Monticello Road

The Flow is about to Flip

2019-08-30T10:21:00.001-04:00

Westbound traffic on Monticello Road will be routed to the left onto Levy. Eastbound traffic coming from Graves and the Bridge PAI will need to make this hairpin turn on to Levy. My solution would allow them to continue to Rialto or some easier turns than this.

The pilot project to reverse the direction of the westernmost block of Monticello Road starts Sat. October 5 with a 1-hour trial. If that doesn’t cause too much pandemonium, there will be a longer [short-term] trial. I will be interested to see how it goes.

Logistical details and the rationale here.

This is happening because the new Belmont Bridge design will not permit left turns out of Graves Street onto 7th Street/Avon at Quality Pie. Without this change, all else remaining the same, residents and visitors will need to either drive under the bridge (private road, which will be closed during portions of construction) or via a winding half-mile detour to Goodman.

In this trial, outbound traffic from Graves will drive contraflow on Monticello, right on Levy and exit at the traffic light. Eastbound traffic on Monticello Road will be routed onto Levy and also exit at the light. Levy is extraordinarily wide and is expected to handle the cars waiting at the light.

I reported on the plan in detail last year and I analyzed the issue in a bit more detail than I will here.

As did Elliot Robinson

I did not agree with the decision to eliminate the left turn out of Graves—it seemed like a solution without a problem. If we accept that decision as a done deal (and I think it is) then something needs to change and this could be workable solution, worth a try. Not everyone agrees with it, but there was also opposition to the Downtown Belmont sidewalk enhancements, which have been a big success. Engineering brief | Oral History

My preference would be for the one-way portion of Monticello Road to be reconfigured as a yield-street where all users share a narrow road in both directions and occasionally need to move over and wait a moment to let each other pass. It may seem strange but this type of street is among the safest for all users because it forces people to drive slowly (As they always should on a residential street). They exist all over the world, including, it must be noted, the rest of Monticello Road, which operates in that manner (in practice if not in theory).

This western portion of the road is slightly narrower than the rest of the historic and naturally speed-controlled byway butw what really makes this stretch different is the preponderance of parking. Let's be real though: most spaces are used by commuters seeking free spots, restaurant-goers, and employees. Some of this would need to be eliminated but it would be interesting to do a full count and measurement to see whether the concept could work if only residents are accommodated. I’ll do that soon if I get a chance. Email me if you would be interested in helping with this project.

In answer to a question I receive frequently, the question of bicycle facilities on the new configuration will settled after the trial and the road gets repainted (hopefully including contraflow lanes or signage permitting contraflow riding) after the configuration is finalized (or undone).

In the meantime, I support the idea of the pilot as a low-cost, low-commitment way to try something new. If it doesn’t work, no harm done and we switch it back. But we should encourage traffic engineers to try new things. Monticello Road is one of the oldest and most interesting streets in the region. A big part of that is because its quirks force people to acknowledge and accommodate one another. And the mix of preservation and experimentation is what makes Belmont fun.

Taking a Personal Celebration Up a Notch

2019-01-01T19:59:00.001-05:00

Running has always been a passion of mine, but it is also one of the main ways I stay mentally (as well as physically) healthy. I lost that outlet for a while last winter due to injury and it took me many months to regain what I had lost. Happily, by summer I was back fully fit—and even better because my rehab had improved my strength, balance, and flexibility. I’m grateful for the process and I wanted to celebrate my return to wellness in a way that adds abundance to the community that helped me get back on my feet.

Charlottesville is blessed with many beautiful (but often hidden or even private) places to experience nature. Perhaps the crown jewel is the Rivanna Trail, a twenty-mile hiking path that encircles the city. It is a favorite spot for running, walking and mountain biking and I have probably logged thousands of miles on it—but I’ve never done the whole thing at once. There is a group that runs the loop every year around the winter solstice so I made that my goal: I trained and prepared for the 20-mile loop run in December as my own celebration of good health.

From my 20-years’ work on the New York City Marathon I knew that running—that seemingly solitary sport can—can also be a massively collective celebration of the Possible. I wanted my personal milestone to happen in a way that could inspire other people, draw strength from those around me, and have a direct positive financial impact: all things that happen abundantly with the five-borough race. I decided to do the run as a fundraiser for my employer, the Piedmont Environmental Council, which among other things promotes trails in my area.

This decision to run for a cause had consequences. It made it larger than me and created accountability. Once I announced publicly that I would do it, there was no going back. It also rallied lots of support to my side in the form of encouragement from family, friends, and even a group of my teammates who volunteered to run all or part of it with me. That group of champions happened to include the physician who oversaw my rehab, which was a nice connection.

The run got delayed by a week due to epic flooding on the trail, which was actually kind of good because it landed the run on the day after the Solstice. It was a bit of a sogfest: we still had to wade through waist-deep water in several places. It was also more beautiful than I had imagined, with a mist, clear light and a big full moon that set at sunrise of that first lengthening day. Although I was obviously tired at the end and it was plenty challenging, it was easier on my body than I had expected. That might result from the joy of celebration: it felt more like renewal than closure.

I easily exceeded the modest ($400) goal I had set. I could have probably raised much more but that wasn’t really the point. I mainly wanted to demonstrate that the ways that we each personally strive to become better at whatever we do can be shared with others. It will inspire them; and when they rally to your cause, it will further energize you and make your goals easier to obtain.

I’m telling you this in the hope that it will inspire you. As you make plans and do your cool and even wacky projects, be sure to let other people know about them so they can help you and get better together. It’s good for everyone.

Flipping the Flow

2018-08-17T10:14:00.002-04:00

There is a proposal to flip the direction of westernmost block of Monticello Road (currently west-bound) because of some restrictions stemming from the Belmont Bridge replacement.

Charlottesville Traffic Engineer Brennen Duncan has proposed an interesting change to Monticello Road. He suggests flipping the direction of its westernmost block as a short pilot (one day). If that goes smotthly, he will try it for longer (six months) prior to making a permanent proposal. I actually like the fact the he is trying new things and this is a spirit of problem-solving that the City really needs, so I support it. The change also could allow some significant bicycle improvements. I wish he didn’t have to seek this solution because, in my view, the cause is unnecessary.

As part of the Belmont Bridge replacement plan, left turns will no longer be permitted from Monticello Road (technically Graves) onto 9th Street (the Belmont Bridge). This will make life extremely inconvenient for anyone who lives or works at that end of the neighborhood, as all current substitute routes are quite circuitous and include stretches even more problematic than the original turning movement.

These are the two route options for someone wishing to head south on Avon from the corner of Monticello and Graves. I think the technical word for a re-route of this kind is "silly."(Base map: City of Charlottesville)

Support for this change was tepid to negative (see note). Still, the engineering firm insisted (due to projected traffic flow improvements) and got the element included in a final design concept approved in a late-night City Council vote. I'm tired of fighting about the Belmont Bridge and ready to move on.

To solve the problem before us, Brennen proposes flipping the direction of the final block of Monticello (currently westbound only) so motorists will be able to exit via Levy Street, which has a traffic light. All traffic flowing westbound on Monticello will bear left and exit at Levy, as well. The eastbound movement includes a hairpin turn; so to create the necessary turn radius, they will need also need to move parking from the current north side to the south side.

This solution is not perfect but it is rather genius in its simplicity.

We also hope to use the occasion of repainting to add a badly-needed contraflow bike lane so cyclists will be able to travel both directions on Monticello Road, which is the safest and easiest connection from downtown to points southeast.

There are community concerns, which Brennen lays out in his memo, but his contention is that we will never really know until we try it. I see no harm in giving it a shot: in a City that is often very risk-averse, I salute his spirit in trying something new. He’s proposing to do it in a very low-stakes way and if it works, maybe the City will be encouraged to try other new things.

I’m disappointed that the Bridge design team created this problem—they didn’t need to and it undercut some good community engagement they had done earlier. But I’m ready to move on and if we truly are stuck with it, then I think we should try Brennen’s creative approach to dealing with the consequences. We should support City staff trying new things in a thoughtful, do-no-harm way. If we don’t like it, we can change it back and if we do like it we will have something no one else would have thought of.

City Council will hear Brennen's report at the end of its August 20 meeting. The meeting starts at 6:30 and you may make comments then. Brennen's report will be much later (probably after 9:30) and you may also comment at the end. His report can be found here (page 141).

Note: Design firm Kinley Horn did not put the left turn out of Graves into public discussion--the alternatives they offered assumed this change. My memory is that the community opposed this and the documentary evidence support this. See voting sheets and presentation in which all options assume this closure. Feel free to point me to evidence of public support (besides their own notes) and I will stand corrected. Their resource page is here.

An Equity + Development Field Trip

2018-06-25T22:48:00.001-04:00

When I asked the youth which part of the trip they liked best, they all said the same thing: "The Museum." I could not disagree.

Last week, I had the good fortune to tag along with the Youth Leadership Team from Friendship Court, as well as some friends and mentors, on a trip to Washington, DC. The purpose of the visit was for the seven high school students to learn more about Equity Planning, property development and how the two intersect, through the lens of some specific projects. It was the culmination of a two-year program of civic education to empower them to be active contributors to Friendship Court’s redevelopment plan.

After taking the morning train and depositing our luggage at a rented townhouse, we traveled to Southeast to meet with Vaughn Perry, Equitable Development Manager of the 11th Street Bridge Park. The 11th Street Bridge project is one that I have been following closely because it is cool in so many ways. Attempting to bridge the Anacostia's social divide is challenging enough but they are also setting a new standard of positive social impact.

The project is relentlessly community-driven. It started with an honest discussion of whether the neighbors even want the park, and if so what kinds of features, uses, and programs will make the project appealing and useful for the entire community—especially those under-served neighborhoods on its south bank. This striking architectural project is accompanied by an equally bold Equitable Development Plan, which has specific strategies for workforce development, affordable housing, and small business enterprise. Although it's by no means required (or anything like standard practice), they’re on track for a 1:1 match of community development monies raised to park project funding.

Tyquan asked what was on everyone’s mind: “Are you really going to build this?” Vaughn didn’t hesitate, “We’d better build it—too much is at stake not to. Let me just say this: I’m 99.9% certain.”

