysis of mobility
practices, demands, and services in Boston
has targeted a number of sites that would lend
themselves to a First/Last Mile System. This
system could consist of both hardware and
software: vehicles, stations, signage and information, as well as a service and dedicated lanes
for a new mobility infrastructure.
The City Dossier combines research and
analysis with design proposals that integrate
an understanding of the urban context with the
latest technologies and practices from Audi to
create a new mobility concept in Boswash.
Private Transport Isochrone (45 min.)
Höweler + Yoon Architecture with Mobility-in-Chain
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60 mph
23 mph
12 mph
32 miles
14 miles
THE LAST MILE SYSTEM
368 miles
Switch
500 mph
Beyond simply changing vehicles or directions
in a single transit system, the switch also can
be defined by the interfacing between separate but similar transport systems; between
separate and wholy different kinds of mobilities
systems depending on destination, geography,
or experience preference; or between scales
of movement especially on long-distance trips.
These points have traditionally been regarded
as the problem in urban transit with planners
attempting to eliminate them wherever possible.
The city dossier, recognizing the possibility of
choice it allows, instead celebrates the switch.
In order to take advantage of entire ecologies
of mobility, these switches must be identified,
co-networked, made ‘smart’, and sped up.
Scale
Kind
60 mph
2 miles
23 mph
12 mph
32 miles
14 miles
368 miles
Kind
2 miles
System
Kind
System
Gap
In the midst of suburban sprawl, only a lucky
few are immediately served by transit, whether
rail station or highway on-ramp. Many of our
commutes would be greatly reduced in time if
it were not for the gaps the mobility systems
we use to commute, whether at the beginning,
middle, or end of the journey. The city dossier
identifes and speculates on these key gaps in
the many forms of urban mobility we use. But
defining a ‘gap’ is not as simple as it seems. A
gap may simply be two nearby mobility systems
that do not make a connection to one other by
reason of ownership or jurisdiciton. More often,
however, a connection exists but it is inefficient,
requiring far greater time in transit or waiting
than if a more direct system were in place.
Similarly where a connection is too complicated,
involving many - often unreliable - switch points,
a gap may also be identified. Developing an
array of solutions catered to the equally wide
range of gaps in urban mobility is a therefore a
goal of the city dossier.
Share
Beyond identifying and streamlining connection points in urban mobility. New - and more
importantly - existing systems must be used
more efficiently. Beyond crowding highways
and trains, these infrastructures may be shared
in more intelligent ways with the result being
overall increased speed and / or reduction of
energy waste. Sharing-based solution in the city
dossier share across a given system, but also
geographies, time, and between many systems
at once.
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Origin
Switch
Destination
System
Gap
No Connection
Exists
No Sharing
Sharing to increase
density of use
Connection is
Inefficient
Connection is
Too Complicated
Highway
HOV
Sharing to reduce
waste
Train
Sharing over time
Alternate Day
Driving
Sharing by switching
Shareway
Audi Urban Future Initiative - City Dossier: Boston
The Last Mile
While transportation systems, public and
private, struggle to connect all major destinations for commuters, as infrastructures
expand development continues yet further
afield. From a suburban home to commuter
rail station and from the union station to the
destination office building, a gap remains at
each end: the first and last miles. Meanwhile,
in order to move easily throughout the entire
network of an urban area one is constantly
switching from linear infratructure to linear
infrastructure, whether interstate highway or
subway line. All too often these connections
are not easily possible within one switch hub,
leaving users to negotiate this third, mid-mile,
by their own devices.
First Mile
Origin
Mid Mile
Mid Mile
Switch
Last Mile
Destination
The City
From early twentieth century cities that gathered all urban functions - industries, housing,
civic functions, commerce, entertainment together in one consolidated center, the city
has radically transformed into a much more
complex entity. There is the obvious suburban
sprawl, but it has complexified even further to
networks and nebulae loosely weaving from
center to suburb and on to several surrounding
centers. But despite such radical transformation, we all too often idealize the simple fried
egg plan of ‘the city’, with great implications
for the way we design urban movement. Any
study of urban mobility today must certainly
taken into account the very distributed form of
‘the city’ or more generally ‘the urban field’ of
the present.
Robert Simmon, NASA Earth Observatory 2012
Commute
Just as the city has complexified radically over
the course of the last century, so have our
commuting patterns. While the businessman in
tie and hat carrying his briefcase may still wait
at the suburban train platform to travel to his
center city office, many more of us are moving
in a great many different directions, for many
different reasons. Commuters today might work
in the suburban areas while living in the city
or even in entirely different cities. Commuting
may be at great distance but only twice a week,
this week here and perhaps next week there.
Commuting may change with the seasons or the
week as work or residences move as well.
