Modern Revitalization Strategies

There should be a focus on making the downtown pedestrian friendly. Some of these ways include improving deteriorating sidewalks, better public safety and improving the streetscape such us adding flowers, trees, benches, and attractive lighting and pavement to add to the aesthetic appeal (Faulk 2006). Also many city downtowns developed pedestrian malls. These are characterized by a pedestrian-friendly environment are automobile-free. They are typically located along a downtown corridor, usually a few blocks long, where pedestrian traffic is given priority. The main objective of pedestrian malls throughout the United States was to help revitalize the declining downtown retail base (Robertson 1997).

The main approach to this effort was to close off these blocks from automobile traffic in particular time, so the people can access the pedestrian comfortly while purchase

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stuff in this area. Besides, add to the aesthetic appear by adding such items as benches, lighting fountains and others.

The following are some examples of pedestrian in several countries such as:

Figure 13: Pedestrian Area in New York Source: www.montgomeryplanning.org

Figure 14: Pedestrian Area in Nashua US Source: http://visualizenashua.com

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Figure 15: Pedestrian zone in Wiesbaden, German Source: www.wikipedia.org

Figure 16: Pedestrian Mall in Charlottesville city, Virginia US Source: www.rumahpitate.blogspot.com

23 Historic Preservation & Waterfront Development

The buildings which located in a city’s downtown “ will represent the most visible manifestation of a downtown’s image” (Robertson & Ryan 2004, 18).

Basically all small-city downtowns have many old commercial buildings that are not found anywhere else in the city. Renovation of these buildings, and other “white elephants,” can contribute greatly to a positive sense of place (Robertson 1997), and are often a main focus of revitalization efforts. Some common types of white elephants can include old movie theaters, department stores and warehouses. As they are large and very visible to the public, they can have a great negative effect on property values and cause a cycle of deterioration in the surrounding areas.

The rehabilitation of these buildings is a main issue in revitalizing downtowns (Faulk 2006).

There are several examples of renovation of historical building in Asia countries i.e.:

Figure 17: Chinese shop houses in Penang, Malaysia Source: http://pinterest.com

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Figure 18: Cheong Fatt Tze Blue Mansion, Penang Malaysia Source:http://www.cheongfatttzemansion.com

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Many cities also rely on waterfront development to help revitalize the downtown.

Although its function has most likely long been over, many small-cities were established near a waterway. Many downtowns have used this opportunity to take advantage of their unique natural and historic attraction that is not located in commercial or suburban areas.

People are naturally attracted to the water which can also add to their sense of place.

Unfortunately, many views to the river are hidden from the downtown in many cities or the river area is not managed-well, which can cause an under appreciation and underutilization by the local residents and city officials (Robertson & Ryan 2004). A nice view of the riverfront could add to the aesthetics value and attract people to the downtown.

Figure 19: Chinese shop houses in Quay Bay Singapore Source: http://ss3singapore.wordpress.com

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Case Study 1: Historical Preservation in Danshui Street, Tansui District Taipei Taiwan (Source: http://eng.taiwan.net.tw)

Tamsui District (淡水區, formerly Danshui District (also spelled Danshuei District) and Tamshui Township) is a sea-side district in New Taipei City in northern Taiwan (ROC). It is named after the Tamsui River; the name means "fresh water". The town is popular as a site for viewing the sun setting into the Taiwan Strait. Though modest in size (population 130,105), the district is home to three universities (Aletheia University, Tamkang University, and St. John's University) and has a large role in Taiwanese culture.

Dihua Street is the most popular grocery market for shopping Chinese New Year's goods. It is located in Datong District of Taipei City, Taiwan, with a total length of 800 meters. On ordinary days, Dihua is a relatively quiet street. However, the street will be lively and crowded few weeks before Chinese Lunar New Year.

