Post on 12-Mar-2016
description
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
3
Dear Mr. Bejos:
We would like to present our proposed plan for Cetram Tasqueña, and thank Urban Travel Design
for sponsoring this project. Gran Terminal Tasqueña emphasizes connecting Tasqueña with its
surrounding neighborhoods while introducing new, more intense land uses and a grand public
terminal that will make it a destination in Mexico City that also generates value for you and your
investors. In addition, we would like to acknowledge our professors, Maria Arquero and Lars
Grabner for all of their help and support, and would like to thank Sol Camacho and Manuel
Cerventes for providing crucial information and feedback throughout our design process.
We are very excited to present our plan for Gran Terminal Tasqueña and thank you again for your
support.
Sincerely,
Christopher Canna M.U.P.
Branden Clements M. Arch,
Torrey Law, M. Arch
Patrick McDonnell, M.U.P.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
5
Contents
CETRAM Tasqueña 7
Gran Terminal Tasqueña 15
Reconnect Tasqueña 19
Build A Grand Terminal 23
Create a Destination 35
Project Implementation 47
CETRAM Tasqueña
7
CETRAM TasqueñaMexico City is one of the biggest urban regions in the world
with over 19 million residents covering nearly 1,500 km2 (UTD).
In order for the city to function, it relies heavily on a complex
transportation infrastructure featuring multiple transit modes,
including North America’s second largest metro system, light
rail, commuter rail, bus rapid transit and a wide variety of bus
networks. Using this system, passengers take 14.8 million trips
per day, and are frequently required to switch between modes
(UTD).
The major transfer stations in Mexico City are called Centros
de Transferencia Modals, or CETRAMs. These stations receive
4 million passengers per day, and are the primary interchanges
between the metro system and Mexico City’s bus and light rail
services. They are typically centered around a metro station
and have substantial infrastructure for buses, most notably for
“colectivos,” or micro-buses. These buses are operated by
private companies and have defined but flexible routes with no
fixed schedules.
There are 45 CETRAMS in Mexico City; the busiest of which are
located at terminal metro stations that receive anywhere from
500,000 to nearly 1 million passengers per day (UTD). Despite
their high passenger volume and importance to Mexico City’s
overall transportation infrastructure, however, the CETRAMs’
mostly consist of obsolete and dangerous infrastructure plagued
by pollution, crime and inefficiency (UTD).
As a result of these poor conditions, Mexico City’s government
has been attempting to improve the CETRAM’s through public-
private partnerships and redevelopment. Most recently, Urban
Travel Design redeveloped CETRAM Ciudad Azteca into a
shopping mall and hospital, simultaneously improving the
connection between the metro and bus infrastructure, as well
as the safety and efficiency of the bus terminal. The city and
investors are also looking at the redevelopment potential of
CETRAMs El Rosario, Chapultepec, and Tasqueña.
Tasqueña
CETRAM Tasqueña, located in Mexico City’s Coyoacán borough
at the southern end of metro line 2, is the third largest CETRAM
in terms of ridership with 500,000 passengers per day using its
metro, light rail and bus connections. CETRAM Tasqueña is also
the terminal bus station for regional bus service from southern
Mexico entering the city.
Like most CETRAMs, Tasqueña suffers from two broad problems
that limit its efficient and effective operation. First, the CETRAM
is characterized by spatial and political fragmentation that
creates inter-modal conflict and results in poorly related and
maintained land use programs. Tasqueña contains a variety of
businesses, and public/private institutions, ranging from the
metro station to a major discount retailer to a music guild and
performance theater. These stakeholders are poorly related,
however. Spatially, they are separated by physical barriers such
as fences and wide-open parking lots. Politically, there is little
cooperation between their owners and managers, which has led
to unkempt, unsafe and inefficient shared space.
Second, Tasqueña’s current form does not capture the station’s
full social and economic value. Tasqueña is built at a very low
density compared to its surrounding neighborhood, and has
relatively few internal circulation routes. This configuration
results in incoherent internal networks illegible to visitors, and
increases conflicts between transit modes. The low-density
also fails to maximize the full economic potential of Tasqueña’s
strategic location or capture its importance as a hub and
gateway with enormous daily passenger volume.
CETRAM Tasqueña
8
Coyoacán
CETRAM Tasqueña is located in Mexico City’s
Coyoacán borough in an upper-middle class
neighborhood called Campestre Churubusco.
The surrounding neighborhood mostly consists
of single-family row homes with pockets of
five to eight story multi-family buildings. Retail
and commercial activity is concentrated along
a series of major avenues that pass through
the borough. Coyoácan also has many cultural
amenities, including UNAM, Mexico’s largest
university.
Mexico City
CETRAM Tasqueña is a major hub within
Mexico City, where the metro, light rail, trolley
buses, microbuses and regional coach buses
all meet. As the southern terminus for metro
line 2, it is also a primary gateway into the heart
of Mexico City for passengers coming from the
city’s south and southern Mexico.
Context
Conexión conTren Ligero
Serviciode Transportes ElÈctricosdel D.F.
Dirección Xochimilco
Tasqueña Bus / Light Rail Service Area
TasqueñaCoyoacán CenterUNAM
Major Arterial Avenue
Coyoacán is a low-rise, high-density borough with local retail and services concentrated on major
arterial avenues.
