West bottoms in three parts 2022-2023 vision study

CORE study area

The West Bottoms Core is known for its eclectic and versatile nature. Many of the spaces that become occupied are not dedicated to gatherings, let alone organized events. In addition to the unpredictable nature of the area, ongoing projects by Somera Road and Burns & McDonnell aim to draw more people and development to the West Bottoms. The Core Project’s focus is to connect the West Bottoms in a way that will both propagate activity in the area as more people move to the West Bottoms and increase safety within the West Bottoms. This project identifies three areas within the West Bottoms that would act as prototypes for future developments: the streetscape, Forrester Bridge, and Hickory Street.

The streetscape within the Core is thought of as the thread that connects the entire area. While the “thread” stitches together the various spaces within the West Bottoms, it also becomes tangled and creates new spaces that denote the seemingly major spots along the streets. Studies of individual streets—which analyzed views, visual permeability of the streetscape and its surroundings, and the ownership status of various sites along the street, among other information—influence the categorization of streets into one of four typologies. The typologies are determined by not only the aforementioned analysis but also by the types of traffic present on each street. Primarily vehicular streets are categorized into typologies that include curbs and discreet amenity zones, whereas primarily pedestrian streets feature a curb-less design. Within the 9th Street typology is a set of sub-typologies that are based around the movement of pedestrians. These movement typologies—pass-through, lingering, and stopping—are denoted by a combination of a floor pattern and urban furniture. Pass-though spaces feature yellow, linear furniture with corresponding patches of yellow pavement to prioritize movement, while lingering spaces feature orange, protrusive furniture with lines of orange pavement to detract from movement. The stopping spaces vary in appearance but all feature red furniture.

The Forrester Site is designed around the community aspect of the West Bottoms. The North side of the site has a pre-existing community garden that is expanded upon to include upgraded planters, some of which feature integrated solar panels and irrigation systems. The South side of the site, which is currently owned by the railroad, features a semi-paved plaza that doubles as both gathering space and supplementary parking space. A constructed berm provides more space for people to gather, as well as a protective barrier from the trains that pass by the space. Cisterns for collecting rainwater and designed urban furniture are located underneath the Forrester Bridge, in between the North and South sides of the site. The furniture is designed to be rearranged to support various functions, ranging from tables and benches for everyday use to a large stage for public performances.

The Hickory Street site specifically addresses the presence of the train in the West Bottoms. The trains that pass through the West Bottoms along the Union Pacific Railway essentially cut off the north side of the tracks from the south side. The divide created by the train, which can last for hours on end as per anecdotal experience, would prevent the upcoming Somera Road development from connecting to the majority of the other developments in the West Bottoms. To mitigate the train’s presence, a floor pattern derived from the facades of the buildings surrounding the Hickory Site lays the groundwork for an industrial-style, digital plaza. The pattern’s grid aligns with moveable gates, which provide seating when open and protection from the train when closed. Also aligned with the grid are two towers, one on each side of the tracks. Each tower features interior stairs and platforms for train-watching and communication over top of the train. The façades of each tower are made of LED panels, which provide signaling for the arrival of the train(s), so that pedestrians have ample time to move away from the tracks.