El Moore Greens Design Community

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Revision as of 19:39, 24 July 2013 by Peggy Brennan (Talk | contribs) (Diverse pathways:)

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East of the El Moore apartment building is the El Moore Greens shared community commons. This space will incorporate and portray the sustainable design principals utilized in the El Moore apartments, and likewise the Green Garage.

The Greens Design Community Schedule

  • Session 1: El Moore Greens Overview
  • Session 2: Green's Sustainability Goals
  • Session 3: Jane Jacobs
  • Session 4: Jane Jacobs Principles
  • Session 5: Christopher Alexander Patterns
  • Session 6: Christopher Alexander
  • Session 7: Triple Bottom line layers
  • Session 8: Triple Bottom line layers
  • Session 9: Design Conclusions
  • Session 10: Design Conclusions



Week of May 30


  • Outlined the El Moore Project and the following Greens design sessions
  • Field trip to the current space of the El Moore Greens



Week of June 6


Tivoli Gardens, Copenhagen in the 19th century

Recommended:


Jason: Not creating anymore vacant structures around Midtown. Most buildings are spoken for and are being redeveloped.


Goals:

  • Develop Sustainable Community
    • Conversation for natural growth
    • Transformative project, humble project
    • Encouraging new life and preserving the people that already exist
  • Create Social Interactions
    • People always feel welcome
    • Year round activity (don't want voids in the calendar)
    • Power of the corner
    • Possible naming opportunities using “V.C. Varney”, “Urban Lodge”, etc.
    • The Greens is a place where out of town travelers and annual Detroiters come together. Encourage and provide a space for people to interact
      • Greenhouse as a similar space for people to meet each other. Gardening, a place to start a conversation
  • Promote Sustainability
    • We will work with nature
    • Educate others on sustainability (esp. children)
    • Historic rod iron fence perimeter
    • Global demonstration in combination with the neighborhood, e.g. Green Garage, Cass Community Gardens, El Moore building, two green alleys
  • Economic Viability
El Moore Community Goals.jpg

David Broner's question:

How many people lived in the snapshots from Sanborn Maps?

  • 250K lived in Midtown in 1940’s, about 35K today
  • Sanborn maps – for fire insurance – reveal how the neighborhood evolved
  • 1879 All lots built upon and most are single family dwellings
  • 1919 El Moore building exist, more multifamily buildings surrounding, populations expansion to 1 million mark
  • 1950 Detroit peak 2 million in population, multifamily and commercial use buildings surrounding El Moore building
  • 1961 Mixed use neighborhood
  • 1977 – 2002 disinvestment around the El Moore


Sanborn Map 1.jpg
Sanborn Map 2.jpg


Jane Jacobs:

  • Importance of sidewalks - walking past - pavements
  • Diversity (of building types, district has to have more than one function), Blocks should be short, Buildings of diverse ages, highly dense
  • All neighborhoods have to include some less affluent residents
  • Diversity not permissive of destructive uses, destructive activities



Week of June 13


Topic today: Jane Jacobs

She fought against urban planning of the time (1960's) - expressways dissecting cities, slum clearing, etc.

El Moore Diversity Concepts.jpg

Importance of Diversity:

  • Districts (neighborhood) must have more than one function
    • Spaces can be used for a variety of purposes, but at different times
    • There are “bones” throughout the neighborhood. What holes are within the community and can the El Moore Commons fill some of those holes?
    • People coming/going at different times promotes safety, because safer with people/eyes in the streets
      • e.g. the Riverwalk always has something to do, people that go back and forth on the Riverwalk
    • A difference exist between an event, an activity and an amenity (Francis)
    • Layers of activity vital, especially if you want to reach out to all kinds of people in the community
    • When something is built for one function, it's extremely fragile. As trends change, a one-function building/space won't be able to change with trends (multi-function)
    • New neighborhood additions need to fit into the fabric of a neighborhood
      • e.g. a coffee shop that feels like it is meant in the community
    • 24 hour usage - keeps people in the neighborhood


El Moore Neighborhood Map Drawing.jpg

Diverse pathways:

  • Short blocks increases the number of diverse pathways
  • Diverse modes of transportation
  • Encourages people running into each other, nurturing community
  • Breaks neighborhood up into "manageable chunks"
  • There is a need for people to be weavers in the community, leading Jane walks from the El Moore, to the fire station, to another park, all while saying “hi” to the neighbors; intentional invitations.
  • Ownership comes from being included in the neighborhood - people communicating with them, talking to them, letting them know what's going on at the El Moore.
  • Provide onlookers with something aesthetically pleasing and the knowledge they have access to partake in festivities
  • OK to have limits, as long as they don't exclude people
  • As new neighbors move-in doesn’t mean others have to move out
  • Let people feel comfortable to ask a question
  • Multiple parks within 5-10 minute walking distance, all maintain a single use, and are “dead” when not being used.
  • People naturally use desired pathways as opposed to set hard edges. Opportunities to engage pedestrian as they pass through a desired path, possible that they spend time through the commons
  • Pathways that become really cool pieces of the neighborhood can still serve as an alley.