From a physical standpoint, it’s still just a plan, although work is slated to begin in a year or so (a speed made possible by the fact that it is being built with local, not Federal, funds.) Still, they are not waiting for the physical structure to start pulling people to the river or to pursue their equity mission. They co-host a major festival in adjoining Anacostia Park, as well as youth programs (focused on gardening and the river), neighborhood-specific public art, a Ward-8 home buyers club and more.

They host periodic walking tours and I think we should take a group from Charlottesville. In any case, this is definitely a project I will continue to watch.

The meeting with Vaughn was a big highlight for me, but it was just the beginning of an ambitious agenda. The youth also met with Matthew Steenhoek, vice-president of the firm that is developing the massive mixed-use District Warf project. They had a private visit (!!!) to the National Museum of African American History and Culture. And, they toured SeVerna on K with Mel Thompson, of Grimm and Parker—the firm selected to redesign Friendship Court. SeVerna is very similar to the envisioned future of Friendship Court and it was very enlightening to walk through an actual space (including some apartments)--much better than looking at plans or drawings. I think it would be useful for more people to do that.

It was a whirlwind trip, with a lot to take in and no small amount of walking and riding around the capital city. It was great to hang out with the kids, most of whom I’ve known since they were very young. It was also quality time with some of my favorite adults—Barbara Brown-Wilson, Claudette Grant, Beth Meyer and Margaret Haltom. It’s nice to be with friends but it’s especially great to be together in beautiful spaces and to see real-world expressions of ideas we talk about so much.

I'm looking forward to applying some of what I learned to my work in Charlottesville.

Catching Up

2018-06-23T16:29:00.005-04:00

Monticello is one of several connections we are trying to create between Charlottesville and surrounding assets in Albemarle County. Here, the an existing social trail to the future Biscuit Run Park that should be made safe and legal.

I was horrified to look at my blog and discover nothing since 2017! It's not like I haven't been writing; simply the Monticello Connectivity Project is being included in a larger and very ambitious regional connectivity project I'm working on now. I'm writing ALOT on that project's web site.

Here are some highlights:

Packed Room for Greenways Kickoff Event (October, 2017)
Cypherways Uses Hip-Hop to Generate Ideas and Enthusiasm for Greenways (November, 2017)
About the Greenways Project (January, 2018)
Fifth Street Hub: A Project with Momentum (March, 2018)
Photo Gallery: Anacostia River Greenway (April, 2018)
Photo Gallery: High Bridge Trail State Park (May, 2018)
Charlottesville / Albemarle Bike / Ped Survey (June, 2018)

I am working on a few things specific to Monticello and Beyond. More on those soon...

Mobility and Mobilization

2017-10-18T10:35:00.000-04:00

Like the Practicum project, this new venture will connect kids, families and communities to resources and opportunities.

I have started a new job with Piedmont Environmental Council. In cooperation with the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and with support from the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation, we are working with communities in both Charlottesville and the urban areas of Albemarle County to envision and implement a connective network of trails and greenways. In many ways, it is an enlargement of the Monticello Connectivity practicum project.

The project has two main intertwined elements. We will talk to many people in diverse organizations and neighborhoods to develop a multi-modal transportation plan that truly reflects community ideas, needs and values. We will also engage with stakeholders to develop the civic infrastructure to keep sustain public advocacy to bring that vision to reality both by holding government accountable and by contributing their passion and even labor as well as their ideas. It’s about both mobility and mobilization.

We will begin our two-year project with a kickoff event on Wednesday, November 8 6-8 p.m. at the Jefferson School African American Heritage Center. Greenways guru Chuck Flink and Max Hepp-Buchannan from Bike-Walk RVA will share insights about the benefits of greenways and ideas about how to make them happen.

We will follow that with a series of events, community visits and conversations about how to make a more connected community.

Kickoff Event | Project Page

Case Study: Virginia Creeper Trail

2017-09-20T20:12:00.000-04:00

One of 47 bridges and trestles on the Creeper Trail.

The Monticello Connectivity Practicum team studied a number of regional trail projects to find out what works and what we can learn from them. This past weekend, I was able to visit one of the best of them and experience it first-hand. After reading hundreds of reports and gushing reviews I had high expectations for the Virginia Creeper Trail. It exceeded them.

The Creeper follows an old railroad right-of-way through the mountains and valleys of Southwest Virginia. Meredith and I rented bikes for the day and one-way shuttle service in Abingdon ($26 each) and rode the full 37 mostly-downhill miles back from White Top. It felt epic but attainable for someone who is active but not a cycling specialist. Shorter routes are available. The entire first half is a very easy ride and barely requires pedaling. As a result, we saw all body types, kids and seniors. The beauty is breath-taking and I was thrilled to see so many people out enjoying it. Because most people ride the same direction, there was little conflict even on a peak-usage Saturday afternoon.

The right-of-way is a three-way partnership between the United States Forest Service, the Town of Damascus and the City of Abingdon. Much of the trail is on Forest Service land, but more than half of it is on private land, passing alongside (and through) villages, farms and woodlands. Trespass is not an issue: the trail design keeps you on it and there’s really no reason to leave except to patronize the businesses it passes.

Passing through the landscape on a coasting bicycle is an entirely different experience than hiking or driving.

The neighbors embrace the Creeper and with good reason: it is stunningly beautiful and accessible but it has also been an economic boon for them. There have been numerous research studies, which the Practicum Team reviewed in depth. We learned, for example, that the trail generates millions of dollars in economic activity and tax revenue. Damascus cannot capture all of the economic potential so tourists who use the trail often stay in surrounding cities (like Bristol). Abingdon does a better job and larger cities like Charlottesville would probably not experience this leakage.

The trail is not just a tourist attraction however: it is very popular with locals. One of the cool things about the studies we read is that one of them (Bowker, Bergstrom and Gill, 2007) calculates a per-visit spend figure for local users of about $2—about the price of a cup of coffee, which sounds reasonable. I caught up with some members of a local running club during my visit and they confirmed all of this and added that numerous charities host events on the trail, which indicates philanthropic impact beyond what the studies reported (they are about a decade old).

The Creeper’s positive impact is plainly visible to the most casual visitor to Abingdon and even more so in Damascus. Everywhere you look, bikes, bike shuttles, bicycles on cars. The business owners I spoke to confirmed my suspicion that their ecotourism trade is seasonal, but it is a surprisingly long season: Early March to late November. Visitors are loyal, returning periodically (Bowker, et al. also found this). It is not a spandex-clad set either: if anything, the riders I met skewed decidedly in the “casual” category.

Damascus calls itself "Trailtown" with good reason. Abingdon, on the other hand, is organized around a court house, a theater and a working rail road.

The Creeper was the main reason for our visit but I was pleased to see that it is by no means all the area is about--quite the contrary. Abingdon and Damascus derive their identities from many sources ranging from Danial Boone (rumored to have been trapped in a cave at the center of town) to the Crooked Road music scene. The towns do a great job of blending Nature and Culture and we could have easily spent a week there without getting bored. My conversations confirmed what the literature told me: the region gets many repeat visitors. It’s just a great place to hang out and we'll undoubtedly join that cadre.

So here’s what I took away: the rave reviews and the case studies are correct: The Creeper Trail succeeds on many levels and is worth emulating. It feeds the economy and improves life for locals. I obviously loved it and kept asking myself if Little Damascus and Abingdon can pull this off, what might Charlottesville and Albemarle accomplish if we really work together?

Bowker, J.M., John Bergstrom and Joshua Gill. 2007. “Estimating the Economic Value and Impacts of Recreational Trails: a Case Study of the Virginia Creeper Rail Trail.” Tourism Economics. 13(2): 241-260.

Read the Practicum's full Creeper Trail case study here.

Locating Monticello Road

2017-08-17T21:30:00.000-04:00

1937 aerial photo of Charlottesville's southeast corner, transposed on the contemporary landscape, with the intact portion of Monticello Road highlighted in blue and its lost portion red. (Photo: City of Charlottesville).

Chris Gensic sent me a set of aerial photos that give us the best idea yet of Monticello Road's historic route, and specifically the course of the section that is buried under Interstate 64. This 1937 photo predates the construction of Monticello Avenue (the route of which appears on earlier plats)--and it definitely predates I-64. It's interesting that at the time, Monticello and Scottsville Roads were united within the City limits and only diverged after crossing Moore's Creek--that's why it makes a hard left turn.

We were wondering the road's exact relationship to the creek: where it crossed, which bank it followed and precisely where it turned cross-contour. We want to understand that so we can make the most historically authentic connector trail. I georeferenced Chris's photo, then made a shapefile of the old road's course and added it to my database.

The former course of Monticello Road (red) and some nearby trails, including the connective corridor the Practicum Team studied (purple).

A future trail will not necessarily follow the precise route. Practicalities about crossing the creek and interstate, finding gentle slopes and keeping pedestrians separate from cars will all influence the trail's siting. However, of the four corridors the Practicum Team considered, this one is the truest spatial expression of the City's connection to the Heritage Site. Accurately locating the original road course (at least its early 20th Century incarnation) will help trail planners weave a more multi-faceted trail experience.

Beyond Monticello: Morven

2017-08-01T09:03:00.000-04:00

After presenting the Monticello Connectivity report, people asked what I was planning to do next. My answer was often, “Hopefully something like this.” That wish received a nice down-payment when the UVa Foundation’s Morven hired me to work with their staff and two Architecture School interns to study the feasibility of trails at (or to) Morven. Morven borders James Monroe’s Highland and is about two miles from Monticello. There is growing interest in a trail connecting the historic sites, which would vastly extend the connected network we are already developing.

Students from the Morven Summer Institute hike on one of Morven's many undocumented--but beautiful--trails.

Morven is a 2,913-acre farm bequeathed to the University of Virginia in 2001. Besides hosting a full calendar of events throughout the year, Morven is the site of a Summer sustainability Institute, a Leadership Forum for future African leaders, a forthcoming women’s initiative and the University’s Kitchen Garden. Along with Monticello, Highland, Montpelier, the University of Virginia, the College of William and Mary, Morven is part of the Presidential Precinct. That alliance is mostly programmatic but I’ve long wondered if its alliance could be spatial too, which would open a vast (approx. 6,000 local acre) domain of connected discovery right on Charlottesville’s border.

