Exploring Regenerative Capacities in Urban Morphologies of the Planned Industrial Cities of New England İpek Kaynar Rohloff, PhD irohloff@mtholyoke.edu

Landscape Architecture and Regional Planning, UMass-Amherst

ZUBE Lecture, Oct.3rd, 2013

Focus: Industrial urban form and economic redevelopment

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Take away: How to create capacity for diversity in market sectors and land uses within a utilitarian infrastructure and morphology; how to promote vibrancy.

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Overview

1- Problem statement and investigation Urban change and economic redevelopment plans

3- Comparison case studies Holyoke, Lowell and Maynard

4- Holyoke analysis Current urban form and proposed changes in renewal plans

5- Discussion Capacity creation within morphology

2- Theory and methodology Urban form and human (land/space) use patterns

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Problem Statement Economic redevelopment plans in a declined urban setting

Market diversification and regeneration through new sectors in mill town settings irohloff@mtholyoke.edu 5

Investigation Is economic redevelopment supported within the urban form?

Holyoke, est. 1829

Lowell, est. 1822

Maynard, est.1871

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Museumification

Adaptive reuse of the mills

Cases Revitalization and redevelopment in planned industrial cities

Implementing new buildings and uses

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The planned industrial cities of New England Urban form characteristics

The orderly layout of the five original mills and the rows of the first boardinghouses

Lowell, est. 1822

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Plan of Lowell. c. 1830

Lewiston, Maine. c. 1851

The planned industrial cities of New England Urban form characteristics: the grid

Plan of Lawrence, 1845 Plan of Holyoke, 1938 irohloff@mtholyoke.edu 9

Methodology Reading urban morphology and land-use

Block size

Parcel size

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Methodology Reading urban morphology and land-use Urban Grid

irohloff@mtholyoke.edu Connectivity in the grid (Schumaher, 1978)

Smaller blocks for frequent encounters (Jacobs, 1961)

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Methodology Reading urban morphology and land-use

“Metric reach” (Hillier, 1996; Peponis et al, 2008)

Urban Grid

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Methodology Reading urban morphology and land-use

Street network

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Modeling human movement

Methodology Reading urban morphology and potential land-use

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Holyoke Urban form characteristics

Downtown (The Center City), Holyoke irohloff@mtholyoke.edu 15

Analysis Holyoke downtown urban morphology

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Analysis Holyoke urban morphology: street network in current form

Spatial Accessibility

low (0.00)

high (1.00)

medium (0.50)

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Analysis Holyoke downtown urban morphology: blocks and rehabilitation areas

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irohloff@mtholyoke.edu 20 Map of opportunities & challenges (City of Holyoke)

Analysis Holyoke economic redevelopment and renewal plans

Analysis Holyoke economic redevelopment and renewal plans

The Center City vision plan (City of Holyoke) Key development nodes (City of Holyoke)

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Analysis Holyoke downtown urban morphology: street network within proposed arteries

Spatial Accessibility

low (0.00)

high (1.00)

medium (0.50)

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FINDINGS Does the morphology support proposed redevelopment?

The existing street network is too homogenous to attract people’s movement to those areas.

Proposed pedestrian arteries do not make the canal zone the most attractive destination point. They intensify the destination capacities for the High and Main Streets between Dwight and Cabot Streets.

The industrial infrastructure elements (i.e. canals and railroad) create divisions hindering the connectivity of neighborhoods

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The divisive role of the infrastructure elements as well as the block size properties, economic redevelopment and urban renewal plans will render two different urban characterizations at two sides of the central canals.

WHAT DO THESE FINDINGS MEAN? Holyoke characterized within two districts: Residential and Regional

The districts between the riverfront and the canals will be regionally connected and will enable a more dramatic transformation of the blocks and implementation of uses serving to the region….

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The districts in the northeast seem appropriate for more mixed use development with residential character, supported by smaller blocks, street density and improved walkability and social encounters.

WHAT DO THESE FINDINGS MEAN? Holyoke characterized within two districts: Residential and Regional

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CONCLUSIONS Capacities and Challenges

Dense urban grids create the capacity for walkability while retaining the existing destinations. This is suitable for residential and mixed use development.

Industrial infrastructure elements are still divisive. This separates activities and uses between the two sides of the canals.

Large mill buildings open to rehabilitation provide great potential for more dramatic transformation in the districts less connected to the proposed mixed use residential developments.

Not clear if demographics changing towards young technical staff of small start-ups will create a communal environment or a diversity of markets/uses.

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Planned industrial cities like Holyoke present rigidity in adapting diversification of market and emergent uses, due to: • Divisive infrastructural elements • Large blocks at the core • Conservative changes in urban blocks.

Capacities and Challenges for Planned Industrial Cities

Design strategies promoting connectivity and diversity

• Opening up buildings to streets, • Dramatic changes in large and divisive

building blocks, • Connecting and re-purposing green open

spaces

Erica Rayack

Shannon Pace

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Lowell , 1822-2013

Capacities and Challenges for Planned Industrial Cities Lowell was revitalized through historic preservation (of mills) and regeneration through tourism and service economies.

Lowell was planned with a farsighted systems thinking and community building strategies

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Capacities and Challenges for Planned Industrial Cities

Maynard, 1846-1982: Regional impact: employment and technology corridor development

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• How human movement and land use patterns are impacted by changes in block characteristics.

• How open space properties affect people’s perceptions of urban information.

More new methods of investigation are needed to detect and visualize:

Student work: Ella Holmes

Urban Network Analysis, MIT

Future work What new/improved methodologies would better predict the impact of urban change?

This would allow us to better understand connections between community development and economic activity.

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Questions? İpek Kaynar Rohloff, PhD

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