Regional-bus Destinations
400 km radius
Pacific Ocean
Gulf of Mexico
Metro
Light Rail
Mexico City
CETRAM Tasqueña
9
CETRAM Tasqueña
1. Metro and Light Rail Station
2. South Microbus Terminal
3. North Microbus Terminal
4. Southern Regional Bus Station
5. Soriana: Discount Retailer and Grocer
6. Gran Forum: Music Performance Center
7. Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals
8. Metro Maintenance Sheds
9. Inter-American University for Development
10. Latter Day Saints Church
11. Regional Bus Maintenance
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9 10
1 3 52
11
300m
CETRAM Tasqueña
10
Barriers
Cetram Tasqueña is currently isolated from
its surroundings by a series of barriers that
limit access to the metro station. An elevated
highway runs along the site’s estern edge, and
the metro and rail tracks run through the middle
of the site and along its eastern edge, severely
limiting pedestrian and vehicular access. The
few entry points to Tasqueña are concentrated
along its southern and northeastern edges, but
even here access is constrained by two traffic
clogged arterial streets with poor pedestrian
infrastructure.
Within Tasqueña itself, access is further
constrained by interior fences and walls that
prevent crossing from one area to another and
make internal pathways difficult to read and
follow.
A ten foot wall protecting the train tracks runs through the middle of Tasqueña and along its western edge.
Avenue Tasqueña creates a significant pedestrian barrier between Campestre Churubusco and Tasqueña due to its high traffic flow and lack of pedestrian amenities beyond a single pedestrian bridge.
Current Conditions
Fences and parking lots create interior barriers, like this one between Soriana and the Metro Station.
Elevated Highway
Av. Tasqueña
Av. Canal de Miramontes
Rail Tracks
Interior Barriers
Access Points
Access Point
CETRAM Tasqueña
11
Current Conditions
Fragmented Land Use
Currently, the only destinations in Tasqueña
are the Soriana, its related businesses, and
the Gran Forum. These are good potential
anchors, but they are poorly related to the
transit station. Fences, barriers and parking
lots limit access between them and prevent
pedestrians from easily passing from one to
the other. They also literally turn their back on
the station with front entrances facing the far
western edge of the site. Informal vendors, on
the other hand locate along main pedestrian
paths to attract customers.
The route from the metro station to the Gran Forum has no pedestrian infrastructure and leads to the back entrance.
Fences block most of the access between Soriana and the metro station except for a single gate.
The Soriana shows its back to the metro and bus terminals.
Barrier Fence
Informal Street Vendors
Soriana Entrance
Existing anchors, pedestrian flows and barrier fence.
Gran Forum Entrance
CETRAM Tasqueña
12
23.6 12.54 4.5 2.1 1.8
Football Field
Hardscape
Building
Rail Track
Vegetation
Informal Vendors
142,500m2
75,900m2
27,000m2
12,600m2
5,600m2
54%
23.6%
12.5%
5%
2%
Low Density Form
CETRAM Tasqueña has a distinctly
different form compared to its surrounding
neighborhoods. Open hardscape makes up
54% of the ground cover, mostly due to surface
parking, and buildings have no more than two
stories. The abrupt change in form at Tasqueña
breaks the city’s rhythm, and creates foreign
landscape at the heart of Coyoacán.
Current Conditions
Building Footprints
Looking northeast at Tasqueña. Retail currently takes the form of a suburban strip mall.
Hardscape and surface parking predominate.
CETRAM Tasqueña
13
Current Conditions
An Invisible Terminal
CETRAM Tasqueña is a major gateway into
the heart of Mexico City that sees 500,000
passengers per day (UTD). Despite its
importance as a gateway and transit hub,
however, it has an incoherent and meek form,
particularly compared to major transit hubs in
the United States, Europe and Asia.
Inefficient and Uncomfortable Infrastructure
Cetram Tasqueña’s microbuses idle for up to an
hour waiting for passengers, informal vendors
crowd narrow passageways and unsanitary
conditions predominate, creating congestion,
pollution and an uncomfortable and unsafe
environment for passengers. There is also
significant conflict between different modes as
taxis, microbuses and regional buses fight for
the same territory.
Tasqueña Station’s current entrances are small and narrow, and give no indication of the station’s importance.
A typical road in CETRAM Tasqueña cluttered with informal vendors. Poorly defined routes for pedestrians and buses creates significant conflict.
A regional-bus squeezes by taxis and informal vendors to reach the regional bus station.
Loading areas are exposed and cluttered by informal vendors, while inconsistent arrival and departure times leave passengers waiting.
Entering Tasqueña from the southern pedestrian bridge through a cluster of informal vendors.
Continuing into Tasqueña the station is still invisible.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
14
1. North Bus Terminal 2. South Bus Terminal 3. Metro and Light Rail Station
4. Housing5. Office Block6. Hotel
7. Taxco Plaza8. Cinemex9. Regional Bus Station
1
23
4
5
6
7 8
9
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
15
Gran Terminal TasqueñaTo address CETRAM Tasqueña’s spatial and political
fragmentation and maximize the site’s full economic and social
value, Gran Terminal Tasqueña will be a mixed-use, transit
oriented development that includes:
• A new Tasqueña station built to a scale consistent with its
passenger volume and importance as a gateway
• A new public plaza that compliments the station’s
importance and creates a new center for social life in
Coyoacán
• Multi-family housing that meets the demand for quality
residences in close proximity to public transit
• Office space for firms who require convenient access to
Mexico City’s other major employment centers
• Retail and entertainment aimed at transit users and
Coyoacán residents
Three goals will guide the creation of Gran Terminal Tasqueña:
reconnecting Tasqueña to its surrounding neighborhoods,
building a grand terminal, and creating a destination.
v
Reconnect Tasqueña
Tasqueña is currently disconnected from its surrounding
neighborhoods by a series of physical barriers and by its low-
density, suburban form, which creates an illegible and inefficient
pedestrian and vehicular network that breaks the rhythm of
the surrounding city. In order to remedy these problems, Gran
Terminal Tasqueña will extend Campestre Churubusco’s grid
onto the site. This will remove barriers and increase access
points while improving Tasqueña’s legibility to visitors. It will
also provide an new urban fabric that will facilitate higher
density development. Gran Terminal Tasqueña will also redesign
immovable physical barriers such as the arterial avenues in order
to increase pedestrian accessibility and ease traffic congestion.
