What Is Urban Renewal.docx

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WHAT IS URBAN RENEWAL? A planned attempt to transform the urban environment through structured large-scale control of existing urban areas to enhance both the present and future operations of urban populace. It is also the deliberate physical redevelopment of decayed or deteriorated areas, improving the infrastructure and the removal of elements considered to affect the effectiveness and efficiency of the area. A program of land redevelopment in cities, often Figure 1 BILBAO, SPAIN where there is urban decay. Urban renewal often refers to the clearing out of blighted areas in inner cities to clear out slums and create opportunities for higher class housing, businesses, and more. A process where privately owned properties within a designated renewal area are purchased or taken by eminent domain by a municipal redevelopment authority, razed and then reconveyed to selected developers who devote them to other uses. With the decision and authority of a governing municipality, re-arranging land use, function and ownership features of a socially, economically or structurally decayed part of a certain city. The main purpose of urban renewal is to deliberately change the urban environment and to inject new vitality through planned adjustment of existing areas to respond to present and future requirements for urban living and working.

a. REDEVELOPMENT  Redevelopment consists of the removal of existing buildings and the re-use of cleared land for the implementation of new projects. This approach is applicable to areas in which buildings are in seriously deteriorated condition and have no preservation value, or in which the arrangement of buildings are such that the area cannot provide satisfactory living conditions.  A process of removing and replacing old and poor quality structures with new ones on the same site. Conceptually similar to land readjustment, with the exception that it happens in existing urban areas and often involves a rezoning by the government of a given area from a low-density (single-family housing) to higher-density (mixeduse or commercial) development. It is also accompanied by a provision of infrastructure improvements (mass transit, such as metro lines) that can support such up-zoning.  As part of this process, a government assembles the individual private properties and undertakes a new higher development plan and delivers the necessary infrastructure. At the end, the government returns to each landowner a share of

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the overall new development that is equivalent to their original land or property ownership. It retains a share of the development that it then sells to recover the cost of the infrastructure improvement. For developers, redevelopment represents maximum profit through the sale of new centrally -located units. For local governments, this approach represents maximum use of land, higher floor area ratio, and has the advantage of introducing higher income groups and commercial activities to the city center, which increase tax revenues. It also leads to higher population density and improved services and infrastructures, which is highly desirable for modernizing inner-city areas.

b. URBAN DECAY  A process in which a previously functioning city, or city area, falls into disrepair and disuse. Common indications of urban decay are abandoned buildings and empty plots, high unemployment levels, high crime rates, and an urban landscape that is generally decrepit and desolate.  The prevalent and substantial physical deterioration that impairs the proper utilization of affected real estate or the health, safety and welfare of the surrounding community. As a result, the previously functioning part of city falls into decrepitude and turning into a desolate city landscape gradually.  There are many socio-economic factors that may lead to urban decay, including: o Deindustrialization, either by industry dying out or moving away. o Depopulation or changing population, through ‘white flight’ (large-scale movement from urban areas to the suburbs). o Restructuring of transport networks. o Political disenfranchisement. o Rent controls. o Economic downturn and recession which may result in local businesses failing. o Urban planning decisions. o Prolonged riots and crime. o Lack of new construction work or urban renewal projects. o Environmental conditions, changes or disasters. o Redlining is the practice of directly or indirectly denying services such as banking, transport, health care or adequate shopping facilities, to the residents of certain areas. c. BLIGHTED AREAS  Areas with low or sinking property values, and cities and political leaders view blighted areas as dangerous to the “safety, health, morals and comfort” of the people who live in those blighted neighborhoods.  Blighted areas are characterized by the presence of physically deteriorated or vacant buildings, and those buildings (both residential and commercial) often have high occupancy turnover or vacancy rates. In addition to the sub-standard dwellings that are typically found in blighted neighborhoods, the public schools and other local amenities (parks, etc.) in those areas also tend to be dilapidated.  A property can be said to be ‘blighted’ if: o It is a public nuisance.

