urban design ji ramon revitilization strategy

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Desiño Urbaño UDEM (prof. Eugenio Fernandez) J. I. Ramon Revitalization Strategy Noah Orr, Claudia VanVelthooven, Eugénie Cuvilly & Ricardo Ochoa Betancourt This document includes the analysis, conclusions and revitalization strategy of Calle J. I. Ramon, Centro, Monterrey, MX. Diseño Urbaño 15

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Page 1: Urban design JI Ramon Revitilization strategy

D e s i ñ o   U r b a ñ o   U D E M   ( p r o f .   E u g e n i o   F e r n a n d e z )  

J.  I.  Ramon  Revitalization  Strategy  Noah  Orr,  Claudia  VanVelthooven,  Eugénie  Cuvilly  &  Ricardo  Ochoa  Betancourt  This  document  includes  the  analysis,  conclusions  and  revitalization  strategy  of  Calle  J.  I.  Ramon,  Centro,  Monterrey,  MX.    

Diseño  Urbaño  15  

08 Fall  

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J. I. Ramon Revitalization Strategy 2015 2

Abstract   J.I. Ramon is a street in the center of Monterrey city that is in desperate need of revitalization. This document follows the site analysis, conclusions, and strategies that should be implemented in the revitalization of this street. All site research has been considered in the creation of multiple urban design interventions that aim to improve the overall user comfort and efficiency of J.I. Ramon as a people friendly street.

Table  of  Contents  

Abstract ........................................................................................................... 2  Part 1: Analysis .............................................................................................. 5  

Introduction ............................................................................................................ 5  Location .................................................................................................................. 5  Figure Ground Study ............................................................................................. 5  Landmarks .............................................................................................................. 5  Building Heights ..................................................................................................... 6  Road Speeds .......................................................................................................... 7  Infrastructure .......................................................................................................... 7  Parking .................................................................................................................... 8  Bus Lines ................................................................................................................ 9  Vehicle Rate and Lane Analysis ........................................................................... 9  Pedestrian Rate Analysis .................................................................................... 10  Climatic Data ........................................................................................................ 10  

Relative Humidity ............................................................................................... 10  Wind ................................................................................................................... 11  Precipitation ....................................................................................................... 11  Solar Analysis .................................................................................................... 11  

Building Façades ................................................................................................. 11  Industry ................................................................................................................. 12  

Northern ............................................................................................................. 12  Southern ............................................................................................................. 12  

Part 2: SWOT Analysis ................................................................................. 15  Introduction .......................................................................................................... 15  Strengths .............................................................................................................. 15  Weaknesses .......................................................................................................... 15  Opportunities ........................................................................................................ 16  Threats .................................................................................................................. 16  

Part 3: Solutions and Interventions ............................................................ 19  Introduction .......................................................................................................... 19  Intervention 1: Vegetation ................................................................................... 19  

Problem: ............................................................................................................. 19  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 19  

Intervention 2: Trash ............................................................................................ 20  Problem: ............................................................................................................. 20  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 21  

Intervention 3: Lighting ....................................................................................... 21  Problem: ............................................................................................................. 21  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 22  

Intervention 4: Bus Organization ........................................................................ 22  

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Problem: ............................................................................................................. 22  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 23  

Intervention 5: Paving .......................................................................................... 24  Problem: ............................................................................................................. 24  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 25  

Intervention 6: Lane Confusion .......................................................................... 27  Problem: ............................................................................................................. 27  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 27  

Intervention 7: Power Cables (Visual Pollution) ............................................... 29  Problem: ............................................................................................................. 29  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 29  

Intervention 8: Street Furniture .......................................................................... 30  Problem: ............................................................................................................. 30  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 30  

Intervention 9: Pedestrian Crossings ................................................................ 31  Problem: ............................................................................................................. 31  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 31  

Intervention 10: Automotive Intersections ........................................................ 32  Problem: ............................................................................................................. 32  Solution: ............................................................................................................. 32  Roundabout Solution: ......................................................................................... 33  

Conclusion: ................................................................................................... 34  

   

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Part  1:  Analysis  

Introduction  To understand the fundamental problems that cause J. I. Ramon to be in it’s current state of disrepair, a thorough urban analysis of the users, built environment and natural environment was conducted. This analysis took place and noted trends over different hours of the day, different days of the week and different weather conditions.