Built in the 1850s, Dihua Street was the major trading center for Chinese herbs and medicines, dried goods, fabrics, as well as teas since it is near the Dadaocheng port. The street has became a market place for Chinese New Year's groceries since 1996; there are various stalls selling bamboo or wooden crafts, candies from Asia, Chinese medicines and herbs, Chinese and Japanese snacks, crops, dried foods, fabrics, incenses, New Year decorations, spices, and teas. Candies, dried squids, and nuts are popular items in the market. The vendors usually display their goods in huge bags; some bags are even taller than five feet high. Visitors may also see piles of foods and candies on tables which look like little mountains. The vendors use megaphones or simply yell out aloud to attract people’s attention. It is quite interesting to hear the lively shouts of vendors and to enjoy the New Year atmosphere. Some vendors will even hand out free samples for visitors to push more sales.

Besides the samplings and the lively scene, the historical architectures in traditional Fujian style, Baroque style, western style, as well as red lanterns and other New Year decorations have also made Dihua Street a popular tourist attraction. It is indeed an excellent place to enjoy the joyful atmosphere and to experience Taiwan culture.

A walk through the Dihua Street Area gives visitors a feel of Taipei City's past. The old-town market has scores of shops selling a variety of traditional goods such as Chinese

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medicines and herbs, temple icons and incense, spices and dried food, colorful bolts of cloth, and bamboo and wooden crafts.

Figure 20: Dihua Historical Street, Tansui Taiwan

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Case Study 2: Waterfront Development (Love River Kaohsiung, Taiwan) (Source: http://eng.taiwan.net.tw)

The Love River or Ai River (simplified Chinese: 爱河; traditional Chinese: 愛河;

pinyin: Ài Hé; e h-ōe-jī: Ài-hô) is a river (canal) in southern Taiwan. It originates in Renwu District, Kaohsiung City, and flows 12 kilometers (7.5 mi) through Kaohsiung to Kaohsiung Harbor. Love River is the spine of Kaohsiung, playing a similar role to the River Thames of London. It is of great cultural significance to the people of Kaohsiung and plays an important role in its economy and tourism. A riverside park, the Love River Park, runs along the riverbank in downtown Kaohsiung City. A night market operates in the park, and there are three outdoor cafés, often with live bands. Boats which hold about fifteen people take tourists up and down the river. The scenery is enhanced by attractive city structures near the river, such as the Holy Rosary Cathedral, Kaohsiung Bridge, and the Kaohsiung District Court. Cultural events such as concerts and the Lantern Festival are often held by the river.

The Love River was once heavily polluted, when raw sewage and industrial waste water flowed untreated into the river. Recent efforts by the city government to divert the waste water to the treatment plant in Cijin District has resulted in significantly improved water quality.

Figure 21: Waterfront Development (Love River) in Kaohsiung, Taiwan

29 Accessibility

Accessible transportation and parking are both essential for downtown revitalization. Transportation enhancements are important, and address such issues as traffic congestion, travel time, parking and safety. Public transportation also plays a large role. In many small cities, public transportation is less available as in larger cities. This causes a longer wait time, which also can be a deterrent for people to use public transportation to travel downtown. Also, as traffic congestion can be a problem, it is not as large a problem for smaller city downtowns, where parking is more of an issue (Faulk 2006).

Parking is very important to the success of downtowns. Although adequate parking within walking distances of businesses is necessary, it should not hinder comfortable downtown walking. A high number of pedestrians help to promote sales for many downtown stores and restaurants, and also supply traffic to many service providers.

However, since the majority of visitors to the downtown arrive in their own automobile, it is important to balance a pedestrian-friendly setting with the increasing demand for public parking that is convenient (Robertson 2005).

Large lots should be placed behind main buildings, which will still provide a large amount of parking, yet not distract from the downtown itself (Robertson 2005). Parking located on street also benefits pedestrians as it helps create a barrier between them and on-coming traffic, causing the vehicles to also have to slow down (Robertson 2005).