o It is fire-damaged or dangerous. o It poses a severe and immediate health or safety threat. o It is open to the elements and trespassing. o It has had utilities and other services disconnected, removed or rendered ineffective. d. SLUMS  A slum household is a group of individuals living under the same roof in an urban area who lack one or more of the following: o Durable housing of a permanent nature that protects against extreme climate conditions. o Sufficient living space which means not more than three people sharing the same room. o Easy access to safe water in sufficient amounts at an affordable price. o Access to adequate sanitation in the form of a private or public toilet shared by a reasonable number of people. o Security of tenure that prevents forced evictions  The inaccessibility to one, or more, of the above basic living conditions results in a "slum lifestyle" modeled by several characteristics. Poor housing units are vulnerable to natural disaster and destruction because affordable building materials cannot withstand earthquakes, landslides, excessive wind, or heavy rainstorms. Slum dwellers are at greater risk to disaster because of their vulnerability to Mother Nature.  Many speculate that a majority of slum formation is due to rapid urbanization within a developing country. This theory has significance because a population boom, associated with urbanization, creates a greater demand for housing than the urbanized area can offer or supply. This population boom often consists of rural inhabitants who migrate to urban areas where jobs are plentiful and where wages are stabilized. However, the issue is exacerbated by lack of federal and citygovernment guidance, control, and organization. e. HOUSING  Refers to the construction and assigned usage of houses or buildings collectively, for the purpose of sheltering people — the planning or provision delivered by an authority, with related meanings.  The social issue is of ensuring that members of society have a home in which to live, whether this is a house, or some other kind of dwelling, lodging, or shelter. Many governments have one or more housing authorities, sometimes also called a housing ministry, or housing department.  Social housing is the term given to accommodation which is provided at affordable rates, on a secure basis to people on low incomes or with particular needs. Social housing properties are usually owned by the state, in the form of councils, or by non-profit organizations such as housing associations.  Informal housing can include any form of shelter or settlement (or lack thereof) which is illegal, falls outside of government control or regulation, or is not afforded protection by the state.

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URBAN SPRAWL  The term 'urban sprawl' refers to the spreading of a town or city and its suburbs over previously undeveloped land.  Implies an uncontrolled, unplanned or unrestricted spreading, typically driven by migration from high-density urban areas to low-density suburban areas.  The pattern of urban sprawl tends to be: o During urbanisation, city centres experience higher density, with a rapid decline in periphery settlement. o As economic growth continues, people with some wealth (typically the middle classes) begin to migrate towards the suburbs.  The following characteristics are often associated with urban sprawl: o Single-use development: Land is dominated by a single use and is segregated by open space, infrastructure, and so on. o Job sprawl: Patterns of employment spread out from the central business district (CBD) to the suburban periphery. o Low-density: Single family, low rise homes on large plots of land, spaced further apart with landscaping, roads, and so on. o Agricultural land converted to urban use: Fertile agricultural land surrounding cities is developed. o Housing subdivisions: Large areas of entirely of new-build developments, often characterized by curved roads and cul-de-sacs. o Lawns: Cheaper land at the periphery often results in the proliferation of suburban lawns, country clubs and golf courses. o Retail parks: Collections of commercial buildings (i.e. shopping centres) aimed at attracting consumers.  Urban sprawl can be caused by a number of factors, often differing according to the country or region that is affected. However, some general causes can include: o Lower land rates: Outer suburbs of cities are affordable compared to city centres. o ImproAved infrastructure: Increased expenditure on infrastructure that connects the peripheries to the centre. o Rise in living standards: Increases in average incomes allow people to afford to commute longer distances. o Lack of urban planning: Congestion, loss of trees and green space, inadequate infrastructure, and so on. o Lower local tax rates: City centres often have high local tax rates compared to the periphery. o Population growth: Cities grow beyond their capacity due to a rise in population. o Lifestyle choices: Those with higher levels of wealth choose to move somewhere with more space and lower density

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CATEGORIES OR ASPECTS OF URBAN RENEWAL

Using federal funding, local housing authorities bought decayed properties, tore them down and built public housing complexes for lower income residents who had been displaced. Early public housing often took the form of high rises which did not encourage a sense of community that many residents had enjoyed in their former. Urban renewal resulted in the mass movement of middle class citizens to the new suburbs. Federal money was used to build highways for them to commute to work. Highways often split neighborhoods which brought more disruption to poor residents. The term isn't used today in part because of the sad history of urban renewal. While traditional zoning development focuses on separating commercial, residential, and recreational areas, Mixed-use development encourages the fill up of land use. With sparsely populated land, there is lack of pressure to density. The lack of urban renewal has led to urban decay, more fuel consumption, and racial ghettos. Mixed-use development on Brownfield lands has transformed sites into more sustainable populated centers as a result of economic factors being draw in to redevelop.