Location  Calle J. I. Ramon is located in central Monterrey, MX. A city with a primary industry of concrete and other industrial services. J. I. Ramon runs west between the Macro plaza (a previously revitalized area that features the palacio de gobierno) to ‘El Obelisco’ monument, next to the major arterial road ‘Cuauhtémoc’. The street runs perpendicular with Prol José María Morelos, three blocks south, another recently revitalized Pedestrian Street. The geographic coordinates of the street are 25.671359, -100.315132.

Figure 1 Location

Figure  Ground  Study  A Figure ground study provided insight into the density of the surrounding buildings vs. the street and open space. It also provides a basic reference to the scale of the urban environment.

Landmarks  The wider context of J. I. Ramon features many notable landmarks. These include:

• El Obelisco • Hospital

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• Univesidad Metropolitain de Monterrey • Iglesia El Robel • Parks • Macro plaza • Palacio de Gobierno • Pedestrian Over bridge • Museo de Historia Mexicana • Santa Lucia River walk • Pedestrianized Calle Morelos

Figure 2 Landmarks

Building  Heights  The building heights along the street have no uniformity or reasoning. They span from 1-story to over four stories randomly. The northern side has slightly taller trends but still features 1-story buildings.

Figure 3 Building Heights

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Road  Speeds  The main artery of J. I. Ramon has an average road speed of 30-60km/h. Bonito Juarez has an average road speed of 60km/hr.+ whilst all other adjacent roads have lower speeds due to their widths and pedestrian density.

Figure 4 Road Speeds

Infrastructure  Currently the infrastructure along J. I. Ramon is severely disorganized. Street infrastructure includes:

• Lamp Posts • Power Posts • Phone Boxes • Parking meters • Drains • Seats • Trash Cans • Street Barriers • Handicap Access • Traffic Lights • Post Boxes

All amenities do not follow any coherent style and are not designated specifically into zones within the streetscape.

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Figure 5 Existing Infrastructures

Parking  Storeowners and Illegitimate parking wardens who syphon the money from the meters dictate current street parking conditions. Most street parking has been reserved through the placement of blocks and obstacles in the designated parking areas. There are 199 street parks available, distributed evenly between the northern and southern sides. There are also many large parking lots behind the street facades, these remain relatively empty.

 Figure 6 Parking

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Bus  Lines  There are 15 individual bus routes that pass through J. I. Ramon at some point on the street. Majority of the buses enter and exit from the macro plaza and Cuauhtémoc ends with the next largest number entering from Bonito Juarez. All buses are standardized with two doors on the right hand side. They are also all private with no government ownership to the companies.

Figure 7 Bus Lines

Vehicle  Rate  and  Lane  Analysis  J. I. Ramon has an average rate of 600-700 cars/hr. Bonito Juarez has >1,000 cars/hr. All other adjacent streets have less than 200 cars/hr. Both J. I. Ramon and Bonito Juarez have six lanes, 3 in each direction. All other adjacent streets are one way with two lanes, although typically one lane is illegitimately used as parking.

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Figure 8 Car Flow Rates

Pedestrian  Rate  Analysis  The western end towards the obelisk experiences a lot greater pedestrian traffic with over 1,000 people/hr. This includes the northwestern adjacent streets, as there is often market stalls operating. Bonito Juarez also experiences constantly high rates of pedestrian flow due to it being a major road and its position on major bus routes. There is low (less than 200 people/hr.) pedestrian flow on the eastern end of the street.

Figure 9 Pedestrian Rates

Climatic  Data  

Relative  Humidity  Central Monterrey experiences an average relative humidity of around 60%. In September, October, November and the beginning of December this typically rises to 70%.

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Wind  The prevailing wind direction in Monterrey is from the ESE. It typically blows at 14km/hr. but in the early summer months (March April May June) it can be expected to rise up to 16-18km/hr.

Precipitation  Central Monterrey typically experiences little rainfall in the first 5 months of the year (40mm) but in the summer months this normally increases dramatically to around 160mm in September.

Solar  Analysis  The longest day in Monterrey (June 21) is 13.36 hours long and experiences a sun altitude of 87.7deg. The shortest day (December 22) is 10.23 hours long and experiences a maximum sun altitude of 40.9deg. Temperatures in the winter months average from 7-13degC but these can get a lot lower on extreme outlying days (0-5degC). The summer months average around 23-35degC but can also experience extreme outliers with temperatures up to 37degC+.

