Aug 27, 2010 3
By: Kevin Buchanan
The third event of Fort Worth’s reborn Critical Mass group bike ride is tonight. As usual, participants will meet up at Burnett Park in Downtown Fort Worth at 7:00 PM for a laid-back, friendly group bike ride around the central city to spread good bike cheer and let Fort Worth see our burgeoning bike culture. Tonight’s ride will go around Downtown before heading into the Near Southside, then onward to the TCU/Bluebonnet Circle area before returning back through the Near Southside to Downtown.
Aug 12, 2010 4
By: Kevin Buchanan
A quick note: there’s the new translucent canopy structure Sundance Square installed over the patio at 8.0 in Downtown. Not too bad looking, though I hear it causes something of a greenhouse effect. It’ll allow concerts in the rain while still letting the trees get sunlight.
Aug 10, 2010 7
By: Kevin Buchanan
The remaking of 9th Street in Downtown continues. For the uninitiated, 9th Street is being reconfigured with better, wider sidewalks (with street trees and lights), fewer traffic lanes, and a redesigned intersection at 9th and Throckmorton (taking it to a conventional “T” intersection). Here, we’re looking down 9th to the west, from Calhoun.
Here, we’re looking back at the ITC from the same point. One of the major reasons for the redesign is to improve the pedestrian experience walking to and from the ITC. Of course, there will still be the unfortunate big parking lots on either side of 9th, which themselves are a big degradation of the pedestrian experience, but wider tree-lined sidewalks will definitely be an improvement. Hopefully, one day (perhaps thanks to the modern streetcar) we’ll finally be able to get some urban infill development to banish those surface lots.
This shot looks northeast from 9th & Houston towards 9th & Main, showing the reconstruction work along this segment of the street.
Here, we’re at 9th & Houston, looking past the Flatiron Building. As part of the 9th Street reconstruction, the city will finally be making large improvements to Hyde Park, the site of the famous sleeping panther fountain. With 9th being straightened, what was once traffic lanes will be converted into a greatly expanded park around the fountain.
In addition, the work will eliminate the traffic lanes in front of the Public Safety & Courts Building (the old City Hall) and convert that space into a new public plaza.
And finally, the parking lot next to Houston Place Lofts that has blighted this intersection for many years (it was once the site of the old downtown library) has been removed. In its place will be another new piece of park space for the expansion of Hyde Park. Getting rid of this parking lot has been far too long coming, so it’s great to finally see it happening.
The expansion of Hyde Park also serves as a transit plaza for T buses.
Work is expected to be complete early next year.
Aug 6, 2010 4
By: Kevin Buchanan
Just a friendly reminder that there will be a Modern Streetcar Project public meeting on Monday (August 9th), at the Intermodal Transportation Center in Downtown. The festivities start at 5:30 PM with an open house, followed by the meeting proper at 6:00 PM. Members of the Modern Streetcar Task Force will be on hand to provide information and answer questions about the current design process.
It’s important for there to be a strong public showing of support for the streetcar to keep it rolling forward, so if you’re in favor of effective modern central city transit for Fort Worth, stop by and check out the progress.
Jul 8, 2010 5
By: Kevin Buchanan
The city has released some documents from HDR, Inc.’s current planning work on Fort Worth’s modern streetcar system, and one of the documents gives some more depth, information, and details on the potential starter alignments being considered and how they’re being measured. It’s important to note that at this stage of planning, the routes are not set in stone. There are several potential starter routes for the first phase of the modern streetcar system, and each is being evaluated according to a set of criteria. The end result might be one of these lines, or it might be a combination of parts of lines. These answers will come from the study currently underway by HDR, Inc. that is providing a blueprint for our modern streetcar system. This information comes from publicly-available planning documents posted to the City of Fort Worth’s official streetcar project web site, available as a PDF at the following link: DRAFT Technical Memorandum – Alignment Refinement.
The criteria that the potential starter routes are being measured against come from factors in successful streetcar systems in other cities, and the goals and issues that a Fort Worth solution could be designed to address. The criteria are focused on improving the development and mobility situation in Downtown and its surrounding neighborhoods. They reflect the objectives of the project as told to HDR, based on meetings with City of Fort Worth officials and staff, organizations like Downtown Fort Worth, Inc. and Fort Worth South, Inc., and the city’s Modern Streetcar Task Force.
The sort of criteria that these routes are being measured against include:
The following routes are being screened against these criteria. Each is being analyzed as a potential stand-alone Phase 1 of the streetcar system. It’s expected that, once the evaluations are complete, potential combinations of these lines could also emerge as a starter project, but the initial evaluation is of each route alone. Note also that these descriptions are of the starter routes and do not include potential extensions to each route.
You’ll note that most of the lines include several segments that are the same as the other lines. HDR’s plans showcase how the starter lines can build together over time into a network, and how they can share most of the same trackage in Downtown.
Click on the routes for a larger view.
West 7th
The West 7th alignment is 3.0 miles end-to-end. From the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones, the line heads westbound on 9th to Commerce, where it turns northbound and heads to 6th. At 6th, the line turns westbound on 6th to Cherry, where it makes a slight right to merge from westbound 6th to westbound 7th. The line heads westbound on 7th to Montgomery, where it then heads southbound to Camp Bowie, the terminus of the line. It heads back into Downtown using the same route – northbound on Montgomery, then eastbound on 7th – until it reaches Henderson. At Henderson, the line turns northbound on Henderson, then eastbound on 3rd. After heading eastbound on 3rd, the line turns southbound on Calhoun before turning eastbound on 9th to go one block to the terminus at 9th & Jones at the ITC.
North Main
The North Main alignment is 1.4 miles end-to-end. From the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones, the line heads westbound on 9th to Commerce, where it turns northbound. It heads northbound on Commerce through Belknap & Weatherford and makes the merge onto North Main past the Tarrant County Courthouse. The line crosses the Paddock Viaduct (North Main bridge) where it is then envisioned that it would be integrated into the Trinity Uptown master plan. One option, shown here, would have the line turn onto a reconstructed Commerce and head north before turning westbound on NE 6th and then southbound on North Main to head back to Downtown. Once across the Paddock Viaduct, the line would merge from the bridge onto southbound Houston and continue southbound to 3rd, where it would turn eastbound and head to Calhoun. At Calhoun, the line would turn southbound and head to 9th, turning eastbound on 9th to go one block to the terminus at 9th & Jones at the ITC.