Build a Grand Terminal
Tasqueña’s present built form does not reflect its importance
as transit hub and gateway to Mexico City, and the relationship
between its various terminals creates conflict between multiple
transit modes. Gran Terminal Tasqueña, however, will have a
grand public terminal combining metro, light rail and microbuses
into a cohesive whole built to accommodate 500,000 daily
passengers. It will also alter transit routes around the new,
urban grid in order to minimize conflict between buses, taxis
and pedestrians, and introduce a new public plaza, the size of
an entire city block to ease pedestrian access, frame the new
station and create a focal point for the new development.
Create a Destination
Given the value that access to public transit and large flows
of people typically generates for landowners, Tasqueña could
support much higher density development as well as a wider
variety of land uses. Gran Terminal Tasqueña will introduce
much higher density to the site in order to maximize its value. It
will also introduce new office, retail, entertainment and housing
options in an effort to create a 24 hour destination for working,
living and playing. These new uses will center around a new
public plaza fronting the new Tasqueña station.
Project Implementation
Urban Travel Design could potentially implement Gran Terminal
Tasqueña in four phases beginning with a core around Tasqueña
station and Taxco Plaza, the new public plaza. The first stage
will integrate the microbus terminals with the metro and light rail
station, introduce new retail options inside the station and clear
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
16
the way for redevelopment on the rest of the site. The second
phase will establish a retail and office cluster around Taxco
Plaza and Tasqueña Station that will serve as the core of Gran
Terminal Tasqueña. Once established, the core is potentially
self-sustaining without further development, and could act as a
regional retail, entertainment and office destination. From phase
two, phases three and four can flexibly react to changing market
conditions and develop housing or additional retail and office
space as appropriate. We recommend developing housing in
these phases, however, in order to enhance the retail and office
uses as well as to provide quality living opportunities in close
proximity to public transit.
In addition to Gran Terminal Tasqueña’s physical implementation,
Tasqueña’s various stakeholders require a new organizational
structure to maintain and manage their common infrastructure.
Large open plazas and streets near transportation infrastructure
require careful management in Mexico City, otherwise informal
vendors and crime will occupy vacant spaces, and traffic
congestion will dominate the streets. To avoid this at Gran
Terminal Tasqueña, we recommend that Urban Travel Design
continue its management structure for CETRAM Ciudad Azteca
at Tasqueña in order to effectively maintain the station and
prevent traffic congestion.
Additionally, we recommend developing a Business
Improvement District (BID) around Taxco Plaza to maintain the
plaza and surrounding streets and provide a safe environment for
travelers and visitors. A BID is a public-private partnership that
brings stakeholders together under a non-profit management
structure, and provides them with revenue via a levy on area
businesses or landowners. The BID uses this revenue to finance
maintenance, programming and marketing efforts that benefit all
BID stakeholders.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
17
Challenges Objectives
Significant physical barriers between Tasqueña and surrounding neighborhoods. Incoherent and low-intensity built form limits accessibility to transit and fails to maximize the site’s value.
• Extend city grid into Tasqueña to remove barriers, create new access points and increase internal legibility
• Redesign Ave. Tasqueña and Canal de Miramontes to lessen barrier between Tasqueña and neighborhoods
Connections between transit modes are inefficient and uncomfortable. The station design and environment do not reflect the station’s passenger volume.
• Redesign Tasqueña station and public space to emphasize its importance as a gateway and transit hub
• Redesign transit station and circulation to limit conflict and increase transit efficiency
• Reorganize station management to increase transit efficiency and maintain station
Low-intensity and fragmented land use fails to take advantage of the value generated by proximity to public transit. Fragmented political and ownership structures result in inefficiency and poor maintenance of public spaces.
• Create a regional shopping, entertainment and work destination
• Redevelop underutilized land to take advantage of proximity to public transit
• Create opportunity for people to live in close proximity to public transit
• Organize stakeholders to effectively manage and maintain public space
1
2
3
Goals
Reconnect Tasqueña
Build a Grand Terminal
Create a Destination
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
19
Cetram Tasqueña is poorly connected to its
surrounding neighborhood, which inhibits
easy and efficient access to its stations,
and restricts its full development potential.
Significant physical barriers limit vehicular
and pedestrian access to site, and the lack
of a coherent internal street network makes
it difficult to navigate. As a result of this poor
basic framework, CETRAM Tasqueña suffers
from fragmented and low density land use that
fails to capture the full value that proximity
to a major transit hub should produce for
landowners and the community as a whole.
In order to address these deficiencies, Gran
Terminal Tasqueña will extend Campestre
Churubusco’s urban grid onto the site, which
will create new access points, and create a
more coherent internal street network easily
legible to visitors. Extending the grid will also
provide a backbone well suited to high density
urban development.