Building  Façades  The street facades of J. I. Ramon have no clear pattern or trend in regards to building heights. There are notably more vegetation/ trees on the eastern predominantly on the northern façade but this gradually dissipates as the street heads west. The footpath dimensions are sporadic and range from 2.47m wide to 8.32m wide. The grain of the building facades is also irregular with no clear trend in shop front widths.

Figure 10 Street Fronts

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Industry  

Northern  The northern side of J. I. Ramon has predominantly retail and financial services; there are a notably high number of eateries and a few higher end boutique retail stores. Most retail is concentrated on the western end of the street.

Figure 11 Northern Industries

Southern  The southern side has predominantly education (Univesidad Metropolitain de Monterrey) and parking facilities. It is worth noting the high number of optometrists located on the eastern end of the street.

Figure 12 Southern Industries

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Part  2:  SWOT  Analysis  

Introduction  To summarize the collected analysis a further SWOT analysis was conducted to clarify the existing strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of J. I. Ramon and the streets surrounding natural and urban fabric.

Strengths  These are the existing social, economic and environmental strengths on or near J.I. Ramon:

• High pedestrian traffic flow • Proximity to local monuments • Variety of retail (big box and stalls) • Public transport destination • Hospital and University destination • High levels of social street interaction • Socially intense • Places to eat and drink available and frequent • Good climate (solar hours) • Strong community vibe

Weaknesses  These are the pre existing points of social, economic, environmental weaknesses on or near J.I Ramon:

• Sidewalks deteriorated • Many pedestrian circulation barriers (Large roads, posts etc.) • Disorganized retail stores • High visual pollution (power lines and advertising) • Funneling effect of footpath • No green space • No ledges/ places to rest • No clear sight lines • Priority of car • Disorganized Parking • Lack of street furniture (especially trash cans) • No uniformity between building heights • Impossible for wheelchair circulation • Disorganized infrastructure • Too many pay phones • No clear transport Hub • No pedestrian crossings • No road markings • Broken parking meters • Inconsistent night lighting

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• Landmarks not utilized as destinations • Unorganized retail • Lack of shelter from climate • Minimal vegetation on street

Opportunities  These urban redesign opportunities are concluded from the strength and weakness analysis:

• Potential to increase user comfort • Opportunity to highlight the many potential destinations • Already and existing major bus route destination, Hub potential • Opportunity to push on street parking into existing empty lots • Existing planting areas provides opportunity to re introduce vegetation • Many informal meeting spots can be revamped for comfort • Increase existing infrastructure quality to reduce visual pollution • Opportunity to redesign footpaths to improve disability consciousness • Implement codes to create shop front coherency • Use obelisk as a location/ attraction • Increase footpath widths and discourage car usage • Introduce water design elements • Create connection to perpendicular market streets

Threats  These are the threats that may hinder these redesign opportunities from being implemented:

• Budget • Public Opinion • Privately owned spaces • Reserved parking space removal • Strain on existing pass through traffic with the removal of lanes • Undergrounding cable cost/ maintenance • Historic places alteration laws • Street store owners may resist façade changes

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Part  3:  Solutions  and  Interventions  

Introduction  From the analysis and concluding SWOT investigation multiple design interventions have been derived that are targeted specifically at reviving the most critical problems with J. I. Ramon. These interventions range from small to large scale with the intentions of maximizing user comfort within the street.

Intervention  1:  Vegetation  

Problem:  Currently there is little/ no vegetation on J. I. Ramon. This has resulted in higher street temperatures, louder traffic volume, and a large reduction in visual attractiveness and user comfort. Few plantation areas already exist, although they are currently being used as trash deposits.

Solution:  Three main plantation strategies will be implemented in the revitalization of J. I. Ramon; Park trees, Sidewalk trees, and Flowerbeds for surrounding areas such as the park, median and benches. Park trees:

Encino Siempre Verde trees will be planted as the primary tree within the park. These trees are evergreen, live for centauries, provide great shade area and withstand temperature up to 45deg C.

Figure 13 Park Tree 'Encino Siempre Verde'

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Sidewalks:

The smaller Mezquite variety of tree will be planted along the sidewalks. These trees provide good shading, grow only up to 9m high, withstand temperatures up to 48deg C, are very resistant to diseases, require watering only twice a week and are heavy pollution absorbers.

Figure 14 Sidewalk Tree 'Mezquite'

Flowerbeds:

A variety of flowers will be planted within the designated flowerbeds. Ideal flower varieties include; Noa, Girasol Mexicano and, Tulipan.

