3 alleys

0 / Session SummaryAlley projects are hot topics in many cities and for good reason. They can create open space, manage runoff, link bike and pedestrian routes and build community. But the transformation of neglected and unsafe alleys into urban green networks embraced by the community can be a tough sell. This panel presents the challenges, rewards and lessons learned through engaging diverse communities in three green alley projects.

Alleys are forgotten and neglected spaces, at best. And at worst, they are emblematic of the blight and decay that make these spaces unsafe and therefore unusable for the community. Failed or missing street and alley infrastructure make matters worse. This presentation will discuss ways that neighborhoods in Seattle and Los Angeles are now transforming underutilized alleys into urban green networks that result in multiple benefits.

1 / Learning ObjectiveUnderstand approaches and techniques for engaging communities in green alley projects.

2 / Learning ObjectiveIdentify the qualities and transferability of alley design typologies and components, including those addressing infrastructure inequality in urban landscapes.

3 / Learning ObjectiveGain insights into successful green infrastructure project partnerships and collabora-tions.

4 / Learning ObjectiveLearn about tools and methods for evaluating the design process and performance of green alley projects.

Presenter / Nancy Rottle is an associate professor of landscape architecture at the University of Washington and founding director of the UW’s Green Futures Lab.

www.greenfutures.washington.eduwww.facebook.com/UWGreenFu-turesLabE. gflab@uw.edu

Presenter / Eileen Alduenda is a project manager and researcher for the Council for Watershed Health in Los Angeles.

www.watershedhealth.org www.facebook.com/Councilfor-WatershedHealthP. 213.229.9945 E. eileen@watershedhealth.org

Presenter / Laura Ballock is a project manager for the The Trust for Public Land’s Parks for People program in Los Angeles.

www.tpl.orgwww.facebook.com/tpl.orgP. 323.223.0441 x12E. laura.ballock@tpl.org

Moderator / MaraLee Olson MaraLee Olson is a project manager for ZDA, inc., and an instructor in the Department of Landscape Architecture at the Uni-versity of Wisconsin-Madison.

www.zdainc.comP. 608.831.5098E. maralee@zdainc.com

SUMMARY

AvalonAlley

Network Elmer PaseoNord Alley

+ More

OVERVIEW

1 2 3

Los Angeles Los Angeles Seattle

Why alleys?

Design

Multi-benefits

Lessons Learned

SW Management

Design

Community

Lessons Learned

Activation

Community

Design

Lessons Learned8 Principles

Review

Q+A

The Tale of Three AlleysIntegrating Green Infrastructurein Diverse Neighborhoods

Proj

ect

Typo

logy

/ F

unct

ion

/ N

eigh

borh

ood

Desi

gnG

reen

Infr

astr

uctu

re S

trat

egie

sAl

ley

Activ

atio

n St

rate

gies

Uni

que

Part

ners

hips

and

Co

llabo

ratio

nsLe

sson

s Lea

rned

Aval

on G

reen

Alle

y N

etw

ork

Dem

onst

ratio

n Pr

ojec

t

Los

Ange

les,

CA

Sout

h Pa

rk N

eigh

borh

ood

of S

outh

Lo

s Ang

eles

Seve

rly d

isadv

anta

ged

com

mun

ity

base

d on

MH

I

Hig

h de

nsity

: ~20

,000

ppl

/sq.

mi

Gre

en a

lleys

as s

hare

d sp

aces

for v

ehic

les,

bic

ycle

s and

pe

dest

rians

Min

i 'pa

rk' s

pace

s cre

ated

by

clos

ing

stra

tegi

c po

rtio

ns

of a

lleys

to v

ehic

le tr

affic

Nei

ghbo

rhoo

d id

entit

y an

d sig

nage

thro

ugh

alle

y su

rfac

e tr

eatm

ent,

incl

udin

g m

arke

d fit

ness

loop

th

roug

h n'

hood

Net

wor

k of

alle

ys, l

ink

of d

estin

atio

ns, c

omm

eric

al,

civi

c, h

ome,

lack

of o

pen

spac

e, e

xerc

ise lo

op

The

drai

nage

of t

he A

valo

n G

reen

Alle

y N

etw

ork

is a

loca

lized

sub-

catc

hmen

t are

a of

a la

rger

nei

ghbo

rhoo

d

WAT

ER: I

nfilt

rate

stor

mw

ater

usin

g pe

rmea

ble

pavi

ng a

nd

dryw

ells

(sub

surf

ace

infil

trat

ion

galle

ries)