a. HOUSING RECONSTRUCTION Housing is essential to the well-being and development of most societies. It is a complex asset, with links to livelihoods, health, education, security and social and family stability. Housing is also an extremely vulnerable asset, and the destruction of homes or their loss through displacement or dispossession is one of the most visible effects of conflict and natural disaster. Housing reconstruction should take into account local resources, needs, perceptions, expectations, potentials and constraints. In so doing, it broadens the discussion from responses that take into consideration the needs of individuals and families, to responses that consider the wider benefits to communities. It refocuses the discussion from a single house or shelter reconstruction to a process, thereby reintegrating housing reconstruction into the wider recovery context.

b. HOUSING REDEVELOPMENT Variations on redevelopment include: 

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Urban infill on vacant parcels that have no existing activity but were previously developed, especially on Brownfield land, such as the redevelopment of an industrial site into a mixeduse development. Constructing with a denser land usage, such as the redevelopment of a block of townhouses into a large apartment building. Adaptive reuse, where older structures are converted for improved current market use, such as an industrial mill into housing lofts.  

Redevelopment projects can be small or large ranging from a single building to entire new neighborhoods or "new town in town" projects. Redevelopment also refers to state and federal statutes which give cities and counties the authority to establish redevelopment agencies and give the agencies the authority to

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attack problems of urban decay. The fundamental tools of a redevelopment agency include the authority to acquire real property, the power of eminent domain, to develop and sell property without bidding and the authority and responsibility of relocating persons who have interests in the property acquired by the agency. The financing/funding of such operations might come from government grants, borrowing from federal or state governments and selling bonds and from Tax Increment Financing. Other terms sometimes used to describe redevelopment include urban renewal (urban revitalization). While efforts described as urban revitalization often involve redevelopment, they do not always involve redevelopment as they do not always involve the demolition of any existing structures but may instead describe the rehabilitation of existing buildings or other neighborhood improvement initiatives. A new example of other neighborhood improvement initiatives is the funding mechanism associated with high carbon footprint air quality urban blight. Assembly Bill AB811 is the State of California's answer to funding renewable energy and allows cities to craft their own sustainability action plans. These cutting edge action plans needs the funding structure; which can easily come forward through redevelopment funding.

c. MIXED- USED DEVELOPMENT

Mixed-use development or often simply Live-work space is a type of urban development strategy for living spaces (housing) that blends residential, commercial, cultural, institutional, or entertainment uses, where those functions are physically and functionally integrated, and that provides pedestrian connections. Mixed-use development can take the form of a single building, a city block, or entire neighbourhoods. The term may also be used more specifically to refer to a mixed-use real estate development project—a building, complex of buildings, or district of a town or city that is developed for mixed-use by a private developer, (quasi-) governmental agency, or a combination thereof. FEATURES OF MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT OUTDOOR SPACE Mixed-use development allows the creation of plazas and outdoor corridors between buildings and sidewalks. Street facing facades have a maximum setback to how much space is allocated for pedestrians to gather in. Landscaping another feature in outdoor spaces allow trees and plants to grow on buildings vertically rather than being faced out in a front row. PUBLIC INFRASTRUCTURE Mixed-use in centers that have increased in population density has allowed people to access places through public transit and has helped encourage walking, biking, and cycling to places of work and errands. Transportation has played a role in mitigating climate change by reducing

congestion on roads and building up freight movement for goods and services. With street-level design in place in cities like Boston, Seattle, and Denver Mixed-uses allowed the designs of pedestrian walkways, plazas, and eye distances to shops and workplaces. This in turn has reduced parking lots in alleyways and garages. HISTORIC PRESERVATION Older cities such as Chicago and San Francisco landmark preservation policies to allow more flexibility on older buildings being reused as third spaces. Benefits of mixed-use development include: 

greater housing variety and density, more affordable housing (smaller units), life-cycle housing (starter homes to larger homes to senior housing)

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walkable neighborhoods

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reduced distances between housing, workplaces, retail businesses, and other amenities and destinations more compact development, land-use synergy (e.g. residents provide customers for retail which provide amenities for residents) stronger neighborhood character, sense of place

