02. Urban Design Guidelines Update Template — original pdf

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PROTECT Protection from the elements Protection from motor vehicles Guideline 1 : Protect pedestrians and cyclists from amplified wind Guideline 6: Guideline 2: Protect pedestrians from precipitation Provide driveway and intersection design that clearly indicates and enforces sidewalk and bikeway users have the right of way Guideline 3: Protect sidewalk and bikeway users exposure Guideline 7: Minimize crossing distances and from the sun and heat Guideline 8: Guideline 4: Design to mitigate heat island effect Guideline 5: Minimize the impact of vehicular access on the streetscape Guideline 9: Guildeline 10: Provide self enforcing physical barriers between motor vehicles and sidewalks and bikeways Slow motor vehicles to safe speeds using environmental design Ensure visibility of pedestrians and cyclists, especially at intersections, curb cuts, and areas of modal conflict P1 Guideline 1 : Protect pedestrians and cyclists from amplified wind. Encourage safe, comfortable, convenient, and enjoyable environments for pedestrians and cyclists by mitigating, disrupting, or minimizing amplified wind conditions such as down- draught (“downwash”), funneling (“channeling”), acceleration around corners (“Venturi Ef- fect”), and height/speed differential while still encouraging prevailing cool breezes during warmer months. Conditions • Structures with large flat facades, sharp corners, and simple geometries must include design interventions that demonstrate a detectable mitigation of wind amplification effects. • Wind amplification effects must be mitigated wherever they are likely to impact the sidewalk, bikeways, and other public outdoor amenity spaces, especially publicly accessible open spaces. All sides of the building must be considered. • On-site and off-site impacts of wind amplification must be considered. • Special attention should be paid to historical wind patterns, including prevailing wind direction, speeds, and seasonal variations. Examples • Street trees that buffer against wind speeds. • Ground-level wind breaks such as vegetation, furniture, or shielding structures. • Large vertical canopies at the bottom of flat facades where downdraughts may occur. Downdraught Conditions Funneling Conditions Solutions Solutions Principle 2 Activate and Engage the Public Realm To make Austin more walkable, there must be functional reasons to be on the sidewalk, and sidewalks must be visually interesting and social, with high visual and physical connectivity from the sidewalk to active ground floor uses. In addition to the sidewalk being a functional, comfortable, exciting, social, and safe environment, the experience of the non-motorist user both inside and out of a building should be pri- oritized. The pedestrian, and cyclist experience should receive at least as much con- sideration and investment as the experience of those accessing the site by motor ve- hicle. By creating spaces that encourage interaction, foster community, and promote well-being, people will feel comfortable, inspired, and motivated to engage with their surroundings. Public spaces that are activated and engaged have the potential to become focal points for community life, bringing people together in meaningful ways. Great day for biking! Oh look, a little street plaza, I’m gonna go have a rest. Theres a lot of options on this street, let’s take a while and look around. Lets pop into that cafe, I can see inside and it looks amazing! Good we can get a moment of shade out here. Principle 2 Activate and Engage the Public Realm To make Austin more walkable, there must be functional reasons to be on the sidewalk, and sidewalks must be visually interesting and social, with high visual and physical connectivity from the sidewalk to active ground floor uses. In addition to the sidewalk being a functional, comfortable, exciting, social, and safe environment, the experience of the non-motorist user both inside and out of a building should be pri- oritized. The pedestrian, and cyclist experience should receive at least as much con- sideration and investment as the experience of those accessing the site by motor ve- hicle. By creating spaces that encourage interaction, foster community, and promote well-being, people will feel comfortable, inspired, and motivated to engage with their surroundings. Public spaces that are activated and engaged have the potential to become focal points for community life, bringing people together in meaningful ways. Guideline 1: Provide a Mix of Building Uses that Foster Vibrancy and Activity Conditions • • Provide a mix of active building uses that support pedestrian activity throughout the day and week. Low occupancy uses such as warehouses, storage, and parking will not be counted in the evaluation of mixed use functions. • • Projects should include secondary uses with operating hours that contrast with the op- erating hours of the primary building use. Where a single use building is proposed, the