Final presentations lxb123530 attempt_2014-05-06-22-47-10_20140506 retrofitting suburban retail final

Retrofitting Suburban RetailCase Study: Alamo Drafthouse

By Louis BurnsMay 8th, 2014

Entry Points?

No Savanna Preference

No Biophilia Effect or

Wabi-Sabi

No Defensible

Space

Poor General Design

PrinciplesFitts’ Law (too

dispersed)

No Hierarchy

Difficult to build a Mental Model of site

Difficult Wayfinding

Single use (retail)

“Parking Lagoon”

~ 50% vacancy

Outdated (built in 1956)

Poor Urban Design

PrinciplesDesigned

around cars

Low density

Feels unsafe at night

No green space

Low rise fits context

Form Follows

Function

Consistency

Constraint

Effective Design

Principles

Cost-Benefit

Modularity

Satisficing

Scarcity

Standard Urban Infill

• Increase density

• Mix uses

• More walkability

• More green spaces

Existing Site

Standard Urban Infill

Standard Urban Infill

Pattern Language Infill

• Identifiable Neighborhood• House Cluster• Four-Story Limit• Degrees of Publicness• Promenade• Market of Many Shops• Network of Paths

Pattern Language Infill

• Street Café• Main Gateways• Building Complex• Public Outdoor Room• Positive Outdoor Space• Wings of Light• Tree Places

Pattern Language Infill

Pattern Language Infill

Pattern Language Infill

Pattern Language Infill

Infill Comparison

Pattern Language Infill

References• Alexander, Christopher. A Pattern Language. Oxford University Press. 1977. • Bally, Daniel. “Thinking Outside the Blocks – Exploring Alternatives to Traditional Neighborhood Design.”

ESRI International User Conference. 7/15/2010.• Ben-Joseph, Eran and David Gordon. “Hexagonal Planning in Theory and Practice”. Journal of Urban

Design, Vol. 5, No. 3, 237-265, 2000.• Buckley, Michael. “Urban Infill: Mastering Investment Hurdles and Design Opportunities”. AIA Dallas.

Spring 2014.• Dunham-Jones, Ellen and June Williamson. Retrofitting Suburbia. John Wiley & Sons. 2010.• Gresham, Smith and Partners. “Complete Street Design Guidelines” Website:

http://www.tdot.state.tn.us/bikeped/CompleteStreets.pdf. Retrieved 05/01/2014.• Lidwell, Holden and Butler. Universal Principles of Design . Rockport Publishers. 2003.• Martin, Leslie and Lionel March eds, Urban Space and Structure. “The grid as generator.” Reprinted in

Time-Saver Standards for Urban Design. Ed by Donald Watson, Alan Plattus and Robert Shibley. McGraw Hill. 2003.

• “Site Design, Parking and Zoning for Shopping Centers”. American Planning Association Website: http://www.planning.org/pas/at60/report59.htm. Retrieved 05/06/2014.

• Tachieva, Galina. Sprawl Repair Manual. Island Press. 2010.• Texas Donut Precident. Website: Google Maps.

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dallas,+TX/@32.8061244,-96.7972307,282a,35y,39.41t/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x864c19f77b45974b:0xb9ec9ba4f647678f?hl=en. Retrieved 05/01/2014.

• Xceligent. Website: xceligent.com. Retrieved 04/16/2014.