Morven is less well known than some of its neighbors, but it is equally beautiful and historically fascinating. As part of his effort to gather his friends as neighbors, Thomas Jefferson facilitated the sale of a property known as “Indian Camp” to his friend William Short in 1796. They planned to divide the property into 100-acre tenant farms as an experiment in free yeoman agriculture that Jefferson so often extolled but did not himself practice.

Obviously, that model did not sweep the American South, but it’s a fascinating story with profound implications and many other histories are layered above and below it. Combine them with an incredible landscape and UVa’s forward-looking sustainability program and Morven becomes a multi-layered cultural landscape well worth exploring.

That’s what my team has been doing. We’ve distilled the student research from two courses that featured Morven this past spring (Cultural Landscapes and Conservation Law) into a single beautiful summary report (available at the end of summer). We are also prepping for a charrette taking place after Labor Day.

Co-conspiritors Pan and Mennen, armed with hand-held GPS tracking devices.

Trailway-finding
We started with the hypothesis that Morven already has an unrecognized trail network so the first step has been to inventory what’s there. Morven has some walking paths through its gardens, but it also has several miles of low-traffic drives, farm roads and fire roads through its abundant forests.

We located these by driving them with Morven staff and GPS tracking devices we borrowed from UVa’s Scholar’s Lab. These routes can quickly be converted into nearly 15 miles of walkable byways* if they are actively maintained and simple directional signage added. Unmaintained legacy roads also crisscross the property and these can be selectively woven into to the system. I mapped a few of these with a GPS-enabled watch during a bush-wack run and many more await the end of briar season.

We will place all of these on an easy-to-use map that can be distributed to visitors and also be the basis for a larger and more systematic asset inventory by Morven staff and future interns. We will identify what is needed to bring these trails into official service, what it would cost and recommend further steps to improve/extend the network.

* 4.7 miles of maintained fire roads, 2.5 miles of bush hog trails, and 7+ miles of seldom-trafficked farm roads and driveways.

Highland is about to open a trail system similar to what we're proposing.

Connecting with the Neighbors
Just as Morven’s trail network is closer to fruition than one might have thought, it would actually be quite easy to connect to Highland and their new trail network as well. We identified several links that could be put into service without a great deal of effort and without disrupting Morven’s agricultural operations.

Although we are not at this time requesting an everyday connector trail that is open to the public, this route can be used several times a year on a permanent basis to begin building a culture of walking between the sites. As increasingly many people use each of the adjoining, but not officially connected, trail networks (Monticello, Highland, Morven, and potentially Carters Mountain) and see how close together they are, the case will grow to bridge the narrow gaps on an everyday basis.

As with the bush-hog trails, several of the forestry roads can become reliable trails will just a little work and maintenance. Others will need to be clawed back from succession.

Pathways to Learning

My biggest takeaway—and I’ve really come to appreciate it through my work with the interns—is that Morven is not just an interesting place in the past and present--it is a zone for active invention. Not only will the trail itself connect points of discovery, the process of getting a trail—and whatever comes next—is a form of active making of new new knowledge. The bequest that gifted Morven to the University specified that its core be used to further the pursuit of learning and my experience has been very much in that spirit.

The process of creating this report has been constant teaching—and learning. There is much collaboration among Morven staff, UVa professors, students, interns and (in my case) recent alumni. The team is learning by doing within a structured and supportive environment. Similarly, although there are established methods for developing trails—which we are studying—we’re also taking a very hands-on trial-and-error approach that hopes to build on, and extend, the research. (A future post will delve more deeply into our somewhat nerdy methods.)

What pleases me most, however, is the personal development I have witnessed on my team—and in myself. We have all learned new skills, both practical and interpersonal but it goes even deeper than that and I will close with one example.

A cup of coffee and a sunrise allowed me to see Morven's landscape in a new light.

Without doubt, the best part of the work so far was when we obtained permission to spend a night camping at Morven. It was fun and we got to see many of the faces Morven presents throughout the 24 hours of the day. But there was something much better. One of our interns, who is from China, had never slept outside, nor walked much under dark skies illuminated only by starlight.

Morven is a beautiful, historic place that is well worth a visit, which is reason enough to develop a set of trails. As part of a Liberal Arts institution, it has a very important role to play in helping students (and those fortunate to work with them) become better, more fully actualized human beings and to do so through shared endeavor.

Although Short and Jefferson’s model did not come to pass in the 19th Century, the 21st brings many exciting possibilities and I believe this project will help bring them closer to fruition.

What's Next for the Monticello Connectivity Project?

2017-07-10T22:07:00.000-04:00

This diagram combines the theory-of-change logic model I designed last year with VDoT's excellent Community Trail Development Guide and is part of the Practicum report's conclusion. Right now, we are in the yellow portion of the process.

The Charlottesville to Monticello Connectivity Study was well-received by many people we respect, including stakeholders in government, non-profits, academia and—best all—the community. We didn’t start this venture but I think we helped move it forward.

The next step is for the stakeholders to prioritize issues we developed and get to work on them and there has already been some progress on that front. A subset of our advisory group got together a few weeks ago and looked at priorities. Here’s some of what they came up with:

Our plan recommends building a full network of connections, but some segments are easier or more important, so we suggest a phased approach. (Map layout by Monticello Practicum Team) [Details about all routes]

The Old Monticello Road route, with a side spur along the Blue Ridge Hospital site to the current Monticello-Saunders Trail head (segments 6 and 3 on the Phasing Map) is appealing and worth pursuing. (Note: this intriguing route inspired the whole process.) Engineering for the complicated tunnel/stream-crossing is essential so the next step will be a detailed feasibility study and getting that funded/scheduled is the next order of business.
The Piedmont Environmental Council and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission recently received a grant for regional trail advocacy and planning. This could dovetail well with that effort. At the same time, the TJPDC has finally gotten to work on their regional bike/ped master plan and this can contribute to it, as was our original strategy. It’s great to see that convergence--it's exactly what needs to happen. More on that soon.
We kept hearing from the community (and we all agree) that Piedmont Virginia Community College is a critical piece at the center of everything. It is a very significant destination in its own right but also an important connective opportunity. In combination with the several nearby schools and other public uses, it is a recreational resource that looks and acts just like a park, with several quasi-formal trails that can, with a few improvements, connect populations to opportunities (1 and 2 above). PVCC needs to be brought into the conversation as soon as possible and will probably be the next actual thing we do.
The Avon Corridor (segments 4 and 5 above) is also a crucial link and a high priority. The sections of that route that need improvement are almost entirely in the County, so a multi-party process is not needed for that and the County is already working on it. We will contribute any way that we can.
The Woolen Mills connection (segment 8) will be addressed in conjunction with a future Rivanna River crossing.
Adding bike/pedestrian facilities to Route 20 (segment 7) remains on the map, in conjunction with an interchange redesign. But connectivity will not need to wait for that--priority #1 above will also address the goal.

It would be fairly easy to link PVCC (and its parking and neighborhood connections) to the Saunders-Monticello Trail. (Visualization by Julie Murphy)

For my part, I plan to pursue a few different angles:

I will find a way to present the Practicum report to PVCC and get them involved. I’m working with Dan Mahon (the County’s Trail Manager) and others on what that involvement might look like. PVCC has a new Campus Plan that makes little mention of connectivity or accessibility but actually can be quite harmonious with our goals. I'm already scheduled to present to Preservation Piedmont this today.
I will be keeping an eye on the emerging trail planner/advocate role. Successful projects tend to have a single point-of-contact champion or institution—and it seems right up my alley.
We'll keep tabs on the engineering study as it moves from idea to action.
I think we should reach out to Carter Mountain Orchard about re-examining their no-pedestrians-or-bikes policy. They used to be relaxed about it but had issues with pedestrians on their the road, which is steep and can induce white-knuckles. But now that both Monticello and Highland have well-made trails that approach their fence line, there are some exciting possibilities for Carter’s Mountain as both connection and as a food/drink/fun destination for trail users.
Aaaannnnnd I’m working with a team of Morven interns and staff to study the feasibility of trails to/at Morven, with a connection to James Monroe's Highland and potentially with our network too. That is going to be cool--and the subject of my next story.

Hypothetical route for a trail extending to Morven via Highland. (Map layout by Maura Harris)

Lots going on.

Update: Piedmont Environment Council is hosting a webinar and discussion entitled, "Getting to "Yes" on Greenway Trails in Your Community" on Thursday, July 20. There will be good information and some good allies for anyone interested in these topics. [info]

Connective Corridors to Monticello

2017-06-22T15:00:00.001-04:00

Charlottesville to Monticello & Beyond is a report I co-authored about re-connecting Charlottesville to Monticello for pedestrians and cyclists. The entry explores the core of the report: a comparison of four possible connective corridors. My deepest gratitude to my co-authors (Maura Harris, Caroline Herre, Joel Lehman, and Julie Murphy) whose ideas and language infuse this entry.

The practicum team and its advisors studied four corridors to connect Charlottesville to the Saunders-Monticello Trail based on City and County Comprehensive Plans, which are closely aligned on this subject. Although it is possible to get from source to destination using other routes, such as stream valleys, our analysis had to be finite and build upon our stakeholders’ previous consensus-building work. Our work focuses mainly on transportation corridors, while acknowledging that a truly comprehensive outcome will probably make other, more recreational connections, too.

For convenience, we named these corridors Routes A, B, C, and D.

Route A: Avon Street Corridor via PVCC

Route A follows the Avon Street corridor, crosses Interstate 64 on a proposed pedestrian bridge, passes through the woods and campus of Piedmont Virginia Community College, and crosses VA-20 at a redesigned intersection at College Drive.

Overall Advantages

Access to PVCC
Connection to low-income Charlottesville city neighborhoods and Albemarle County’s Southern
Neighborhood Area
Possibility to add parking

Overall Disadvantages

Much of Avon Corridor is not ready for multi-modal access
Crossing Interstate 64
Crossing VA-20
Steep hills along Avon Street and College Drive
Relatively long distance

Route B: Monticello Avenue & VA-20

Route B begins on Monticello Avenue at the Charlottesville border and follows Monticello Avenue/VA-20 south past the Interstate 64 cloverleaf to the entrance to the Saunders- Monticello Trail. The most ideal expression of this route includes facilities on both sides of the road.

