30 | (en)gauging the water: Stormwater managing + tactical urbanism / January 16, 2019 by keihly moore

Put a bridge, water-absorbing plants, custom rain gauges, and water level markings on it!

After: A market scene can be possible with the extended boardwalk in the longer term vision. Here, custom rain gauges can be seen built into the railing. Colorful grates mark the boardwalk so visitors can look down to see the plants below.

The Boston Society of Landscape Architects held a competition looking for tactical urbanism solutions and long term solutions for a particular intersection of the East Boston Greenway. My co-civic innovator, Thu Ngan Han, and I used the opportunity to do a quick design charrette and come up with some short term tactical solutions and long term adaptable solutions. We are eager for change, creative thinking, community action, climate awareness, and environmental appreciation.

Before/current: A cold and rainy January day at the current state of the Gove Street entrance to the greenway. — **Before/current:** A cold and rainy January day at the current state of the Gove Street entrance to the greenway.

Here’s our brief project narrative:

(en)gauging the water combines art, science, exploration, observation, and play. The design performs multiple functions and creates a new destination post-storm. Interactive rain gauges are built into the railing. The ramps gauge flood water, and act as a safety measure showing the water’s depth. Grates in the boardwalk allow passers-thru to peer into the landscape below and let light filter to the water-absorbing plants. A weather station installed on the light post can be a new member of CoCoRaHS (Community Collaborative Rain, Hail, and Snow Network). Visitors participate by taking pictures of the filled rain gauges and the flooded boardwalk, posting with hashtags like #weatherbridge or #(en)gaugingbridge.

This short term, tactical vision, focuses on cost-conscious, low maintenance solutions. A simple ramp is constructed out of local rot resistant wood or plastic composite. Paint enlivens Gove Street for a temporary new gathering space. The greenway planting mix is low maintenance and drought tolerant that can handle short periods of being inundated with water. The plant mix provides all-season interest and food for wildlife.

The long term, adaptable solution expands the bridge into a platform, creating a new place that encourages pop-up events like farmers’ markets, concerts, etc.

Vignette: Custom sized rain gauges made for Boston’s 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100 year storm events can be built into the railing. This place can become a new destination after a storm to see how everything filled up!

This project is exciting to me in a few ways - the first being that something will be built! (Note: winners have not been announced yet.) This is why I like tactical urbanism - you can see results fast! Another reason is that I’m a water and weather nerd. So to be able to think about how to combine weather science, data, art, stormwater management, landscape, architecture and placemaking in one project?! This is very exciting. And it gives me an excuse to learn about new (to me) resources and websites like the CoCoRaHS folks and NOAA folks kindly told me about where to find the rainfall amounts that define those storm events here.

Vignette: Bridge as flood gauge. As the greenway floods, the bridge can tell you how deep it is (in English and Spanish!) this both acts as a safety measure and lets the curious peer through the grate at each marking to see how the bioswale plants a… — Vignette: Bridge as flood gauge. As the greenway floods, the bridge can tell you how deep it is (in English and Spanish!) this both acts as a safety measure and lets the curious peer through the grate at each marking to see how the bioswale plants are doing below.

After: Bridge cross section. The path is now filled with native, water absorbing plants such as joe pye weed, little blue stem, bearded iris’, and others. The water level markers are seen marked in blue on the ramp. A weather station is mounted to t… — After: Bridge cross section. The path is now filled with native, water absorbing plants such as joe pye weed, little blue stem, bearded iris’, and others. The water level markers are seen marked in blue on the ramp. A weather station is mounted to the existing light pole.

The Short Term Tactical Plan proposes a simple bridge spanning the flooding gap. Painted concrete frames the main entrances to the greenway and the ramps leading to the bridge mark the water levels.

The Long Term Adaptable Plan expands the bridge into a platform for markets, concerts, outdoor classroom space and flexible gathering space. This plan anticipates new buildings on the existing parking lots (shown in blue/grey).

Comments? Thoughts? Would you come to see how full the rain gauges are after a storm? What else would you like to see here?

29 | Put a curb cut and crosswalk on it! / March 25, 2018 by keihly moore

Put a curb cut and new crosswalk on it!

