STEPHEN CROUCHURBAN PLANNING PORTFOLIOUNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI
COLLEGE OF DESIGN, ARCHITECTURE, ART, AND PLANNING
BACHELOR OF URBAN PLANNING
CLASS OF 2018
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14
20
26
30
SITE PLANNING STUDIO
FALL 2014
CLINTON COUNTY PARKS PLAN
FALL 2015
PLEASANT STREET
SUMMER 2015
DESIGN YOUR SCHOOL
SUMMER 2014
NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS DISTRICT
SPRING 2014
CONTENTS
ADDITIONAL PROJECTS
FREE-HAND SKETCHING
GRAPHIC DESIGN
INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
COUNTY COUNCIL
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EDUCATIONBachelor of Urban PlanningCincinnati, OHGPA: 3.66Classes: Study abroad in China Land use Controls Site Planning Studio Hand-drafting Studio Neighborhood Design Studio Urban Economies I and II Methods of Research
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCEPlanning InternWilmington, OHProducing a plan for parks and open space for Clinton County. Developed standards of design and quantity tailored to the needs of the region. Conducted surveys and research to determine park accessibility, and the possibility of creating a regional park district.
Planning InternHillsboro, OHWorked with the City Planning Commission on future land use mapping and created SOPs to streamline the process of updating map records. Performed research and interviews on economic development policies, such as Tax Increment Financing and Community Reinvestment Areas.
Clinton Community FellowWilmington, OHCreated a campus plan for a private school with a focus on experiential education. Organized a charrette for the students and parents to give input on the process through discussion and physical design. Also developed a branding strategy for a community health foundation in Clinton County.
Clinton County Regional Planning
CommissionJune to December
2015
City of HillsboroJanuary to April
2015
Energize Clinton CountyJune to August
2014
ABOUT
University of Cincinnati
College of Design, Architecture, Art, and
PlanningClass of 2018
117 N. East St.
Hillsboro, OH 45133
(937) 527-4470
PROFICIENCIES
PROJECTS AND AWARDSLeadership Clinton Youth Collaborative Graduation CeremonyKeynote speaker
City of Hillsboro Planning CommissionVoting member
2015 School of Planning Scholarship
2013 David H. Peet Memorial Award for Distinguished Freshman Project: Best-Looking Graphics Poster
Clinton County Student CouncilAdvisor & FounderCoordinates high school student leaders in their efforts to be included in the decisions made in their schools and communities. CCSC involves four public schools serving over 2500 students. Projects include organizing conferences, work-shops, service, and advocacy.
CONTACT
March 2016
June 2015to present
June 2015
December 2013
April 2013to present
Software ArcGIS InDesign Illustrator Photoshop AutoCAD SketchUp
Skills Public Speaking Graphic Design Group facilitation Writing Freehand Sketching Customer service
SITE PLANNING STUDIOFALL 2014
In this studio, I worked with a team to design a mixed-use neighborhood in the hills of Mt. Airy Forest, Cincinnati. The semester-long course required us to research the physical complexity of the site, quantify programmingrequirements, and design a cohesive community.
Skills: ArcGIS Spatial Analysis, Site Suitability, Rhino, ArcScene, Illustrator
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Step 1: Context Analysis
The class was initiated by gathering data through site visits, GIS analysis, and historic resources to understand site context.
While we knew that Mt. Airy Forest was a dense forest with sloping hills, comparing the surrounding land use and zoning helped us understand how a community could be integrated into the site. In addition, we performed an evaluation of local building conditions throughout the neighborhoods.
We also took into account the local traffic patterns, and concluded there had to be major intervention to build a site that was well-connected with the surrounding neighborhoods.
Mt. Airy Zoning(0.5mi buffer)
Commercial
Single Family Residential
Multi Family Residential
Mixed Use
Office
Industrial
Institutional
Parks
8
Step 2: Site Analysis
Next, we studied the intrinsic values of the site.
Using ArcGIS Spatial Analysis, we created maps for topography, slope, and solar.
With the topography map, we also identified areas of the site that would be prone to heavy drainage.
By studying the existing utilities and infrastructure throughout the site, we determined that resources were limited within the site.
Lastly, we developed viewsheds of the site by taking pictures from notable vantage points.
Topography
Slope
Solar
SITE PLANNING STUDIO
9
Step 3: Suitability Analysis
After gathering information on the context and characteristics of the site, suitability for a residential housing development was done by creating a series of overlay maps. In order to communicate these complicated maps effectively, layers from ArcMap were taken into Adobe Illustrator to create clear graphical representations.