Overall Advantages

Gentlest topography
Links to PVCC
Potential to add parking
Designated Bike Route 76

Overall Disadvantages

Adjacent to a busy road (VA-20)
Requires reconfiguration of I-64 interchange and crossings25

Route C: Monticello Road (Re)extended

Route C begins just north of Moore’s Creek, to the east of Monticello Avenue. It crosses Moore’s Creek on a proposed bridge, passes under I-64 through a proposed tunnel, then follows the eastern edge of the Blue Ridge Hospital Site. The route then crosses VA-53 (Thomas Jefferson Parkway) on a proposed bridge, connecting with the Saunders- Monticello Trail at Michie Tavern.

Overall Advantages

Most direct route
Surrounded by scenic forest environment
Historic continuity

Overall Disadvantages

Cost of tunnel (including engineering)
Possible land acquisition
Wetland/floodplain
Pedestrian Bridge needed at Michie Tavern
Access through Michie Tavern property

Route D: Historic Woolen Mills

Starts at Woolen Mills, crosses Moore’s Creek and follows the Rivanna River and the railroad corridor, passes under the existing Interstate viaduct and follows south side of highway to join the other routes.

Overall Advantages

Close connection to a park and the Rivanna Trail
Near a potential river crossing
Developer of new mixed-use property eager for trail and willing to contribute.

Overall Challenges

Parking already an issue
Easement required from a second landowner
Disused factory site in unstable condition
Steep land
Railroad easement likely needed

We recommend a phased comprehensive approach that uses elements of all routes. A wider network provides greater access, disperses users through space, reduces crowding, and creates a diversity of route options. Each route has at least one major advantage—and at least one major disadvantage. None will meet all the goals alone.

Read the full report for a detailed description (and cost estimation) for each route as well as recommendations for a phased implementation that includes both quick wins and long-term goals.

Saunders-Monticello Trail User Thoughts on Connectivity

2017-05-30T11:04:00.004-04:00

The following two entries dive deep into the recent report I co-authored on connecting Charlottesville to Monticello & beyond.

A large part of our research centered around the fabulously-successful Saunders Monticello Trail, which serves as a gateway to Monticello and will the linchpin of our connector(s). We conducted a survey of current trail users because it is essential that we understand their preferences and desires if our own project is to be successful. The survey succeeded far beyond our expectations, with 1010 responses in 18 days.

The chart tallies a manual count of concept mentions relative to connectivity. We also did a word cloud cloud (see end of article) but we found the manual method much more informative and precise. A word cloud, for example, does not distinguish between a user who says "I want a connection," and one who says, "I don't want a connection." Word clouds give a useful glimpse but are not sound basis for policy.

Out of the 1,010 survey responses, there were 443 comments in response to the open-ended question “Do you have any other comments about connecting the trail to Charlottesville and/or other destinations (e.g. Morven Farm, Highland, Mill Creek, PVCC)?” The chart left illustrates the relative themes that emerged. All topics with two or greater mentions are included.

Endorsements
Among the responses, the most mentioned by far was a positive response expressing support and excitement for the trail.

Destinations
Respondents mentioned Piedmont Virginia Community College more than any other destination, but quickly followed by many of the major destinations explored in the study: Morven Farm, the Rivanna Trail, James Monroe’s Highland, Route 20, Belmont and the Charlottesville downtown area, and Avon extended and its associated neighborhoods (including Mill Creek). Several other respondents considered the broader regional connection possibilities, including the 3 Notch’d Trail, Scottsville, and Crozet.

Bikes and Accessibility
A significant number of respondents mentioned desire for bike access through the connection. Some respondents hoped for facilities if the trail is expanded and connected into a wider network, particularly parking. Regarding accessibility, several respondents mentioned a desire to continue bringing their family to the trail, others mentioned a desire to bring dogs, to connect the trail to transit, and for the trail to be ADA accessible and friendly for senior users. Of particular note about the transit access, several respondents mentioned a desire for a shuttle bus that would connect the end of the trail to key destinations within Charlottesville, including PVCC, UVA, and the Downtown Mall.

Trail Characteristics and Amenities
Several respondents mentioned a desire to highlight and maximize historic and cultural connections through the trail network expansion. Some respondents mentioned key physical aspects of the trail, including a preference for a pathway that is not directly adjacent to the street, and a desire to increase crosswalk safety.

A few respondents reacted negatively to the premise of the study: either they did not desire a trail, did not desire a trail to connect to their neighborhood, or did not desire bikes to be allowed to use the trail. Two respondents expressed concern and recommended thoughtful consideration about the people who have set up camps beneath and near the I-64 and Route 20 bridges.

Why Visitors Love the Saunders Monticello Trail

2017-04-28T08:45:00.000-04:00

Out of the 1010 survey responses, there were 681 comments of various length. We divided the terms into categories, among which a few key themes emerged. They are summarized, in chart form, above. Here's what they tell us:

Design and Upkeep
The gentle, sloping boardwalks are wildly popular. Users like that they moderate the challenge of climbing a mountain and make the trails accessible to people of all abilities. They like that they’re wide enough to be social, that there are also more rugged options, there is educational signage along the way and they are long enough to merit a trip. The meticulous maintenance is a very significant contributor to the sense of welcome.

Nature
Visitors love the park’s natural beauty.

Proximity to Where they Live and Work
Exposure to nature in a way that is highly welcoming and close to home completes a triangle that explains the park’s success.

No Cars, No Fear, No Stress
The Saunders Trail is a stress-free environment. Some users talked about safety from cars, others about safety from crime. Most users just used the word “safe” and without context it is impossible to know which version of safety they were referring to. They also see the park as a place to get away from daily life. It would be interesting to follow up with research to know how much (and what kind of) contact with humanity is enough for perception of safety from crime. It is clear, however, that park users value the absence of cars, which is interesting given that the trail was built as part of a parkway project.

Kids, Families, Community and Activities
Even though the trail is a place of natural escape, users still value the social connections that happen there, whether they go with friends or meet acquaintances. The park is designed in such a way to promote positive interaction as well as harmony between active and contemplative uses.

Amenities at the David M. Rubenstein Visitor Center and Monticello Itself
It appears that most Saunders Trail users visit the park as a destination independent of Monticello. A small number did indicate appreciation for the connection to the World Heritage Site and the visitor center as a destination and amenity for the trail.

Implications for a Connector Trail
The overwhelming response to the survey indicates very high demand for a connector.

A large percentage of users are from Charlottesville, the others from urban parts of Albemarle, or from out of state. All of these users would benefit from a connection, and the majority have stated they would use it. Many would leave their cars at home, improving community fitness and reducing stress in the parking lot.

Users are interested in a widely connective network that is both kid- and bike-friendly. Accessibility by public transportation and for the elderly and disabled is important. Destinations near all of the corridors are mentioned, with enthusiasm roughly proportional to proximity. There is strong support for an extension to Highland and Morven, which is not one of the routes studied in this report, but is being addressed independently by Highland and Morven.

Amenities like bathrooms, water fountains, and quality signage are desirable. A fractional minority oppose the trail for fear that more users will spoil the Saunders-Monticello Trail experience, but far more indicated they expect an enlarged network would spread users and reduce crowding.

In order for the trail to be well integrated with the Saunders-Monticello Trail it will need to exhibit the following qualities:

Users should be fully separated from automobiles.
It should be wide enough to comfortably accommodate cyclists and groups of pedestrians.
Inclines should be as gentle as possible.
It should feel safe for women and the elderly.
There should be natural scenery.
There needs to be a sustainable maintenance plan.
I f cyclists and pedestrians use the same corridor, it needs to be well-managed either through signage, clear rules, or separate facilities.
Clear directional and even some interpretive signage would be welcome.

This is an excerpt from the report Charlottesville to Monticello and Beyond. Read the executive summary and download the full report here.

Charlottesville to Monticello and Beyond

2017-03-14T21:03:00.005-04:00

Corridors identified for study.

Phase Two of the Monticello Connectivity research project is underway. Five Masters students1 from University of Virginia’s department of Urban and Environmental Planning are studying the feasibility of a pedestrian and bicycle trail to Monticello, James Monroe's Highland and more.

The regional Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) is sponsoring the study in cooperation with the Thomas Jefferson Foundation as part of its Jefferson Area Bike and Pedestrian Plan. The report to be completed in the Spring of 2017 will examine the Saunders Monticello Trail, possible connection routes, impacts, opportunities and identify resources and case studies.

Learn more

1. Graduate students Maura Harris, Caroline Herre, Peter Krebs, Joel Lehman and Julie Murphy.

Monticello Connectivity Pre-Assessment:Executive Summary

2017-01-22T13:31:00.000-05:00

Saunders Bridge from Monticello (Aaron Eichorst via instagram)

This is the executive summary of a 50-page pre-assessment report I wrote about reconnecting Charlottesville to Monticello and beyond for pedestrians and cyclists. That document is the result of an independent a study course at the University of Virginia's Masters of Urban and Environmental Planning program. The next phase will be an in-depth practicum in which I will be joined by four other graduate students. We will delve with greater detail into the issues identified in this report. That will be available in the late spring/ early summer. -Peter Krebs

Monticello is an important source of Charlottesville’s history, cultural identity and economic vitality. In combination with the Academical Village at the University of Virginia it is a nearly unmatched resource and very unusual for a town of this size. Monticello is close to the city (its lands are less than a mile from the border) and it is visible from many locations, yet it is difficult to get there without a car. This discontinuity poses problems of equity and unrealized opportunity for Monticello, the city and the region.

Monticello was once easily accessible. There were multiple routes into town with significant travel and exchange in both directions. When Interstate 64 was built (in the 1960’s and 70’s) all of those routes were severed except for one (VA-20) and that was widened for highway speeds without accommodation for bicycles or pedestrians, effectively cutting Monticello off from those who do not have—or choose to use—a car.[1] There is no transit connection, which limits residents and visitors alike.

The Thomas Jefferson Foundation, which owns and operates Monticello and much of the surrounding lands, bridged half the distance in 2000 by opening Saunders Monticello Trail. This winding two-mile pathway is fully ADA accessible (while climbing a mountain!) and its beauty attracts tremendously diverse visitorship. Combined with the adjoining parkland, it is a wildly successful landscape and a destination in its own right yet it is difficult to get there with a vehicle and nearly impossible without one.

The core of the study area, showing roads, parcels and institutional landowners.