Reconnect TasqueñaChallenges
• Significant barriers between Tasqueña and its surroundings
• Internal barriers fragment land uses and create illegible internal network
• Low density built form in a location capable of supporting much higher density
Proposed Improvements
• Extend city grid into Tasqueña to remove barriers, create new access points and increase internal legibility
• Redesign Ave. Tasqueña and Canal de Miramontes to lessen barrier between Tasqueña and neighborhoods
In addition, Gran Terminal Tasqueña will remove
many of the internal barriers that currently limit
access between transit modes and different
programs as well as between Tasqueña and
its surrounding neighborhood. This is partly
accomplished by extending the city grid,
which will provide greater visual and physical
accessibility to the station and between
different programs. It will also be accomplished
by redesigning the arterial avenues surrounding
the site, which are currently congested and lack
basic pedestrian infrastructure,
Reconnect Tasqueña
20
Urban Grid
Extending Campestre Churubusco’s grid into
Tasqueña removes barriers and increases
the number of access points onto the site for
pedestrians and vehicles. It also provides a
legible and easy to navigate internal network
for visitors and residents, and a backbone for
developing higher, urban densities.
Grid extension removes barriers, increases access.
Grid allows an urban form consistent with surrounding neighborhoods.
Photo from Google Street View
Gran Terminal Tasqueña picks up on the surrounding block pattern and provides a legible form.
Scale: 1 cm = 2 m
Scale: 1 cm = 2 m
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
21
Pedestrian Streets
Strengthening Tasqueña’s connection to its
surrounding neighborhoods means creating a
pedestrian scaled street network that supports
urban density. This includes the major arterial
roads that surround the site, particularly
Avenues Tasqueña and Canal de Miramontes.
Enhancing the pedestrian infrastructure on
these streets will make the grid extension more
meaningful, turning a major barrier into a seam.
Narrower Lanes Reduce Traffic Speed
Widened Median
Avenue Tasqueña proposedResidential Street proposed
Handicap Accessible Curb
Av. Tasqueña current condition (above): cluttered, narrow medians with no pedestrian amenities.
Sidewalk w/ Bioswale
On-Street Parking
A
B
Section AB7m 10m10m10m 3m3m
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
23
Tasqueña receives 500,000 passengers each
day, making it the third busiest CETRAM
in Mexico City. Most of these passengers
come from the city’s southern boroughs or
southern Mexico, and, for them, Tasqueña’s
metro connection makes it a gateway to the
entire city. Therefore, the station is not only an
important hub, but also a major entry point into
the largest and most important city in Mexico.
CETRAM Tasqueña’s physical form gives no
indication of its importance, however. Instead,
it welcomes people with a cramped, chaotic
environment characterized by inter-modal
conflict, poor visual access and unsanitary
conditions.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña, however, will create a
grand public terminal by clearly integrating the
microbus terminals with the metro and light rail
station. This new station will have large open
spaces and vaulted ceilings in order to provide
an environment consistent with Tasqueña’s high
passenger volume. The new station will also
Build a Grand TerminalChallenges
• Station form does not communicate its importance as a major transit hub and gateway to Mexico City
• Inter-modal conflict and congested entry and exit routes
• Uncomfortable and unsafe user experience
Proposed Improvements
• Redesign Tasqueña station and public space to emphasize its importance as a gateway and transit hub
• Redesign transit station and circulation to limit conflict and increase transit efficiency
• Reorganize station management to increase transit efficiency and maintain station
contain new retail options that take advantage
of its high passenger volume and provide
services to transit users.
This retail will provide the necessary funding
to improve transit infrastructure management,
particularly for microbuses on a model similar
to Urban Travel Design’s structure at CETRAM
Ciudad Azteca. Improved management along
with the greater spatial control provided by
integrating the terminals will greatly improve
passenger comfort and transit efficiency at
Tasqueña.
Finally, a grand public space, Taxco Plaza, the
size of a full city block, will frame Tasqueña
Station and emphasize its importance. It will
also create clear visual access to the station
and channel pedestrian flows, while a providing
retail, entertainment and work options to transit
users and visitors.
SPO_001 SPO_002
Build a Grand Terminal
24
Grand Terminal
In order to create a grand terminal fitting
Tasqueña’s importance and passenger volume,
we propose moving the south microbus
terminal, and creating a public plaza the size
of a full city block in front of Tasqueña Station.
The station itself would also be modified
through a new facade and concourse meant
to act as a true gateway to Mexico City. The
combination of Taxco Plaza, flanked by shops,
cafés and offices, and Tasqueña Station
creates a grand terminal and opens the station
to its surroundings, creating a new landmark for
Coyoacán.
1. Taxco Plaza2. Tasqueña Station Concourse3. South Microbus Terminal4. North Microbus Terminal
1
2
4
3
Gran Terminal Tasqueña Floor Plan. The plaza continues into the station through its new, open facade and consistent paving into the station’s first level.