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TYPES OF CONTEMPORARY MIXED- USE ZONING            

Neighborhood commercial zoning – convenience goods and services, such as convenience stores, permitted in otherwise strictly residential areas Main Street residential/commercial – two to three-story buildings with residential units above and commercial units on the ground floor facing the street Urban residential/commercial – multi-story residential buildings with commercial and civic uses on ground floor Office convenience – office buildings with small retail and service uses oriented to the office workers Office/residential – multi-family residential units within office building(s) Shopping mall conversion – residential and/or office units added (adjacent) to an existing standalone shopping mall Retail district retrofit – retrofitting of a suburban retail area to a more village-like appearance and mix of uses Live/work – residents can operate small businesses on the ground floor of the building where they live Studio/light industrial – residents may operate studios or small workshops in the building where they live Hotel/residence – mix hotel space and high-end multi-family residential Parking structure with ground-floor retail Single-family detached home district with standalone shopping center

Mixed-use buildings are a combination of residential and non-residential buildings, ranging from a single building to an entire neighborhood. When done right, mixed-use developments promote improvements in home affordability, walkability to homes, workplaces, and amenities, and strong neighborhoods

d. RESIDENTIAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL IMPROVEMENT A neighbor-hood or environmental improvement is something which improves the quality of life for our customers, as well as the local community.       

Enhanced landscaping features around homes Improved rubbish storage and disposal system Investment in community projects Improved car parking for our residents Renewed playground and recreational areas Improved recycling facilities Improved external lighting and security lighting repairs walkway, pathways and other hard landscaping.

e. PARADIGM SHIFTS IN URBAN IMPROVEMENT Urban planning and transport paradigm shifts for cities of post- petroleum age -

The transition of cities into a post peak- oil paradigm will entail a massive reduction in transport energy use. Urban transport system are the most dependent and vulnerable of all sectors to rises in the price of oil and potential shortages.

If cities are to adapt to the post- petroleum age, relying purely on technological fixes will not be adequate. A combination of changes are needed to provide the essential paradigm shifts for cities to reduce car –use including -

Curtailing or abandoning major road construction Dropping congestion can help cities reduce car use and energy consumption Prioritizing the construction of speed- competitive transit system Integrating development around those transit system.

TRANSIT AS A NET, NOT A WEB Presently we inhabit a very strange cultural space, where a vision of a sustainable future inspired by George Jetson competes with one straight out of The Flintstones. For example, in Vancouver our leaders are, on the one hand, loudly supportive of the Jetson’s Orbit City style version of a sustainable future -- enthused about a gleaming SkyTrain all the way out to UBC. SkyTrain. The name itself excites. This is no mere mass transit system. This is a fleet of spaceships gliding effortlessly out of reach of the impediments of the street -- sleek star cruisers that slow only to dock at luminous regional town centre space ports. THINK SMALL By Dan Granirer Building family-sized apartments in Vancouver is a major opportunity to replace the desperation over high housing prices experienced by many in the middle class, with economic dynamism, more growth in the size of young families, and hope for the future.

Vancouver is ripe for the kind of paradigm shift that occurred in New York around the turn of the 19th century, when in two to three decades, the majority of middle and upper class inhabitants of Manhattan moved from single detached homes to apartments and brownstones. Construction in Vancouver of a large stock of apartments with multiple bedrooms and gracious living spaces (that came to be known in New York as Classic Sixes and Sevens) could help transform these expectations, and provide attractive alternatives for urban family living in our beautiful city. GREENER CITIES Small parks and plazas, well-treed streets without cars for strolling and relaxing, playgrounds, bikeways, waterfronts and rooftops must be included in all developments. A new holistic vision is needed for creating open urban spaces that are safe, sustainable and healthy. Rene Dubos said many years ago, “The concept of an optimum environment is unrealistic, because it implies a static human life. Planning for the future demands an ecological attitude based on the assumption that man will continuously bring about evolutionary changes through the creative potentialities inherent in his biological nature.” ‘Longing for nature is built into our genes.’ E. O. Wilson, the well-known scientist wrote, “The longing for nature is built into our genes,” and “nature holds the key to our aesthetic, intellectual, cognitive and even spiritual satisfaction.” This quote directs us to make nature accessible for all ages and abilities in well-designed open urban spaces, crucial to the quality of urban life in Metro Vancouver. We should commit ourselves to establish a task force for public open space in 21st century Vancouver. These spaces ought to address the quality of life to which we aspire, as well as limiting footprints of developments, which will reduce our impact on the earth. These guidelines must address climate change, reduce storm water runoff, and show imaginative design, which save labour and operating expenses and choose plant material commensurate with our ecology. This task force is to be composed of planners, architects, landscape architects, citizens, city officials, and parks officials, among others. The Danish architect Jan Gehl says, “Basically, it is all about respect for people” -- designing the ground floor, the city at eye level, and re-ordering priorities away from cars and traffic, because everyone has the right to see a tree from their window, sit on a bench with play spaces for children, or to walk to a park within 10 minutes of their home. “We shape cities and cities shape us.” The buildings and landscapes we design today should be examples of the most advanced technology and incorporate green roofs with green balcony gardens. Then Vancouver would lead the way to being truly a green city.