The remaining gap, subject of this study, is small but complicated. The highway itself is a formidable physical and psychological barrier.[2] The zone is split between two jurisdictions (Charlottesville and Albemarle County) with a third (Virginia Department of Transportation) in between. There are multiple institutional landowners as well, most of whom would like to solve the problem but none able to tackle it alone. A collaborative process will be required.

Both the City and County’s Comprehensive Plans mention Monticello connectivity or show it on their maps but they are not coordinated. Additionally, Morven has begun a study for a trail from its vast and historically significant lands south of town, through James Monroe’s Highland to Monticello.[3] The regional Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) has begun a decennial revision of its 2004 Jefferson Area Bike and Pedestrian Plan and this segment will be a crucial part of it. As part of that process, the TJPDC is sponsoring a spring study by Masters students (including myself) from University of Virginia’s department of Urban and Environmental Planning. We will provide research support.

This document provides background for the Monticello Connectivity portion of that work by identifying key stakeholders and issues, and examining the overlapping spatial factors such as jurisdiction, land tenure and legacy infrastructure that make this problem complicated. It evaluates the current planning environment to determine whether a collaborative approach is likely to succeed.

Connectivities within and related to the study area.

Here are some key findings, several of which will be investigation topics for the practicum group:

The key stakeholders are motivated and ready to work together but they need coordination. They have good but mostly informal working relationships.
Multi-jurisdictional plan integration is not the local norm, but that might be changing.
The TJPDC decennial process will provide coordination and yield recommendations but it is not advocacy. Stakeholders will need implementation strategies and funding.
To be successful, this project needs to pay attention to the regional context and look at opportunities near (but outside of) the study area, such as Piedmont Virginia Community College and the County’s Southern Neighborhood area. It is not only about trips to Monticello from Charlottesville.
The notion that the trail could extend all the way to Morven, and connect Highland, is extraordinarily compelling and appears within reach.
The issue of connectivity and accessibility to Monticello (and the other sites) is not only a physical question. It has an important socio-historical component, which the Thomas Jefferson Foundation is actively engaging. This trail would therefore not a typical piece of infrastructure: it would be a physical expression of historical and cultural discovery. That history is being energetically debated, contested and expanded. The trail will have to acknowledge and reflect that.
The landscape in question is quite beautiful, with many opportunities for recreation and education.
The entire pathway from Morven to the UVa Rotunda (and beyond) via Highland, Monticello, the Saunders Trail, Belmont, the Downtown Mall, the Jefferson School and West Main carries nearly infinite possibilities for interpretation, programming and storytelling.
Planning history and theory recommends circumspection: even though this project seems very beneficial, there could be hidden downsides, such as residential or business displacement. There is no specific evidence that this is likely, but it is serious enough to merit investigation.

This will not be a typical amenity or recreational trail. It is a connection between two halves of a UNESCO World Heritage site; a region and the full telling of its history; a community and a vast zone of ecological and cultural discovery. There are challenges but very high and very likely rewards. It is an exciting project and an opportunity to model a better collaborative approach between neighboring localities, governments and foundations to unlock a shared opportunity.

The situation is ripe for a collaborative master planning process to proceed.

[Full Report--1.7 MB]

Notes:

1. That segment is part of National Bike Route 76, notwithstanding its unsuitability.

2. I theorize a nexus between these three forces—physical, psychological and procedural—that causes them to mutually self-reinforce to make simple problems more challenging

3. The University of Virginia Foundation owns Morven as it does the Blue Ridge Sanitarium site, which occupies much of the land between Charlottesville and the Saunders Trail.

Historic Routes to Monticello

2017-01-06T09:52:00.000-05:00

1890 Charlottesville Land Company Map, showing several of the lost roads (dashed), Monticello Road and Avenue and Market Street (which still exist) and the path of Interstate 64. (Special Collections Library, University of Virginia via Scholars’ Lab). Click to enlarge.

For most of its history, it was easy to get to Monticello. There were multiple possible routes: through Woolen Mills, Carlton, present-day Monticello Road and present-day Route 20. There was busy commerce along all of these routes and there is enduring evidence—and local memories—of that. The advent of the automobile did not itself cause a disruption. During my earlier work studying Monticello Road, I met long-time residents who used to travel that route and I heard amusing stories of joyrides along the steep and winding road into town.

Construction of Interstate 64 in the 1960’s sliced between Charlottesville and Monticello, obliterating those old routes. The Woolen Mills/Carlton approaches exist in only on maps; Monticello Road is in two disconnected segments (one of which is completely disused) and the Monticello Avenue approach was widened to a four lane divided highway without sidewalk.

There was a flurry of institutional building at that same time, with the opening of Piedmont Virginia Community College (PVCC) in 1973, the original regional visitor center (now PVCC Stultz Center) and the serial re-purposing of the Blue Ridge Hospital (ultimately mothballed in the 90’s). Since then, there has been steady growth south on Route 20 (including several subdivisions and a high school), but pedestrian access has not gotten easier...

This text is extracted from my pre-assessment report, Reconnecting Heritage: Pedestrian and Bicycle Connectivity to Monticello, The executive summary and full text of that report will be available soon.

Overcoming the Obduracy of the Status Quo

2016-12-30T20:02:00.001-05:00

Route 20 was widened and Interstate 64 was built to help people get around, yet they make it difficult and unsafe for pedestrians and cyclists to get to Monticello. Bridging that barrier poses difficulties that are physical, psychological and bureaucratic.

This essay warns that plans to mitigate obdurate and problematic infrastructure can themselves become resistant to input and improvement. Yet, a visioning process that truly listens has the potential create positive change.

Anique Hommels illuminates a fundamental question facing planners who wish to change the world: the built environment—especially infrastructure—has a powerful incumbency that makes it very challenging to displace or modify. Aside from the broader truth that the status quo always has home-field advantage, one must reckon with issues of cost, interdependency with other systems, inconvenience and disruption but also the idea that physical forms shape human processes and thinking.

In my Monticello project, I am trying to find a way to get pedestrians safely past an interstate in general and a cloverleaf interchange in particular. That highway is a powerful fact-on-the ground that cannot be ignored: it is the prevailing reality. There will be costs and perhaps inconvenience associated with rejiggering the ramps to make them safe. However, I foresee a trickier social process problem in convincing the state’s highway engineers to modify their traditional approach—for example by substituting a right-angle turn for a cloverleaf or even adding a new light, crosswalk or stop sign. That’s not how they do things; it’s not in their protocols.

Robert Beauregard also talks about the incumbency effect of infrastructure, which causes the populace to accommodate objects’ needs, rather than the intended converse. He takes a critical next step, reminding planners that their plans—and the environments in which they’re presented—are assertions of power and open to abuse.

A drawing represents a potent stake in the ground through which a designer asserts that a discussion must start here. Not only do elaborate plans demonstrate seriousness and credibility but they imply sunk costs that an efficient mind ought to build upon and not refute or significantly alter. Too many plans and designs become fetishes for their authors that have the effect of constricting—rather than expanding—dialogue. And sometimes that’s even the intent.

Bent Flyvbjerg puzzles over why a smart plan backed with lots of data and clear legislative intent could be thwarted by parochial, “tribal” or “premodern” interest groups who want something different. Because of the advantage stasis usually holds, a powerful constituency can easily defend the status quo from a good plan.

He once tried to respond with more studies, more data, more rationality but over the course of his personal journey he discovered that sound arguments are not enough in themselves. It is better to employ evidence to marshal a coalition to answer power with power. Democracy requires persuasion on a retail level, working from group to group. A position paper is only a tool for that.

When I you put all three authors together, I see an answer to my own question of how to overcome a status quo that is further entrenched by incumbent infrastructure. Plans and designs can offer a vision of an alternate reality alongside the existing for comparison. It can help equalize the discussion between what is and what can be. If the designer or planner is brave enough to modify so that a community may truly own it, they may catalyze a stakeholder movement around a positive alternative vision and bring real force to a negotiation.

We have seen many examples of planners using their drawing board to impose their dreams and visions on the world. We also know that we can be facilitators who help a communities design their own futures. But we must be willing to share the chalk.

Sources

Beauregard, Robert A. 2012. “Planning with Things.” Journal of Planning Education and Research, June 1, 32 (2): 182–90. doi:10.1177/0739456X11435415.

Flyvbjerg, Bent. 2002. “Bringing Power to Planning Research: One Researcher’s Praxis Story.” Journal of Planning Education and Research, 21 (4): 353-366

Hommels, Anique. 2005 “Studying Obduracy in the City: Toward a Productive Fusion between Technology Studies and Urban Studies,” in Science Technology, and Human Values, 30 (3): 323-351.

Planning Profession Context and Logic Model for Monticello Road Extended

2016-10-08T17:40:00.003-04:00

The following text is from a paper I wrote for my Independent Study Project on re-connecting Charlottesville to Monticello for pedestrians and cyclists.

Old Monticello Road will be one option the team will explore to reconnect Monticello to Charlottesville.

There are many different lenses through which planners view the practice and even more ways to attack difficult problems. This essay frames my Monticello Connectivity project within the discipline and finishes by considering my own role. In between I describe the logic model I use to chart a path from resources at hand to beneficial social outcomes.

Planning in the Public Interest

Peter Marcuse describes three major planning currents (and sub-currents) along a continuum of faith in—or deference to—institutional power. One could argue for many hours—and some people do just that—about the appropriate setting for that dial but it ultimately comes down to the planner’s sensibilities.

Within his formulation, this project would be described as Social Reform Planning or planning in the public interest. It works with existing institutions to make the world better for a broad majority of the population, while harming very few if anyone,1 as opposed to focusing primarily on either the maintenance of social order or the uplift of the oppressed.

My approach shades into Advocacy Planning because I believe that the institutional actors need to modify their approach. As I will eventually argue in my pre-assessment document,2 the project cannot happen without regional cooperation beyond what we typically see and the result cannot be just without a very inclusive process. Fortunately, the key stakeholders already agree on these principles: there is both a physical need and a need for process reform. This project will address both.

There is an additional concern that the typical planning process yields only paper plans, which we already have and that will not be considered a success. The project will need to somehow change that dynamic if it is to be successful.

The zone we need to cross, though spatially small, contains an interstate and multiple intersecting boundaries.