50m
BA
Taxco Plaza
Section AB
Build a Grand Terminal
26
Janu
ary
Outdoor Concerts Cafés on the Plaza
Interactive
Fountain Film FestivalNew Years
Celebration
“Plaza Mayor” by Peter Curbishley Flickr Creative Commons “Movie on the Tundra” by kcolwell Flickr Creative Commons“Zócalo Square” by Photolibrium Flickr Creative Commons “Atlanta Fountain” by Russbengtson Flickr Creative Commons
Feb
ruar
y
Mar
ch
Ap
ril
May
June
Taxco Plaza Programming
Public spaces require consistent programming,
particularly near CETRAMs, to avoid informal
vending, crime or neglect. For that reason,
Taxco plaza is designed to accommodate a
wide variety of uses.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
27
Tianguis
Christmas Market
Volley Ball
Tournament
Día de los Muertos CelebrationsIndependence Day
CelebrationPublic Art Exhibition
“Dia de los Muertos Parade” by Jennifer Janviere Flickr “Downtown Holiday Market” by afagen Flickr Creative Commons“Mexican Independence Day” by Jan’s Cat Flickr Creative Commons“Art Museums Struggle” by MexicoReporter Flickr
July
Aug
ust
Sep
tem
ber
Oct
ober
Nov
emb
er
Dec
emb
er
50m
Build a Grand Terminal
28
Tasqueña Station
The new Tasqueña Station features an open
floor plan and large interior spaces that reflect
its importance as a major transit hub and
gateway into Mexico City. It also brings the
metro, light rail and bus terminals into one
clearly defined space by extending the station
walls around the bus terminals and integrating
retail and services along the paths between
modes.
First Level
Second Level
South Microbus Terminal
North Microbus Terminal
Existing Stairs
Clinic
Retail
Retail
Retail
Soriana
TOP_069
Looking at the South Microbus Terminal from the metro tracks toward Tasqueña Station.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
29
50m
Elvated Walkway over Metro Tracks
Long Span Tensile StructureElevators/Escalators
to Microbuses
Create a Destination
30
Gran Terminal Tasqueña Second Level Circulation
Building on Existing Station
The proposed metro station plugs into the
existing transit infrastructure maintaining use
of existing stairs and first level columns. The
long span structure reduces columns on the
second level and opens up views to the metro
platforms, improving visual and physical access
to the metros.
Existing Second Level Circulation
Build a Grand Terminal
32
Circulation
In order to improve traffic circulation and
reduce conflict between different modes, Gran
Terminal Tasqueña separates car and regional
bus circulation from microbus routes and
establishes complete streets with pedestrian
and bike infrastructure. This is made possible
by extending the surrounding city grid onto
Tasqueña, which increases the number of
access points and available circulation routes. Metro and Light Rail
Bus
CarsBicyclesPedestrian
Existing Circulation Gran Terminal Tasqueña Circulation
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
33
(“Zurich Train Station” by Colin Eles Flickr Creative Commons “Zurich Train Station” by Drogonroy, Flickr Creative Commons)
Zurich Hauptbahnhof
CETRAM Ciudad Azteca
Ciudad Azteca is a CETRAM located in Estado de México at the end of metro line B. In 2008,
Urban Travel Design received a 30 year lease on the CETRAM and entirely rebuilt the station.
Specifically, they enclosed the micro-bus terminal and added a retail mall and hospital above. They
also updated the management structure and technology in order to provide greater security and
passenger comfort. By taking greater control over the space, they were able to eliminate informal
vending from the bus waiting areas and more strictly enforce bus schedules, thus reducing waiting
times for passengers as well as congestions from idling buses.
Learning from Ciudad Azteca’s success, Gran Terminal Tasqueña will also establish greater
control over the micro-bus terminals in order to remove informal vending and provide clean
and comfortable waiting areas for passengers. The station will accomplish this by bringing the
bus terminals within its walls and creating clearly defined waiting areas for each bus based
on its destination. Gran Terminal Tasqueña will accompany this design change with improved
management and security technology that will greatly reduce crime and improve station
maintenance. As at Ciudad Azteca, adding new retail options targeted at passengers will provide
the financing necessary to implement these changes.
Like most large European train stations, Zurich Hauptbahnhof is a grand public space with a
prominent facade facing a large public plaza, and an open interior plan that emphasizes its
importance as well as the importance of Zurich as a whole. The station is also a social center
that includes over 100 shops, 38 restaurants and basic services such as banking, post boxes
and tourism information all integrated into the station itself (SBB, ShopVille). These retailers and
service providers thrive with 300,000 passengers using Zurich HB each day, and make the station
a destination in its own right (SBB, Joint Project).
Gran Terminal Tasqueña will follow the lead of stations like Zurich HB and take on a grander
form that reflects Tasqueña’s importance as a major transit hub with 500,000 daily passengers.
Specifically, the metro station entrance will have a new facade and vaulted concourse that fronts
a new public plaza, Taxco Plaza, that will enhance the station’s stature. Additional retail will also
be incorporated into the station in order to take advantage of its passenger volume and provide
services to busy commuters.
Case Studies
Advanced surveillance technology and active management at Ciudad Azteca help keep informal vendors and crime at bay, while efficient management of the microbuses decreases waiting times and congestion.
Photos by Katie Baldwin, Megacentralities
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
35
Currently, CETRAM Tasqueña is a place people
pass through on their way to other destinations
within Mexico City or Southern Mexico.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña, however, will be a
destination in its own right with opportunities to
live, work and play within easy walking distance
of the station itself.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña accomplishes this by
introducing new retail, entertainment, office
and housing programs to Tasqueña at a much
higher density than is currently present. This
higher density captures the value created
by proximity to public transit and large daily
passenger volumes, and creates a true
destination that has the potential to be an
active, lively place 24 hours a day 365 days a
year.