operating hours of the proposed use must contrast from the operating hours of the surrounding established predominant uses. • • The mix of uses must provide for layered activity throughout mornings, the work day, evenings, and weekends. If a project is sin- gle-use it complies with this condition if it complements adjacent building uses. • • Provide wayfinding to internal and upper level publicly accessible uses (roof decks, restaurants, etc..) • • Projects should generally locate the most public uses on the ground floor to activate the street. Examples: • • Restaurant and retail space at the ground floor. • • Vertically layered buildings that present more public uses on the ground floor and private uses at upper levels. • • Accessible vertical circulation with wayfin- ding signage for rooftop bars and restau- rants. Guideline 2: Provide Frequent, Sheltered, and Architecturally Enhanced Street-Facing Entrances Conditions • • Entrances must provide building users with shelter from precipitation and sun. Shelter- ing structures should have a depth no less than 40% of their clear height and a width no less than 60% their clear height. • • Entrances must be located on all build- ing frontages facing a publicly accessible space, street, or right-of-way. Entrances shall be provided as follows: Pedestrian Priority Streets: 50’ max- imum spacing Mixed Mode, Bicycle and Local, & Rapid Transit Streets: 75’ maximum spacing Commuter Streets: 100’ maximum spacing All other streets: 150’ maximum spacing • • Doors separated by less than 25’ accessing the same space do not count as separate entrances for the purpose of complying with this guideline. • • Projects replacing existing publicly accessi- ble uses must not provide fewer street-fac- ing entrances than existed previously. • • To facilitate pedestrian access, building en- trances should be architecturally distinct. Examples • • Recessed entryways, awnings, architectural projections, and changes of material that make entrances distinct from the rest of the building. • • Awnings or detached shade structures that provide shelter from the elements. • • Publicly accessible uses within lobbies or minimized private lobbies.. Guideline 3: Provide High Levels of Transparency on Street-Facing Ground Floor Facades Conditions • • Reflective, tinted, or low-transparency glass should not be used to provide transparency along the sidewalk. • • The following ground floor transparen- cy minimums are prescribed according to street types designated by the Great Streets Master Plan. Ground floor facades that face: Commercial Buildings on “Pedestrian Dominant Streets” and “Pedestrian Promenades” should have transparent materials on a minimum of 70% of the ground floor facade. Commercial Buildings on “Rapid Transit Streets” and “Bicycle & Local Access Streets” should have transparent materials on a minimum of 60% of the ground floor facade. Commercial Buildings on “Mixed Mode Streets”should have transparent materials on a minimum of 50% of the ground floor facade. Commercial Buildings on “Commuter Streets” and “Commuter Boulevards” should have transparent materials on a minimum of 40% of the ground floor facade. Examples: • • Loading docks, service areas, and parking garages located along an alley and provid- ing active space between these uses and the side street. • • Non-transparent walls that are visual- ly interesting with artwork, green walls, or unique material articulation. • • Human-scaled storefront windows at street-facing façades. Guideline 4: Provide an Urban Street Wall with Active Pedestrian Uses Along the Sidewalk Conditions • • Provide a mix of active building uses that support pedestrian activity throughout the day and week. Low occupancy uses such as warehouses, storage, and parking will not be counted in the evaluation of mixed use functions. • • Projects should include secondary uses with operating hours that contrast with the op- erating hours of the primary building use. Where a single use building is proposed, the operating hours of the proposed use must contrast from the operating hours of the surrounding established predominant uses. • • The mix of uses must provide for layered activity throughout mornings, the work day, evenings, and weekends. If a project is sin- gle-use it complies with this condition if it complements adjacent building uses. • • Provide wayfinding to internal and upper level publicly accessible uses (roof decks, restaurants, etc..) • • Projects should generally locate the most public uses on the ground floor to activate the street. Examples: • • Restaurant and retail space at the ground floor. • • Vertically layered buildings that present more public uses on the ground floor and private uses at upper levels. • • Accessible vertical circulation with wayfin- ding signage for rooftop bars and restau- rants. Guideline 1: Provide a Mix of Building Uses that Foster Vibrancy and Activity Examples: • Restaurant and retail space at the ground floor. • Vertically layered buildings that present more public uses on the ground floor