Palo Alto- Garage Redevelopment for auto-vehicles

Yulu (Laura) Lin

12 min readMar 21, 2020

Urban Design-Proposal

Site Description and Analysis

Demographics

Employee Industries

T-1

Residents, workers and visitors to Palo Alto have an array of transit options within the city and to the surrounding region. Maps T-1 show the range of transit services in Palo Alto, which focuses on regional transit options. Overall, regional transit is heavily used, while public transit services serving the local area are below capacity levels. Policies in this Element support improving local services like shuttles to increase ridership and support traditional transit providers with first and last mile connections.

Other options for transportation

Site: University Ave

Now along the university ave, there are many parking lots around.There are bi-direction routes on University Ave.

A lot of parking lots here generate serious traffic congestions, as well as increase inconvenience for walking people.

The little boxes are the main Garages around University Ave .

Zooning code

University. Avenue is the identifiable center of the downtown area, carrying more than 20,000 vehicles per day, there is a strong mix and sometimes conflict between pedestrian and vehicular circulation.

The original parking lots’ design plan

University Avenue is also the vehicular and pedestrian corridor to ‘the Palo Alto train station, the single regional mass transit terminal for downtown train and bus commuters. This transit facility is the western anchor -of the downtown core, but is hampered from functioning as such since it is located on the opposite side of the railroad tracks.

University Avenue contains a general 25–50 foot wide pattern of storefronts, and similar sized structural bays at larger buildings. This pattern creates a pleasing rhythm and allows a variety of building facades within a single block face. Generally buildings are two, three or four stories with a few exceptions. Most buildings have no setback tii the street and rise to a parapet wall without a distinctroof. The architectural style of the retail storefronts is mixed. Many corner stores front only to University Avenue while ignoring the side streets. This limits the opportunity to continue retail vitality onto the side streets. Landmarks within the district include the_ Palo Alto Office Center at 525 University, the Varsity Theater and the Stanford.

Current University Ave. Districts

Urban Design Proposal

Sidewalk is the most important demand for pedestrians

Map T4

Mode share data indicate that walking accounts for more trips than public transit in Palo Alto each day, yet is an often overlooked means of transportation. As shown on Map T-4, Palo Alto’s pedestrians are generally well-served by current facilities and will benefit from the attention given to street trees, walkable neighborhoods and pedestrian-oriented design. The most needed improvements are to fill in the gaps in the sidewalk system, make intersection crossings “friendlier” and overcome barriers to northeast-southwest travel.

Streets

All modes of transportation in Palo Alto depend to some degree on the street network. The City’s street network has remained essentially unchanged since the 1960s, except for projects along the Sand Hill Road corridor.

STREET CLASSIFICATIONS

Palo Alto’s streets are categorized according to purpose, design and the volume of traffic they carry. This street hierarchy is defined below and is illustrated on Map T-5. Improvements to road surfaces, curbs, crossings, signage, landscaping and sight lines must make streets safer for vehicles, but must consider the needs and safety of pedestrians and cyclists as well.

Proposal

In November 2015, Palo Alto City Council adopted a complete streets resolution affirming the City’s longstanding commitment to design and construction of a comprehensive, integrated transportation network that allows safe and convenient travel along and across streets for all users, including pedestrians, bicyclists, persons with disabilities, motorists, movers of commercial goods, users and operators of public transportation, emergency vehicles, seniors, children, youth and families

To make more convenient travel for pedestrians, I propose for designing Autonomous Vehicles’ system to take place of the traditional infrastructure. The new system will combine “data sharing”, “virtual eyes” for cognitive-impaired pedestrians and sensors to improve safety and save the travel time. Besides, due to the efficient interaction between machine and people, parking lots can be changed into parks or charging pilots.

The roadway and intersection are designed to move human-led cars and trucks. Timed signals guide cars safely along the corridor, which is designed to accommodate peak congestion hours. There are separate, dedicated turn lanes — each with their own markings — making a total of nine lanes, and measuring approximately 140 feet in width. As a result, and in order to accommodate pedestrians, refuge spots exist in the middle of each road for pedestrians who cannot make it completely across in one signal phase. The land surrounding the road is used largely for parking lots, which accommodate drivers visiting area stores and restaurants. Near the bottom of the illustration, there is a frontage road that provides local access.

Interesting things happen to a road when we incorporate the anticipated capabilities of driverless cars into a redesign. The most obvious difference is a significantly reduced footprint and narrower right-of-way. If driverless cars have the predicted effectiveness over current drivers, the same traffic volumes could flow through a narrower roadway designed with narrower lanes and fewer of them. In fact, lanes likely wouldn’t need to be much wider than a delivery truck. In addition, when we can confidently rely on vehicle sensors and interconnectivity, there will be no need for the visual cues (e.g., road striping and signage) that human drivers rely on.

With algorithms, GPS and complex computers replacing road signs, traffic signals and smart phones (for GPS purposes), an unprecedented intermodal efficiency becomes possible. An efficiency that could significantly impact not only how we move, but also how and where we live.

Efficient traffic circulation on major streets is a priority in Palo Alto, as is minimizing the diversion of through-traffic onto local residential streets. Intersections are the most constricted points on the network and tend to see the highest levels of congestion during the peak morning and afternoon commute periods. For that purpose, several key intersections and roadways segments, as shown on Map T-6, have been identified for monitoring.

A challenge is to balance the free flow of traffic with the safety of pedestrians and cyclists of all abilities, as well as with residents’ desire to maintain low traffic speeds on residential arterials.