New dining, shopping and entertainment
options aimed at Coyoacán’s middle class
residents as well as transit users will center
around Taxco Plaza and Tasqueña station. New
office space aimed at back-office operations
Create a Destinationfor larger Mexican and international firms as
well as boutique firms, such as law offices, will
also focus on the plaza allowing them to take
advantage of Tasqueña’s connectivity to other
major employment centers in the city.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña will also feature multi-
family housing aimed at families, young adults
and students who desire close proximity to
public transit in order to reach school, work,
shopping and entertainment.
The combination of these uses along a new,
legible, urban street grid will create value
that is greater than the sum of its parts as
office workers eat lunch in Taxco Plaza during
the day, business travelers stay in the hotel,
residents catch dinner and a movie after work,
or visitors from surrounding neighborhoods go
shopping and enjoy a concert in the plaza.
Challenges
• Tasqueña is not a destination in and of itself
• Low intensity and fragmented land uses fail to take advantage of the value generated by proximity to public transit
• Fragmented political and ownership structures creates land assembly and maintenance problems
Proposed Improvements
• Create a regional shopping, entertainment and work destination
• Create opportunity for people to live in close proximity to public transit
• Redevelop underutilized land to take advantage of proximity to public transit
• Organize stakeholders to effectively manage and maintain public space
Create a Destination
36
Taxco PlazaRetail 13,750m2
Office 19,000m2
Open Space 13,000m2
Hotel200 Rooms
Tasqueña StationRetail 3,500m2
Concourse 4,000m2
Clinic 1,500m2
North Micro Bus TerminalConcourse 7,600m2
HousingTotal Units 450
1 bdr 2002 bdr 1003 bdr 70
Live/work 80
Office TowersOffice 19,000m2
South Micro Bus TerminalConcourse 6,000m2
Office TowersOffice 1,500m2
Total Build Out 107,800sm2
Retail 14,000sm2
Office 54,000sm2
Hotel 4,300sm2
Residential 35,500sm2
Retail
Office
Residential
Transit
Hotel
Cinemex8 Screens
MONDAYlunes
TUESDAYmartes
WEDNESDAYmiercoles
THURSDAYjueves
FRIDAYviernes
SATURDAYsabado
SUNDAYdomingo
VISITORS
NEIGHBORS
TRANSFE
ROFF
ICE
RESIDENT
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
37
A 24 / 7 Destination
Gran Terminal Tasqueña’s programming will
create a 24 hour destination active everyday of
the week. Each program will draw and benefit
different users at different times of day and
different days of the week. For example, a
resident would be able to live at Tasqueña, use
the transportation infrastructure to commute to
work, and then meet friends for a drink and a
movie on Taxco Plaza.
Trasportation
Station Retail
Hotel
Office + Plaza Retail
Housing
Create a Destination
38
Taxco Plaza
Taxco Plaza will be Gran Terminal Tasqueña’s
center for retail, entertainment and office.
It will include shopping and dining options
aimed at middle class Coyoacán and Mexico
City residents as well as a movie theatre and
performance space on the plaza itself. Office
space will attract back office operations for
large firms as well as smaller boutique firms.
The retail is well positioned to take advantage
of pedestrian flows to and from Tasqueña
Station and will activate the plaza while Turning
Tasqueña into a shopping and entertainment
destination. Office space will also benefit
from proximity to Tasqueña’s hotel, retail and
entertainment programs, because they will give
clients, business travelers and office workers
an attractive environment for lunch and after-
work activities.
Potential Retail Tenants
Stores
• Sanborns
• Fabricas de Francia
• Zara
• H+M
• Gandhi Bookstore
• Independent Boutiques
Restaurants
• VIPS
• Sanborns Café
• El Globo
• Independent Cafés
Entertainment
• Cinemex
• Bars
• Discothèques
major brands
back o�ceo�ce service
boutique o�ce
independent cafe
independent boutique basic retail
grab n go
high end restaurant
cinema
soriana
Potential Office Tenants
Back Office Operations
• Coyoacán Pharmaceutical Companies
• Firms Headquatered on la Reforma and other
major employment centers
Boutique Office
• Gran Forum practice facilities and offices
• Law Firms
• Architectural Firms
• Small Consulting Firms
major brands
basic retailindependent boutiques
high-end restaurantindependent café
grab n go
boutique office back officeoffice service
visitors
office workers
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
39
Hotel
Gran Terminal Tasqueña will include a ten story,
200 room hotel that will punctuate Taxco Plaza
and act as a local landmark. The hotel is meant
to complement the offices on site and in the
surrounding area by providing easy access to
public transportation and entertainment for
business travelers. It also has conference and
auditorium space available.
Auditorium
Swimming Pool
Outdoor Café
Sky Bar
50m
Create a Destination
40
Housing
Gran Terminal Tasqueña will introduce housing
in close proximity to public transit, shopping
and entertainment as well as basic services.
This will meet demand for housing that
provides an urban setting and does not require
a car for daily activities, and should prove
particularly attractive for young adults, students
and families.
50m
Underground Parking
Shared Courtyard
Landscape Buffer
Gran Terminal Tasqueña Housing
Total Units 450
• 1 bdr 150
• 2 bdr 150
• 3 bdr 70
• Live/work 80
Average Unit Size 100m2
A
B
Section A-B
Underground Parking
Shared Courtyard Roof-top Terrace
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
41
Scale: 1 cm = 2 m
First Floor
Middle Floors
Bridge Floors
One Bedroom UnitSingle Story
Live Work UnitsTwo Story
Two Bedroom UnitSingle Story
Double Height Glazing
Green Roof Terrace
Balcony
Create a Destination
42
Landscape Strategy
Landscape is an integral part of Gran Terminal
Tasqueña that utilizes native species to give
each area a unique identity that helps visitors
navigate the neighborhood. Trees in the
housing area serve as buffers, the oak on the
southern edge sheltering the housing from
busy Avenida Tasqueña while the alders shield
the buildings from harsh western sun all year
long. The shrubs line the pedestrian pathways,
creating a sense of continuity as one traverses
the site laterally. The swales planted with high
grasses on the eastern side of the housing
serve as areas for on-site water management.
