What's your State of Place™ ? A decision-making tool for walkability interventions, investments, and policy that maximize the triple bottom line

What’s your State of Place™ ?

A  streamlined  decision-­‐‑making  tool  that  makes  it  easier  and  more  cost  efficient  for  cities  to  enhance  walkability  and  maximize  the  triple  

bo;om  line  in  a  transparent  and  accountable  way

Mariela Alfonzo, Ph.D. Founder, State of Place

President, Urban Imprint Research Fellow/Adjunct Professor, NYU-Poly

www.urbanimprint.com/state-of-place

In the stiff competitive “place market” walkability is no longer an

“intangible luxury”

But…there is a shortage of walkability Public policy hurdles + Legal issues + NIMBYism + Lack of benchmarks and metrics = More difficult to finance/underwrite/create/deliver

Lack effective, cost efficient methods that demystify the process of identifying, differentiating, and creating the quality

places people want

Enter, State of Place™ ?

¤  Art  à  Science:  Quantifying  walkability

¤  Comprehensive,  Objective,  Reliable

¤  Captures  “Micro-­‐‑scale”  &  “Sensory”  features

¤  Diagnostic,  Empirically-­‐‑Based

¤  Ties  Place  Quality,  Economic  Impact

¤  Facilitates  Evidence-­‐‑based  decision  making,  Accountability

¤  Provides  empirically-­‐‑based  ROI  predictions,  Customizable

First step: Quantifying Walkability

Collect street-level built environment data on 250+ micro-scale features •  Sidewalk presence, street trees, street benches, parks, street

facades, land uses, etc. Using Irvine Minnesota Inventory •  Reliable, used widely in research

Raters receive walkability training Raters receive full day training; tested for accuracy/reliability

Data can be collected for sample of blocks in a neighborhood or on a select number of blocks

•  10-12 min/block

Neighborhood defined based on existing boundaries

Next step: Calculate State of Place™ Index

Next Step: Create State of Place™ Diagnosis

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Density

Form

Proximity

Connectivity

Parks  &  Public  Space

Pedestrian  Amenities

Safety  from  Crime

Traffic  Safety

Aesthetics

Physical  Activity  Facilities

Index & Diagnosis based on State of Place™ Algorithm

Dimensions Description/Example Items

Density Measure of enclosure based on building concentrations and height

Proximity Presence of non-residential land uses

Connectivity Measure of disconnectivty; Potential Barriers (e.g., six-lane roads)

Form Measure of streetscape discontinuity (e.g. drive-thrus)

Parks and Public Space Parks, Playgrounds, Plazas, Playing Fields

Pedestrian Infrastructure/Amenities

Curbcuts, Sidewalks, Street Furniture, Bike Racks

Personal Safety Graffiti, Litter, Windows with Bars

Traffic Measures Traffic Signals, Speed Limit, Traffic Calming

Aesthetics (Pleasurability & Maintenance)

Attractiveness, Open Views, Outdoor Dining, Maintenance

Physical Activity Facilities Gym/Fitness Facilities, Other Recreational Uses

Uniquely, the State of Place™ diagnosis allows users to identify neighborhood assets & areas in need of improvement

0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90% 100%

Density

Form

Proximity

Connectivity

Parks  &  Public  Space

Pedestrian  Amenities

Safety  from  Crime

Traffic  Safety

Aesthetics

Physical  Activity  Facilities

State

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Form

Pedestrian Amenities

Traffic Safety

State

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Dim

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Aesthetics

Safety

But another key value proposition = State of Place™ is tied to economic performance

Corr

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Per

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+ $9 sf office rents + $7 sf retail rents

+80% retail revenues + $300/unit res. rent

+81 sf for-sale res. value

From Brookings Institution report, “Walk this Way”

State of Place™ is a powerful decision-making tool

Evaluate neighborhoods based on State of Place™ Index Like a credit or bond rating for neighborhoods; Helps guide investment & underwriting; Aids branding; Siting

*Risk averse investors; Steady ROI

*Risk tolerant investors; Higher ROI

*Target for social equity advocates

*Regional retailer siting

*Aggressive developer enters market

State of Place™ = Economic Indicator

Can quantify the value of place….

The State of Place™ index is linked to premiums of up to:

+74% residential rents/unit +$1200/unit residential rent +108% office rents +84% retail rents +23% premium valuation before recession; +44% premium post

For DC, this translates into up to: +$744 mill in residential property taxes/neighborhood +$96 mill in retail taxes generated/neighborhood

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And because State of Place™ dimensions are each tied to distinct ROI

Very Good ROI

Good ROI

Fair ROI

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Next Step: Assess current performance against estimated ROI

Assess current performance

Predict ROI

Balance Costs, Benefits

Very Good

ROI

Good ROI

Fair ROI

Sidewalk improvement

Façade improvement

Intervention Options

Project Costs $500,000.00 $250,000.00

SoP Dimension Ped. Amenities Aesthetics

Current Performance

25% 50%

ROI Impact Factor 6 7

Predicted SoP Performance Increase

15% 10%

Baseline Indicator $25

$3.13/sf $1.89/sf Predicted Economic Upside

7 4 Walkability Impact

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Office Rents

Next Step: Prioritize Planned Interventions based on State of Place™ Diagnosis

¤  FIRST PHASE: ¤  Add grid of streets ¤  Add Commercial

office, retail, housing (as market bears)

¤  Add infill Metrorail station

¤  Add BRT Transit Line

FORM

DENS

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CONN

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Prioritize Planned Interventions

¤  SECOND PHASE: ¤  Add sidewalks, buffers ¤  Add street furniture ¤  Add plaza, public

space ¤  Streetscape

improvements ¤  Traffic calming

TRAF

PEDS

AEST

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Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments, DC Metro Region

¤  Diagnosing 95 neighborhoods in the region

¤  Creating place profiles – based on assets and areas in need of improvement

¤  Informing Strategic Investment Plan for region

Conservation Law Foundation Ventures, Boston, MA

¤  CLFV à Creating Healthy Neighborhood Equity Fund

¤  Piloting State of Place™ as project & neighborhood screening tool

¤  Creating estimated State of Place™ scores based on proposed projects ¤  Calculating potential upside

State of Place™ current & future “imprint”…

¤  Applicable across urban, suburban, & rural communities ¤  IMI data has been collected in California, Minneapolis, Houston, Iowa, North

Carolina RT, Denver, Salt Lake City, Kansas, Arkansas, Michigan, Illinois…

¤  Rolling out State of Place in other metros ¤  San Francisco/Bay area – Spring 2013 ¤  Houston, Phoenix, Seattle, Los Angeles

¤  Incorporating a broader set of economic indicators ¤  Job creation, retention, firm recruitment ¤  Health Metrics

¤  App – available soon!

¤  Partnering with universities

¤  Working with underprivileged community ¤  Brownsville + NYU-Poly

¤  China – in progress!

Let’s boost your State of Place™ !

What’s your State of Place™ ?

www.urbanimprint.com/state-of-place