Trinity Bluffs
The Trinity Bluffs alignment is 1.4 miles end-to-end. From the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones, the line heads westbound on 9th to Commerce, where it turns and heads northbound to 6th. At 6th, the line turns westbound and heads to 7th, where it heads further westbound to Henderson. It turns and heads northbound on Henderson to 3rd, where it turns and runs eastbound. Upon reaching Pecan, the line turns northbound and heads to Bluff, then eastbound to Samuels. It runs northbound on Samuels to the Cold Springs intersection, the terminus of the line. It then heads back to Downtown via Samuels, Bluff, and Pecan. At Pecan & 4th, it turns and heads westbound to Calhoun. The line then runs southbound on Calhoun to 9th, turning eastbound on 9th to go one block to the terminus at 9th & Jones at the ITC.
Near Southside – Jennings Option
There are two potential Near Southside alignments being considered at this time. This is the Jennings option, which is 2.0 miles end-to-end. The Jennings option heads southbound on Houston from 3rd. At 9th, the line cuts over to Throckmorton headed southbound, then further over to Jennings. It heads southbound on Jennings past Lancaster and under the railroad tracks and I-30, continuing southbound on Jennings to Pennsylvania. The line then heads westbound on Pennsylvania to Henderson, turning southbound on Henderson to Terrell. The line turns westbound on Terrell to 6th Avenue, the terminus of the line. It heads back into Downtown eastbound and northbound via the same route – Terrell, Henderson, Pennsylvania, and Jennings – before reaching Throckmorton and heading northbound to 3rd, heading eastbound on 3rd back to Houston to head back to the Near Southside. It is important to note that the Jennings option does not directly serve the ITC, but provides a connection to the TRE and the future SW2NE train at the Texas & Pacific Station.
Near Southside – South Main Option
The second potential Near Southside alignment is the South Main option, which is 3.2 miles end-to-end. This alignment leaves the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones heading westbound on 9th. It turns and heads northbound on Commerce then westbound on 6th. It then turns and heads southbound on Houston, crossing Lancaster, the railroad tracks, and I-30 then merging southbound onto South Main. The line heads southbound on South Main to Magnolia. It turns and heads westbound on Magnolia to 7th Avenue, where it turns northbound and heads to Terrell, the terminus of the line. It heads back into Downtown via the same route – 7th Avenue, Magnolia, and South Main – then turns eastbound towards Jones after crossing the railroad tracks, I-30, and Lancaster. It then turns northbound on Jones and heads back to the ITC at 9th & Jones, where it would then turn westbound onto 9th to head back out.
Near Southside & Rosedale/East Side – Rosedale Alignment
The Rosedale line is 2.2 miles end-to-end. It leaves the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones heading westbound on 9th. It turns and heads northbound on Commerce then westbound on 6th. It then turns and heads southbound on Houston, crossing Lancaster, the railroad tracks, and I-30 then merging southbound onto South Main. The line heads southbound on South Main to Rosedale. It turns eastbound on Rosedale to Evans, which is the terminus of the line. It heads back into Downtown via the same route – Rosedale and South Main – then turns eastbound towards Jones after crossing the railroad tracks, I-30, and Lancaster. It then turns northbound on Jones and heads back to the ITC at 9th & Jones, where it would then turn westbound onto 9th to head back out.
Again, let us stress that these alignment options are still being measured against the design criteria. The exact starter alignment has not yet been selected, and may in fact be a combination of elements of multiple alignments. We’ll have more as the study by HDR continues. For more information on this process, head to the City of Fort Worth’s official streetcar project web site, where this data is available to the public as a PDF at the following link: DRAFT Technical Memorandum – Alignment Refinement.
Jul 6, 2010 5
By: Kevin Buchanan
The Ridglea
Year Built: 1950
Status: In use, endangered by demolition
Location: 6025 Camp Bowie – Ridglea Urban Village
The Ridglea is one of the only remaining single-screen theaters still in use in Fort Worth for entertainment purposes. It hosts live music. Currently, the Ridglea is threatened with near-total demolition for a Bank of America drive-through bank branch. Posts on the Ridglea’s current saga: here, here, here, and here.
The Bowie
Year Built: 1940
Status: In use
Location: 3859 Camp Bowie
The Bowie is currently housing a Frost Bank branch. The building was kept mostly intact in its conversion to a bank.
The Berry
Year Built: Unknown, presumed 1920s-1930s
Status: Vacant
Location: 3021 Hemphill – Hemphill/Berry Urban Village
The Berry, at Hemphill & Berry, has been vacant for some time and looks rather run-down. The neon sign is still in place, but the marquee appears to have been lost when Hemphill was last widened.
The Grand
Year Built: Unknown, presumed 1910s-1930s
Status: Appears vacant
Location: 1100 Fabons – near Evans & Rosedale Urban Village
The Grand was most recently in use as a church. It appears to be vacant now. The sign and marquee are still intact. The last church to occupy the building added large concrete blocks to its street facade for some reason.
The New Isis
Year Built: 1935
Status: Vacant
Location: 2401 N. Main – Stockyards
The New Isis is a 1930s renovation of the Isis Theater from the 19teens. The sign and marquee are intact. Signage on the marquee has promised “The New New Isis” is “coming soon” for years, but the building doesn’t appear to be in active restoration.
The Azle
Year Built: 1941
Status: Vacant
Location: 2206 Azle
The Azle has been vacant for some time. The sign and a marquee are intact. It appears to have had its formerly colorful appearance painted white some time ago.
The Rose Marine
Year Built: 1918
Status: In use
Location: 1440 N. Main – Historic Marine (formerly Mercado) Urban Village
The Rose Marine is certainly the most well-cared-for of the old theaters in Fort Worth. It is currently a performing arts venue.
The Poly
Year Built: 1941?
Status: Vacant
Location: 3001 Vaughn
The Poly’s signage and marquee are partially intact. The building was a church at some point in the past after it stopped being a theater, but appears to have been vacant for some time now.