Working a Problem with Multiple Owners
Although reconnecting Monticello is not a classic “wicked problem,”3 it is complicated. The vast majority of the public would like to be able to walk or ride their bike to Monticello, and the key institutional stakeholders strongly support the idea but it hasn’t happened yet. So something is not working. How can we bring about positive change?

First, the methodical pre-assessment will identify key stakeholders and issues and determine whether the situation is ripe for solution. It will be a short report and resources document. Next, a team of Masters students in Urban Planning and I will dig deeper into the issues and provide background, identify options and study contingencies. This larger team report will inform an inter-jurisdictional collaborative planning process and make specific recommendations.4

We are fortunate that, by coincidence, the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission (TJPDC) is convening just such a process with a timeline that aligns with our own. Our team will not, however, be able to actually solve the problem—that will be up to the stakeholders themselves and they will have to collaborate on that end as well. The report will identify possible funding sources and provide justification and background for their grant writers to get implementation.

The Logic Model
It is not always obvious how to progress from an idea to a fact on the ground. There are abundant resources both in terms of heritage, natural beauty and a motivated and interested community plus support from key institutions who see this project in support of their missions. The research team and the supportive University infrastructure are significant assets that have not been present before. So too is the moment when desire for social connectivity and the decennial planning window are all aligned. This alignment of forces increases the project’s odds of success.

Similarly, the benefits of the project are manifest: although the outcome will be a trail, the impacts will be much larger: regional connectivity, healthy recreational options for residents and visitors, re-link a fractured heritage (both physically and socially) and a powerful economic driver. These do not carry direct or automatic downsides (other than cost or being difficult, which can be said about any project) so there is broad stakeholder support with only tactical caveats.

But it will require a collaborative approach that is not customary and nothing is guaranteed.

How do we change habits to bridge the gap from enthusiasm to actual change? The Kellogg Foundation recommends construction of a Logic Model that begins with Resources engaged in activities that lead to outputs (deliverables), outcomes (desired product) and impacts (social benefit).

The attached chart identifies resources, challenges and the major intermediary steps: assessment and production of a plan; a deliberative public process and desired results. My approach differs slightly from the Kellogg approach in that it has two activity/output iterations: one that focuses on graduate school deliverables and a second (public) process that it will launch.

Planning with complexity is often (or usually) an iterative process and each step within the larger flow will have several eddies of its own. One could make an interesting map of every stage of the process (for example, the assessment could have multiple rounds of interviews). Perhaps that will be part of the project too.

Getting from Strategic Plan to Impactful Implementation

Although the research team can provide a good report and solid recommendations, it cannot create an actual trail or sidewalk—that will be the job of citizens and stakeholders. Yet, several of the stakeholders have, understandably, identified planning fatigue as an issue and impediment. So an excellent plan that is the result of hard work but never gets executed will not only be a missed opportunity but it will also harm future efforts. So it will be important that whatever options are selected be executed. It is important to begin now thinking about what types of process are most likely to lead to implementation.

Although the student team’s mandate will have expired by that point, we can provide guidance on successful collaborative implementation processes. The UVa Planning Department is very strong in the area of collaborative planning and it hosts a center for mediated decision making. Still, it will be a public process and it will be interesting—and at this point, unknowable—to see how the community will use the project recommendations.

The Enabler

My own role will be a little different than the rest of the team’s. I was thinking about this project before the capstone project—indeed before my tenure at the Architecture School. So, it will make sense for me to act as project manager. That aligns with my slightly non-traditional goals as a student: when I finish school I will not be satisfied with an entry-level role. I’m also training for leadership and I must approach my classes and projects with that in mind.

This is a long-term effort and I intend to see it to completion. It excites me because although it is physically small piece of infrastructure, it has profound community/economic development potential. Leigh and Blakely (2013) cite Luke, et al. to describe a professional community and economic development role they call the enabler:

The enabler is essentially a facilitator. In this role the [development] practitioner is a catalytic leader who focuses on bringing people together and providing structure for resolving community economic development issues. The enabler may also mobilize resources but seldom acts as the sole expert.

That sounds like what I am doing and something I would enjoy going forward. That won’t stop when I graduate.

Notes

1. A skeptic might ask whether another trail is just another amenity for those who are already doing well and whether this trail could reinforce a narrative of privilege. My assessment findings to date do not indicate that to be the case a priori. The way the project is executed will have significant impact on both questions and they will both need to be watched.

2. The pre-assessment will be the terminal report from this Independent Study course.

3. For example, wicked problem contains internal contradictions and has no solution condition, neither of which is the case here.

4. I am currently negotiating with two possible organizations to sponsor a group of four students to study the issue for the Planning 6010, Planning Process and Practice practicum course.

Sources

Carcasson, M; Sprain, L. (2015). Beyond problem solving: reconceptualizing the work of public deliberation as deliberative inquiry. Communication Theory.

Leigh, N; Blakely E. (2013) Planning Local Economic Development. (p. 110) Washington, DC: Sage.

Marcuse, P. (2016). The three historic currents of city planning. In Readings in Planning Theory (pp. 116-131). Malden, MA: Wiley/Blackwell.

W.K. Kellogg Foundation. (2004). Logic Model Development Guide.

Wormser, L. (1995). Enhancements: Getting up to speed. Planning, 61(9), 10.

Map data: Albemarle County, City of Charlottesville, ESRI.

A Challenging Site with Potential

2016-09-13T22:03:00.001-04:00

The site is at the SE corner of Monticello and Carlton Roads. (Charlottesville GIS)

The Belmont Carlton Neighborhood Association received a visit from Christopher Henry of Stony Point Design/Build. He was there to talk about an idea—still very much in the preliminary stage—of developing a small cluster of lots totaling about 2/3 acre at the corner of Carlton and Monticello Roads. This blog visited that site a few years ago on a backyard biophilia safari.

Before I go any further, I would like to praise Mr Henry for two things that, should it go forward, will make the project more likely to succeed with the Planning Commission as well as with its future neighbors.

First of all, he obviously read Charlottesville’s Comprehensive Plan and came up with a project that aligns with the City’s goals and values, particularly as respects diverse housing opportunities. Second, and most important, he’s talking early: meeting with planners and listening to the community BEFORE getting invested in a specific execution or set of plans.

I will not reproduce his graphics because they are preliminary, and although he may see them as just thinking with a pencil, images have an enduring quality that can focus people into a vision that is just one of infinite possibilities.

I did not have the impression that he’s locked in at all, which is good because there are some issues with his plan. But that’s ok—it’s early and we can all learn from one another. If more developers took the approach that he’s taking (doing his homework up front and listening throughout) we would have a better city.

The site is zoned Industrial, which allows many uses but not basic housing--but that can, and probably should, change.
(Charlottesville GIS)

Essentially, he wants to build a group of small houses on lots that are much smaller than the typical and would be correspondingly affordable. He has correctly identified a gap in the market: single-family homes for starter families—perhaps two bedrooms at 1000-1200 square feet. I should point out that when Belmont was built, that house size was the norm. He would pack about eight such lots into the site. That’s good density, though more than the nearby R1 but I should again point out that there are also R-3 town homes south of the site, which are even more densely packed.

The sale price would be in the $250K range, which would yield about $1500 for a monthly payment. Working backward, that's 30% of the income of a family making $60k/year, which is 77% AMI for a family of four, so it would definitely be considered workforce housing, which we desperately need.

This price point is crucial to the project’s appeal and will need to be watched: what looks good now may not be so when the model is further developed but so far, so good. It any rate, it's a refreshing response to the over-scaled Belmont Steps across the street.

This site has issues though.

That can be said about every piece of land, but this one is particularly challenging, which is probably why nothing has been built there yet. First of all, even a view from space reveals that it is zoned Industrial. A change to Residential use would require approval from the Planning Commission and the City Council, which is never a sure thing. The project will have a much better chance on that front if the proactive approach I outlined at the top continues. In fact, that rezone probably necessitated the attention to the Comp Plan and his outside-the-box market approach. That's how the system is supposed to work.

The pink areas are designated critical slop--almost the entire site. (Charlottesville GIS)

The real challenge comes from the site’s steep grade, dropping about forty feet front to back of a very small area. If it is even viable to build there at all, multiple permissions will be required. The developer and the City will need to look at the Critical Slope question very carefully.

The very best way to prevent erosion is to leave it as-is: in trees. If it must be developed, then the next best thing, rather than mitigating impacts (which should happen too) is to limit them. The plan he showed included parking in the rear, accessed from a steep common driveway, which would mean a lot of pavement and be a nasty flume when it rains.

I imagine there could be market reasons for having rear parking and the New Urbanist model favors that too but this site is unique. Moving the off-street parking to the front would be in keeping with the other houses on both Monticello and Carlton. Or perhaps it can be eliminated. Either approach would remove the impervious parking lot, the steep access road and permit the back yards to be densely planted and treed. In fact, with the invasives removed, it could be very densely planted, which is the best run-off and soil retention strategy yet devised. And it would be a very significant cost savings.

The site is not exactly old-growth forest at present but it is serving an important ecological function. I would recommend removing the invasives, increasing the trees and replacing them with long-living varieties that will hold the slope, capture run off and lock in carbon for a long time.

I would personally love to live in a house whose rear windows look directly into the mid-tree canopy. That would be a highly appealing feature, especially given the homes’ near-downtown location.

The project was generally well received, which is no surprise. It is consistent with neighborhood values. Of course, that can change as the project develops, but what I’m seeing now has potential. I hope Mr Henry continues his proactive approach. I also hope that the City works closely with him to assure that good intentions translate into a positive result and that there be flexibility on issues like the location of parking. The affordability question will have to be a non-negotiable, though. The only reason to tolerate the environmental impact is to serve a broader smart-growth goal of affordable housing inside the urban core.

Great design happens in response to challenges and in the presence of constraints, not in the absence of them). The site possesses both in abundance but I’m glad he sees that as opportunity.It will be interesting to see the next iteration.

Monticello Road Extended: Update

2016-07-24T20:31:00.000-04:00

This project is about much more than transportation infrastructure.
Image courtesy Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

I can finally announce officially that I’m doing an independent study and thesis for my Masters program at UVa about restoring pedestrian and bicycle connectivity from Charlottesville to Monticello (and potentially beyond). Andrew Mondschein will be my advisor. Our goal is to produce a master plan that provides background, lays out the issues and suggests ways forward.