Week of June 27


Continuation of Jane Jacob’s thoughts intermixed with the El Moore’s neighborhood

Greens Design Community Thursday June 27 (9).jpg

Pathways and Biking

  • Having multiple entrances to the greens
  • Some paths are intimate feeling, some are just an alley way. Bikers tend to look for well paved shortcuts
  • People don’t turn immediately at a corner; if they can they will get close to the end of the sidewalk and shortcut the corner
  • New York High Line has lawns, flowers, material, artwork on building, and leads to wonder; not a shortcut
  • Pathways can be marked for both pedestrians and bikers
  • A bike needs a road, pathways can be flexible. Broadway, New York, has movable plants, no grade change, just something defining a pathway. Great use of mobile markers that can reorient space, if the path isn’t made of cement
  • The Greens is not big enough to bike; bikers want corridors, not destinations. The alley is a transition that people can bike to or through. This park is for people to slow down, stay awhile, and engage in sociable interest
  • Pondering Question: How to use bikes within this space?
Street Planters.jpg

Seating and Gathering

  • Chicago, Millennium Park; can find your own spot, lots of seating and pathways. Also, people don’t wander in straight lines, walking organically is more natural; can’t lose yourself in a straight line.
  • Elevation, sight change, natural seating is human desired
  • [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feng_shui Feng Shui]: how the energy flows, how things open to the front, back, etc. This topic will be revisited in the weeks to come
  • Desire a 3 seasons room effect that invites anyone walking on the sidewalk into the Greens. Outside kiosk does this too, allowing communication and participation with pedestrians. Additionally, people can see open events through gateways, and likewise close gateways is a method for staging a private event.
  • What’s the “there” that will draw people?
    • Activities like partnering with the DIA to host art programs
    • Use a tent or circle structure
  • [ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrion_Square Merrion square in Dublin], Totally open space yet has very appealing “secret garden groves.” Make something that helps people feel enclosed and have a reason to discover it.

Safety

  • Question: Next to the retail space, is there a pathway?
  • Back of retail has something that faces the park that can be flexible and provide an enclosure feeling. For example, a stage or coffee shop may do well in the back of retail space, while additionally acting as eyes on the Greens.
  • Space only safe with people utilizing it. El Moore apartment has eyes so we shouldn’t screen the view. There are eyes on street and sidewalk so shouldn’t have high hedges.
  • Biggest eyes are the street, bring eyes into the center of the space
  • When the safety of the eyes on the street isn’t there, possibly close the Greens
  • “Eyes” are around when Wayne State’s campus is active. Keep in mind that Sunday mornings can be the most criminal active times.
  • Pondering Question: When is there a critical mass that can be the eyes?
  • Along the United State’s east coast, every town has a square, acting as a gathering spot, with plenty of eyes watching. Midtown does not have an identifiable square.
  • At the furthest point from a massing group of people, maybe change the ground’s grade so more people/activity can be seen
  • The Greens can invite kids to come and play. Dog walkers would enjoy the space too. Coffee space for parents and strollers in the morning.
  • Pondering Question: Of the people already in the neighborhood, what usage do they want?


Week of July 11


Topic: Christopher Alexander’s book, A Pattern Language

  • Gives ordinary people a way to plan and implement changes normally left to architects and developers. 253 patterns are outlined, may use 4 or 5 small for living room, Green Garage integrated about 20 patterns.
  • Christopher Alexander is the founder of the living building concept, saying that buildings should be constructed for encouraging life and community, yet dead buildings abound in society. He suggests useful time and activity is diminished when people occupy a dead building’s environment.

Life Cycles

El Moore Life Cycle Patterns.jpg
  • Throughout life cycle stages there are advantages, disadvantages, and needs. Transitions from one stage to another should be clearly marked by community celebrations. Each transition allows a person to give toward the community in a new way.
  • People rely on each other
    • Infant and young adult stages connect via the parent.
    • Cross relationships and people can move through the cycle
  • Much of society segregates age groups.
  • Kim: Disheartening when older people are absent. Good to utilize different generations to generate those life cycles movements.
  • Story tellers, like a Griot (holder of community stories), and/or someone with a reading voice can read books to eager listeners.
  • Karen: A transition backward can be seen, where older parents are almost like young children in certain regards.
    • A young child and elder wobbling slowly down a hall, one learning to walk and the other keeping up their strength. Similarly with sight and being able to recognize objects.
  • Jason: Integrating age groups brings noise and that noise is not always desirable. The natural solution is to separate by age. The loudest spaces tend to associate with younger people and other people choose to find another area to occupy.
  • There are times when you see people separated and other times together. Tends to be based on activity.
    • An older person can show and teach the younger to “rake leaves proper way”.
  • There are times when children pull adults along.
    • Halloween, 4th of July, parades.
  • Family reunion, El Moore reunion weekend (multigenerational). Block reunions.
  • Justin: Marks of transitions like a sandbox, land marks, puzzles, chess, sidewalk chalk, can also be used as learning objects.