The Hollywood
Year Built: 1929-1930
Status: Building in use, theater vacant
Location: 410 W. 7th – Downtown Fort Worth
The Hollywood sits entombed in the Electric Building in Downtown Fort Worth, the last of the old 7th Street “Show Row” theaters even partially intact. The theater lobby on 7th Street is mostly intact and serves as office space. The theater itself is vacant and sealed up in the building, but the lobby areas past the main lobby and the theater from the balcony level up are all reasonably intact. The lower level of the theater was converted to parking for the Electric Building apartments. See our old walkthrough of the Hollywood’s remains.
Unknown
Year Built: Unknown
Status: Vacant
Location: Evans & Terrell – Evans & Rosedale Urban Village
This structure isn’t obviously identified as a theater, but it strongly resembles one (its form is very similar to the Grand a few blocks away). Not sure of this one’s name or history. The building is currently vacant.
Photo not yet available
Unknown
Year Built: Unknown
Status: In use as church
Location: Sylvania near Race – near Six Points Urban Village
This building is potentially an old single-screen theater. It resembles one in form, but we have no information about its history. It is currently a church.
These are all the remaining single-screen theaters that we’re aware of. Of them, only two are in active use as entertainment venues, and one of those is threatened with demolition. One is in use as a bank and one as a church. The rest are vacant.
Jun 28, 2010 Comments Off
By: Kevin Buchanan
Critical Mass, the group bike ride intended to raise awareness of local bike culture, has returned to Fort Worth in a big way. Last Friday, June 25th, over 60 bike riders gathered at Burnett Park in Downtown Fort Worth at 7:00 PM for a mass group ride that took them to the 7th Street corridor, back through the heart of Downtown, and then on to the Near Southside.
This isn’t the kind of Critical Mass you might have heard of in rare cases in a few other cities – there’s no angry confrontational mindset here, just a laid-back family-friendly group ride to show Fort Worth that bike culture is here in a big way. With the sheer amount of riders in this one, the event took on an almost parade-like quality with people gathering on the sidewalks to watch and wave as the group rode by.
Here’s some shots of the group meeting at Burnett Park, heading down 7th back into Downtown, and cruising down Magnolia in the Near Southside. Click the photos to embiggen.
Jun 23, 2010 Comments Off
By: Kevin Buchanan
Three pieces of bike related news & events to share:
Jun 15, 2010 1
By: Kevin Buchanan
Our friend at Walkable D/FW has done a fantastically in-depth analysis of Downtown Fort Worth’s intersection density and convergence and what effect it has on walkability, following up on a similar analysis of Downtown Dallas and Downtown Portland.
With the understanding that the grid (of whatever form) provides the neural network of urban economies, the end result, I believe, is one that merges walkability and hierarchy of urban spaces in order to identify problem areas of the City. It is also fun to play with, tweaking various streets and blocks, two-way conversions from one-ways, and seeing the potential transformative effects those changes can have on real estate potential.
The following is downtown Fort Worth run through the same analysis as Dallas and Portland (and I will be doing more downtowns and like this one, hopefully tweaking and advancing the metrics and capabilities of the analysis).
After measuring intersection density per square mile and adding in the convergence factor (direction of streets, type of intersection, etc.), he then started weighting things by factoring in Downtown’s connections with the surrounding districts. On top of that, he factored in underdeveloped and underperforming lots downtown to show where Downtown has potential to grow – if the form of its streets is brought under control into a more walkable, pedestrians-first form.
One thing this reveals, is the off-center nature of downtown Fort Worth on its “island” and the potential for downtown to expand to the West.
In general, the Meta-Convergence analysis is best at showing opportunity areas where the density and real estate values are underperforming. Most often this is due to the vary roads creating the traffic. The design of the roads are strictly for cars and the buildings and people then withdraw from that road. This is “inside-out” urbanism.
…
When we add in a graphic for “under-performing” or underdeveloped sites we predictably see that most of the underdeveloped sites have a direct relationship with the locations of the car-oriented street framework.
The question then becomes, are these properties really underperforming? In my opinion, the answer is that the surface parking (or parking garages) are a direct market response to a terrible, unsustainable transportation design and network. Parking is the highest and best use, but not a great (or walkable) downtown does it make.
So while there is great potential in where red and yellow overlap, the responsibility lies on the public-side to overhaul the primary roads to something that can move more traffic in a people- and place-friendly manner.
Complete streets are 1) centripetal, in that they draw people to them rather than centrifugal streets which are repellent, 2) can move more traffic by moving less cars (meaning increased modal share via more efficient transportation modes), and most importantly 3) link to the vastly underdeveloped areas immediately adjacent to downtown.
These are the neighborhoods within the 1 to 3 mile radius of downtown where bikes and streetcars make the most sense and will leverage increased development.
This study reveals that the most potential lies along Henderson and W. 7th for both downtown expansion and inner-ring (outside of downtown) development. But the primary barrier to this potential is the overly wide, pedestrian unfriendly design of the both streets.
Here’s the graphic of weighted intersection density vs. underdeveloped lots that Walkable DFW assembled (intersections in red, underdeveloped lots in yellow).
It’s pretty similar to a map we put together ourselves showing similar lots in Downtown (red = surface lots, vacant lots, inappropriate development like bank drive-throughs, unengaging pointless “green space,” etc. while yellow is parking garages, blue = the wasteland around the I-30 ramps).
Complete streets and connections – two things Downtown Fort Worth is missing. Another quote from Walkable D/FW:
Having personally walked the downtowns of all of the above towns, the rankings of the three downtowns in terms of walkability matches my own sense. Downtown Fort Worth is very walkable, but only in the core between the convention center and the Tarrant County Courthouse.
In relation, Portland also has a much bigger downtown area uninterrupted by disconnective agents. Portland also has done a better job dealing with freeways, which are sunken with the urban grid extending across, maintaining walkability for a more consistent and broader area.
Similar to Fort Worth, Portland also has a river and waterfront forming an edge, however Portland, having removed a freeway have done a better job of breaking down the edge by creating a more publicly accessible riverfront park.
Read more at Walkable D/FW. It’s instructive to not only post about good things going on, but to also look at what we could be doing better if we’re really going to get serious about building a livable city and urban core.