Case Study 3: Centennial Riverwalk Project (http://www.ci.ferndale.wa.us)

The Centennial Riverwalk Project, create a pedestrian walkway and promenade along the west bank of the Nooksack River, on the Front Street right of way between Main and Cherry Streets. Construction of this project is a major component in seeing the Riverview Plaza and Trail Plan, adopted by the Ferndale City Council Washington in September of 2005.

Figure 22: Blue Print of Centennial Riverwalk, Ferndale City Washington

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Improvements in this area include a wide pedestrian promenade with enough space to host small concerts, festivals, farmers' market or craft fair. The area currently occupied by Front Avenue will be enhanced and improved so the pedestrian corridor will be at the same level as the top of the levee (Figure 23). Lawn and small trees will be planted on the levee top. The concept is to create a welcoming pedestrian area buffered by a green space with views directly down to the river and towards Mount Baker in the distance.

Main Street Plaza

The most visible and public part of the project is the interface with Main Street.

Vehicles and pedestrians crossing the Main Street Bridge will have a direct view of the plaza area featuring a fountain, decorative paving, and seating areas (Figure 24).

Figure 23: Riverwalk pedestrian, Ferndale City Washington Source: www.ci.ferndale.wa.us

Figure 24:Maple Street Plaza Design (left), Maple Street Planting Plan (right) Source: www.ci.ferndale.wa.us

31 Maple Street Park

Maple Street Park and parking lot will be located on City property where a retired sewer pump station is currently located. In contrast to the Main Street Plaza, Maple Street Park is primarily a green space with lawns, shrubs, trees and ornamental plantings. The park is themed towards recognition of local Native American history and the logjam that was significant in Ferndale's early history. The park has a focus on native plant species, uses "rain garden" infiltration for storm water management, and is highlighted by a large totem. The park provides a casual gathering place with benches, open lawn, and scattered picnic tables.

The Maple Street Pedestrian Plaza offers a destination for people of all ages to sit and relax, visit local businesses or engage with members of the community in a vibrant public space. The street has been constructed as a “festival street”, with a single, one-way lane from south to north, with no curbs or on-street parking. Through the use of removable bollards, the street can be closed to car traffic for special events making the block a people place. The design theme for the plaza is called “Brushstrokes,” and is intended to draw people into Downtown Escondido. The Brushstrokes theme includes historic tiles, decorative mosaics, a pedestrian plaza and distinctive lighting to create a unique identity for the corridor (Figure 25). The Maple Street Plaza will also provide a pedestrian-friendly connection between Grand Avenue and City Hall, the California Center for the Arts Escondido, and Grape Day Park.

Pioneer Park Transition

The Riverwalk terminates at Cherry Street near the Pioneer Park entrance.

However, the proposed improvements include upgrading Cherry Street with a meandering sidewalk and landscaping. This interface completes the link between Ferndale's premier park and the City's Main Street.

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Figure 25: Maple Street Furniture Source: http://www.schmidtdesign.com

33 Cultural & Unique Retail Development

Another revitalization strategy used by downtowns is the use of cultural activities and amenities. These can help strengthen the city’s image which attracts people to visit the downtown, and also help to support economic development. This can including building such facilities as museums, art galleries, concert halls and also the development of arts districts in the downtown. These types of cultural activities can draw people to the downtown and also play a role in where people decide to work or live. They are also a draw to new businesses as the arts tend to draw a certain group of people to the downtown that may not otherwise visit.

Cultural activities of all kinds can be an important way of emphasizing a city’s unique amenities and attract visitors (Grodach 2007).

Peunayong area has its potentiality since this area known as historical site.

Another important thing is the culture and tourism department has held the cultural festival (Peunayong festival) last year In order to enliven Visit Banda Aceh Year 2011.

This Peunayong Festival is to highlights Chinese culture in Banda Aceh.

This activity is planned to be held every year to raise and promote Chinese culture and Aceh. It is very important to support revitalization efforts in this area.

Roberta Gratz states, “Individualized merchant stores are at the heart of many downtowns…combinations of local merchants give a downtown personality” (2000, 28-29).

