Imagine 25 years from now, coming off what is now the Ferry Street Bridge into downtown Eugene on a tree-lined, median-divided road. Travelers looking to their left will see the completed Wayne L. Morse Federal Courthouse. Straight ahead would be the University’s new basketball arena.
That would be the plan if it were up to the students in Architecture 4/585 and Landscape Architecture 4/589, Going Downtown: Eugene Remapped. The students presented their ideas to both city and University architects Thursday in the Tykeson Room of the Eugene Public Library.
The studio class was given the task of redeveloping Eugene’s downtown, based on the city’s plans for the area. Assistant professor Mark Gillem got the idea this summer after noticing the number of current and proposed building projects in Eugene, such as the new University arena and a new hospital.
Gillem was concerned that the city was looking at the projects individually without developing an integrated plan.
“They have a lot of good words and a good policy, but not an actual plan,” Gillem said.
The studio was a mix of architecture and landscape architecture students, which is not normally done. The city was split into six districts, and groups of two students took to redesigning the areas.
The class spent the first half of the term researching the city of Eugene and other cities. The class even spent a day in Portland looking at different designs in the city. Students enjoyed the hands-on work.
“This has kind of a real aspect to it,” Senior Aaron Hanley said. “Other studios are more conceptual.”
The students focused on creating more parks downtown, walkable streets and connecting downtown both to the river and the University.
They agreed that the arena would work better downtown near the intersection of Broadway and Mill Street rather than on the Williams’ Bakery site near campus. The placement, an estimated seven-minute walk from campus, would help bring students into the downtown shopping areas.
“Students can walk to the stadium and then walk downtown,” Hanley said.
They also expanded 11th Avenue, adding a walkable median with two-way traffic. At East 11th Avenue between Charnelton and Olive streets, there would be a park surrounded by a roundabout.
The city is considering redoing the city hall building, so the studio took that into account and added the project to its slate. They demolished the existing city hall and rebuilt it in the same spot, but in half the space by making the building five stories tall.
“A taller, half block city hall would allow for more mixed-use development downtown,” said Martha Bohm, a member of the group that redesigned the city center area.
The students presented their ideas to faculty and city employees, many of whom assisted the students during the midterm review of the projects. The advisers offered ideas, suggestions and sometimes harsh criticism.
During a presentation of the civic center and riverfront groups, Landscape Architecture professor Ron Lovinger and City of Eugene Project Manager Mike Penwell were disappointed that the students didn’t extend a series of parks across from downtown to the Willamette River.
“Here you have this fabulous opportunity to set the stage for the court house,” Lovinger said, “and you missed it.”
Penwell was somewhat tougher.
“It made me realize how much I love Eugene,” Penwell told the students, “because you’ve destroyed Eugene.”
Both Lovinger and Penwell recognized the presentations as great first steps in the debate over the redevelopment of Eugene.
“There are lots of wonderful ideas,” Lovinger said. “If only this studio could just go for another few weeks.”
Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy attended the presentations, touring each district’s presentation with Gillem.
“This is very timely and fun to look at,” Piercy said. “I hope it will be fodder for some real different thinking.”
The students also created a zoning plan for downtown based on a concept called form-based planning. Instead of looking at the use of a building, such as residential or commercial, they zoned the design of the buildings, taking into account the heights, entry points and window locations.
“Today those uses are so compatible,” Gillem said, “there’s no need to keep a clear segregation of use.”
Though these students will move on, Gillem will be continuing their work. He has built their zoning specifications into a studio for next term.
“Next term architecture students will have to design buildings to these rules,” Gillem said.
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