Figure 15 Flower Beds

Intervention  2:  Trash  

Problem:  The street is currently seriously dirty with trash. This is not the fault of the users but due to the lack of adequate infrastructure on the street for

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pedestrians to use. There is a heavy demand for the trashcans due to the large number of takeaway style stores and stalls in the area that leave pedestrians with non-biodegradable waste. Currently areas that were initially intentioned to provide green areas to the street are being utilized as trash deposits. This not only becomes hygienically hazardous and ugly but also costs the government economically due to the extra time and work required to clean the entire street.

Solution:  Provide and encourage. The revitalization looks to raise pedestrian pride and ownership for the street by providing trashcans every 10m on the street. This leaves pedestrians no excuse to litter and encourages stalls to claim ownership for their own trash.

Figure 16 Trashcan Design and Signage

Signage informing users to use these trashcans will also be erected along the street to remind users of the availability, as it is uncommon within Monterrey to have infrastructure to this level of adequacy. The iconic design of the trash cans make them easily identifiable and locatable. They also fit in with the greater design scheme of the street furniture adding coherency and raising the streets overall attractiveness.

Intervention  3:  Lighting  

Problem:  Currently the illumination at night on J. I. Ramon is seriously inadequate, unmaintained and frequently obstructed. This has provided an unsafe and threatening environment for all users and business owners. There is a direct correlation between the lighting on the street and the comfort level/ walking space.

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If the lighting on the street can be brought to a safe and comfortable level at night this will increase not only safety and comfort of pedestrian and road users, but also increase economic potential of business owners by allowing them the opportunity to operate comfortably at night.

Solution:  A new lamppost design has been implemented that serves both the road and the street. These will be spaced evenly along the street to provide a continuous lit path on both sides of the street. The lower pedestrian side lamp means that shop awnings and overhangs cannot obstruct the distribution of light. The design is consistent with the rest of the street furniture on J. I. Ramon, reducing the visual pollution and providing a sense of ‘place’ for the street.

Figure 17 Street Lamp Design

The lamps will be LED, meaning that despite their higher initial cost, they will be less susceptible to blowing and less maintenance will be required. The LED bulbs also consume significantly less energy, meaning there will be less strain on the grid within the street. It also provides the opportunity for solar powered operations in case of grid failure.

Intervention  4:  Bus  Organization  

Problem:  Currently there are no bus stops being used as landmarks for where passengers can orderly load and unload onto the buses. This means that a minimum of two lanes of traffic is being utilized solely for random bus stoppings and lane drifting in search for passengers. This has also lead to a lack of infrastructure for those who require seating whilst waiting for the buses as existing stops have been overtaken by market

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stalls. The lack of an obvious stopping point also makes it difficult for visitors or tourists to identify the correct place to attempt to catch the bus. The new proposal must fulfill the demand for adequate bus shelters and create a centralized, organized and streamlined transport hub on the street.

Solution:  The proposed solution is coordinated directly with the streetscape redesign. It looks to take advantage of the exclusive bus lane and to mimic a metro offload/load style. The bus hub will be located on the block between Jose Garibaldi and Calle Colegio Civil along Calle Ramon. This station features the seating and loading capacity of two standard sized buses at a single time. 24 Seats and standing space are provided for those needing and waiting for their bus.

Figure 18 Bus Hub Layouts

Access to the hub is over an 8m wide pedestrian crossing controlled but traffic lights. These lights are coordinated through sensors with to ensure that the crossing of pedestrians can be done at the same time as the un-loading and loading of passengers. This will streamline the process and will prevent bus traffic build up on the street. Control over these lights will be partially automated using sensors underneath the roads loading zone.

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Figure 19 Bus Hub Layouts

The bus stop areas will also include street furniture and lighting that is consistent in style with the rest of the street.

Figure 20 Bus Stop Design

 

Intervention  5:  Paving  

Problem:  Currently the sidewalk is in urgent need of refurbishment. It is completely inaccessible for those in wheel chairs and requires users to constantly watch their step in order to not trip over and risk injury. There is no coherent material usage, which detracts significantly from the feeling of ‘place’ within the street. The lanes, both bus and car, share the same material properties and space, making it illegible at higher speeds to tell apart. The current road and footpath has incredibly large numbers of potholes due to lack of proper preparation

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before sealing. There is also no vegetation, which raises street temperatures and noise levels.

