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Title

RE-POSITIONING THE CHICAGO BOULEVARD SYSTEM: TOWARDS THE DEFINITION OF AN ACTIVE URBAN INFRASTRUCTURE

Creator

Vadacca, Anna

Date

2016, 2016-05

Description

How can urban infrastructures be reinterpreted based on their social potential? The thesis discusses the value that infrastructures can have...
Show moreHow can urban infrastructures be reinterpreted based on their social potential? The thesis discusses the value that infrastructures can have in relation to mobility and quality of life, in the context of the urban project, and proposes an example of how underutilized spaces, that pertains to an outdated model of the city, can be re-configured as adaptable and dynamic infrastructures. The Boulevard System of Chicago emerged during the process of “beautification” that the “City Beautiful” movement fostered in the 19th century. From being the “Emerald Necklace”, as it was known, the Boulevard System became today a fragmented infrastructure that mirrors the socio-economic segregation of Chicago neighborhoods. Within the archipelago of different urban realities of the city, the Boulevard System represents today an under-utilized urban space that reinforces the already existing urban thresholds between different urban communities. The goal of the research is to re-think the Boulevard System as a new transportation corridor, able to interact with other urban systems. The proposal for the boulevards is part of an Infrastructure Plan for Chicago that aims to propose ways inwhich different actions on infrastructure can revitalize the City. The idea is to re-activate the boulevard through a series of interventions, articulated around the re-connection of the fragmented system, as a new “ring” infrastructure, and the engagement with the surrounding specificities. The proposed Bus Rapid Transit system should offer an experience through the parks in Chicago and support its reactivation through the promotion of activities and events. Furthermore, the creation of a hub around the Garfield Green Line station is meant to propose a more engaging transit experience around the city of Chicago.
M.S. in Architecture, May 2016
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Title

SAFETY AND MOBILITY IMPACTS ASSESSMENT OF THE CHICAGO BIKE LANE PROGRAM

Creator

Zhao, Yu

Date

2021

Description

In recent years, bike as a travel mode is getting increasingly popular among large cities in the U.S. These cities also found promoting bike...
Show moreIn recent years, bike as a travel mode is getting increasingly popular among large cities in the U.S. These cities also found promoting bike mode can potentially mitigate traffic congestion issues, reduce carbon emission and improve the quality of life for residents. Therefore, many cities-initiated bike-related programs promote the bike mode from all aspects, such as establishing a shared bike system and developing bike-related facilities. Specifically, bike lane installation is widely seen in large cities as a pivot component of bike promotion programs. Due to the installation of bike lanes on the existing network, vehicles’ safety and mobility performance may be affected due to the variation of facilities. This study attempts to propose a methodology to quantify the safety and mobility impacts on vehicles brought by bike lane installation. The proposed method accounts for safety impact by using predicted crashes in conjunction with field observed crash data for empirical Bayes (EB) before-after comparison group analysis. The mobility impact is captured by comparing the segment average travel time before and after the bike lane installation. Further, vehicle volume information is involved in the consumer surplus computation to quantify the variation in vehicle safety, and mobility performance resulting from the bike lane installation. A case study is conducted using a real data set from the city of Chicago bike lane program. The results reveal that the safety and mobility impacts vary mainly depending on the type of bike lane installed and location.
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