The first phase/ semester will identify issues and stakeholders, map the various spatialities (such as current conditions, land tenure, proposed routes and jurisdictions) and begin to locate resources and funding. I hope to recruit some help during the second semester as we look deeper at the challenges and suggest possible solutions.

I’ve already started the first part. I’ve had some great conversations with a variety of stakeholders and I’ve learned a great deal. For example, it’s now clear to me that this is a regional endeavor and interjurisdictional cooperation will be essential. There are many ideas on the table and various priorities that, while not mutually exclusive, need to be considered in concert so their goals can merge harmoniously. That is why I’m looking deeply at the spatial issues early in the process.

There will be some challenges with respect to infrastructure (i.e. an interstate is blocking the way) but a successful project will bring diverse parties to the table for a coherent, inclusive vision before it puts pen to paper. Only after exploring needs around heritage, connectivity, development, health and wellness can we start crafting solutions.

I find Chris Gensic’s plan to extend Monticello Road compelling, but it’s not the only solution. In fact, it could be argued that it might be better to follow Route 20 (connecting with Piedmont Community College along the way) or the Rivanna River. Maybe Monticello’s not even the final destination—wouldn’t it be cool to extend through Highland, Morven and deep into Albemarle County? Smart people are already working on these and its time to do so in concert.

Even if we decide to settle on the 19th Century route of Monticello Road, it raises the question: "Which 19th Century road to Monticello?"
Image courtesy Thomas Jefferson Foundation.

Similarly, this is an exciting time in which many are reexamining Thomas Jefferson’s legacy both locally and nationally. This project is about much more than a physical trail, but what do we mean when we talk about “reconnecting heritage?” What possibilities exist and what might that discovery process look like?

Not only will this project be profoundly beneficial to the community, it will be a powerful economic driver. That’s exciting but it’s reason for caution as well. This project is about equitable access to a World Heritage Site, but could it have the unintended result of eliminating nearby affordable housing? We’re not sure but we need to pay attention.

Those are just some of the issues and there’s clearly a lot to consider. I will not solve all of it (or maybe any of it) but I hope to create a conversation that coalesces a motivated a coalition to bring a compelling vision to reality.

I’ll keep you updated as the project moves forward.

Reconnecting Heritage: Restoring Pedestrian Access to Monticello

2016-06-17T11:15:00.001-04:00

Charlottesville is quite unique in that it boasts one World Heritage Site that sits in two locations: Thomas Jefferson’s Academical Village at the University of Virginia and his home at Monticello. The University is located in town and is well connected to the City’s streets and its life. Monticello is just a mile from the city but it’s nearly impossible to reach without a car.

I would like to design a strategic planning process to reconnect Charlottesville and Monticello for pedestrians and cyclists. Such a link will have tremendous economic, health and education benefits, which my plan will explore. It will also build an inclusive vision of heritage and be sensitive to the local environment and social fabric. This project will mobilize support and chart a just path forward.

A Partial Link
The Thomas Jefferson Foundation has already reached part way toward Charlottesville by creating the Saunders-Monticello Trail. This winding two-mile pathway is fully ADA accessible (while climbing a mountain!) and its beauty attracts tremendously diverse visitors (140,000 annually, per TJ Foundation). It is one of the region’s most successful pieces of landscape architecture and on a nice day, its parking lot is often overflowing. Although just past the edge of town, the trail head can only be reached by car, placing both the trail and Monticello out of reach for many. Completing this connection to Charlottesville would not be as difficult as it may seem. In fact, the trip was quite easy not long ago and it could be again soon.

Monticello Road Extended
Monticello Road is a historic street that begins in downtown Charlottesville and extends south until it is unceremoniously truncated by Interstate 64. Back in 2012, as I was working on my Monticello Road community arts project, I made a startling discovery.

Monticello Road continues, hidden, disused and covered with leaves, on the far side of the Interstate. It passes through a magnificent and highly unusual ecosystem surrounding an oxbow of Moore’s Creek trapped by the highway’s construction. The lost road continues past the UVA Foundation’s historic Blue Ridge Hospital, a stunning site in its own right that will eventually become a key part of the regional land use mix. The byway terminates at Michie Tavern, just yards from the Saunders Trail.

This road can and should be brought back into service as a recreational and ecological pathway that is safe and easily accessible for residents and tourists, young and old, athletic and para-ambulatory. This would create an unbroken pathway from the house and gardens of Monticello via Charlottesville’s Downtown Pedestrian Mall to the the University and beyond. Along the way there are abundant opportunities to discover and interpret a rich diverse historical, cultural and ecological patrimony, and to do so in a way that reflects a spectrum of experience.

The project does have some hurdles besides leaf litter on the historic right-of-way. A tunnel will be required under I-64 and a way to get across the Monticello Parkway. Chris Gensic, Charlottesville’s Trail Coordinator, and a champion of the project, has some innovative ideas that are viable and proven in nearby towns. The project would not be free, but the benefits are so enormous that a compelling plan will certainly mobilize support from citizens, government and the foundation and business communities.

Understanding—and Negotiating—the Past
While advocating for the connection, the project will also make the case that it be done in an inclusive way. My work in the community and at the University has taught me that a place is the sum of its physical characteristics and the lives— human and non-human, past and present—that abide there and they are not always easy to untangle.

This project needs to be seen in the broader context of the area’s complicated settlement patterns and the fraught relationship between Thomas Jefferson, his University and the people of Charlottesville. This interstitial zone, resonant with memories, even physical traces (such as a disused quarry) is an excellent opportunity for multi-voice testimony that reflects its dynamic and on-going story. The stunning and tranquil natural setting is highly amenable to contemplation and learning.

Preparing for the Future
The project will be tremendously beneficial but we know that well-intended projects can have unpleasant or even unjust consequences and we must anticipate and prevent those.

For example, the trailhead will sit between two neighborhoods that are sensitive to change: Belmont, which is historically working-class but is seeing tremendous turnover, and Carlton (also known as Hogwaller), which is one of the area’s most challenged communities. This project will certainly have powerful market effects and we cannot allow an otherwise beneficial project to cost people their homes or businesses.

Similarly, the land the trail will traverse is successful and biologically diverse in large part because it has been inaccessible for such a long time. It is mandatory that it be protected, while being available for its educational and restorative offerings.

My project will look closely at socio-economic and ecological impacts and seek creative urban and environmental strategies to assure that we do not create with one hand and destroy with the other. This is not just about cool infrastructure; it’s about making our community better for everyone.

An Inclusive Approach
That triple bottom line (social, economic and ecological) can only be obtained through a broad and inclusive partnership. On the most basic level, even though the route is short, it touches land controlled by Charlottesville, Albemarle County, the Virginia Department of Transportation, the UVA and Thomas Jefferson Foundations and two private land-owners. It is a three-dimensional web with many layers and very complicated.

Fortunately, I will not have to tackle the project alone. Monticello accessibility is already in the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan as a proposed “arterial trail corridor.” I have been in conversation with the City about this for some time and am currently interning in the responsible department. This is already penciled into their plans.

I’ve learned many things in my hours along Monticello Road and I can say with confidence that the community is strongly behind the project. I have been building a network of citizens, businesses, civic and religious institutions. I have good connections in the Public Schools, community groups related to fitness, ecology, arts and social justice and a verbal commitment from a significant local Arts and Design organization for institutional backing. The participatory aspect will not be lacking.

The most important resource I have, and the reason I am making this proposal now, is that as a Masters Candidate in the University’s Architecture School, I can also bring the University’s considerable resources, knowledge and design expertise to the problem. My Thesis will provide opportunities and the intellectual space to think this project through with all of its implications.

Conclusion
The students of Clark Elementary School, a Title I school, can see the mansion from their classroom windows yet they cannot get there easily. That needs to be corrected. It is not difficult to imagine a walking field trip in which children will learn their nation’s history, while absorbing local social and ecological context, getting fitter and breathing fresh air. They, like the city as a whole, deserve access to this tremendous resource from their doorstep. Not only will it make the city we have better, but it will help orient future opportunities for economic growth and natural escape squarely within the urban ring, the only real solution to sprawl.

This project will bring stakeholders together around a compelling vision to chart a direction for a profoundly beneficial new resource. One of my favorite things about the project is that although it will be new to us, it will follow a route that is very old. Thomas Jefferson, who could see the University from his porch, would have used a very similar path to get there. We must re-open it.

[Printable [pdf] version of this document]

Moblizing by Moosifying

2016-05-22T11:12:00.000-04:00

It was impossible to choose a best photo from this event but Ms Dogwood dunking the ex-mayor was typical. [more]

In case you ever needed another reason to go Moose’s Restaurant (and there were already plenty), they just did a super-cool fundraiser for the Shelter for Help in Emergency.

The fun unfolded in three parts. They kicked off on Friday (the 13th) with a doughnut eating contest. Saturday morning (the 14th) they had a block party that included music, dancing, a craft fair, a race car you could touch (and pose with) and—best of all—a dunk tank that was extremely busy. Saturday night was a concert at the Jefferson School. The fundraiser netted $3050 and lots of fun and community fellowship.

When I first visited Moose’s (then called Moore’s Creek) I was afraid to go inside 1) because they share a building with a gun shop and 2) because there were a million police cars parked outside. That seemed like a bad combination, but come to find out that the cruisers were there because it’s the best short-order restaurant in Charlottesville. They all stop there on their way into town or between shifts.

I'm so glad I got past my initial hesitation: that opened a thousand doors and made this project (Monticello Road) what it is.

You never know who you'll meet at Moose's: stars of stage, beauty queens, country/western rockers and tons of regular people.

The food is amazing, but the atmosphere inside (which is quite different from the humble exterior) is great and proprietors Moose and Ms Amy set a tremendous tone of mutual respect and shared fun. It might be the only place I’ve ever been where truly EVERYBODY is welcome. Seriously: go there now.

I’ve seen police officers and daredevil race car drivers breaking bread--or rather laying into pancakes and grilled biscuits--together. I bet they go there to reconcile after adjudicating a moving violation.

We’d be in good shape if we had a few more places like Moose’s. They're quiet leaders and have figured out how to solve some of our trickiest problems.