III. WHAT ARE THE PROS AND CONS OF URBAN RENEWAL?

PROS: o o o o o o o o o o o o o

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May increase density and reduce sprawl Might have economic benefits and improve the global economic competitiveness of a city's center Improve cultural and social amenity May also improve opportunities for safety and surveillance May bring new business and breathe life into existing businesses Creates a pedestrian environment and reduces the need for cars May result in an influx of new businesses and increased patronage of existing establishments Establishes an environment that fosters growth in new businesses Restoration of crumbling or abandoned buildings Increased use of public transport May reduce number of slum areas in a city Provides for orderly renewal for worn out and obsolete areas Greater Housing Choice - Suburban growth being dominated by detached housing, mainly suitable for family households, provides more options in terms of housing choice as well as availability for rental Supports local historic preservation efforts Provides upgraded and needed infrastructure for future growth Promotes the introduction of new housing products, and offers resources for reinvestment in established neighborhoods Better utilization of existing and proposed infrastructure Increased city productivity from the co-location of more intensive jobs and housing New employment opportunities

CONS: o o o o o o o o o

May involve relocation of businesses The demolition of structures / neighborhoods The relocation of people May increase traffic congestion and noise May be an improper use of eminent domain by a government (purchase of property for public purpose) Increased pollution - As a result of traffic congestion, pollution levels will increase. This will negatively affect peoples' health and wellbeing. Decimates urban bush land - Value of our natural flora and fauna diminishes Increases housing cost - As the government is restricting development on the urban fringes makes land scarce, existing land becomes more valuable raising its worth. Induces climate change -There is more energy produced when constructing multi-unit buildings.

IV. SUCCESSGUL CASE STUDIES EXAMPLES:

A. Gardens by the Bay & Supertree Grove

Transformation from a Garden City to a City in a Garden Location: Marina Bay, Singapore Size: 101 hectares (250 acres) Inquiry How can we integrate cities into nature while enhancing the lives of citizens in a beautiful and sustainable way? What are the design challenges and opportunities for integrating infrastructure at this scale? Project Summary Gardens by the Bay is a nature park spanning 101 hectares (250 acres) of reclaimed land with three waterfront gardens. Gardens by the Bay is part of a strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden". Intended to be Singapore's premier urban outdoor recreation space, and a national icon, an international competition for the design of the park was held in 2006, attracting more than 70 entries submitted by 170 firms from 24 countries. Design Gardens by the Bay includes a complex of two of the world's largest glass-roofed conservatories. The Flower Dome and the Cloud Forest were designed as an energy efficient showcase of sustainable building technologies and to provide an all-weather “edutainment” space within the Gardens. They are built without additional interior support (no columns) and have minimal environmental footprints. Rainwater is collected from the rounded glass surface and circulated through the cooling system which is connected to the Supertrees in the park outside the conservatories. Supertrees are tree-like structures that dominate the Gardens' landscape with heights that range between 25 metres (82 ft) and 50 metres (160 ft). They are vertical gardens fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees – photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees, such as lighting, just like how trees photosynthesize; and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, like how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems. There is an elevated

walkway suspended between two of the larger Supertrees for visitors to enjoy a panoramic aerial view of the Gardens. At night, the Supertrees come alive with a light and music show called the OCBC Garden Rhapsody. (Wikipedia) Challenges ● ● ●