- 3

to 4

acr

e ft

per

year

; im

prov

e w

ater

qua

lity

ACTI

VE T

RAN

SPO

RT: A

dd im

prov

ed a

ltern

ativ

e pa

thw

ays f

or

bike

s and

ped

estr

ians

that

are

"sh

ared

spac

es" w

ith v

ehic

les

ENER

GY:

Low

-alb

edo

mat

eria

ls an

d ad

ded

vine

s and

tree

s re

duce

urb

an h

eat i

sland

HAB

ITAT

: 150

new

stre

et tr

ees t

o im

prov

e ca

nopy

and

co

nnec

tivity

COM

MU

NIT

Y: A

dd n

ew g

reen

spac

e an

d co

mm

unity

gar

deni

ng

spac

es to

nei

gbho

rhoo

d; c

omm

unity

edu

catio

n on

wat

ersh

ed

and

tree

s

Gre

en A

lley

Gre

en T

eam

Hig

h Sc

hool

s

Elem

enta

ry S

choo

l

Mon

thly

Gre

en T

eam

Mee

ting

and

Nei

ghbo

rhoo

d W

atch

Alle

y Da

ys o

f Ser

vice

Chris

tmas

Pos

ada

and

end-

of-s

choo

l-ye

ar A

rt W

alk

Com

mun

ity T

ree-

Plan

ting,

Tre

e Ca

re

and

Frui

t Tre

e Di

strib

utio

n

CA S

tate

Nat

ural

Res

ourc

es

LA C

ity /

Bure

au o

f San

itatio

n / L

A Pr

op O

Loca

l Ele

cted

s: C

ity C

ounc

ilman

Pric

e an

d Co

unty

Sup

ervi

sor R

idle

y-Th

omas

Los A

ngel

es P

olic

e De

part

men

t

Loca

l Hig

h Sc

hool

and

Ele

men

tary

Sch

ool

NG

Os:

Cou

ncil

for W

ater

shed

Hea

lth,

Tree

Peop

le, L

os A

ngel

es C

onse

rvat

ion

Corp

s,

Coal

ition

for R

espo

nsib

le C

omm

unity

De

velo

pmen

t

SALT

Lan

dsca

pe A

rchi

tect

s / B

reen

En

gine

erin

g, In

c.

Priv

ate

foun

datio

ns a

nd c

orpo

rate

par

tner

s

Fram

e th

e va

lue

of th

e pr

ojec

t on

com

mun

ities

' to

p pr

iorit

ies.

Not

hing

mat

ters

mor

e th

an

neig

hbor

hood

safe

ty.

Wat

er q

ualit

y an

d gr

ound

wat

er re

char

ge d

o no

t co

mpe

te w

ith a

50-

hour

wor

k w

eek.

Cus

tom

-fit

com

mun

ity d

esig

n st

rate

gies

to th

e re

aliti

es o

f the

co

mm

unity

.

It m

ight

take

tim

e be

fore

peo

ple

and

agen

cies

take

yo

u se

rious

ly. D

IY e

ffort

s and

smal

l, co

nsist

ent

succ

esse

s on

the

grou

nd b

uild

mom

entu

m a

nd a

tr

ack

reco

rd.

Part

ner +

Eng

age

the

Com

mun

ity +

Dem

onst

rate

+

Mon

itor +

Rep

eat.

Prep

are

the

com

mun

ity fo

r thi

s tim

elin

e an

d bu

ild in

eve

nts a

nd sm

all s

ucce

ss

alon

g th

e w

ay (s

ee a

bove

).