Before: No curb cut or crosswalk at the corridor entrance. (It's over about 35' from the entrance to the right in this picture. See second picture below for the existing crosswalk.) — **Before:** No curb cut or crosswalk at the corridor entrance. (It's over about 35' from the entrance to the right in this picture. See second picture below for the existing crosswalk.)

After: Curb cut and colorful crosswalk to make the crossing safer. — **After:** Curb cut and colorful crosswalk to make the crossing safer.

Why does the Southwest Corridor crosswalk and curb cut at Amory Street not align with the entrance? Can we please provide easier access? It's dangerous for cyclists and strollers as designed, because when exiting the trail, the narrow sidewalk does not allow a full perpendicular alignment to the road, so they are unable to easy see if traffic is coming from both directions. I wonder how long it would take to get this fixed? Months? Years? See below for the existing crosswalk.

Existing: Here's the state of the crosswalk today, about 35' to the right of the existing Southwest Corridor entrance. It needs to be repainted and we need to add another at the entrance! — **Existing:** Here's the state of the crosswalk today, about 35' to the right of the existing Southwest Corridor entrance. It needs to be repainted and we need to add another at the entrance!

28 | Put a Park and Transit on it! / July 23, 2017 by keihly moore

Proposed Platform: The Michigan Central Station not only serves as a hub for transportation but a means for thermal comfort. The Michigan Central Station uses strategies to reduce urban heat as it relates to people's outdoor thermal comfort and… — **Proposed Platform:** The Michigan Central Station not only serves as a hub for transportation but a means for thermal comfort. The Michigan Central Station uses strategies to reduce urban heat as it relates to people's outdoor thermal comfort and the quality of comfort when people move place to place. These strategies include direct transportation, cool structures, and enhanced vegetation. Solar panel shelters are implemented, providing a sense of comfort that serves a multi-purpose of shade and providing a power source for people. In addition, the rail tracks are now a greenway which adds empathize of reducing urban heat and the area is well shaded as you walk through the platform to your destination.

Michigan State University student Rayshaun L. Landrum submitted this idea on a way to combat the Urban Heat Island Effect using transit and park design in Detroit.

Existing Platform: Michigan Central Station is known for its cultural landmark of being once a temple for transportation serving the automobile industry, military troops, and railroad employees. This station pretty much served everyone in Detroit as… — **Existing Platform**: Michigan Central Station is known for its cultural landmark of being once a temple for transportation serving the automobile industry, military troops, and railroad employees. This station pretty much served everyone in Detroit as well as outer cities. As shown the platform has a lot of hardscape surfaces with cracks and no shading nor remains of seating.

Existing Park: The park was the grand entryway to the station and was known as a historical park to the public in southwest Downtown Detroit. In addition, it was a great place for those who were coming in out of the Michigan Central Station or … — **Existing Park:** The park was the grand entryway to the station and was known as a historical park to the public in southwest Downtown Detroit. In addition, it was a great place for those who were coming in out of the Michigan Central Station or just passing by.

Proposed Park part 1: The design is a response to all the hardscape surfaces that were abandoned. Improvements start in the vegetation and morph into a place that people stay to enjoy. The inflatable blossom flower sculpture provides shade in a… — **Proposed Park part 1:** The design is a response to all the hardscape surfaces that were abandoned. Improvements start in the vegetation and morph into a place that people stay to enjoy. The inflatable blossom flower sculpture provides shade in a creative way as you sit underneath. In the center of the park, there's a lighting sculpture that makes itself visible and reveals written historical moments embedded in steel material.

Proposed Park part 2: The proposed design still functions as a park with plenty of open space surrounding the station for recreation and relaxation. The walks remain in the same orientation with additions sidewalks and enhance green space with raise… — **Proposed Park part 2**: The proposed design still functions as a park with plenty of open space surrounding the station for recreation and relaxation. The walks remain in the same orientation with additions sidewalks and enhance green space with raised pre-cast concrete beds for activities.

27 | Put a Bike Corral on it! / October 9, 2016 by keihly moore

There's a strong cycling community the Roslindale neighborhood of Boston. There's also a lack of bike parking in the neighborhood center. After analyzing all the options, our Street Ops group paired up with Roslindale Village Main Street and Fornax Bread Company, who were already hosting a lovely parklet.