and private uses at upper levels. • Accessible vertical circulation with wayfinding signage for rooftop bars and restaurants. Conditions • Provide a mix of active building uses that support pe- destrian activity throughout the day and week. Low occupancy uses such as warehouses, storage, and parking will not be counted in the evaluation of mixed use functions. • Projects should include secondary uses with operating hours that contrast with the operating hours of the pri- mary building use. Where a single use building is pro- posed, the operating hours of the proposed use must contrast from the operating hours of the surrounding established predominant uses. • The mix of uses must provide for layered activity throughout mornings, the work day, evenings, and weekends. If a project is single-use it complies with this condition if it complements adjacent building uses. • Provide wayfinding to internal and upper level publicly accessible uses (roof decks, restaurants, etc..) • Projects should generally locate the most public uses on the ground floor to activate the street. Guideline 2: Provide Frequent, Sheltered, and Architecturally Enhanced Street-Facing Entrances Conditions • Entrances must provide building users with shelter from precipitation and sun. Sheltering structures should have a depth no less than 40% of their clear height and a width no less than 60% their clear height. • Entrances must be located on all building frontages facing a publicly accessible space, street, or right-of- way. Entrances shall be provided as follows: -Pedestrian Priority Streets: 50’ maximum spacing -Mixed Mode, Bicycle and Local, & Rapid Transit Streets: 75’ maximum spacing -Commuter Streets: 100’ maximum spacing -All other streets: 150’ maximum spacing • Doors separated by less than 25’ accessing the same space do not count as separate entrances for the purpose of complying with this guideline. • Projects replacing existing publicly accessible uses must not provide fewer street-facing entrances than existed previously. • To facilitate pedestrian access, building entrances should be architecturally distinct. Examples • Recessed entryways, awnings, architectural projections, and changes of material that make entrances distinct from the rest of the building. • Awnings or detached shade structures that provide shelter from the elements. • Publicly accessible uses within lobbies or minimized private lobbies.. Guideline 3: Provide High Levels of Transparency on Street-Facing Ground Floor Facades Conditions • Reflective, tinted, or low-transparency glass should not be used to provide transparency along the sidewalk. • The following ground floor transparency minimums are prescribed according to street types designated by the Great Streets Master Plan. Ground floor facades that face: Commercial Buildings on “Pedestrian Dominant Streets” and “Pedestrian Promenades” should have transparent materials on a minimum of 70% of the ground floor facade. Commercial Buildings on “Rapid Transit Streets” and “Bicycle & Local Access Streets” should have transparent materials on a minimum of 60% of the ground floor facade. Commercial Buildings on “Mixed Mode Streets”should have transparent materials on a minimum of 50% of the ground floor facade. Commercial Buildings on “Commuter Streets” and “Commuter Boulevards” should have transparent materials on a minimum of 40% of the ground floor facade. Examples: • Loading docks, service areas, and parking garages located along an alley and providing active space between these uses and the side street. • Non-transparent walls that are visually interesting with artwork, green walls, or unique material articulation. • Human-scaled storefront windows at street-facing façades. Guideline 4: Provide an Urban Street Wall with Active Pedestrian Uses Along the Sidewalk Conditions • Entrances must provide building users with shelter from precipitation and sun. Sheltering structures should have a depth no less than 40% of their clear height and a width no less than 60% their clear height. • Entrances must be located on all building frontages facing a publicly accessible space, street, or right-of- way. Entrances shall be provided as follows: -Pedestrian Priority Streets: 50’ maximum spacing -Mixed Mode, Bicycle and Local, & Rapid Transit Streets: 75’ maximum spacing -Commuter Streets: 100’ maximum spacing -All other streets: 150’ maximum spacing • Doors separated by less than 25’ accessing the same space do not count as separate entrances for the purpose of complying with this guideline. • Projects replacing existing publicly accessible uses must not provide fewer street-facing entrances than existed previously. • To facilitate pedestrian access, building entrances should be architecturally distinct. Examples • Recessed entryways, awnings, architectural projections, and changes of material that make entrances distinct from the rest of the building. • Awnings or detached shade structures that provide shelter from the elements. • Publicly accessible uses within lobbies or minimized private lobbies..