Elm

er P

aseo

St

orm

wat

er

Impr

ovem

ents

Los

Ange

les,

CA

Elm

er A

ve. N

eigh

borh

ood

of N

orth

Lo

s Ang

eles

Sun

Valle

y W

ater

shed

, a su

b ba

sin o

f th

e Lo

s Ang

eles

Riv

er W

ater

shed

Com

plem

ents

Elm

er A

ve N

'hoo

d Re

trof

it Pr

ojec

t. Pr

ior

to re

trof

it, th

e al

leyw

ay w

as b

light

ed, a

ttra

cted

un

desir

able

act

ivity

, and

floo

ded

in sm

all s

torm

eve

nts

Redu

ces f

lood

ing,

cap

ture

s, c

lean

s, a

nd in

filtr

ates

st

orm

wat

er ru

noff

from

10

acre

s of a

60

acre

loca

lized

su

b-ca

tchm

ent a

rea

Prov

ides

add

ition

al n

eigh

borh

ood

gree

n sp

ace

and

safe

r ped

estr

ian

pass

age

to g

oods

and

serv

ices

Desig

ned

to a

ccom

odat

e fu

ture

am

men

ties i

f des

ired

by re

siden

ts. U

sed

for n

eigh

borh

ood

wat

ch m

eetin

gs

and

activ

ities

; use

d as

out

door

cla

ssro

om fo

r car

e an

d m

aint

enan

ce w

orks

hops

Prov

ides

a la

bora

tory

for m

onito

ring

perf

orm

ance

of

gree

n in

fras

truc

ture

stra

tegi

es, n

ativ

e pl

ants

, and

ha

bita

t for

flor

a an

d fa

una

WAT

ER: C

olle

ct, c

lean

, and

Infil

trat

e 4-

6 ac

re ft

/yr o

f st

orm

wat

er ru

noff

via

perv

ious

con

cret

e pa

thw

ay, i

nfilt

ratio

n tr

ench

, bio

-sw

ale

of n

ativ

e gr

asse

s.

ACTI

VE T

RAN

SPO

RT: S

afer

ped

estr

ian

conn

ectio

n to

scho

ols,

go

ods a

nd se

rvic

es, p

ublic

tran

spor

tatio

n.

ENER

GY:

Tre

es, v

ines

, veg

etat

ion

prov

ide

mic

ro-c

limat

e fo

r ad

jace

nt re

siden

ces a

nd re

duce

urb

an h

eat i

sland

effe

ct. U

se o

f na

tive

plan

ts re

duce

s wat

er u

se a

nd re

lianc

e on

impo

rted

po

tabl

e w

ater

supp

ly a

nd a

ssoc

iate

d en

ergy

use

for t

rans

port

of

impo

rted

wat

er.

HAB

ITAT

: 100

% lo

cal n

ativ

e pl

ants

to a

ttra

ct p

ollin

ator

s and

na

tive/

mig

ratin

g bi

rds.

COM

MU

NIT

Y: A

dded

new

com

mun

ity g

reen

spac

e. In

terp

retiv

e sig

nage

eng

ages

com

mun

ity in

mon

itorin

g pe

rfor

man

ce a

nd

wat

ersh

ed st

ewar

dshi

p.

Nei

ghbo

rhoo

d W

atch

Gro

up M

eetin

gs

Annu

al n

eigh

boho

od c

eleb

ratio

n

Com

mun

ity in

stal

latio

n of

inte

rpre

tive

signa

ge

Stew

ards

hip

prog

ram

with

com

mun

ity,

loca

l sch

ools,

City

staf

f/N

GO

s

Lear

ning

Lab

orat

ory

for o

ngoi

ng W

ater

Au

gmen

tatio

n St

udy

Citiz

en m

onito

ring

proj

ect w

ith lo

cal

mid

dle

scho

ol

Resid

ents

of K

esw

ick

and

Lull

Sts,

Elm

er A

ve.

Stat

e of

Cal

iforn

ia S

trat

egic

Gro

wth

Co

unci

l/Urb

an G

reen

ing

Proj

ect

Stat

e of

Cal

iforn

ia S

anta

Mon

ica

Mou

ntai

ns

Cons

erva

ncy

LA B

urea

u of

San

itatio

nLA

Dep

t of W

ater

& P

ower

LA B

urea

u of

Eng

inee

ring

LA P

rop

O -

Clea

n W

ater

Bon

dCo

unci

l Dist

rict 6

Gra

ffiti

Bust

ers

NG

Os:

Ran

cho

Sant

a An

a Bo

tani

c G

arde

n,

Theo

dore

Pay

ne, T

reeP

eopl

e

Cons

truc

tion

Proj

ect T

eam

: City

, Te

tra

Tech

, In

c., A

mer

ican

Lan

dsca

pe, I

nc.