Jun 15, 2010 Comments Off
By: Kevin Buchanan
If you’ve been down around 9th Street in Downtown lately, you’ve undoubtedly noticed that the street has been shut down for construction. Here’s a look at what’s going on.
9th Street itself is being reconstructed to create a more pedestrian-friendly experience walking from the Intermodal Transportation Center at 9th & Jones into the heart of Downtown. The length of 9th from Jones to Houston will feature wider sidewalks, brick sidewalk pavers, Cedar Elm street trees, and pedestrian lighting once complete. Above is an example section.
Where 9th runs into Houston, even more elaborate work is underway.
The long awaited remake of Hyde Park, and the reclamation of a parking lot into public space, is finally happening. 9th Street is going to be straightened out between Houston and Throckmorton into a conventional “T” intersection. In addition, the parking lot that has blighted the other side of 9th & Throckmorton across from Hyde Park (where once the old Fort Worth Public Library once stood) is going away as well. Several improvements come along with this:
Something not called out in the above graphic is another significant public space improvement. What is now a street in front of the Public Safety & Courts Building (the previous Fort Worth City Hall) will be removed, and converted into a plaza in front of the lovely old Moderne structure.
In all, it’s a significant upgrade of public space in Downtown Fort Worth, something that apart from sidewalks is in very short supply. We’d hope that some thought is being given to doing something to engage and activate all the new plazas – besides the new Hyde Park, Library Plaza, and PS&C Plaza, there’s also the existing Federal Building plaza that’s a bit on the overscaled and empty side. If the city and downtown stakeholders want to see more use of these plazas, we hope they’d consider encouraging food vendors, etc. to set up shop to make up for the lack of ground-floor retail space around them (and something a bit more interesting than just a hot dog cart). We’d also hope that the doctor who owns the Flatiron Building would consider leasing its ground floor to a restaurant or other sort of business – with its large, operable ground-floor windows, it could make a great addition to the plazas.
The 9th Street improvements are also welcome, and makes getting to the ITC much more appealing. The experience of walking along 9th isn’t going to be great for a while, as there’s still the hulk of the Convention Center arena and the underused and flawed General Worth Square, not to mention a swath of parking lots between the ITC and the rest of Downtown that create a lot of dead space to cover.
And this all does beg the question – when, if ever, will Throckmorton (and the other one-way streets) revert to two-way? It’s a bit of an impediment to westward travel in the new arrangement, and two-way streets are generally better in terms of creating pleasant streets that pedestrians enjoy being on. There are still far too many one-way speedways in Downtown Fort Worth.
On the whole, though, this looks to be a good improvement. A parking lot is going away, there’s a lot more (and decently designed) public space coming to Downtown Fort Worth, and 9th Street itself will become a much more pleasant place to walk apart from the dead spots along its length. We really look forward to seeing the finished product.
Jun 4, 2010 6
By: Kevin Buchanan
Fort Worth is a bit behind the times on the urban agriculture movement, but the city is starting to embrace it at last. Above is the first official city-approved community garden in the city of Fort Worth – the Fairmount Community Garden, located at 5th & Maddox across from Fairmount Park in the Fairmount neighborhood in the Near Southside.
Built on what were once vacant lots repossessed by the city, the Fairmount Community Garden was put together by a group of neighborhood residents wishing to promote local food sources in Fort Worth. With sponsorship by a multitude of local organizations and companies, and help from Fort Worth South, Inc. and District 9 City Council representative Joel Burns, Fairmount has finally opened its long-awaited community garden.
The Fairmount Community Garden is comprised of 76 plots, each 8′ x 4′, leasable by residents for $35 per year. When last we chatted with garden organizer Susan Harper, all 76 lots were apparently spoken for, and a waiting list for openings is in place. The organic garden is already producing food.
Signs that urban agriculture and local food are gaining ground in urban Fort Worth can be found elsewhere now, as the group The New Public Market is putting together a proposal to lease and renovate the gorgeous old Public Market Building on Henderson into a new public market featuring local and Texas food providers. While putting together their plans for the Public Market Building, The New Public Market is having Market Days – and the next one is tomorrow (Saturday, June 5th).
Market Days are held at Into the Garden on Camp Bowie. From 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, The New Public Market and other providers will set up shop and offer up the following goods:
1. New Public Market ~ market goods
-A. local wholesale produce
-B. Cece’s Citchen ~ artisan baked biscotti and other gourmet goods
-C. Mickey’s Mustard ~ totally unique banana pepper mustard
-D. New Canaan Farms ~ Jams, jellies, condiments, sauces and salsas
-E. Ranch Oak Farm ~ smoked turkey breast, smoked ham, cured pork tenderloin, smoked chicken and smoked beef tenderloin
-F. El Rancho Grande Restaurante’ ~ pecan pralines, corn chips
and tortillas
-G. Crazy Water and Dublin Dr. Pepper
-H. Texas Basket Company ~ shopping supplies
-I. Cut flowers
-J. John Lucicdo’s homestyle pastas
2. Texas Olive Ranch ~ pure Texas olive oils, balsamic vinegars
3. Texas Honeybee Guild ~ black prairie honey, creamed honey, honeyed pecans, pollen and other bee products
4. Cold Springs Farm ~ fresh produce from Weatherford
5. Hot Tamalez ~ crowd pleasing tamales and salsa
6. Project 44 ~ Cherith Farms products and Urban Gardens
7. Aduro Bean & Leaf ~ locally roasted free trade coffees
8. Manchacek Bakery ~ kolaches and other Czech baked goods
9. Genesis Beef ~ order grass fed beef for home delivery and grilled hamburgers
We hope that a lot of Fort Worthology readers will support the New Public Market and their efforts by attending Market Day whenever it occurs. Getting the Public Market Building back into work as a food market would be a great benefit, especially for Downtown and the Near Southside, and driving this sort of thing forward would help support more local food markets in areas like the Near Southside and Cultural District.
In addition, efforts to create more community gardens in our redeveloping urban neighborhoods like the one in Fairmount will help create a stronger local food movement in this city, especially when joined with gardens replacing lawns in our urban bungalow neighborhoods and the creation of rooftop gardens, windowboxes, and other local food sources for multi-family & mixed-use buildings.