CNU.org

Wider sidewalks
More landscaping
Larger front yards
Neighborhood gardens
Outdoor picnicking
Jogging paths
Children’s play yards
Street furniture
Other

There are three garages shoulder the main parking tasks near university ave. The two parking lots above are near to many restaurants

The garage below is near to the avenue.

The garage below can be changed into sidewalks
The yellow garage above can be changed into the place for charging
The purple garage can be changed to a park

300m, 50ft, 3m

Demand for sidewalks

Once we construct the autonomous vehicles, suppose that we only go from direction the arrow points, the yellow garage would be useless.

So the garage can become sidewalk, which will enlarge the walking space for pedestrians.

Sensors for AVs

A central computer can maximize the flow of traffic.
Computers can program streets by time of day.
Computers can program speeds.
In the long run as AV technology becomes more advanced, traffic signals may not be needed and intersections may function like virtual roundabouts.

The potential problem is if the car can’t scan clearly about the patients’ need, people would be harmed directly.

Impacts

1.More space

2.Maybe more social isolation

One thing to be paid attention to is with larger opportunities for people to get approach to the autonomous vehicles, how can we protect disabilities, aging people, children etc. from being hurt by the vehicles? There would be one specific place for those people to take the car. Of course, if the car’s “virtual eyes” are good enough, they can avoid many accidents, and marginalized people can take the car the same way as normal people do. But it may take a long time before we see it.

3.Traffic Signals-body language

As the AVs can operate automatically, the traffic signals can be withdrawn. However, people may find it hard to accommodate the new rules. They can use their gestures, body languages and Apps on the phone to communicate with the car.

Demand of more parks

Palo Alto World Music Day 2019

There are several events held on University Ave every week. Every time when people prepare an event, at two streets should be closed for pedestrians. The cars will found nowhere to park and hard to get through the roads.

Impacts

1.Decrease the traffic inconvenient due to events

The park can fill the demand for activities and get-togethers. Since once we construct the autonomous vehicles, the original roads can’t fill the demand for activities. The whole lanes should be used for autonomous vehicles’ transit. The park can solve the problem.

2.Landscaping

It is no denying that if we change the garage into park, the landscaping will also change. There would be more trees, more chairs along the roads and more public spaces for pedestrians.Since vehicle lanes can be a lot thinner, more room will be in major boulevards for walking, biking, even loitering.

3.More space

More parks here means more jogging ways and more yards for people. Since in University Ave, people usually choose walking as the travel option, more parks will bring people happier lives with wider lanes.

Infrastructure-charging

Shared autonomous vehicles will need to go somewhere when not in use and to be cleaned and recharged. Facilities to service and store the vehicles face their own parking challenges. A study by University of Toronto researchers noted that if vehicles are self-parked too tightly, chaos could ensue when, for example, a vehicle at the center of the lot needs to get back to work. Fleets will have reshuffle their positions if they don’t have enough buffer space around each one. That buffer space, though, reduces the number of vehicles that can be serviced.

An EV (electric vehicles) uses an electric motor powered by electricity from batteries. These vehicles do not have an internal combustion engine like conventional vehicles that use gasoline or diesel fuel. EVs do not emit tail pipepollution or require oil changes.

City of Palo Alto

The City of Palo Alto encourages the use of Electric Vehicles (EVs) as part of the progress towards becoming one of the greenest cities in the country. The city ranks as one of the top in the nation to embrace this clean technology. In 2017, one in three new vehicles purchased in Palo Alto was electric — the highest adoption rate in the country.

Around the University avenue, there are such many chargers, but compared to the garages, they are still a small number. Currently, the proliferation of charging stations spells some good news for electric-vehicle drivers, the commodity comes at a price. Starting in August 2017, the city started implementing a new fee of 23 cents per kilowatt hour, which will cost an average driver $2 per charge.

Current Charging station

The future charging bus

Impacts

1.Cheaper

EVs can be cheaper to drive than gasoline or diesel-powered cars as they need less maintenance and do not require oil changes or gas fueling. As gas prices continue to rise, EVs are quickly becoming a cheaper alternative for getting around. The cost of electricity to charge an EV is much lower than gas prices in California. With more chargers be installed, both the normal EV and SAEV(Shared Autonomous Electric Vehicle)’s costs will decline.

2.Convenient for normal EV users

Other EV users in this site usually find it hard to charge, not only because the price, but the traffic congestion. With more chargers being installed, they will see the prices going down, as well as large lanes for their vehicles. Possibly, they can get connected to other Autonomous Vehicles for sharing the positions.

Design Guildelines

Garage1-sidewalks

The goal of constructing sidewalks is to make more space for pedestrians, and fill their demand for traveling.
The key point of constructing sidewalks will be sensors, demands of disabilities/aging people/children, as well as the traffic signals.
The potential problem would “data privacy”. Since AVs will collaborate with some ride-hauling companies like Uber and Lyft to share people’s positions, which may generate privacy issues. Besides, when the car sense people’s disabilities, they may also let out patients’ privacies.
Another problem is people may find it hard to communicate with the vehicles due to the traffic signals be reversed.

Garage2-parks

The goal of constructing the park is to decrease the “working load” of the normal streets when activities and arts festivals be held.
The key point of constructing the park will be “aesthetics”:

For aesthetics’ need, there can be some flowers and border trees on the sidewalks

Garage3-Charging Pilot

The goal of building the charging pilot is for SAEV(Shared autonomous electric vehicles) like shared AV buses’ convenient.
The key point of building the pilot is the infrastructure sharing.
The potential benefits could be the possibility of decreasing current dangerous and costs for charging. Over 80% of EVs are charging at home, and people cost a lot for installing.
However, it may also generate another economic problem of infrastructures’ construction.