Achi

evin

g m

ultip

le g

oals

from

mul

tiple

pro

ject

pa

rtne

rs/f

unde

rs re

quire

d a

colla

bora

tive

proj

ect

appr

oach

.

Desig

ning

alle

ys th

at a

re a

djac

ent t

o pr

ivat

e re

siden

ces r

equi

res b

alan

cing

com

petin

g de

sires

fo

r use

s.

Crea

tive

inte

rpre

tive

signa

ge c

an b

e us

ed to

en

gage

stud

ents

and

resid

ents

in c

itize

n st

ewar

dshi

p ac

tiviti

es a

nd p

erfo

rman

ce

mon

itorin

g.

Care

and

mai

nten

ance

act

ivite

s can

be

colla

bora

tive

oppo

rtun

ities

with

pub

lic a

genc

ies,

N

GO

s, th

e co

mm

unity

.

Nor

d Al

ley

(and

mor

e!)

Seat

tle, W

A

Hist

oric

Pio

neer

Squ

are

Nei

ghbo

rhoo

d (N

ord

Alle

y) + H

istor

ic In

tern

atio

nal D

istric

t N

eigh

borh

ood

(Can

ton

Alle

y)

Serv

ice

alle

y tr

ansf

orm

ed to

pro

vide

com

mun

ity sp

ace

and

cohe

sion.

Alle

y ev

ent p

rogr

amm

ing

and

tem

pora

ry in

stal

latio

ns

prec

ede

alle

y re

nova

tion.

Daily

tras

h re

mov

al a

llow

s alle

y to

func

tion

as sa

fe a

nd

activ

e pu

blic

spac

e.

Alle

y ac

tivat

ion

serv

es to

revi

taliz

e hi

stor

ic u

rban

ne

ighb

orho

ods.

Alle

ys p

rovi

de a

bund

ant p

ublic

spac

e in

urb

anize

d n'

hood

, fun

ctio

ning

as c

omm

ons t

hat b

uild

and

ex

pres

s life

, rel

atio

nshi

ps, c

omm

unity

.

Gra

ssro

ots n

eigh

borh

ood

alle

y ac

tivat

ion

is sp

read

ing

to o

ther

alle

ys a

nd i

nflu

enci

ng C

ity p

olic

ies t

o pe

rmit

alle

y ac

tivat

ion.

WAT

ER: C

olle

ct a

nd D

ispla

y ro

of a

nd a

lley

runo

ff (c

an't

infil

trat

e)

ACTI

VE T

RAN

SPO

RT: E

nhan

ced

pede

stria

n an

d bi

cyle

rout

es.

Repa

ving

stra

tegi

es.

ENER

GY:

LED

ligh

ting

plan

ned.

HAB

ITAT

: Pla

nter

box

es, m

oss (

ever

y lit

tle b

it he

lps)

.

COM

MU

NIT

Y: S

pons

or, i

nspi

re a

nd h

ost c

omm

unity

art

s,

cultu

ral,

soci

al, a

nd e

nter

tain

men

t eve

nts.

Alle

y pl

anni

ng a

nd

stew

ards

hip

brin

gs c

omm

unity

toge

ther

.

Gre

en A

lley

Com

petit

ion

Alle

y Pa

rtie

s and

Eve

nts @

Firs

t Th

ursd

ay A

rt W

alk:

Art

Ope

ning

s, F

ood,

M

usic

, Dan

cers

, Aer

ialis

ts, L

ight

ing

Inst

alla

tions

, Poe

try

Carn

ival

, "Al

ley

Cat"

Pe

t Ado

ptio

n, D

ogs o

n Pa

rade

, Hol

iday

Ca

rolin

g, F

ilm S

cree

ning

s, A

lley

Reno

vatio

n Di

spla

ys,

etc.