Before: Cohasset Street before the parklet and bike corral, with very little bike parking. — **Before**: Cohasset Street before the parklet and bike corral, with very little bike parking.

After: So much more life and usefulness to this street.

There's no parking allowed on this one-way street anyway, so this is a useful and perfect place for the bike corral.

The Street Ops team won a Boston Society of Architects Foundation grant to help with the cost of materials for the corral. We built the corral over a series of weekends in a backyard. It was refreshing to be able to take our sketches and turn them into reality, learning about means and methods along the way.

We learned that pavement is very porous, especially when you're trying to bolt something into it. We also designed it so it would fit in a truck and not have to be taken apart. But it's good that it's made of pieces, because that allowed a "breakaway" feature when a moving truck backed into it. The whole corral didn't go down, just 1/2 of one side. It also taught us that we needed higher visibility and a cone. It also turns out that the treads of the pipe are useless when they're bent. Good thing they are easily replaceable.

The planter box is made of the left over scraps from the herringbone pattern we made on the main walls. I love when the design contributes to the "waste" being used. It was something we realized after looking at all the leftovers. Useful indeed!

26 | Put Polka Dots on it! / January 31, 2016 by keihly moore

By Keihly Moore, by way of City Lab

Put polka dots and flexible bollards on it!

Giving space back to pedestrians in a colorful manner. Image courtesy of CityLab/City of Austin — Giving space back to pedestrians in a colorful manner. Image courtesy of CityLab/City of Austin

I was very excited when I read this article, "Polka Dots help pedestrians reclaim space in Austin," by City Lab. Finally! These are the measures we're talking about - simple, relatively low cost additions to our streets that make a big difference in safety, perception, and beauty. With thinking like this, dangerous intersections can be transformed all over the world. I applaud Austin - thanks for taking the lead in creative solutions!

25 | PARK(ing) Day 2015: Fort Point, Boston / September 19, 2015 by keihly moore

Put a parklet on it!

Ngan sits on Bike Not Bomb's smoothie blending bicycle on Congress Street in Fort Point.

Thanks to some generous folks, we pulled off a successfully borrowed and hand-made PARK(ing) Day! The Boston Gardener let us borrow 30+ plants for the day, a new bike-commuter friend lent his van for transporting plants, the Bike Not Bomb's smoothie bicycle (Biciblender) and coworkers at Stantec let us borrow their chairs, umbrellas, rugs, and time! Thanks to Stantec for paying for the moving permit that helped us secure the spot. Thanks to Sketchup, Autocad, and a laser cutter, we made a sturdy cardboard canopy (with recycled-drawing leaves flapping in the wind), as well as a bike-chain-esque mini barrier to define the street edge.

Thank goodness for the shade of the umbrellas and the donated fruit to power the biciblender bike for 5 HOURS and 160 smoothie servings!

This is my fourth year doing PARK(ing) Day and I learn something every time. 1. You need sidewalk chalk to write messages to steer people into the seats. People don't understand they can really sit there. 2. You need a central activity/something out of the ordinary to pique people's interest and wiliness to stop and investigate. (Free smoothies are perfect for this.) 3. You need plants. No matter what. Their presence transforms space. Just like that. 4. Cardboard is a very versatile material. It's a challenge to work with in some ways, but plentiful in an architecture office, and its useful life should be prolonged for as long as possible. 5. There will always be nay-sayers when it comes to PARK(ing) Day. One neighborhood guy said: You cannot put a park there (as we were cleaning up at 5pm). I said: I just did. (And we had a permit.) Perhaps I should have invited him to take a seat in our shade earlier to convince him. Just brush those guys off. The day positively affected so many people. 6. Watermelon offerings can make amends. 7. People are generous. 8. It's fun giving away things for free and making people happy. 9. Productive work meetings are more pleasant in a parklet. 10. Build it and they will come (again and again, 3 times in one day for some locals down the block).

24 | Rail Revival in Brooklyn Arts District, Wilmington, NC / June 23, 2015 by keihly moore

By Allen Davis

Put a greenway, pedestrian connection, and revived transit on it!

Before: This abandoned railway corridor in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Wilmington, NC.