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Blend nature, technology, environmental management and imagination to create a 21st century civic focus for tropical horticulture and a unique destination experience. Build massive glass conservatories without interior columns. Both conservatories have a dual system structure of gridshell and arches to permit as much light as possible through to the planted displays within. The gridshell portion is very fragile and is designed to only support its own weight and the weight of the glass. Wind loads are resisted by the arches that are set away from the surface of the envelope and arranged radially in line with the geometry of the gridshell. Design a heating cooling system where temperature can be controlled accurately to three different temperature levels optimising plant growth conditions and maximizing lifetime without compromising on energy efficiency. Every consideration given to passive climate control techniques. A computer-controlled system unfolds shades on the glass panels when the sun is too intense . Design cooling towers (Supertrees) for conservatories that double as a public attraction. Grow green walls up the Supertrees. Integrate solar panels to provide energy for evening light displays and plant irrigation. Suspend a secure aerial walkway among the tallest of the Supertrees.

Pacific Northwest Context ● ● ●

How might we apply this level of civic creativity for green infrastructure integration in our own communities? What is the planning timeline (decades?) for big projects like this to be developed? What are the planning, design and construction phases? Who are all of the stakeholders? Outstanding slide show of the engineering and construction phases for the new Seattle waterfront “Overlook Walk” built near the Pike Place Market where the Alaskan viaduct is dismantled with traffic moved to an underground tunnel.

B. CITY OF LAKE OSWEGO Development Review Commission Special Meeting Minutes July 24, 2014 Chair Needham called the meeting to order at 6:00 p.m. in the Council Chambers of City Hall. Members present: Chair Bob Needham, Vice Chair Brent Ahrend, Gregg Creighton, Ann Johnson, and David Poulson. Kelly Melendez and Frank Rossi were not present. Staff present: Scot Siegel, Planning and Building Director; Leslie Hamilton, Senior Planner; Erica Rooney, City Engineer; Amanda Owings, Traffic Engineer; Brant Williams, Director of Redevelopment Agency; Evan Boone, Deputy City Attorney; and Janice Reynolds, Administrative Support PUBLIC HEARING LU 13-0046: A request by Evergreen Group, LLC, for approval of a Development Review Permit to construct a mixed use project (revised), including 207 residential units and 36,500 square feet of commercial use in three buildings, with the following exceptions to the Community Development Code standards: • Residential uses on the ground floor in EC zone [LOC 50.03.003.1.e.ii] • Reduced amount of storefront glazing [LOC 50.05.004.6.b.i] • Retail parking entrance on 1st Street [LOC 50.05.004.10.b] • Shared private/public parking provided on-site [LOC 50.06.002] The applicant also is requesting removal of 25 trees to accommodate the development. Location of Property: 140 A Avenue, (Tax Lot 08300 of Tax Map 21E 03DD). Continued from February 19, 2014, for consideration of revised submittals by the applicant; re-commenced on July 21, 2014; then continued to July 24 to finish receiving oral testimony. Chair Needham opened the public hearing. Mr. Boone outlined the applicable criteria and procedure. Each Commissioner declared her/his business/employment. Vice Chair Ahrend related that a co-worker might testify on the project, but that he would consider their testimony the same as anyone else’s. Mr. Creighton declared an ex parte contact. No one challenged any Commissioner’s right to consider the application.