This site suitability analysis identifies areas of Mt. Airy Forest that are appropriate for the desired development, considering a wide range of factors including viewsheds, microclimate, hydrology, and topography.
The color legend of this map generally shows darkest as most desirable, with lightest areas of the map being least desirable.
Soil suitability(Soil + drainage)
Acceptable drainage
Poor drainage
Accumulation
Microclimate(Solar radiation + tree canopy)
Very exposed
Moderately exposed
Sheltered
Slope + Vegetation
Flat and exposed
Exposed
Steep
SITE PLANNING STUDIO
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Composite Suitability
By ranking the most important site factors and layering them accordingly, adjusting layer opacity shows every overlay map simultaneously. This technique is useful for looking at a wide range of data that shows clustering of site suitability types.
Ranking:1. Topography2. Hydrology3. Views4. Microclimate5. Utilities
HighLow
Suitability Legend
Step 4: Site Selection and Design
Each studio team was assigned a portion of Mt. Airy Forest to design a mixed-use neighborhood with a variety of housing types.
My team was assigned a 256-acres of desirable land in Mt. Airy.
Site location
SITE PLANNING STUDIO
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Process:(Shown in isometric projection)
We began by studying the topography to create the street layout, then conceptualized land uses within the constraints of streets. After land use was defined, it affected the parcel size, which then affected building typology.
Figure ground
Parcels
Land use
Street layout
Topography
SITE PLANNING STUDIO
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0 540 1,080 1,620 2,160270Feet
Basemap of Site
Project Results:
• 80 single family units• 20 apartments• 20 mixed-use units• Pedestrian pathways• Two arterial access points• 5 park
SITE PLANNING STUDIO
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3D Model of Site
SITE PLANNING STUDIO
Close-up of town center (ArcScene, Rhino, Photoshop)
Close-up of single-family residential area
141 PARKS PLAN
CLINTON COUNTYPARKS PLANFALL 2015
During my second co-op, I worked with the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission (CCRPC) to develop the first-ever comprehensive park plan for Clinton County. The plan was focused on enhancing the access and quality of parks and was tailored to the diverse needs of a rural county.
Skills: ArcGIS Network Analyst, Group facilitation, Research, Illustrator
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Community Engagement
To kick off the Parks Plan, we began by engaging the community in the process of planning a splash park.
Using a family-friendly format, we carried out two charrettes with a total of 44 participants.
Children were encouraged to draw their ideal splash park, and got to vote on elements that they liked best.
Voting
Site selection
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10-mile service area from existing parks
Existing County Parks and Population Distribution
10-mile service area from future park system
Parkland10-mile service area
Population Density
HighLow
Service Areas for County Parks
CLINTON COUNTY PARKS PLAN
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Community Survey Results
Only 53% of County residents live within a 10-mile radius of a park.
35% of County residents prefer to walk and/or ride a bike to a park.
46% of Village residents cited “lack of amenities” as the greatest barrier to using their local park.
CLINTON COUNTY PARKS PLAN
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Southwest Ohio TrailsProposed TrailExisting Trail
Committed Trail
WILMINGTON
HILLSBORO
GREENFIELD
BLANCHESTER
CLARKSVILLE
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE
MORROW
NEW VIENNA
MIDLAND
CIRCLEVILLE
CHILLICOTHE
LOVELAND
CLINTON COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION °0 5 10 15 202.5
Miles
Southwest Ohio Regional Trails Plan
Existing Trail
Proposed Trail
Committed Trail
A large portion of the County Parks Plan was integrating the local bike trails with the regional system in Southwest Ohio.
My role in the planning process was to discover feasible routes for connecting Clinton County to the regional trail system.
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Southwest Ohio TrailsProposed TrailExisting Trail
Committed Trail
WILMINGTON
HILLSBORO
GREENFIELD
BLANCHESTER
CLARKSVILLE
WASHINGTON COURT HOUSE
MORROW
NEW VIENNA
MIDLAND
CIRCLEVILLE
CHILLICOTHE
LOVELAND
CLINTON COUNTY REGIONAL PLANNING COMMISSION °0 5 10 15 202.5
Miles
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PLEASANTSTREETSUMMER 2016
This intensive six-week urban design studio focused on turning a narrow street in Over-the-Rhine, Cincinnati, into a pedestrian and bike-friendly street. The street posed as an unactivated physical connection between the two cultural anchors in the neighborhood—Washington Park and Findlay Market.