This idea introduces the strategy of implementing festival marketplaces as a form of downtown revitalization. Festival marketplaces contain a mix of unique shops, restaurants and entertainment

Case Study 4: Revitalization– Wyandanch Rising (Source: http://reurbanist.com) Wyandanch is a suburban hamlet located less than an hour east of New York City’s enn Station in the Town of Babylon, has been struggling to combat a number of social {Violent Crimes (per 1,000 residents), Property Crime, and Crimes per Square Mile statistics for Wyandanch are all significantly higher than both the New York State and national average (Neighborhood Scout - as of March 2012)}and economic problems that earned it the title of Long Island’s most economically distressed community. The

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neighborhood’s internal problems have become evident in the deteriorating quality of the neighborhood’s built environment.

One of the most evident characteristics of Wyandanch’s deteriorating conditions is the number of vacant buildings within its downtown area and its surrounding residential neighborhood. In addition, the character of downtown Wyandanch’s existing retail development contributed to the area’s decline as it failed to create a sense of place for the surrounding community.

The abundance and poor urban design of the off-street parking in downtown Wyandanch destroyed whatever urban fabric the neighborhood could have had. Existing parking lots separate land uses and distance pedestrians on the sidewalk from retail buildings, diminishing any sense of a human-scale community.

Figure 26: Wyandanch - Existing Condition Source: www.reurbanist.com

Figure 27: Storefront Source: www.reurbanist.com

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Vacant retail properties along Straight ath, Wyandanch’s main commercial road. In 2007, the Long Island Index reported that Wyandanch had a commercial vacancy rate of 16%, a difference of almost 10% in comparison to other downtown areas in Suffolk County which average 7% vacancy rate (Figure 28).

According to figure 28 Vacancy appeared low within the Wyandanch Rising project area and Wyandanch’s residential census blocks in 2000, but 2010 census data shows a large increase in vacancy rates in and around the project site (U.S. Census – H003 [2000] & H3 Occupancy Status [2010]).

As a way to combat Wyandanch’s growing problems, local government officials undertook an extensive revitalization effort in 2003 called Wyandanch Rising, a 5-day community planning event that attracted over 500 local residents and stakeholders. After the end of the summit the Town of Babylon used the feedback they received to develop Wyandanch’s first comprehensive plan. From this initiative, the Wyandanch Rising redevelopment project was born. The project aims to transform the town’s depressed downtown area into a vibrant, pedestrian friendly, mixed use neighborhood with the Long Island Rail Road commuter rail station serving as the catalyst for development.

Figure 28: Vacancy Rates 2010 Source: www.reurbanist.com

36 Redevelopment Plan

The Stage 2 LEED-ND Certified Brownfield plan embraces principles of transit-oriented development (TOD) and smart growth in order to create a pedestrian friendly and environmentally sustainable mixed-use downtown for a traditionally suburban neighborhood that had never had one. The first phase of the project will feature the site’s landmark intermodal transit center and incorporate mixed-use elements such as 150 rental and 90 condo units, 50,000 square feet of retail of retail, and small portions of office space by the fall of 2012.

By the project’s completion, Wyandanch Rising will feature 121,320 square feet of retail, 884 dwelling units of apartments (922,203 square feet) where 575 will be rental units (with 175 available up to 60% AMI and 115 available up to 80% AMI), and 309 will be owner-occupied units (62 available up to 80% AMI, 123 up to 100% AMI and 123 up to 120%). Residential density will be approximately 9 dwelling units per gross acre. In addition, the revitalization will include a rehabilitation of the nearby Geiger Park, the creation a Station Plaza (2.6 acres), separate village greens, and a 6-level 2,000 car-park.

The project is anchored by the Wyandanch Long Island Railroad (LIRR) Station that will soon become an inter-modal transit center with connections between the LIRR, Suffolk County Transit, taxis, pedestrians, and bicyclists. In order to support these connections and create a pedestrian friendly environment, traffic calming techniques, bike lanes, bike parking, better-lit sidewalks, and on-street parking will play an integral part of the plan.