Here are a couple of other photos of the Fairmount Community Garden:
Jun 1, 2010 15
By: Kevin Buchanan
In the shadow of the Tarrant County Courthouse, another building is rising at the site of the beleaguered Tarrant County College downtown campus, now rechristened something like “Trinity River East Campus” to differentiate the Bing Thom structures from the former Radio Shack campus now occupied by TCC and dubbed the “Trinity River Campus.” This new, small structure springs from the sunken plaza running under Belknap connecting to the two bluff-side buildings.
We’d write up some more words on how this design is cold, sterile, inhumane, and anti-urban, but we’ve all done that dance before.
Meanwhile, speaking of the two bluff-side buildings, crews are now knocking holes in the blank downtown-facing walls in what looks like the beginning of window installation, what we figure is some valiant but eventually ineffective attempt to make the buildings less dehumanizing and to create some small sense of street interaction. Given some of the discussion of making the TCC buildings “better” by adding more windows, louvers, vines, and trees to the development, a classic quote from Frank Lloyd Wright comes to mind:
A doctor can bury his mistakes but an architect can only advise his clients to plant vines.
If you, the readers, will allow a bit of editorializing…
We would have hoped that the Downtown Design Review Board (DDRB) and other downtown stakeholders would have thrown up some serious objections to this design – everything from the blank walls to the sunken plaza to the utter lack of street interaction and more is diametrically opposed to what the DDRB is supposed to be encouraging in downtown Fort Worth: human-scaled, human-oriented urban design. It seems like the TCC campus would not have been allowed in its present form under an effective design standard.
Of course, given that other anti-urban developments such as the Radio Shack campus, the Pier One/Chesapeake Energy tower, and others get built downtown with no apparent problem (not a judgement of their architectural style – a judgement of the way they interact with the public realm, or rather don’t – Radio Shack and Pier One both have very poor urban design and little-to-no interaction with the public realm), we wonder sometimes if the DDRB and other people of power in downtown aren’t falling into the “any development is good development” trap. It happens across the Metroplex, in both Dallas and Fort Worth (our friends at Walkable D/FW have written about this attitude and how it has allowed some really unfortunate development in Uptown Dallas and elsewhere), and it can allow some really unhealthy stuff to get built and praised as “progress.”
Imagine for a moment if TCC had used its considerable assemblage of downtown blocks to build a more traditional (in form, not necessarily in style) urban campus comprised of sane buildings on standard city blocks, embracing and enhancing the walkable form of downtown Fort Worth instead of creating a blank-walled sunken repellant to walkability. Whatever style of building – modern, traditional, who cares at this point – if TCC’s campus had been built of buildings on normal blocks built right up to the sidewalk with friendly, engaging designs and, say, things like a bookstore, coffee shop, etc. on ground level on the sidewalk, we’d not only have a much more livable, walkable campus, but we’d wager it would have been done by now and for considerably less money (don’t forget that these structures are costing somewhere north of $1,200 per square foot, hugely more expensive than commercial construction in downtown). Instead, we’ve got a development that will have a deadening effect on the street and walkability and which will (if the old renderings are still somewhat accurate) be surrounded by several blocks of surface parking lots (which aren’t going to be doing anything to help tie the Trinity Bluff developments into downtown proper).
Again, let us stress that this isn’t about style. We still love new traditional architecture, but we’ve also seen plenty of modern design that is warm and welcoming (there’s just not much of it around the Metroplex). TCC could have built a campus of traditional urban form with nearly any sort of architectural style and have it turn out more livable and engaging than this debacle, so before you assume we’re just wanting to take a piss over modern design and run home to David Schwarz, hear these words: this is about urbanism, not architectural style.
One would hope that DDRB and other downtown stakeholders would learn to be more selective in what they approve for construction. There was a lot of merit to bringing Tarrant County College to downtown Fort Worth, to add a student body to a walkable, livable area that is well-connected to transit and easily bikeable – this, however, wasn’t the way to do it. As for us, we regret ever voicing support for this thing. We were wrong then as we look with hindsight, and if we’d seen detailed renderings that accurately showed how the end product would turn out instead of vague models that promised some sort of earthy, warm, Frank Lloyd Wright-style development, we might never have said anything positive in the first place. Fool us once, starchitects…
May 21, 2010 19
By: Kevin Buchanan
Time for the “free beer” part of the first ever Walkable DFW/Fort Worthology join Car-Free Happy Hour tonight at Houston Street Bar & Patio. The first person to comment with the identity of this city and arrive at the Happy Hour car-free (walking, bicycling, transit, or some combination of the three) gets a free beer. Everybody else – still have to pay for beer, but we hope you stop by anyway. It’s from, oh, say, 5:30 until whenever, Houston Street Bar & Patio in Downtown near the Convention Center.
Not getting a lot of hints today on this city. It’s in Europe (obviously), and is a beautiful example of human-scaled walkable urbanism. Plus, they love their bikes. Guess the city!
May 20, 2010 Comments Off
By: Kevin Buchanan
Tomorrow marks the first joint Walkable Dallas-Fort Worth/Fort Worthology Car-Free Happy Hour, and it’s being held in Fort Worth. Downtown, more specifically, due to the proximity of the ITC and timing of trains for Dallas visitors. Bonus points: it’s a place that’s outside of the gaping maw of Sundance Square – the Houston Street Bar & Patio, on Houston Street (of course) in “SoDo” near the Convention Center.
Tomorrow, both sites will post images from traditional urban cities and ask commenters to guess the city being shown. First to correctly guess and to arrive at the Happy Hour location car-free gets a free beer. Otherwise, join us for urbanism/transit/walkability/bicycle/etc. chat.
Details on the TRE for people headed from Dallas, from Walkable Dallas-Fort Worth:
Departure times from Union Station in Downtown Dallas (if you are catching it somewhere else, you are on your own…fortunately, I have the link):
Westbound from Union Station:
4:35 pm
4:55 pm
5:15 pm *
5:35 pm *
5:55 pm *
6:22 pm
6:57 pm* recommended
Where we will get off at the second to last stop along the line.
…
Departure times to get back to Dallas unless you drank too much to catch the train and decide to stay
on the streetin a downtown Fort Worth hotel (you know who you are). And if that is the case, then you are doin’ work and I salute you:Eastbound from Fort Worth Intermodal:
7:46 pm
9:12 pm
10:38 pmFare information:
We will be traversing through 2-zones in the TRE lexicon which equates to a one-way fare of $3.75 or $7.50 for a day pass.