Small Public Squares

Bocce court.jpg
  • Most public of community rooms, large enough that it is inviting, but not too large that feels deserted; each person with 300 square feet for self; width of 60ft across for best use; length can be longer and people can chose to separate. For adequate comfort, the El Moore Green’s common space needs about 14 people; In the Green Garage the main floor needs about 23 people, whereas the eating area alone needs 3 people.
  • Karren: The east coast has squares; there’s something in the center to anchor on, like a statue, or gazebo.
  • Justin: Having small spaces for 2 or 4 people within the Green’s common would be good.
  • Tom: 2 people in small room feels comfortable. 2 people in a ballroom is uncomfortable. Europe has spaces of bushes and benches creating a room within room.
  • Rooms within the Green’s commons need to be seen without building high walls.
  • Flexibility with events/activities for things to happen with all people at all time. Different parts of El Moore Greens can be used at the same time. Something in Green’s common versus a café versus something else. Think of an outdoor music concert where 3 stages cater for 3 different group sizes and experiences
  • Keith: What people need they create for themselves, spaces to be together or separate.
  • Bocce court that invites strangers and easy to set up and take down. Hammock too.
  • Martha: Curling matches on bocce ball in winter

Carnival

  • Can exist right on top of life cycle. A place of openness and excitement; inviting activity that brings people together.
  • Every town needs a carnival; narrow streets traveling though, freak events
  • Martha: Karaoke night. Theatre
  • Have an actual carnival… Neighbors submit what they want to do. Summer carnivals, winter carnivals. In winter, snowmen building contest, including miniature snowmen.
  • Paris has squares with street artist, statues, always something to do.
  • Kim: Santa Monica in the winter time, a beauty comes across in music, still taking advantage of a season to slow down
  • Justin: moveable/transforming shed for artist, including music.



Week of July 18


  • Keep in mind there is a large importance of play, a way to be active during the winter

Topic today: Continuation of Christopher Alexander’s patterns and arising possibilities

Toronto Islands and fountain

Roughly in the middle

  • ”A public space without something in the middle will likely stay empty.”
    • Think of a dining table… now place a vase with flowers, or a set of candlesticks in the middle
  • The retail building can be something relatively in the middle of the grater common space.
    • Coffee shop on the backend, a place to take on food. Ensures more traffic without hosting an event
    • Linda: Toronto Islands, special food for each day/season. Foosball for kids while having good meal. Random objects to sit on amidst trees and greenery that create a magical garden.
  • What possibilities could be flexible for the middle grass area?
    • Peace pole: multiple languages, place for people to stop
    • Artwork. People are able to come up and see. Sculptures that can arise for a season or period of time
  • Erin: Kid friendly, must have activity and food, got to do more than one thing. Partridge Creek, a place for moms and kids
    • For children, have a rubber floor surface
  • Be mindful, single use has a reason to be there and a reason to leave.

Stair seats and sitting walls

  • Stair seats are high for vantage point and low enough for spectator to join the action
    • Possibly have a 3ft gradual drop West to East across the Greens: Back of building, raised flower bed, stair seats (peoples backs to building and vantage points to the middle action and option to engage). Maybe scallop the edges, gradual grade decline, additional flower beds on the East boarder.
  • Seating Wall; barrier that defines two spaces, and is a seam that joins the two
    • (East boarder parallel to 2nd Ave) Having seats that only face the Greens, puts people’s backs to public side walk, uncomfortable
    • Feng shui, don’t position back counter from seeing people pass by
  • These walls eliminate the need for more benches
    • Possibility to make a wall where people are able to sit on one side, on top, and astride
    • Cut sections in the wall allow people to sit in any orientation comfortably, as oppose to one continuous wall; large sections for wheelchairs access. Additionally the sections yield to rain water flow
  • Paint the wall’s top surface with checker boards
    • Have moveable table platforms for board games, books and papers, picnics, and laptops that provide adequate height when sitting on the wall. Visitors can check-out these platforms from the retail space.
  • Erin: A place designed for the disabled like a playscape made for wheelchairs to utilize. As a teacher, often pick field trips for students based on the space’s design and accessibility