C. Urban Renewal – a Case Study in Hong Kong Edward S. H. Au (Hong Kong SAR, China) SUMMARY The Kwun Tong Town Centre project in Hong Kong is one of the biggest urban renewal and redevelopment projects ever since. Occupying a site area of 570,000 square feet, this multibillion-dollar project will be the largest single project undertaken by the Urban Renewal Authority (URA) affecting about 1,653 property interests and about 5,000 people. Most of the existing buildings in the area were built in the 1960s, although 24 buildings are well over 40 years old and quite dilapidated. Back-lane hawker stalls and temporary structures pose serious hygiene and safety problems, with the poor sanitary conditions contributing to a hazardous living environment. The project plans include residential and commercial developments, leisure and recreational amenities, various community facilities, a public transport interchange, Government offices, and medical clinic. A landmark building will be erected in Kwun Tong once the redevelopment project is completed. The implementation of the project faces lots of challenges: The project involves more than 1,600 property interests and around 5,000 residents, and over 500 shops and licensed hawkers are affected. Taking proper care of all these stakeholders, and handling their re-housing arrangements, is a substantial and difficult task. Because of the unprecedented scale of the project, the very large number of property interests involved and the need to ensure that the offers made closely reflect market prices, 11 independent surveyors have been appointed to work out offer prices for these properties. They are required to take into account both current market conditions and the URA’s established compensation policies. Urban Renewal – A case study in Hong Kong As the project covers a large area, the URA needs to consider factors such as the appropriate density of development, the height of the buildings, and the transport facilities required, while still preserving important original local features. A further goal is to meet the needs of the ‘grass-roots’ local population by retaining some low-cost residential flats and shops in the town centre. With a total development cost of over $30 billion, this large-scale project is the most challenging development ever undertaken by the URA. Despite the high financial stakes involved, the URA’s primary aim is to take care of the needs of the community and local residents. However, the large investment in the area should also bring with it a host of economic benefits. This paper aims to give an overall view of this mega urban renewal project highlighting the issues as abovementioned. Key words: Land distribution; Land management; Real estate development; Urban renewal; Valuation; Urban Renewal Acquisition and Resumption Reshape Redevelopment

E. The urban Integrated Paul Lecroat

regeneration planning

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Plaine SaintDenis, Paris region, in a large ‘Urban

1985–2020 Project’

The successful transformation of Plaine Saint-Denis (‘the Plaine’), in the Paris region (see Figure 1), has become a reference of how a long-term development vision can take advantage of the organisation of a major event such as the soccer World Cup (1998). The declining industrial and socially deprived area of the 1990s has become a multi-functional and diverse urban district in which thousands of people work, live, study or have fun. This complex regeneration process, for a long time only fuelled by public investment, is supported now by the private sector—but this does not mean everything is solved, far from it. However, contrary to dominant trends internationally and unlike other large-scale European regeneration projects,1 Plaine Saint-Denis has managed to change while keeping many of its local businesses, its residents, and enhancing its existing assets. Therefore the development process has kept and yet renewed much of the identity of the area.

The main reason for this success is probably that the regeneration of this 750 hectare area was not made up of one single large flagship project. It was instead a pragmatic process combining study, multi-level planning, area-based action and good use of unexpected opportunities, but always with the idea of supporting a balanced development of a wider area. The local elected representatives now believe that the Plaine Saint-Denis area should play its part in a sustainable metropolitan policy that they see as: Maintaining industrial activities and low-income households in the heart of the Paris region, while intensifying urban space to attract new businesses and people around a denser network of transport and social infrastructure. The ‘city model’ this regeneration process refers to is clearly that of an inclusive mixed-use and pedestrian-oriented city. But trying to do this on a small level in the context of a large western metropolis of around 11 million people is not an easy task. The results, after over 20 years of combined local and regional efforts, reflect the unavoidable contradiction between being one of the strategic development areas of a global metropolis and answering the needs of local residents. Moreover, the social, economic and construction dynamics of Plaine Saint-Denis are so active that nothing can be said

for sure: who knows if the early pioneer residents and activities will still be there in a few years’ time? Plaine Saint-Denis: Background Plaine Saint-Denis is located directly to the north of Paris and to the south of the historic cathedral city of Saint-Denis where the kings of France used to be buried. It lies at a strategic location on the axis linking the metropolitan centre (Central Paris and La Défense CBD) to the Roissy-Charles de Gaulle international airport (A1 Highway, Regional Rapid Transit RER B). It is well connected to the two inner ring highways of the Paris region: the Paris Périphérique and the A 86 Orbital (see Figure 2). The economic downturn revealed the drawbacks of the Plaine: • Poor environment: built in 1960, the 8-lane A1 highway cut through the area, bringing noise and air pollution to the residents. The area has also site contamination problems caused by past industrial activity. • Low level of infrastructure: very poor street network as the industries were served by an extensive rail network, inadequate public transportation accessibility, poor quality of public spaces, lack of green spaces and education infrastructure. • Poor housing conditions and social deprivation, with a declining population, lowincome households, and an under-skilled workforce mostly of foreign origin.