May 20, 2010 Comments Off
By: Kevin Buchanan
May is National Bike Month, thanks to the League of American Bicyclists, and tomorrow (that’d be Friday the 21st, natch) is National Bike to Work Day, a way to encourage people to start thinking differently about their transportation setups and consider replacing their cars with bike for some trips.
With bicycle culture and real bike transportation starting to take hold in Fort Worth at long last, there are a few events taking place tomorrow to celebrate National Bike to Work Day. For starters, The T is holding an event at the Intermodal Transportation Center in Downtown from 7:00 AM to 9:00 AM:
Bikers are invited to gather at the ITC (Intermodal Transportation Center) at Jones and 9th Streets in downtown Fort Worth for a special bus, train, and bike-rack presentation from The T’s President and avid cyclist Dick Ruddell. Learn how the bus or train can help make cycling a viable alternative even for commuters that travel long distances. And to further power your bike ride, The T will provide free snacks!
Meanwhile, in the Near Southside, Trinity Bicycles in the South Main Village neighborhood is holding its own set of festivities:
If you’re headed downtown to work or to the T’s Bike to Work Day event… or heck, even if you’re not headed downtown, but just want to go out of your way to stop by the shop on your bike, we will make you a breakfast taco and/or give you a cup of fresh, locally roasted coffee.
Free taco, coffee, and conversation before work? It’ll be the best Friday you’ve had in a long time.
And don’t forget, if you have a longer, perspiration-inducing ride, you can shower here before work, too.
Those are a couple of Bike to Work Day events happening – if you’re aware of more, let us know.
Apr 28, 2010 4
By: Kevin Buchanan
After abandoning the former Bing Thom designs as being too costly, the Trinity River Vision has three new bridge designs by Rosales + Partners (who are also doing the design of the Lancaster Avenue pedestrian/bike bridge further south).
The new designs are said to take design inspiration from the Y-columns of Tadao Ando’s Modern Art Museum of Fort Worth, and represent a significant cost reduction: the new bridges total at a projected cost of $65 million. When factoring in land acquisition and other expenses, that goes to $110 million – still $45 million less than the Bing Thom designs, according to the Star-Telegram.
It’s hard to tell from the renderings shown thus far, but it appears that the bridges feature wide, separate sidepaths for bikes and pedestrians, similar to bridge designs in more bike-friendly cities. In addition, the North Main and Henderson bridges are apparently designed to accommodate streetcar tracks in the future.
Click the thumbnails for a larger view:
Apr 7, 2010 13
By: Kevin Buchanan
After much discussion by the city council (including some rather uninformed commentary by a couple of council members), late last night the council voted unanimously to hire HDR to conduct the full streetcar study that we have been waiting on. Phases 1 and 2 will address many subjects – exact alignments and starter corridor, funding, ridership, economic benefits (including how much development could result along the corridors), etc. After these phases, it will be decided whether HDR will conduct Phase 3, the full engineering plan.
There are still many challenges ahead for streetcar supporters, and there will be plenty more work to do to help make this a reality. It will take time, but a significant roadblock was cleared last night. We now have what is arguably the finest set of transit minds in the country on our side doing the full study, so we are in good hands. We’ll save the analysis, and the correcting of certain council members, for another time. For now, we’ll just say “thank you” to the supporters who spent a long night in council chambers and a “thank you” to all those in the public and private sectors who have worked to get us this far. All your support had a very real impact on how this vote went.
Apr 6, 2010 Comments Off
By: Kevin Buchanan
A late arrival, but here’s one more letter of support for the streetcar project, from economic developer Michael Hennig:
April 6, 2010
Mayor Mike Moncrief
Members of the City Council
City of Fort Worth
1000 Throckmorton Street
Fort Worth, TX 76102Dear Mayor Moncrief and City Council Members,
As an individual who has great fondness and admiration for the City of Fort Worth and as a professional within the field of economic development, I strongly urge you to continue your support of the proposed Fort Worth Streetcar now and in the future.
As you are doubtlessly aware, transportation has been inextricably linked to Fort Worth’s past vitality and development, and I am confident that this will continue to be the case now and in the future. It is, perhaps, for this reason that an issue such as this is held so close to the hearts of countless residents and why, I am sure, your mailboxes have been unusually full in recent weeks.
It would be easy to write this project off as a mere token of nostalgia, a fun but expensive toy (as some have come to describe it) – that is, if the past and the facts were ignored. But I am convinced that beyond the environmental and social benefits that have been brought to your attention, the proposed Fort Worth Streetcar, especially when integrated into a broader transportation network, would yield significant economic benefits to the community. Though I could name many of these, I will highlight just a few.
Once developed, and particularly if extended beyond the Central Business District, the proposed streetcar system would support existing businesses and help to spur new development in high-profile portions of the city that have already been targeted for development through Fort Worth’s well-respected Urban Village Program. As ridership grows, development takes place, and spending near the streetcar line is augmented, a substantial impact will be felt in the City’s TIF and PID districts. In this manner, a streetcar line would produce a multiplier effect within Fort Worth’s most important urban areas.
Another pair of investments that would receive powerful support through the addition of a streetcar line is the City’s ongoing and impressive efforts to boost tourism and convention activity in and around the Downtown Core. As a frequent traveler who has visited many nations on several continents, it is difficult to describe the benefit of having a readily accessible and well integrated transportation network available.
The addition of a streetcar line would also support Fort Worth’s efforts to attract young, mobile professionals and to connect labor with key employment centers. Development and business attraction activities would also be enhanced by the presence of a modern streetcar system which, among other things, would reduce parking requirements in difficult infill areas.
In the end, once Fort Worth has taken the important step to develop a twenty-first century transit system that reflects its stature within the state and the nation, I truly believe that Fort Worth’s close-knit, small-town feel will be enhanced rather than reduced and that the economic benefits of a streetcar line will far outweigh the near-term costs.
Throughout its history, Fort Worth has proven that it does not shy away from any opportunity to lead the state into a new frontier. The proposed streetcar would greatly support the City’s efforts to engender a community that is truly world-class – not simply in size and population, but in character, class and reputation.
