From intentions to consequences in urban design: comparing TOD design guidelines versus actual implementation in San Diego, California
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Date
2016
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AESOP
Abstract
Urban design and planning initiatives are filled with well-meaning intentions, such as the preservation of historic assets, creation of compact and walkable residential neighborhoods, generation of low-energy and low-impact patterns of development, and types of urban form that promote greater choice in modes of transportation, including access to public transit. However, what matters ultimately are the consequences, more than the intentions, of such efforts. In other words, a key measure of the relative success of such initiatives is whether they have actually had an impact once they are implemented and built. Thus, it is important to understand the on-the-ground impact of well-meaning urban design guidelines as they are translated into built form, as well as the effectiveness of mixed-use transit-oriented developments located within low-density automobile-oriented contexts.
This research project examines the relative effectiveness and subsequent impact of two pioneering and related urban design initiatives. In 1989, the City of San Diego became one of the first American cities to propose citywide transit-oriented development (TOD) design guidelines. Formally adopted by the city as public policy in 1992, the TOD Design Guidelines were intended to pursue an urban form that includes a pedestrian-oriented, mixed-use multimodal transportation environment. In 1992, the Rio Vista West project was conceived as the first new transit-oriented development project in San Diego. Completed in 2006, Rio Vista West contains over 1,000 residential units, 325,000 square feet of retail development, 165,000 of office space, and amenities such as a 2-acre park and a day care center.
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Proceedings of the IV World Planning Schools Congress, July 3-8th, 2016 : Global crisis, planning and challenges to spatial justice in the north and in the south
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