Lastly, the courtyard gardens within the housing
blocks contain fruit-bearing trees, providing a
fragrant experience to the residents allowing
them to utilize and consume the fruit that is
produced.
Trees
Mexican Alder
Oak
ShrubsYucca
Buttercup Bush
Fruit Trees
Avacado
Black Cherry
Mexican Hawthorn
Grass
Species(Mexican)
Species(U.S.)
Height
Coverage
Flowering Period
Uses on Site
Photograph
Aile
Mexican Alder
6-20 m
> 7 m
November and May
Shading on west side of
housing
Encino
Oak
7-25 m
6-10 m
April to June
Lining surrounding
avenues; creating buffer
from roads
Liquidamber
American Sweetgum
15 m
6-8 m
March to June
Lining east side of
Taxco Plaza
Yuca
Yucca
n/a
n/a
April to June
Lining pedestrian pathways
Lining pedestrian pathways
Retama de Tierra
Caliente
Buttercup Bush
1-4.5 m
1.5-4 m
April to August
Aguacate
Avocado
15 m
8-10 m
May to July
Couryard gardens in
housing
Couryard gardens in
housing
Capulin
Black Cherry
5-15 m
6-9 m
March to May
Couryard gardens in
housing
Tejocote
Mexican Hawthorn
4-10 m
4-6 m
March to September
Swales on east side of
housing
Hierba de Pluma
Mexican Feather Grass
0.7 m
n/a
n/a
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
43
Source: Rodríguez Sanchez, Luis M. and Eréndira J. Cohen Fernández. Gu´â de Árboles y Arbustos de la Zona Metropolitana de la Diudad de México. Flexíon, 2003.
Create a Destination
44
Parking
Even though Gran Terminal Tasqueña is a
transit oriented development parking will
remain important in order to have viable retail,
office and housing programs. Underground
parking structures will be developed throughout
the site and provide 1,300 hundred spaces for
office workers, residents and visitors. If parking
demand exceeds expectations, the initial
structure can easily scale up by increasing the
number of underground levels, or by adding
more underground parking in the residential
area.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña Parking
Total 1,300
• On-street 150 spaces
• Underground Structured 1,150
Current Parking
Total 1,085
• Surface Parking 1,085
Parking for retail, office and Regional Bus Station
Parking for retail, office and hotel
Parking for retail, office and
residential
Residential Parking
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
45
Business Improvement District (BID)
Many of CETRAM Tasqueña’s problems will
not disappear through design changes alone,
because they are symptoms of its fragmented
political and ownership structure, which
prevents cooperation between stakeholders. A
Business Improvement District (BID) centered
around Taxco Plaza, however, could provide
these stakeholders with a means of working
together as well as a stable funding source to
finance maintenance and security throughout
Gran Terminal Tasqueña.
BIDs are non-profit, public-private partnerships
used to fund improvements and maintenance
within a defined area, usually adjacent to
a large public space, or in a city’s central
business district. They receive revenue by
charging a levy on businesses or property
owners located within the BID boundary,
and use these funds to finance maintenance,
programming and marketing.
A board of directors oversees the BID,
and contains members elected by local
business and property owners, as well as
local government officials and community
representatives. This structure allows multiple
stakeholders to come together and manage
commonly shared space with a stable revenue
source. Day-to-day BID management is
typically handled by full-time staff hired by the
board of directors.
Financing Methods
Levy Property or Business Owners
Public / Private Grants
Management Structure
Board of Directors
• Property or Business Owners
• Local Government Officials
• Community Representative
Full-Time Staff
• Chief Executive Officer
• Security/Maintenance
• Event Planning
• Marketing
Activities
Maintenance
• Security
• Litter removal
• Capital Improvements
Programming
• Concerts
• Markets
• Sporting Events
• Art Fairs
Public Relations
• Advertise Special Events
• Create District Brand
• Market District to Visitors
BID Structure and Activities
Business Improvement Districts providing financing for security and maintenance staff as well as public art installations and streetscape improvements. A BID could be used in Gran Terminal Tasqueña to manage public spaces that are currently unsafe, dirty and poorly used. (Photos from www.goldentriangledc.com)
Potential BID area for Gran Terminal Tasqueña.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
47
Gran Terminal Tasqueña will require careful
implementation to achieve its three goals:
Reconnecting Tasqueña, Building a Grand
Terminal and Creating a Destination.
Reconnecting Tasqueña means extending
Campestre Churubusco’s grid onto the
site thereby creating greater access from
surrounding areas, and laying a foundation for
creating urban density. It also means removing
the physical barriers within Tasqueña itself,
and redesigning the major arterial avenues
that surround the site in an effort to improve
pedestrian accessibility and relieve congestion.
Building a Grand Terminal requires redesigning
Tasqueña Station to more cohesively integrate
bus service with the metro and light rail, and
to reflect Tasqueña’s importance as a hub and
gateway to Mexico City. It also involves building
a new public plaza in front of the station to
enhance its image and provide visual and
physical accessibility.