A project of this magnitude requires steadfast support from community leaders and I thank you for your service to the community which few could equal. I humbly ask for your support on this important project tonight and well after the first tracks have been laid.
Respectfully yours,
Michael HennigMichael Hennig, MPA
President
Civtech Solutions, Inc.
Apr 6, 2010 4
By: Kevin Buchanan
One last reminder for all who can attend to come to the City Council meeting tonight at Fort Worth City Hall (1000 Throckmorton) to support the vote to hire HDR to design our streetcar system. Free streetcar support t-shirts will be available for the first 200 people to attend.
Apr 6, 2010 Comments Off
By: Kevin Buchanan
Our friends at Trinity Bicycles, the new bike shop in South Main Village in the Near Southside, have written their own letter of support for the modern streetcar project and have posted it on their site. Here it is:
As you all know, one of our biggest missions here at Trinity Bicycles is increasing the viable transportation options for our neighbors here in Fort Worth. Obviously, we think bikes should play a big role in Fort Worth’s transportation future.
We’re not solely pro-bike, though. We’ve been around long enough to know that all alternative (read: non-car) transportation options tend to fare better when they are interconnected, plentiful, and even somewhat redundant.
That’s why we want to ask everyone who believes that our city needs more and varied transportation alternatives to show up at tomorrow’s (ed. – That would be tonight’s meeting now) Fort Worth City Council meeting at 7 p.m. to show your support for the City’s modern streetcar plan.
The vote to hire transportation super-planners HDR (they worked on Portland’s system) was supposed to happen 2 weeks ago, but it was postponed until tomorrow evening, and there was some rumbling that the political winds may have been shifting and the plan might not get funded.
Word today is that the vote is likely to be successful after all, but it is not something we as citizens should leave to chance. We need to make it clear to our elected officials that their constituents want real choices on how they move about their city. Please come help us fill the council chambers with streetcar supporters, and thereby help the Mayor and City Council feel good about their decision to vote to fund the planning phase of the streetcar project. And of course, having a crowd visibly supportive of a Streetcar system might come in handy just in case any votes are wavering tomorrow night.
We know it must seem scary for a city council member to vote to spend a large amount of money on a project that will take years to come to fruition. But the truth is, as a city, we just can’t afford not to take this step. We are being left behind every day we do not move forward with bringing our transportation system into the 21st century.
How many young, creative, active people do you know who have moved to a “cooler” city (Austin and Portland come to mind) to pursue careers? I know too many, all of whom said they “loved Fort Worth, but….”
Even our neighbors to the East in Dallas have seen how transit options can revitalize neighborhoods. Just look at what’s happening in Oak Cliff, Knox Henderson, or just about anywhere along the light rail lines they have built.
And right here in Fort Worth, I can tell you from personal experience, just the very promise of a Streetcar system has improved the economy. Trinity Bicycles chose to relocate from Irving, TX, to its location at 207 S. Main in part because it was on a proposed streetcar line. Now the final space in a long-empty historic building is filled, and not just with any business– a retail business that will be putting sales tax into the City coffers.
If we chose a location based on a system that hasn’t even been started yet, imagine how many more businesses will move into town if the system actually gets built…
Apr 6, 2010 2
By: Kevin Buchanan
With the City Council voting tonight on hiring HDR to proceed with the streetcar project, we’ve gotten ahold of a couple of other letters of support for the project from various places in the city. Here’s one from citizen Brian Kieta.
Dear Esteemed Leaders of Our Fair City,
PLEASE…do not stunt the growth of this ever-growing, remarkable city of ours, by voting against the proposed streetcar system. If we truly desire for our great city to be unapologetically added to the list of “world-class” cities, we MUST have an efficient and pleasing public transportation system (and a system of bus public transport certainly does NOT count toward our inclusion on such a list). Let me bring to light the following cities which truly are a pleasure to live in and visit, mostly due to their outstanding public transit: Paris, New York, San Francisco, Boston, London, Montreal, Chicago, Moscow…
Granted, the population of these cities is much more than Fort Worth, but simply take a Fort Worth-sized slice of any of these great metropolis’ and realize that its’ outstanding public transportation is the veins through which the life of the city flows. Not only in terms of infrastructure and municipal function, but in how much greater the quality of life is for cities that flow well. The fantastic sense of city unity and community exists mostly because of these well-planned, easy to use systems.
I think Fort Worth is aching for a life-giving opportunity that a modern, well-planned and executed streetcar system would bring. Many Fort Worth residents think that all of their commuting life is meant to be spent in the confines of the automobile and have never had the chance to experience what life is like lived in the midst of, and supported by, a fun to use public transportation system.
I have heard that there are other competing interests for the funds necessary to move this vision forward, and that a crucial time of decision is upon us (you). Let me urge you to not let your politics get in the way of doing the right thing: vote in support of the streetcar system. You and I both know that a stellar public transportation system would literally transform this city into a place that both young and old would absolutely love to live in, and hate to leave. Having traveled all across the globe, I have personally witnessed and heard testimony after testimony of how good public transportation literally changes how people live. It affects the daily decisions of how people live their lives. Suddenly, you realize that people living together, getting to know one another and prospering together is really what great public transportation is all about. Economic growth and city pride is really just a pleasant (and assured) by-product. It’s the people that make up a city – and public transit is all about that human element.
I am not considered to be a qualified expert on the subject of public transportation – but I do know people, and when excellence is brought forth in an effort to enrich our lives, we the people, respond positively every time. In my humble opinion, this is a decision that can’t fully be made on numbers, facts and studies alone; there hasto be some element of gut feeling put toward this decision. Just as a football coach has to make a hard decision at a crucial point in the game, the fear of making a bad decision can’t paralyze you from actually making one that you feel in your heart, is the right one to make. It still comes down to the coach making the final call with all the information he’s been given, and it must be made with confidence.
Thanks for all the time and effort you put into making Fort Worth a great place to live. It really is a hidden gem, and mostly because of the work done by you and your colleagues to make that a sentiment a reality.
Sincerely,
Brian Kieta
Fort Worth Citizen
1991 – present
Apr 5, 2010 6
By: Kevin Buchanan
We have learned that due in no small part to the efforts of streetcar supporters who called in and e-mailed from our earlier posts on the subject that the City Council looks to have changed its stance and is now expected to vote tomorrow night to hire HDR to conduct the full streetcar design study.