Skills: InDesign, Hand-drafting, Project management, Urban Design
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Students began the studio by identifying the “feel” of the neighborhood by doing site visits and assembling theme boards using pictures that were descriptive of the site.
Next, we created a series of hand-drawn maps describing existing conditions of the context, such as building colors, transit stops, and sidewalk quality.
Building Color Map Building Aesthetics Map
Part 1: Observations
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1 2
3
4
Transit nodes
Cultural Buildings 1. People’s Liberty 2. Findlay Market 3. Music Hall 4. SCPA
Streetcar stops
Red Bike stations1 2 3 4 5 6
¯0 290 580 870 1,160145Feet
Bus Stops
1:4,000 Stephen Crouch | Brian Farrell | Saeed Piracha | Yawen Huang
OpportunitiesTransit + Cultural Buildings Bus stops
Size of dot is equal to number of bus lines
Legend
Part 2: Opportunities
After existing conditions maps were created, we overlayed certain maps to create opportunities and constraint maps.
Transit Stops + Cultural Buildings
1 2 3 4 5 6
Bus stopsSize of dot is equal to the number of bus lines
Streetcar stops
Bike share
Transit Node
Cultural Building
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Art
Food
Culture
Over-the-Rhine Character Zones
Ideation sketchPart 3: Concepts
The third portion of the studio consisted of developing concepts for our area.
After trying different scenarios, our team concluded that Pleasant Street would serve as a symbolic connector between food and culture, then extend north into an arts district.
Rationale:
Art: This zone is also known as the Brewery District, and has many old warehouses that could function as artist studios.
Food: The “food” zone is characterized by the public market.
Culture: This zone is home to the historic Music Hall and Washington Park, two defining landmarks of the neighborhood.
PLEASANT STREET
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Jake DevostINTJ
Macy BiellerESFJ
Alex OsborneENFP
Nick SeillerINFJ
Jason WernerISTJ
Kyle LynchINFJ
PLEASANT STREET
CONNECTIVITY
HOUSING AND AMENITIES
Danielle CampbellESFP
Jesse UrbansikESFJ
Charlie HoganENFP
Part 4: Master Plan
Our studio joined into one team of 21 people to complete our master plan for Pleasant Street. We had five major sections: Pleasant Street, Connectivity, Housing and Amenities, Public Spaces, and Big Ideas.
My task was to oversee the graphics and presentation of the entire document, as well as coordinate projects between teams.
Sample of Team Breakdown Page in Plan Document
PLEASANT STREET
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Brad BowersINFP
Brian FerrellINFP
Saeed PirachaINFP
Kyle FedermannESTJ
Madison LandonENFP
David WardESFP
Lauren BihlENFJ
Tim HawkESFJ
Haylee MartinkoINTJ
3D MODELING
PUBLIC SPACES
BIG IDEAS
*The four letters beneath each name denote the Myers-Briggs Personality Type of each person
PLEASANT STREET
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DESIGN YOUR SCHOOLTHE EXPERIENTIAL ACADEMYDuring my 10-week fellowship in Clinton County I was fortunate to have helped a new private school plan their campus facilities.
After I planned and conducted a successful charrette with over 80 participants, the final product was a Master Campus Plan reflective of the desires of the students, families, and faculty of the school.
Skills: Public speaking, Public Engagement, Site Design Illustrator, InDesign
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6:00pm Introduction
Welcome - Headmaster
Introduction - Stephen Crouch
Design Process – Landscape Architect
Group Creation – Stephen Crouch
6:30pm Group Work
Brainstorming
Common themes
7:15pm Synthesis
Return to commons area and display finished maps
Idea Sharing – Stephen Crouch
Summary
7:45pm Closing
Next steps – Stephen Crouch
Thank you – Headmaster
8:00pm Dismissal
“Design Your School” Charrette
The charrette involved over 80 participants, including students, parents, and faculty. The event occurred on July 14, 2014 and lasted for two hours.
After the introduction, students and adults were broken up into different design groups tailored for their respective ages.
Charrette Agenda
Charrette Logo Art
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Natural Interactive
Versatile Unique
Results:
Two weeks after the charrette, a short meeting was had with the participants to synthesize the input collected.
By summarizing the results, the group decided on four common themes that would influence the physical design of the campus: Natural, Interactive, Versatile, and Unique.
In my recommendations of the locations and characteristics of playscape, I attempted to incorporate these four themes whenever possible.