Wor

ld C

up a

nd T

our d

e Fr

ance

Vie

win

g,

daily

in su

mm

er

Mon

thly

Art

Inst

alla

tions

Ope

ning

faca

des o

n al

ley,

new

bu

sines

ses

Ligh

ting,

wal

ls an

d ov

erhe

ad

"Alle

yPal

ooza

" Ev

ent t

hrou

ghou

t Alle

y N

etw

ork

Inte

rnat

iona

l Sus

tain

abili

ty In

stitu

te

Alle

y N

etw

ork

Proj

ect

UW

Gre

en F

utur

es L

ab

Loca

l Arc

hite

ctur

e an

d La

ndsc

ape

Arch

itect

ure

Firm

s

Allia

nce

for P

ione

er S

quar

e

Feet

Firs

t

Seat

tle P

arks

Fou

ndat

ion

Seat

tle D

epar

tmen

t of T

rans

port

atio

n

Prat

t Fin

e Ar

ts In

stitu

te

The

r'shi

p b/

t pro

gram

min

g an

d ph

ysic

al d

esig

n in

terv

entio

ns a

re "v

irtuo

us c

ycle

," re

cipr

ocal

ly-

actin

g, m

utua

lly re

info

rcin

g.

Alle

y ac

tivat

ion

requ

ires a

loca

l cha

mpi

on w

ho

invi

tes c

olla

bora

tion

and

expa

nded

ow

ners

hip.

Al

ley

activ

atio

n ca

n be

con

tagi

ous!

Tem

pora

l var

iatio

n --

e.g.

des

igna

ting

tim

es fo

r se

rvic

e ac

cess

vs

even

ts, a

nd h

oldi

ng te

mpo

rary

pu

blic

eve

nts -

- can

be

an e

ffect

ive

way

to a

ddre

ss

mul

tiple

-nee

d c

halle

nges

.

Crea

tivel

y ad

dres

sing

tras

h st

orag

e an

d re

mov

al

met

hods

and

oth

er se

rvic

e fu

nctio

ns is

ess

entia

l an

d po

ssib

le.

Mak

e al

leys

inte

rest

ing,

fun,

act

ive,

soci

al, a

rtfu

l;

give

peo

ple

reas

ons t

o pl

ay a

nd st

ay i

n th

em!

Project Details

3 Alleys P/2

The Tale of Three AlleysINTEGRATING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE IN DIVERSE NEIGHBORHOODS

PresentersLaura Ballock, ASLA, The Trust for Public LandEileen Alduenda, ASLA, Council for Watershed HealthNancy Rottle, RLA, ASLA, University of Washington

ModeratorMaraLee Olson, PLA, ASLA, ZDA & University of Wisconsin - Madison

What is an alley?

1 a garden or park walk bordered by trees or bushes

2 a) a grassed enclosure for bowling or skittles; a hardwood lane for bowling; a room or building housing a group of such lanes

b) the space on each side of a tennis doubles court between the sideline and the service sideline

c) an area in a baseball outfield between two outfielders when they are in normal positions

3 a narrow street; especially: a thoroughfare through the middle of a block giving access to the rear of lots or buildings

Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

MaraLee Olson, RLA, ASLA

Are they a place of opportunities?

• Chicago• Los Angeles• Seattle• San Francisco • Detroit• Montreal• Melbourne

8 principles of green alley projects

1 Launch from the bottom up or the top down, but success requires the input of both, at some point.

2 Demonstrate and inspire paradigm shifts. Small projects catalyze big changes; talk leads to action.

3 Provide many multiple benefits: open space, stormwatermanagement, community building, local ownership, economic growth, wildlife habitat…

4 Allow endless creativity for green infrastructure. Stormwatermanagement is just one of many tools to work with.

5 Move a community beyond neighborhood buy-in – people become vested, become stewards.

6 Re-establish public space as a forum – inviting participation, ideas, creativity, sustainability, resiliency.

7 Produce an iterative planning process – there’s no need to completely reinvent the wheel. The great news: anybody can do this!