This abandoned railway corridor is envisioned as a phased "rails with trails" system (there are 3 phases shown: existing, greenway, and passenger rail). This would connect neighborhoods to a future multimodal transportation center, downtown community college campus and the Cape Fear River. These renderings we used to achieve support for the land to be leased from NCDOT for the greenway, on the condition it not prohibit the use of the corridor for passenger rail service. We hope to be moving from conceptual to detailed design over the next few years and adjusting the land development ordinance to allow greater densities in exchange for fronting directly onto the trail. - Allen Davis

After: Put a pedestrian and bicycle connection on it!

After: Put new transit connections on it!

23 | Public Fridge Poetry! / June 14, 2015 by keihly moore

Put poetry on it!

A few of us from Street Ops devised a Public Fridge Poetry game and here are some shots from our first test run! Next stop - Copley Square! (Most all photos: Allen Penniman)

22 | Update! It's Built! / June 10, 2015 by keihly moore

Put (real) stripes and a curb cut on it!

Way back in January 2014, I dreamt of making more obvious a connection that was natural to all those who "jaywalked" across Church Street to their favorite watering hole. Now, thanks to lots of work in the City and advocacy by Scott Curry, the stripes are real!

After for real: May 2015 - the connection is complete! Put stripes and a curb cut on it! (photo: Dylan McKnight) — After for real: May 2015 - the connection is complete! Put stripes and a curb cut on it! (photo: Dylan McKnight)

I've heard second hand that the image I imagined provided a good start to the conversation and got everyone on the same page for what the crosswalk could look like. It's a spark that started the fire!

Before: Fall 2013: No midblock crosswalk, despite the obvious beckoning of Latta Arcade.

After (proposed): My vision of what it could look like.

Yay for getting things done! Thanks to Dylan McKnight who took the current photograph.

21 | Sneckdowns! / February 2, 2015 by keihly moore

Put snow on it! (To reveal more people space and smaller, safer intersections.)

Summer Street and Lincoln Street. Nice space for a larger pedestrian island, don't you think?

Look at all this pavement that could be used for other purposes! The snow does a lovely job of highlighting the space we don't always notice. Here's a bit on the history of a sneckdown (a term derived from thinking about "necking" down an intersection). The snow makes traffic patterns visible, therefore showing how small an intersection really needs to be.

What do the sneckdowns in your neighborhood reveal?? Post them on our site!

20 | Bringing dreams to blank walls / October 15, 2014 by keihly moore

Put public art on it!

By Eric Zaverl

Before: Morehead Street Bridge along the light rail — **Before:** Morehead Street Bridge along the light rail

After: Put art on it! — **After**: Put art on it!

After: Morehead Street bridge art detail — **After**: Morehead Street bridge art detail

This mural is inspired by real life heroes of children and their aspirations of following in their footsteps one day. It's about the idea of having a dream and never giving up until you achieve it. The artists are Jeff Thomas and James Helms.

This is just one way we can create interesting spaces on boring blank walls. Pieces like this only help to get people out walking.

And how can we make installing public art easier? Why does it have to be so process-intensive? Can Charlotte adopt other public art program policies like Portland to inspire more creative visions on our city's walls?

19 | PARK(ing) Day is on Friday, September 19th! / September 10, 2014 by keihly moore

Put a park on it!

We are very excited to organize Charlotte's biggest PARK(ing) Day yet! Come on down to Tryon Street on Friday, September 19th from 10am - 6pm and come enjoy the mini-parks sprinkled up and down Tryon Street. They are between the Mint Museum and Discovery Place, about 1 per block. YOU will get to vote on your favorite park! Also keep an eye out for Little Free Libraries the teams are making! They will be donated to surrounding neighborhoods on Saturday September 20th. The Library will be stocking them with books, so if you have any extra books sitting around bring them by and take a book home!

Here is a list of the organizers and participants.

These are the guidelines that the teams must follow - they help make a vibrant, interesting public space!

18 | Parklet for Price's Chicken Coop on Camden Road / August 19, 2014 by Aleksandra Borisenko

Put a parklet, on-street parking, and trees on it!