Get a sense of Mooses by visiting their Facebook page. Be sure to peruse their extensive archive of "Moosification" pictures: a who's-who of wise eaters of the region and beyond. Also check out my earlier profile of "Doc" Frazier, a local dirt track hero whose son is now carrying the family torch. Father and son were both were big parts of the domestic violence benefit. Then go eat there!

Where are the Pictures?

2016-01-13T12:55:00.000-05:00

As part of my coursework in Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia, I am performing a series of GIS (Geographic Information System) analyses of the Monticello Road project. GIS provides empirical data to check (or underscore) what intuition tells us. This is the second of a three-part meta analysis. Previous: Vanishing Landscapes | To Come: Backer Distribution

I often receive process questions about the project, especially as pertains to what parts of the neighborhood I photograph and I how I define the boundaries of the Monticello Road study area.

I typically answer that I consciously limit the project to the street and directly-adjacent properties and I believe that the images will be distributed throughout the length of the street—though not evenly, perhaps clustered around my home or a few places where I spend sedentary time. These responses are logical but not empirical. GIS analysis lets us answer the question with data.

Through the life of the project, I have captured thousands of images, which would have been overwhelming. One of the features of photography is that it not particularly relevant if an image is made; what matters is which images are seen.

I have a subset of selects (numbering in the low hundreds) that are used in the book and the frequent slideshows I present. That provides a further curation because it reflects both a photographer’s view of what is visually interesting and an editor’s view of what says something about the place. I refined my selection one more time by eliminating multiple images all taken at the same time (different people at the same party, for example). Through this process, I reduced the sample to 94 images, a highly manageable number, but enough for a meaningful analysis of a linear mile-long space.

Distance from Krebs Household
My first question was whether the fact that I live in the neighborhood influences where I choose to photograph—do they tend to cluster around my home? There appears to be a small but not particularly significant bias around my house (assuming a fifty meter circle) but most of the images are at least a quarter mile away—and remember the road only extends about half a mile in either direction so that indicates some (but insignificant) clustering near the house.

Distance from Street
Next, I wanted to know how much, from a spatial perspective, the road organizes the project. Were the photos primarily taken on the street (within 5 meters of the centerline)? Sidewalk (5-10 meters)? People’s yards/terraces (10-20)? Within at least a block (100 meters)? As is plainly visible in both the map and the chart, a strong plurality of images were captured on the street itself and a vast majority within a single block.

Density
I could see on the Ring Buffer map that there were visual clumps of images and I wanted to know what gravitational force was pulling them together. I postulated that they might be businesses or gathering places where I spend time.

I mapped several of these enterprises with the address locator. Next I ran a kernel density tool and could see that indeed the nodes do cluster around businesses that I frequent.

Going into the project I was concerned that I would pay less attention to areas south of my home because they’re not on my way into town. The second learning from the density analysis is that it is somewhat true but I do also frequent businesses to the south, so while convenience is a factor, so I also seem more comfortable spending time in restaurants and cafes, where I can sit (as opposed to open patches of sidewalk).

Note that the only park on the route (the Clark playground) is a strong node, as well as the informal (and now ex-) open space explored in the previous post.

Conclusion
The Monticello Road project explores the intersection between people and place so if the pictures capture moments of interaction, these maps track where they take place.

Because the project is organized around a roadway, it is not surprising the photos happened on or near the right-of-way. We can see that it is a linear social space and that is an asset beyond transportation.

We can also see periodic nodes where interaction is concentrated. They are spread along the route at short-walk intervals, a key feature that makes the place successful and vital.

About that View...

2015-12-21T12:59:00.003-05:00

Two photos from the same spot, taken three years apart. Left: "The Park, 2012." Right "Belmont Steps subdivision, 2015."

As part of my coursework in Urban and Environmental Planning at the University of Virginia, I am performing a series of GIS (Geographic Information System) analyses of the Monticello Road project. GIS provides empirical data to check (or underscore) what intuition tells us. This is the first of a three-part meta analysis. Next: Picture Distribution | To Come: Backer Distribution

Although it is not the main purpose, the Monticello Road project provides undeniable (and sometimes wrenching) evidence of the ways the neighborhood changes over time. The above pairing is especially jarring. We know that frequent low-dose exposure to Nature is beneficial to health and well-being. I suspect that the same can be said of Heritage as well so its loss is something we notice.

When one of my colleagues saw the above photo, he was surprised to hear that the Neighborhood Association did not oppose the subdivision. In fact, there was nothing for them to say about it because it was done by-right, meaning the land-owner did not need anyone's permission as long as they stayed within the zoning regulations, which they did. Additionally, we say all the time that we like in-fill development (instead of sprawl) and this is what it looks like.

So although this kind of change is inevitable and possibly beneficial, we should not pretend that there is no cost. We know there is, but it is not quantifiable, which is a real liability when we consider the pocket full of financial statistics a developer will present.

GIS allows quantitative viewshed analysis and I thought it would be interesting to look at the cumulative effect of building upon the the landscape and heritage vistas in the neighborhood.

For reference, I chose the peak of Mont Alto, so beautifully framed in the photo above left.

My initial analysis (without buildings or vegetation) shows that prior to development, the landscape would have featured abundant mountain views, as seen in the green areas. (Ignore the green dots, they're photo locations explained in a future post).

After adding buildings and trees, the view is considerably obscured. The picture is quite grim--unreasonably so, in fact, and a little bit harsher than my experience. In truth, you can still see the mountain from many spots--especially the road itself. In fact, it is the landscape's periodic winking in and out of view that makes the road so visually charming.

The data presented at left is binary in nature--either the mountain is visible or it is not from any given point. But of course human vision doesn't work that way. We edit out obstacles all the time. For example, a tree without leaves will obscure a distant mountain, but we are perfectly capable of seeing them both simultaneously.

So I added a fudge factor to my analysis--an additional two meters of viewer height to allow for standing on a bench, or craning one's neck. I called this transition zone "partial visibility" and the results feel much truer, if still somewhat discouraging.

So what does this tell us?

Buildings absolutely diminish the pedestrian's view of the surrounding landscape. It should be noted that my analysis also shows that many of the buildings themselves have excellent views (much better views with a second-story 5 meter fudge factor). This represents a sort of privatization of visual heritage.

Planners, community groups and elected officials have a responsibility to moderate the individual co-optation and hoarding of the public good. That is what democracy and governance are for and viewsheds need to be part of that conversation.

It also plainly shows that besides fresh air and room to run, public spaces such as the Clark playground, the sidewalk itself and the few remaining vacant lots offer an under-appreciated asset: access to views that keep us geographically-oriented and emotionally centered.

Broaden Public Access to Ragged Mountain

2015-10-21T10:18:00.000-04:00

It's essential that we get more people--especially kids--into the woods. It's definitely possible to do so without harm--but it will require some work.
(Story|Line Photo: Preston Jackson)

Here's a brief I emailed to Charlottesville City Council about a proposal to open up the Ragged Mountain Natural Area to runners, cyclists and leashed dogs, which are currently prohibited. Council response follows in the comment section.

I had hoped to write you a proper brief about Ragged Mountain and even testify at the meeting tonight, but I have another commitment and won't be able to make it. I believe that if it will not interfere with drinking water quality, then allowable uses should be expanded. It needs to be a zone of active teaching and it is an opportunity and responsibility that must be shared with Albemarle County.

Key Issues (besides water quality, which I cannot address):

1. It is essential and urgent that we do all that we can to nurture a powerful connection between all citizens and the natural world. There is tons of literature pointing to that fact and in this case it means going beyond hikers with walking sticks or ski poles and looking at other ways of using the space--especially for young people. There are many ways of enjoying nature, while we obviously don't want to destroy it in the process.

2. That means allowing runners, bikers, casual (dog) walkers in certain areas, while excluding all users from other, sensitive, areas.

3. I've seen many, many cases where diverse park users coexist well. Look no further than Saunders-Monticello for a great example, which shares many characteristics with RMNA, is even closer to town, heavily used by all of these groups and has marvelously secluded spaces for those who want that. While RMNA is a unique place--neither Carters Mountain nor Walnut Creek--there are positive models and lessons from elsewhere.

4. My work in other places (Central Park, for example) leads me to suggest that it might be strategic to include horses in the mix. It will not be popular with all, but the benefit might outweigh the objections. Just a thought.

5. Although opening the uses will be an improvement, it will not be sufficient to simply make the space available, putting up a sign and saying "Open." Not everyone benefits as much as they should and there will need to be programming that actively gets people into the park. Again, I'm thinking specifically about children. The schools and Parks and Rec need to use this resource, but there are also many non-government players doing great work.

6. Making this all work will require really smart design and implementation. It's not just a question of changing language. Real, physical work will need to happen including trail design and maintenance, access and perhaps parking as well, and definitely interpretation. Many have pointed out that the area is unique--people will sense it but they will also need to be told--and and understand why.

7. All of this will be costly but the City need not stand alone. Indeed, the County wants this badly--it says so throughout their planning documents. It is safe to say that users will come from all over the region, especially adjoining neighborhoods (which are all in the County) and the County will reap the vast majority of the property tax benefit that this will bring. So while the City owns the land, there is no reason to even consider bearing all (or even most) of the capital and operating costs. Perhaps you can offer the County two choices: an uneven split (something like City 25 / County 75) or a binding survey-based arrangement that accounts for frequency and intensity of use as well as income. Although we will want that data anyway, I would make clear that this is a new venture, not envisioned in the revenue sharing, and there will be no free ride.

8. Because funding will be shared, so planning and management should be collaborative as well. This is an opportunity to work together with our neighboring jurisdiction and, while doing so open doors for more future cooperation and hopefully a broader approach toward common problems.

By doing these things, we can make our community better and get more kids and families into the woods. I write this a true friend, who knows the Ragged Mountain Area well and who has worked with kids, athletes, parks officials and naturalists and I'm sure you'll hear from them as well. This is a good opportunity and can be a real benefit--if we do it well.

If you wish, I will be happy to expand on any of these ideas.

Meantime, thank you for your service and I hope to continue the conversation soon~

Peter Krebs

Charlottesville Citizen
Masters candidate in Urban and Environmental Planning

News coverage:

Council delays opening Ragged Mountain Natural Area to bikes, dogs (Charlottesville Tomorrow 10/20)
Public speaks out on Ragged Mountain uses (Daily Progress 10/19)

Ragged Mountain changes delayed for environmental study (Daily Progress 10/20)