8 Offer/supply measurable results: property values, stormwatermanagement, popularity, foot traffic, crime rates…

GREEN ALLEY PROJECTS …

1: Launch from either the bottom up or the top down 2: Demonstrate and inspire paradigm shifts

3 Alleys P/3

Select Slides : Overview

3: Provide many multiple benefits

Photo credits: Nancy Rottle

4: Allow endless creativity for green infrastructure

Photo credit: Nancy Rottle

5: Move a community beyond neighborhood buy-in

Photo credit: Nancy Rottle

6: Re-establish public space as a forum

Photo credits: Nancy Rottle

7: Produce an iterative planning process

Photo credit: Nancy Rottle

8: Offer / supply measurable results

3 Alleys P/4

Select Slides : Overview

Avalon Green Alley NetworkSouth Los Angeles

Map: Cal Poly PomonaPhoto: The Trust for Public Land

Laura Ballock, ASLA

The Trust for Public Land – Los Angeles

Map: The Trust for Public Land

Regional conditions

Photos: (1) Los Angeles / Wikimedia Commons; (2) Downtowngal /Wikimedia Commons; (3) The Trust for Public Land

Map Source: ParkScore

Photos: SALT Landscape Architects

POOR DRAINAGE

GRAFFITI

ALLEY LIGHTING

ILLEGAL DUMPING

1 South Los Angeles Master Plan

2 Avalon Green Alley Network Demonstration Project

*

Regional Opportunity

Source: Cal Poly Pomona; ParkScore

Design: Avalon Green Alley Network

Plan: The Trust for Public Land and SALT Landscape Architects

3 Alleys P/5

Select Slides : Avalon

Plan: The Trust for Public Land and SALT Landscape Architects

Avalon Green Alley - South

Plan: The Trust for Public Land and SALT Landscape Architects

Avalon Green Alley - North

Make green infrastructure matter

Photos: The Trust for Public Land

Custom-fit and site-specific community design

Image + photo: SALTLandscape Architects

DIY efforts build momentum and a track record

Photos: The Trust for Public Land

Partner + Engage + Demonstrate + Monitor + Repeat

Mural: Dr. Maya Angelou Community HS

Dr. Maya Angelou Community High SchoolMain Street Elementary SchoolJefferson High SchoolCalifornia State Polytechnic University, Pomona

SALT Landscape ArchitectsBreen Engineering, Inc.Coalition for Responsible Community Development

3 Alleys P/6

Select Slides : Avalon

Eileen Alduenda, ASLA

Elmer Paseo Stormwater Improvements ProjectSun Valley - Los Angeles

Why we do what we do

The region’s hub for watershed research and analysis • Working at the intersection of research and policy • Driving applied research to improve policy and practice • Connecting diverse perspectives to address timely issues

Sun Valley Watershed Elmer Avenue Neighborhood

20 acres drain toElmer Paseo

40 acres drain to Elmer Avenue

Elmer Paseo Goals

Reduce flooding & infiltrate stormwater

Create safer pedestrian passage

Add green space & habitat

Updated Concept Design

3 Alleys P/7

Select Slides : Elmer Paseo

Community engagement Elmer Paseo - October 2012

Elmer Paseo – December 2012

Capture, Clean, Infiltrate

SaferPassage

Community Green Space

Habitat

Collaboration

Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy

Residents of Elmer Avenue, Keswick St. Lull St.

Performance Monitoring

What effect do the BMPs have on

water quality?

What are the

additional benefits of

the project?

How has the project

affected resident’s

relationship to

watershed health?

What are the O&M needs of BMPs?

What effect do the BMPs have on

water supply?

Creative interpretive signage

3 Alleys P/8

Select Slides : Elmer Paseo

Image courtesy Alley Network Project

Growing a Movement: Activating Seattle’s Urban Alleys Nancy D. Rottle, RLA, ASLA

Alleys as Downtown Seattle’s green lungs.

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Gehl Architects’ Seattle DowntownPedestrian Study: Activate Alleys

Pioneer Square Neighborhood

Nord Alley, Pioneer Square. Alley parties!

alleynetworkproject.com

UW Green Futures Lab Intern Project: Alley Guidegreenfutures.washington.edu/publications.php

Organizing: Alley Network Projectalleynetworkproject.com

Programming: Pioneer Square Alleys

All images: alleynetworkproject.com

3 Alleys P/9

Select Slides : Nord

Guide: Alley event handbookalleynetworkproject.com/

Permanent Edge Activation: Back Alley Bikes

Image courtesy Alley Network Project

Design: Alley Corridor ProjectPaving, Stormwater and Lighting Standards

Image courtesy Alley Network Project

Alley activation spreading…Pioneer Passage

Alley activation spreading…Canton Alley Lesson: Make alleys interesting, fun, active, social, artful!

Image courtesy Alley Network Project

3 Alleys P/10

Select Slides : Nord