Water

  • Fundamental, yet city design separates people from water, and the area feels arid. Water plays psychological role, yet in cities water is generally out of reach
  • Renew the relationship with water, made through accessibility
  • Allow natural streams to run through towns, rain water go through the gutters
  • Kim: Orient water to the Green’s water tower, the connectedness
  • Blue infrastructure and public space can be one and the same
  • Las Vegas, Bellagio, water dances; art and water dancing at the Detroit airport
  • People faces with water around it
  • Fish swimming and water lilies. Sound, nature, beauty. Water combined with visual beauty
    • Sound is a meditation kind of tool. Combine meditation with sound of water
  • People get calm when getting next to water like beach and watching the water. Putting feet in the water does something magical to us
    • For feet, a pathway of running water
  • Even the event of water coming on and going off is powerful
  • In the Ojibwa Native American tradition, women are the stewards of water
  • Millennium park in Chicago, water space
  • Drinking fountains; water misters
    • Flat top fountain, flexible in usage, a place for kids to run through. Gives background noise too.
  • Audio presentation that leads to learning about water, human use of it, and how the Greens are working with it
  • Bird bath, bees need water, animals are drawn and connected

Next Week

Field Trips

Ladder 20, June 28, 2013


Ladder 20 Front.jpg

Purpose: Met a few neighbors and discussed the El Moore Greens developments

Friends

  • Kawon, takes care of the buildings finances
  • Shaun, one of the sergeants

Still to meet

Ladder 20 Koi Fish.jpg
  • Mike Joner, Koi Fish pond designer and caretaker
  • Terry Griffith, manages the fire department’s community relations
  • EMS, being a separate division housed within the building

Learned

  • Ladder 20, Engine Company 5
  • These Firemen work 24 hours, swapping shifts each day. They are in the station until called out to suppress fires
  • EMS workers do 12 hour shifts. They are on the road a lot
  • Very friendly, and welcome anyone to stop by whenever possible
  • A common activity is driving the fire truck to a school and letting kids spray water through the hoses
  • Eager to participate in more neighborhood events, show fire safety techniques and meet with the community
  • Suggested having a block party along Alexandrine, incorporating El Moore Green’s and the Children’s Center.
  • Excited for the Green’s common space

Ladder 20 Back.jpg

Inn on Ferry Street, July 1, 2013


During Stay

  • Signs for the door say: Service Please or Privacy Please. Towels (maybe linens) are changed unless the Privacy Please sign is up.
  • In the closet in each room is: ironing board and iron, blow dryer, extra kleenex, a fan, heater, toilet paper, extra blanket and pillow.
  • Every room has a coffee maker, coffee material, and tea for guest usage. Often used by guest any time of the day.
  • There are 3 mini-refrigerators available for a $25 rental.
  • The Inn encourages the reuse of bathing towels. For guest that want housekeeping to provide new towels, used towels go into a medium size wicker basket as dirty laundry.
  • All rooms are carpeted. Shared common areas are hardwood and carpeted.
Inn on Ferry Street Bathing Towels.jpg
Inn on Ferry Street Wicker baskert.jpg


Housekeepers

Inn on Ferry Street amenities bucket.jpg
  • There are 40 rooms, 7 part-time housekeepers, and 1 fulltime housekeeping manager. The manager gives employees a week’s notice of housekeeping’s scheduled cleanings. Cleaning of rooms 10am – 3pm, check-out is at 12noon, check-in at 3pm.
  • Housekeeper job include: vacuum, dust, check linens, do the dishes (in bath sink), recycle.
  • Full scale inventory check every 3 months, in rooms and common areas.
  • The Inn uses Morgan Linens for linens and towels. Delivery is Monday and Thursday every week.
  • We will need a large linen storage closet for the central depository from the linen company. We will also need bags for the dirty linens to go out in (maybe the linen supply company supplies these - forgot to ask).
  • Basement is the staging area. The manager restocks both the cleaning bucket and resident amenities bucket at the close of each night. Employees have readymade buckets each shift.
  • There is a vacuum kept in the office in each building.
  • Some hotels are said to attach a vacuum to the cleaning cart.
  • To clean hardwood floors, instead of a mop and pail, they use a Shark Sonic Duo Carpet and Hard Wood Cleaner. It's a steam cleaning process.
  • They also use a Shark Vacuum Cleaner. They like the fact that it's so light.
  • To do the bathroom floors, they spray the floor, wipe it down on their hands and knees, and then vacuum.


Additional Thoughts

  • We'll need seasonal decorations, baby cribs and a few fold-away beds, and storage for these items.
  • We'll need a couple of step stools.
  • Possible to consider having built in ironing board and iron attachment that folds down from the wall. If not in every guest room, this mechanism would be useful for guest staying in the shared garden level rooms.
  • During clean-up of planned internal events, it would be good for El Moore housekeepers to be available because they know the system and how to properly clean each space. They also have to tools.