REVIVING URBANISM:
Elevated Freeways, Boulevards, and Urban Renewal
James May
Candidate for Master of Community Planning
Auburn University
School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture
Spring 2012
REVIVING URBANISM
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Table of Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................................ 1
Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 2
History of the Urban Freeway ...................................................................................................................... 5
Pre-history ................................................................................................................................................. 5
It was never meant to go there................................................................................................................. 6
Birth of the Urban Freeway .................................................................................................................. 6
Futurama ............................................................................................................................................... 7
Highway and the City ............................................................................................................................ 9
How did we get here? ............................................................................................................................. 10
Urban Renewal.................................................................................................................................... 10
Urban Transportation ......................................................................................................................... 11
Total Approach .................................................................................................................................... 12
Urban Revival .......................................................................................................................................... 13
Freeway Removal ................................................................................................................................ 13
The Boulevard ..................................................................................................................................... 16
Research Design ......................................................................................................................................... 17
Octavia Boulevard, Hayes Valley, San Francisco, CA ................................................................................ 25
Boulevard Design .................................................................................................................................... 27
Impact Zone ............................................................................................................................................ 29
Rose Kennedy Greenway, North End, Boston, MA ................................................................................... 32
Boulevard Design .................................................................................................................................... 33
Impact Zone ............................................................................................................................................ 37
McKinley Avenue, Haymarket, Milwaukee, WI ........................................................................................ 39
Boulevard Design .................................................................................................................................... 40
Impact Zone ............................................................................................................................................ 44
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Table of Contents (cont.) Impact Analysis........................................................................................................................................... 46
Population Density .................................................................................................................................. 46
Population Diversity ................................................................................................................................ 48
Racial Diversity .................................................................................................................................... 48
Age Diversity ....................................................................................................................................... 51
Employment ............................................................................................................................................ 53
Housing Density ...................................................................................................................................... 55
Structural Age ......................................................................................................................................... 58
Occupancy ............................................................................................................................................... 61
Development Density .............................................................................................................................. 64
Conclusion .................................................................................................................................................. 67
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Table of Figures Figure 1: Octavia Boulevard, San Francisco, CA. Image provided by ESRI ArcGIS. Measurements are
approximate.................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 2: Octavia Boulevard Pedestrian Realm, Southbound, San Francisco, CA. Image provided by
Google Earth. ................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 3: Octavia Boulevard Pedestrian Realm, Local Lane Entrance, San Francisco, CA. Image provided
by Google Earth. ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 4: Octavia Boulevard Pedestrian Realm, Northbound, San Francisco, CA. Image provided by
Google Earth. ................................................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 5: Hayes Valley Impact Zone. Map created using ESRI ArcGIS 10. . Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 6: Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston, MA. Image provided by ESRI ArcGIS. Measurements are
approximate.................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 7: Rose Kennedy Greenway Pedestrian Realm, Boston, MA. Image provided by Google Earth.
....................................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 8: Rose Kennedy Greenway Pedestrian Realm, Boston, MA. Image provided by Google Earth.
....................................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 9: Rose Kennedy Greenway, Boston, MA. Image provided by Google Earth. . Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Figure 10: North End Impact Zone. Map created using ESRI ArcGIS 10. .... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 11: McKinley Avenue, Milwaukee, WI. Image provided by ESRI ArcGIS. Measurements are
approximate.................................................................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 12: McKinley Avenue Pedestrian Realm, Westbound Facing West, Milwaukee, WI. Image
provided by Google Earth. ............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 13: McKinley Avenue Pedestrian Realm, Westbound Facing East, Milwaukee, WI. Image
provided by Google Earth. ............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 14: McKinley Avenue Pedestrian Realm, Eastbound Facing East, Milwaukee, WI. Image provided
by Google Earth. ............................................................................................ Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 15: McKinley Avenue, Milwaukee, WI. Image provided by Google Earth. ..... Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Figure 16: McKinley Avenue Pedestrian Realm, Eastbound Facing West, Milwaukee, WI. Image
provided by Google Earth. ............................................................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 17: Haymarket Impact Zone. Map created using ESRI ArcGIS 10. ... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Figure 18: Population Density per Acre, Hayes Valley, San Francisco, CA. Error! Bookmark not defined.
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Figure 19: Population Density per Acre, North End, Boston, MA. ............... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Fig