In addition, the plan calls for the creation of two unique open spaces that will serve as secondary anchors for development. Station Plaza and Wyandanch Green will be surrounded by mixed use buildings that integrate retail uses at ground floor with residential and office space above. Straight Path is to be converted from a sea of parking lots into Wyandanch’s new retail main street that will feature mixed use buildings with retail uses at ground floors. In this case, retail will be utilized to activate a once lifeless, vehicular-centric corridor into a vibrant, pedestrian friendly street as can be seen in Figure 29.

37 Challenges to Overcome

The plan’s goal is simple, to create a pedestrianized, transit-oriented downtown where locals can live, work, and play. Considering the project’s positioning in terms of its context and competitors, there are a number of challenges that the project faces:

1. How can it position itself in a way that would differentiate itself from its local competitors to make it a place that people will call their own?

2. What different services/goods/experiences/or retailers can a mixed use town center offer that its competitors cannot? I.E: Westfield Group’s two centers only offer an indoor mall experience where a town center can feature amenities like outdoor seating for nearby workers, picnic furniture during warm months, and al fresco dining facilities.

3. What anchors or new to market retail/entertainment concepts should be included to foster movement between the new town center?

4. Where should retail tenants be placed to create the best synergy?

Figure 29: Wyandach Rising Redevelopment Plan

Source: Images from Torti Gallas and Partners (1,2,4) and the Regional Plan Association (3).

Pedestrian friendly urban design techniques such as placing parking behind buildings (a) and utilizing planting, bike lanes, and medians (b) will slow traffic in an effort to make the area a safer place for pedestrians.

38 Development Success Factors

Despite the number of risks associated with the challenges facing this development, the Wyandanch Rising development has a unique opportunity to bring the distressed community a sense of a pride by being developed into something the locals can call their own. In order to overcome these challenges, creative solutions and a unique market positioning are required.

Creating a positioning strategy would require a feasibility study process similar to the one outlined below (Figure 30). This analysis helps provide a deeper understanding of the project’s context, competition, and local demographics.

Figure 30: Feasibility Study Process

The market analysis conducted by AKRF for the project touches the surface of this process.

39 Key Lessons

The Wyandanch Rising project has been recognized nationally by several authorities {Wyandanch Rising list of grants and awards: [USGBC, Regional Economic Development Funds, NYSDOS Spotlight Community, Vision Long Island, full list of grants]} for its success in embracing principles of both smart growth and sustainable development. This project may also serve as a premier development benchmark for a number of other reasons:

1. A Transparent and Open Planning Process – the town undertook a tremendous effort that involved several participatory community meetings to get residents and stakeholders on board. Community input was solicited for the initial weekend visioning summit that attracted over 500 residents and stakeholders as well as other meetings that solicited feedback for the form-based code. Throughout the process, community newsletters and e-mails were sending to update the community on the progress of the project in addition to any upcoming community meetings. The Town of Babylon also established the Wyandanch Rising Implementation Committee, a group of community leaders and stakeholders who would continue the post-planning process.

In response to a question on advice for others looking to undertake similar projects, Town of Babylon Supervisor Steve Bellone commented, “It is vital to work with the community from the very beginning and establish clear goals and a vision. No revitalization, sustainable, or otherwise, can be successful without the support of the community.”

Implementation Implications: Any redevelopment – whether it be a small or large scale, public or privately owned development – has the potential to impact and influence the lives of nearby trade area residents whom are working or living nearby. Before taking the risk and building something without consulting residents and workers who live their lives within the context of the projects trade area, it should be a top priority to involve future customers and neighbors and make them feel like a part of the process.

A transparent and open planning process may also prove to be a useful marketing tool for generating future interest in the project. As the Town of Babylon has successfully has done, the residents of Wyandanch felt like a part of the project, became involved, and kept up with current events through e-mail and newsletters. Considering current technology and internet trends, social media tools such as Facebook, Twitter, and blogs