Project ImplementationCreating a Destination means introducing new
and denser programming to Tasqueña that will
take advantage of proximity to public transit
and high passenger volumes. By bringing office
and housing to Tasqueña and substantially
increasing the amount of retail, Gran Terminal
Tasqueña will become an active, 24 hour
destination.
Urban Travel Design could potentially
implement Gran Terminal Tasqueña in four
phases beginning with a core around Tasqueña
station and Taxco Plaza. The first stage will
integrate the microbus terminals with the
metro and light rail station, introduce new retail
options inside the station and clear the way
for redevelopment on the rest of the site. The
second phase will establish a retail and office
cluster around Taxco Plaza and Tasqueña
Station that will serve as the core of Gran
Terminal Tasqueña. Once established, the core
is potentially self-sustaining without further
development, and could act as a regional retail,
entertainment and office destination. From
phase two, phases three and four can flexibly
react to changing market conditions and
develop housing, or additional retail and office
space as appropriate.
Beyond physical implementation, Gran Terminal
Tasqueña will require negotiation with multiple
landowners to assemble the necessary parcels.
These landowners should ultimately benefit
from the new terminal, however, and could be
brought into the project as partners who are
able to retain their existing businesses and
infrastructure.
After Gran Terminal Tasqueña is implemented,
it will also be important to maintain its new
open spaces and pathways, so that Tasqueña’s
current problems do not reappear. A business
improvement district (BID) will allow the various
stakeholders to cooperate in post-project
management with a stable revenue source for
maintenance, programming and marketing in
Gran Terminal Tasqueña.
Project Implementation
48
Phase One
New Tasqueña station built, integrating microbus terminals into metro and light rail station. South
microbus terminal moved to western portion of station. Soriana relocated into new station.
Phase Two
Urban grid extended into Tasqueña. Taxco Plaza built with surrounding retail, office and structured
parking. Gran Forum relocated to plaza area. Av. Tasqueña and Canal de Miramontes redesigned.
Phase Three
Grid extension continues. Additional office and structured parking constructed. First round of
Multi-family housing completed.
Phase Four
Final grid extension and multifamily housing completed.
New Tasqueña Station
Soriana Moved
South Microbus Terminal Moved
Taxco Plaza
Arterial Avenues
Office Block
Multi-Family Housing
Multi-family Housing
Gran Terminal Tasqueña
49
Land Assembly
Urban Travel Design could potentially
implement Gran Terminal Tasqueña in four
phases, but the land assembly process will
require significant negotiation and coordination
with current landowners and stakeholders.
For that reason, Gran Terminal Tasqueña
is designed to offer benefits to the exisitng
landowners to encourage their cooperation
Transit Authorities
Their are four primary transit authorities
controlling land at Tasqueña: Sistema de
Transporte Colectivo (STC) controls the metro
station. Servicio de Transportes Eléctricos
(STE) controls the light rail platforms. Secretaria
de Transportes y Vialidad (STV) controls the
microbus terminals, and Central Camionera del
Sur controls the regional bus station.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña will most greatly affect
STC, STE and STV and each benefit from a new
station with increased retail space that can help
subsidize better transportation management
and security. Central Camionera del Sur will
continue to operate from their current station,
which is presently under renovation, but the
project requires purchasing their western
parking lot. We propose compensating them
for this lot by allowing access to the new
underground parking structure that will be
located on the same site.
Current Business Owners
While the physical form of businesses currently
on the site will change, Gran Terminal Tasqueña
can retain them as tenants. For example, the
businesses owned by Group Gigante could be
relocated into Tasqueña Station or along Taxco
Plaza. Group Gigante could also become a
direct investor in the project as a partial owner
of the retail and office buildings as well as
multifamily-housing.
Gran Terminal Tasqueña will not directly affect
Eli Lilly’s pharmaceutical facility, but does
require purchasing one of their parking lots.
Again, they could be compensated for the lost
parking by providing them with access to our
underground parking structures.
Cultural Organizations
Gran Terminal Tasqueña will require moving the
Gran Forum, and we propose compensating
them with a new facility built into our office
and retail space along Taxco Plaza. They
could also be heavily incorporated into the
plaza’s programming through frequent outdoor
concerts.
Transit Operators
• STC
• STE
• STV
• Central Camionera
Business Owners
• Group Gigante
• Eli Lilly Pharmaceuticals
Cultural Organizations
• Gran Forum
Benefit
Improved Station; Retail revenue funds better
station management infrastructure; Access to
structured parking
Benefit
Businesses retained but in new form; project
investors; Access to structured parking
Benefit
New office and practice facility; outdoor
concert space on Taxco Plaza
STVGroup Gigante
Gran Forum Central Camionera
STC
Create a Destination
50
Sources
Urban Travel Design (UTD). “Megacentralities Presentation” January 2011. Powerpoint available at
www.megacentralities.com
Rodríguez Sanchez, Luis M. and Eréndira J. Cohen Fernández. Gu´â de Árboles y Arbustos de la
Zona Metropolitana de la Diudad de México. Flexíon, 2003.
SBB. Joint Project between Canton of Zurich and SBB. Available at http://mct.sbb.ch/mct/en/infra-
dienstleistungen/infra-bau/infra-grossprojekte/infra-durchmesserlinie_zuerich.htm.
SBB. ShopVille-RailCity Zürich. Available at http://www.railcity.ch/en/index_zuerich.htm.