By Aleksandra Borisenko

Before: Price's Chicken Coop is a very popular lunch spot in Charlotte. There's no seating for patrons to eat their lunch and most folks eat their food on the embankment of the light rail tracks or in their cars. At the same time, Cam… — **Before:** Price's Chicken Coop is a very popular lunch spot in Charlotte. There's no seating for patrons to eat their lunch and most folks eat their food on the embankment of the light rail tracks or in their cars. At the same time, Camden Road is an unnecessarily wide street for a two-lane road. This provides an excellent opportunity to add an outdoor dining parklet and on-street parking.

After: Price's Chicken Coop's new parklet provides a much-needed seating for patrons and helps make the Camden Road an inviting place for pedestrians and cyclists. — **After:** Price's Chicken Coop's new parklet provides a much-needed seating for patrons and helps make the Camden Road an inviting place for pedestrians and cyclists.

17 | Bike Corral + Parklet in South End / July 29, 2014 by keihly moore

Put a bike corral, parklet, planter, and street tree on it!

By Keihly Moore

Before: Just another parking space in front of Queen City Bicycles in South End on E. Park Ave.

After: Put a parklet and bike corral on it!

There's always a need for more public seating and bike racks in South End, especially now that food trucks and gallery openings are no longer a well-kept hot-spot secret, drawing hundreds of folks. Why circle the block multiple times looking for parking when you can roll up on two wheels right next to your destination? Why not extend the sidewalk into more of a patio/front porch style social experience?

16 | Parklet on N Tryon Street / July 8, 2014 by Aleksandra Borisenko

Put a parklet on it!

By Aleksandra Borisenko

Before: A pull-off area for cars in front of the Foundation for the Carolinas and the Knight Foundation provides a unique opportunity to create a useful and enjoyable place for people. — **Before:** A pull-off area for cars in front of the Foundation for the Carolinas and the Knight Foundation provides a unique opportunity to create a useful and enjoyable place for people.

After: Parklet Option A. This parklet with cafe seating and a landscaping wall makes N Tryon Street a more inviting place for pedestrian. — **After:** Parklet Option A. This parklet with cafe seating and a landscaping wall makes N Tryon Street a more inviting place for pedestrian.

After: Parklet Option B. This parklet includes an attractive canopy shelter, a low wall and a variety of seating options. — **After:** Parklet Option B. This parklet includes an attractive canopy shelter, a low wall and a variety of seating options.

15 | Dress up the Skyline at Romare Bearden Park / June 13, 2014 by keihly moore

Put a mural on it!

By Dylan McKnight

Before: Skyline view standing in Romare Bearden Park. — **Before**: Skyline view standing in Romare Bearden Park.

After: Make the skyline more colorful! — **After**: Make the skyline more colorful!

Standing in Uptown Charlotte’s new multi-million dollar Romare Bearden Park, the beautiful skyline is obstructed by the view of a large parking deck. Put a mural on it! Urban wall art can revitalize blank walls in the city and provide unexpected color and culture around every corner.

14 | Rama Road in front of Rama Elementary School / June 3, 2014 by keihly moore

Put a multi-use path, planted median, gateway, and nice flowers on it!

By Keihly Moore

Before: Rama Road in front of the Elementary. Notice what you run into when you cross the road to go to school. — **Before**: Rama Road in front of the Elementary. Notice what you run into when you cross the road to go to school.

After: Take four 12' lanes and bring more diversity to the street with an 8' multi-use path on both sides, planted median where no one is turning, and create an interesting gateway into the school, creating an easy connection. — **After:** Take four 12' lanes and bring more diversity to the street with an 8' multi-use path on both sides, planted median where no one is turning, and create an interesting gateway into the school, creating an easy connection.

The street is designed for speeds higher than the posted speed limit. As a result, vehicles move fast and it's uncomfortable to walk along the road, much less bicycle, or cross the street. With two schools on this stretch of road, which is bordered by many neighborhoods, it's especially important to build walking/cycling infrastructure so families can increase their health by walking and reducing the traffic on the street.

Instead of four 12' lanes with two 6' sidewalks on either side (and no buffer), why not design two 11.5' travel lanes with a 13' planted median/turn lane, 4' planted buffer, and 8' multi-use trail? These new improvements fit into the existing ROW. We must strive to increase the diversity of the street users, to make the quality of life better for all.