Should this come to pass as we are expecting, it is a major victory for the streetcar project and ensures that it will be moving ahead. It’s not a commitment to build it, so don’t think this process is over. It is, however, a huge step forward – HDR will be able to put together a detailed design & engineering plan showing us exactly what needs to be built, how to run it, and how it can be paid for.
We would like to thank all of you out there for calling and writing to the Fort Worth City Council on this – we have been told in no uncertain terms that our efforts were a major part of this. Note that we are still calling for as many of you as possible to attend the City Council meeting tomorrow night at 7:00 PM at Fort Worth City Hall – it just looks like we’ll be in for a celebration (similar to the standing ovation that accompanied the Bike Fort Worth vote) rather than a fight. We’d still like to see a strong showing of support in front of the council. And yes, there will still be free t-shirts, available outside council chambers, to wear in to show your support for the project.
This is another step forward for real transportation choice in urban Fort Worth, and for the economic and livability benefits of great transit in this city. Thank you all for your help.
Apr 1, 2010 2
By: Kevin Buchanan
Just a friendly reminder – supporters of the streetcar project need to be e-mailing/calling *all* of the council members and the mayor, not just the one from your own district. It’s vitally important to this effort for them to all hear the voice of the citizens of Fort Worth who want transportation choice, and who want them to vote to hire HDR for the design work at the meeting this Tuesday. And of course, we hope as many of you as possible will make time to attend said council meeting at 7:00 PM. We understand that t-shirts have been designed and are being printed for supporters to wear.
Mayor – Mike Moncrief – 817-392-6118 – mike.moncrief@fortworthgov.org
Mayor Pro Tem – Danny Scarth – 817-392-6187 –District4@fortworthgov.org
Sal Espino – 817-392-8802 – District2@fortworthgov.org
Zim Zimmerman – 817-392-8803 - District3@fortworthgov.org
Frank Moss – 817-392-8805 – District5@fortworthgov.org
Jungus Jordan – 817-392-8806 – District6@fortworthgov.org
Carter Burdette – 817-392-8807 – District7@fortworthgov.org
Kathleen Hicks – 817-392-8808 – District8@fortworthgov.org
Joel Burns – 817-392-8809 – District9@fortworthgov.org
Mar 31, 2010 5
By: Kevin Buchanan
We’ve been sent this survey conducted by the ETC Institute for the City of Fort Worth last year that details how supportive Fort Worth residents would be of various projects. Particularly noteworthy is the streetcar project, which received the third-highest support overall from the survey, and the highest “very supportive” ranking of any project. Had the project been listed as a “central city streetcar” rather than just Downtown, it’s certainly possible it would have been ranked even higher.
We found it interesting and thought we’d share, as it doesn’t seem to have gotten much coverage.
Mar 29, 2010 5
By: Kevin Buchanan
After today’s buzz about the streetcar project, we received the following letter of support for the project from Fran McCarthy, Chair of the city’s Central City Redevelopment Committee. With Fran’s permission, we are publishing his letter below.
CENTRAL CITY REDEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
Fort Worth, Texas
March 28, 2010
Mayor Mike Moncrief
City of Fort Worth
1000 Throckmorton Street
Fort Worth, Texas 76107Subject: Modern Streetcars for Fort Worth, Texas
Dear Mike:
On behalf of your Central City Redevelopment Committee, I urge you and the City Council to approve M&C-24103, Authorize the Execution of a Professional Services Agreement with HDR Engineering, Inc., in the Amount of $1,880,800.00 for the Modern Streetcar Planning and Design Project at your April 6 City Council meeting.
At several recent events, you have spoken eloquently about the need to improve our mobility and air quality, to expand our tax base, to reinvest in our central city, and to promote more sustainable forms of development. I have joined many other Fort Worth citizens in applauding your remarks at the Tracks to the Future conference, at your State of the City address, and at the Vision North Texas regional summit, in which you have observed wisely that Fort Worth must invest now in the development of rail transportation — including proposed improvements to Tower 55, commuter rail, and a modern streetcar system that connects our central-city growth centers and urban villages.
You have provided exceptional leadership:
by heading our 2008 fact-finding trips to Dallas and the Pacific Northwest,
by raising public awareness about the need for a modern streetcar system,
by appointing a Modern Streetcar Task Force,
and by securing federal funds from the Regional Transportation Council for a definitive study of the modern streetcar system.In September of last year, the City Council formally accepted those funds and authorized corresponding agreements with the Texas Department of Transportation and the Fort Worth Transportation Authority. Accordingly, the time has come to authorize a contract with our preferred consultant for the modern streetcar study, which will provide the City Council with all of the information that you and Council need to make sound decisions about the Modern Streetcar project.
We understand that questions have arisen about whether the modern streetcar project is competing for limited resources with the Tower 55 project and the Southwest-to-Northeast commuter rail project. The correct answer is “No”! In fact, all three projects are closely interrelated, all three are vitally important to our central city, and all three deserve the City Council’s continued support. Fort Worth has never shied always from finding ways to fund multiple important projects even in tough economic times and we can once again.
Furthermore, we understand that questions have arisen about whether authorization of the HDR contract will obligate the City to expend funds on the design of any particular alignments. Again, the correct answer is “No”! In fact, your incredible staff has negotiated an excellent contract such that the City would actually expend about $100,000.00 which is less than half of the allocated funds on phases 1 and 2, and which will provide the determination of feasible and desirable alignments, before seeking the City Council’s authorization to proceed into preliminary engineering as a potential phase 3 and spending the second $100.000.00.
Mike, this is a small amount of money considering the potential long term benefit of a Streetcar system as part of an integrated transportation system. On the other side of the argument $100,000.00 is a small amount of money to determine that a different transportation system should be developed that answers the future transportation needs of Fort Worth.
In view of the extensive benefits and limited costs associated with the modern streetcar study, we urge you to stay the course and authorize the HDR contract without further delay.
Mike, let us know how we can assist you towards that end.
Sincerely,
Fran McCarthy
Chair
Central City Redevelopment CommitteeCc: Members of the Fort Worth City Council
Members of the Central City Committee
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