Solution:  The revitalization of J. I. Ramon provides the opportunity to capitalize on world leading concrete companies location in Monterrey for the good of the people. The new materials of the street will be specified according to the function of the space.

Figure 21 Material Locations

Material  1:  

Footpaths The footpaths will be layed with slate paving tiles in a dark grey colour. The darker colour will make the street appear cleaner as dirt will not be as noticeable, enhancing the overall appearance of the street. The tiles will also increase the quality of the footpath and enrich the experience of the pedestrian.

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Figure 22 Sidewalk Paving Stones

Material  2:  

The bus lane will utilize an asphalt top layer that is cast with a red colour dye. This will aid in the visual arrangement of the street layout and ensure that the designated bus lanes are highlighted for the vehicle drivers and foot passengers.

Figure 23 Bus Lane Asphalt

Material  3:  

The car lanes will be standard road asphalt but of a high quality with zero potholes or other poor conditions. Using the standard road material will create a link with the surrounding streets for the cars and reduce confusion for drivers looking for the correct lane to use. It also means that this material is readily available and minimizes costs.

Figure 24 Car Lane Asphalt

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Material  4:  

The trees along the street will be located along all four footpaths. The species of tree will be Mezquite.

Figure 25 Side Walk Tree

Intervention  6:  Lane  Confusion  

Problem:  Currently the lanes are almost indefinable. There are minimal road markings and those that exist are either ignored by both storeowners and car/bus drivers. It is frequently observable that cars double park and shop owners illegally claim the entire outside lane using objects to reserve spaces. The lanes are also currently excessively wide; this encourages car and bus users to drive at higher speeds, endangering fellow automotive users and pedestrians significantly. The sidewalk also lacks laws in which where infrastructure and stalls can be placed. This has lead to funneling effects on pedestrians, which lowers user comfort and safety significantly. The layout of the lanes and roads currently heavily prioritizes the automotive user over the pedestrian at any conflict of interest zone.

Solution:  In conjunction with the new bus priority layout, the pedestrian reclaims the sidewalk and gains order to the infrastructure. Lane sizes are significantly reduced and plantation medians are introduced, lowering travel speeds of the automotive users.

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Figure 26 Lane Widths and Relationship

The plantation medians will also provide vegetation, which will help to cool the street and reduce the noise of the traffic. Crossing the street will become significantly safer as pedestrians are provided with island sanctuaries if they wish to cross away from the designated pedestrian crossings.

Figure 27 Before and After Layout Comparison

A sidewalk distribution rule will be implemented to end the disorganized infrastructure placement. This distribution also increases the width of the walking thoroughfare area, which will increase the number of pedestrian users on the street. Coherently designed concrete street furniture and vegetation will provide safety barriers between the car lane and the sidewalk.

Figure 28 Sidewalk Distribution

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Intervention  7:  Power  Cables  (Visual  Pollution)  

Problem:  Currently all power and data cables run above pedestrian footpaths and roads. This is not only dangerous but also increases the likelihood of power outages due to weather or vehicle related accidents. The cables currently detract significantly from the street in regards to attractiveness and comfort. They obstruct key sightlines to the obelisk and other surrounding monuments. Due to the disorganization of the cabling, they also require individual separate poles that further disrupt pedestrian flow and priority.

Solution:  The revitalization of the street provides the opportunity to underground all overhead cables. In doing so the following advantages will be utilized:

• Less subject to damage from severe weather conditions (mainly lightning, wind and freezing)

• Reduced range of electromagnetic fields (EMF) emission into the

surrounding area. The electric current in the cable conductor produces a magnetic field, but the closer grouping of underground power cables reduces the resultant external magnetic field and further magnetic shielding may be provided.

• Underground cables need a narrower surrounding strip of about 1–10 meters to install (up to 30 m for 400 kV cables during construction), whereas an overhead line requires a surrounding strip of about 20–200 meters wide to be kept permanently clear for safety, maintenance and repair.

• Underground cables pose no hazard to low flying aircraft or to wildlife. This method of laying underground cables is simple and cheap and is much favored in modern practice. In this method, a trench of about 1·5 meters deep and 45 cm wide is dug. The trench is covered with a layer of fine sand (of about 10 cm thickness) and the cable is laid over this sand bed. The sand prevents the entry of moisture from the ground and thus protects the cable from decay. After the cable has been laid in the trench, it is covered with another layer of sand of about 10 cm thickness.