Students pinning up their designs
Students creating designs Voting on playscape elements
DESIGN YOUR SCHOOL
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Rec Center
Lytle CreekGreenway
0 175 350 Feet
Davids Dr.
Parking
Koi Pond
SPORTS FIELDS
AGRICULTURECENTER
KiddiePlayground
Sport Court
MAIN PLAYSCAPE
The Experiential Academy Campus
Runway Woods
ROPESCOURSE
Final Campus Design
DESIGN YOUR SCHOOL
NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS DISTRICTSPRING 2014
In this studio we were tasked with understanding the fabric of a neighborhood business district and propose ways to improve it. My group was assigned the up-and-coming Cincinnati neighborhood of Northside.
By the end of our studio, our team produced a physical model of the business district and proposed our recommendations to Northside Neighborhood Council.
Skills: AutoCAD, Rhino, ArcGIS, Illustrator, InDesign
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Figure ground
Solid void
Existing Conditions
Our group began by studying the history of Northside and performing site visits. My favorite aspect of the business district is how it is a curvilinear corridor. This curve gives a good sense of enclosure and a break from monotony.
Our team also used ArcGIS extensively to study figure grounds, solid voids, land use, zoning, and ownership.
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NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS DISTRICT
Physical Model of Business District
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NEIGHBORHOOD BUSINESS DISTRICT
Roundabout Proposal
inscribed circle
5ft.apron
10ft.pedestrian path
10ft.
Before:One of the obvious opportunities in the business district is to solve the congested six-way intersection at the southern entrance. This intersection is particularly difficult for pedestrian to cross, and a danger to bicyclists using the bike lane.
After:
A single-lane roundabout would be a more efficient and safer option for this intersection. We also made the recommendation to convert one street to a bike lane that connects to the Mill Creek Greenway.
Specifics:We investigated the feasibility of a roundabout in this intersection by referencing engineering standards for roundabouts by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
After presenting this proposal to the Northside Community Council, they made a motion to investigate the feasibility of the project with the Cincinnati Transportation Department.
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ADDITIONAL PROJECTSHAND-DRAFTINGGRAPHIC DESIGNINT’L TRAVELCOUNTY COUNCIL
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HAND-DRAFTING
Shadow study
Wilson Memorial Hall sketch
Downtown sketch
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GRAPHIC DESIGN
Downtown map commission for Mainstreet Wilmington
GNG
c h u r c h n o t a s u s u a l
c h u r c h n o t a s u s u a l
church not as usualGNG
Logo concept #1 for church
Logo concept #2 for church
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Promotional poster for Experiential Academy Charrette
T-shirt graphic for Clinton County Regional Planning Commission
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INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL
CHINABeijing, 2014
My first international trip was a two-week long urbanism workshop at universities in Beijing and Jinan.
In an inter-disciplinary team of architects, planners, and engineers, we proposed urban design solutions for a small village in rural China.
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BANGLADESH
HAITI
Dhaka, 2014
My trip to Dhaka was spurred by my interest in informal settlements and rapidly-growing cities.
During my week-long stay in Dhaka, I visited a garment factory, a slum, and parts of rural Bangladesh.
(Left) Freehand sketch of two Bengali taxi drivers who I met on my trip.
LaCroix, 2016
In January of 2016 I took a week-long mission trip to the small village of LaCroix to volunteer with a local ministry.
I worked on the construction team to put a roof on an unfinished medical residence up in the hills.
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COUNTY COUNCIL
My passion for urban planning began through a student council project while I was a senior in high school and student body president.
I was concerned that traditional student councils had no stake in their community and that no tangible change was being created. When my student council began organizing meet-ups with other schools to discuss relevant issues, the Clinton County Regional Planning Commission provided us with support.
Coordinates high school student leaders in their efforts to be included in the decisions made in their schools and communities. CCSC involves four public schools serving over 2500 students. Projects include organizing conferences, workshops, service, and advocacy.
Today, the Clinton County Student Council coordinates high school student leaders in their efforts to be included in the decisions made in their schools and communities. CCSC involves four public schools serving over 2500 students. Projects include organizing conferences, workshops, service, and advocacy.
I am excited to take part in leading this organization because I believe it helps break down the myth that students have no say in the things that happen in their schools and community.
Student Government
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117 N. East St.
Hillsboro, OH 45133
(937) 527-4470
CONTACT
STEPHEN CROUCHURBAN PLANNING
PORTFOLIO
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