Höweler + Yoon Architecture with Mobility-in-Chain
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THE ROAD WARRIOR
Origin: West Newton, MA
Destination: South Boston Waterfront
THE REVERSE COMMUTER
Origin: South End, Boston
Destination: Corporate Campus, Marlborough, MA
THE STRAPHANGER
Origin: Wellesley, MA
Destination: Financial District, Boston
Origin: Union Square, Somerville
Destination: South End, Boston
THE CAST-AWAY
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Audi Urban Future Initiative - City Dossier: Boston
Inte
r-P
eri
ph
er
y
THE LAST MILE(S) : Metropolitan Boston
r
ute
m
m
Co
UNION SQUARE
al
Tradition
Intra-Urban Comm
ute
r
Driver
SOUTH BOSTON
WATERFRONT
WEST NEWTON
AUBURNDALE
mm
de
r
Inte
r-Ci
t
Ri
y Co
it
ns
Tra
nal
itio
Trad
uter
RIVERSIDE
PARK-N-RIDE
ter
mu
m
Co
rse
e
v
Re
Höweler + Yoon Architecture with Mobility-in-Chain
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SITE ONE : SOUTH BOSTON WATERFRONT
Consisting of more than 6,000+ parking spaces
(largely unstructured), this is a key destination
for inbound commuters driving to downtown financial district locations. Parking is significantly
cheaper (around 25-50%) compared to other
downtown locations on the other side of Fort
Point Channel and much more easily accessible
from highways arriving from the south and west.
Walking distances to downtown are around only
10 minutes. We are interested in facilitating this
‘switch’ connection by means vehicular, technical, or experiential. Additionally, this area is
undergoing significant redevelopment with many
new buildings and firms (office and industrial)
locating here as well as numerous cultural destinations. It is currently the main development
area of central Boston. In the future (and already in some places), much of the parking will
be redeveloped as office / residential buildings
and the South Boston Waterfront area itself will
become a key commuter destination for work.
Flexible Parking
$24 - $40
Daily
SUMMARY
A
Experience is boring, desolate, dangerous :
underprogrammed
B How does one know which lot has available
$12 - $17
Daily
or the cheapest parking?
C Should one walk / ride bike / take the bus?
D The quality of parking is not good
E
What will the current drivers do when the
parking is replaced by buildings?
Surface Parking Areas + Rate Comparision
Large Surface Parking
Seaport Boulevard to Financial District
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Audi Urban Future Initiative - City Dossier: Boston
Downtown
Financial District
Future Development
Pedestrian Path
Extensive Surface Parking Near Downtown
Höweler + Yoon Architecture with Mobility-in-Chain
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SITE TWO : West Newton
This typical suburban area has many transport
options : easy highway access, suburban commuter rail station, and Green Line rapid transit.
Each of these has their positives and negatives
that vary from day to day; we are interested
in helping all the transit options work together
as a system and helping users to choose the
best mode on a given day. Each mode has at
least one key ‘problem’. The highway is often
congested and requires going through at least
one toll booth (increased cost and slowing
down). The Green Line rapid transit has a
large park-and-ride facility, but users must be
dropped off by car or park their own car (with a
fee) to get there as the suburban street network
makes walking very long. The commuter rail
station generally also requires connection by car
(though has better pedestrian connection than
park-and-ride facility) but has very little parking
available; the user experience is very bad at
this station as it is entered onto from a highway
overpass with the very long platform being
squeeze between a highway and the rail tracks
and is largely unprotected form rain / snow.
Auburndale Commuter Rail Station
SUMMARY
A How does a commuter know which is the
best mode to take on a given time or day?
B Each system operates independently, leaving
the total system service to underperform
C Station environment is very poor
D Station and parking lot are unused for larger
periods of the day
Riverside Park-n-Ride
Station Entrance
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Park-n-Ride Lot
Audi Urban Future Initiative - City Dossier: Boston
Auburndale
Commuter Rail Station
Riverside Rapid Transit
Park-n-Ride
Toll Plaza
I-90 / Massachusetts Turnpike
To Central Boston
I-93 / Route 128
Highway Ring Road
Parking
Park Space
Riverside Rapid Transit
Park-n-Ride
Auburndale
Commuter Rail Station
Höweler + Yoon Architecture with Mobility-in-Chain
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SITE THREE : Union Square, Somerville
18,681 / sqmi
SOMERVILLE is...
*The densest city in New England
Population Density
DENSE*
14,483 / sqmi
840 / sqmi
Somerville
Boston
Massachusetts
42.8 years
Average Age
YOUNG
31.4 years
Massachusetts
A BARGAIN
Average median housing value
This neighborhood is a rapidly gentrifying area
with many young people. It is very close to both
Cambridge and Boston, key work destinations,
but cost of housing is significantly cheaper. This
is likely related to the fact that it is very cut off
from Boston with no access to rapid transport
yet is very dense (the densest town in New England), making trips by car also difficult. Many
buses currently connect Union Square to the
many nearest subway stations : Harvard Square
(Red Line); Central Square (Red Line); Lechmere
(Green Line); Sullivan Square (Orange Line). In
this sense, it has great potential transit accessibility but the ‘switch’ from the square to those
transit connections is difficult or often takes too
much time. An extension of the current Green
Line subway to Union Square is anticipated in
the next 1-4 years, it will therefore become a
major transit hub and significantly transform the
area.
Somerville
$566,100
$453,800
Cambridge
Somerville
SUMMARY
A No immediate rapid transit is available
B While many bus connections exist,
these are neither easy or quick.
C The anticipated new rapid transit sta-
tion will not be immediately connected
to the square.
D Many auto-oriented shops and programs in the area will be displaced by
new transit-oriented development.
Public Square
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Dense Multi-Family Housing
Site of Future Rail Connection
Audi Urban Future Initiative - City Dossier: Boston
Future
Rapid Transit Station
To Be Redeveloped
Parking
Public Plaza
Union Square
Höweler + Yoon Architecture with Mobility-in-Chain
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Audi Urban Future Initiative - City Dossier: Boston