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Figure 29 Undergrounding Diagraming

The trench is then covered with bricks and other materials in order to protect the cable from mechanical injury. When more than one cable is to be laid in the same trench, a horizontal or vertical interaxial spacing of at least 30 cm is provided in order to reduce the effect of mutual heating and also to ensure that a fault occurring on one cable does not damage the adjacent cable. Cables to be laid in this way must have serving of bituminized paper and hessian tape to provide protection against corrosion and electrolysis.

Intervention  8:  Street  Furniture  

Problem:  Currently the street furniture on J. I. Ramon has no consistency. This is the main visual attributer to the lack of sense of ‘place’ on the street. There are minimal/ no trashcans on the majority of the street, which is one of the main reason for the trash problem given the high number of stalls with take-away containers. There is also a lack of ledges/ seats for users of the street to rest whilst eating and resting. This lowers the user comfort on the street significantly.

Solution:  A new coherent range of concrete and timber cladded furniture will be introduced. These include:

1. Planter boxes (with low edges to lean on for resting) 2. Trash cans (non movable)

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3. Seating (with wooden cladding for style and comfort) 4. Lampposts (see Intervention 4) 5. Bus stops (see Intervention 5)

Figure 30 Street Furniture Design

All furniture will require machinery to move which will deter shops from attempting to move them for extra space. They will be sufficiently and evenly spaced along both sides of the street and also act as a barrier for the traffic driving onto the pavement, in turn, this also provide a safer environment for the pedestrians to walk (night and day).

Intervention  9:  Pedestrian  Crossings  

Problem:  Currently pedestrians of J. I. Ramon are heavily endangered whilst attempting to cross the street. This is due to a serious lack of designated crossing points and high car travel speeds.

Solution:  Zebra crossings will be introduced at the points of road intersections. This location means that the traffic flow will have minimal disruptions as the pedestrians will cross on their green light, when the traffic flow in that direction is on a red light. With consistent crossings at the intersections, the cars and pedestrians will become accustomed to looking out for and using these points to cross. The median footpaths can provide refuge to crossing pedestrians and add landscaping to the street space. Pedestrian safety feature of visible zebra crossings make crossing the road safer.

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Figure 31 Pedestrian Crossing

There will also be an intersection at the bus stops, which are not located at the intersections, but rather halfway down the block.

Intervention  10:  Automotive  Intersections  

Problem:  With the proposed road re-format, the current intersection layouts will no longer work. The existing layouts already pose major risk to pedestrians due to their confusing light signals and confusing lane crossings. These reasons also lead to higher numbers of driver related accidents that can result in store or vehicle damage or even loss of life. These problems currently are countered through the installment of blockades and barriers on the footpath, making it fully inaccessible for those with disabilities or children in prams. Another example of car users being prioritized through design over the pedestrian.

Solution:  All intersections along the entirety of J. I. Ramon will be converted to left turn only. Diverting unwanted car traffic off the street and forcing them to continue onto parallel streets if they wish to U-turn. These turns will be clearly signposted at every intersection. The northwestern streets of Garibaldi and Cologio Civil are currently unofficially pedestrian only. These will officially be closed off to traffic using concrete street furniture at their entrances.

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Figure 32 Intersection Solution: Right Turn Only

The overall strategy will not only make it safer for pedestrians but also encourage the use of the buses that will become the more efficient form of transport to the street and It’s surrounding attractions. The right only turns mean that the bus lanes will run uninterrupted down the entire street, making them run freely and more efficiently.

Roundabout  Solution:   In order to accommodate the ambitious new road and park scheme the current road infrastructure surrounding the Obelisk monument will need to be re-planned. This design proposes for all lanes of traffic to be diverted around the southern edge of the monument, thus freeing up the northern edge for the park.

Figure 33 Obelisk Roundabout Solution

This is achievable through removing the current car parks that surround the monument on both sides and encouraging car users to park in existing off

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street parking lots. Along with trimming off some of the obelisks landscaping on the southern edge, there will be sufficient room for all lanes of the proposed scheme to flow freely along the southern side.

 

 

Conclusion:   J.I. Ramon is a street in the center of Monterrey city that is in desperate need of revitalization. If those investing in this project follow the conclusions and strategies from the extensive site analysis conducted, the revitalization of this street should be successful. All site research has been considered in the creation of multiple urban design interventions that aim to improve the overall user comfort and efficiency of J.I. Ramon as a people friendly street.

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