Urban Renaissance: The First Steps The creation of Plaine Renaissance The first seeds of regeneration were planted when the local authorities founded Plaine Renaissance in 1985, as a public-public partnership of Saint-Denis, Aubervilliers, Saint-Ouen and the Seine-Saint-Denis county. Its task was to prepare an Inter-municipal Development Charter, i.e. a shared local regeneration policy. This Charter, finally approved in 1991, was based on:  

A shared assessment of the situation. Common strategic goals, such as: improve the accessibility of the Plaine, maintain the industrial potential, diversify the local economy (research & development centres, new

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fields of activity such as the image-industry, editing, electronics, etc.), develop a further education centre, improve the quality of the environment and of housing, etc. New instruments to set up: A global spatial vision, a new public urban development agency, a further education centre coordination committee, a mobility plan. The reinforcement of the local social and economic management system—a specific task of Plaine Renaissance—and above all, a participative process with local communities and businesses

The Urban Project for the Plaine The Urban Project for the Plaine Saint Denis developed by Hippodamos 93 was approved in 1992. This non-statutory project gives a clear ambition and a long term, yet pragmatic, vision for the development of the Plaine. One of the fundamental ideas of the Project was to enhance the existing assets of the Plaine and to create the conditions for change. Creating a grid of generous public spaces almost from scratch was an answer to that. This system opened up the industrial fabric and reconnected the Plaine to Paris and to the neighbouring cities: East-West and NorthSouth 28 metre-wide multi-functional avenues were proposed. Along this new ‘green’ street system, with the change of image, denser new mixed-use buildings and environments could be developed in time (see Figures 3a, 3b, 3c, and 3d).

Functional-mix building, social mix, and urban diversity, were at the basis of the Project. The idea was not to remove existing productive activities, but to create the conditions for most of them to remain and evolve. Strategic areas were designated, where strong public intervention was needed in the short or medium-term to improve the environment:2 the main axis (Wilson avenue), the gateways (Porte de Paris, Porte de la Chapelle, and Porte d’Aubervilliers), the Canalside and the heart of the Plaine. Re-use of industrial buildings was seen as an asset for future development. Plaine Saint-Denis, Today and Tomorrow Achievements and projects The regeneration process of Plaine Saint-Denis is now well underway: • Over 400 hectares of public or private redevelopments are ongoing or planned in about a dozen projects, such as the European Movie City in a former electric power station, the new Convention centre in Landy France, the future retail-led development at Porte d’Aubervilliers, the ConfluenceSaint-Denis station redevelopment, etc. (see Figure 12). • Over 800,000 m2 of office space have been developed since the year 2000, turning this area into the third largest service centre in the Ile-de-France (Pleyel-Stadium axis and Icade-EMGP Business Campus). More than 900,000m2 are still to be completed in the next few years. • Around 25,000 jobs have already been created in or have relocated to the Plaine— exceeding the initial target of 23,000. This has been accompanied by a deep change in the nature of jobs (most are white collar). • About 5000 new housing units of different kinds (flats and terrace houses, rented and owner occupier) been built since 2000—of which 35 per cent is social housing— allowing local people to move and newcomers to settle in the Plaine. The newcomers include a wide range of different social groups. However many of them are young couples arriving from more central areas, with or without children and with lower to medium incomes. Half way from 2015, the initial targets will be met, with 7000 more dwellings still to be developed, also with the same a social-private mix. • An education and training centre in the heart of the Plaine area is emerging; it will be developed in the next years with a new university campus devoted to human and social sciences. • New public spaces, avenues, streets, squares, canal-side promenade, and new school and social facilities, creating together new life units in the Diderot, Montjoie, Landy, and Stadium quarters. • A new identity has been created for the Plaine, partly derived from the diversity of architectures and local ambiances Learning From the Plaine Saint-Denis Regeneration Plaine Saint-Denis has been undergoing a profound physical and economical transformation over the last 10 to 15 years. Its image has changed completely, in a positive way. This is in itself a great success. The regeneration process has, by some aspects, been quite exemplary, but there are also weaker points about the way things were and continue to be done. Two questions will be briefly discussed. Planning, flexibility and urban management Strong points:

• The location, design and management of the Stadium were good strategic decisions, well prepared locally by the range of studies and proposals coming from Plaine Renaissance and Hippodamos 93. • The ‘World Cup effect’ was successfully used, with key-investments sparking off the regeneration dynamic, changing the image, and building trust in the whole process. • The concept of the area regeneration as a multi-functional, mixed-use, and innovative urban area, not a CBD. The flexibility of the Urban Project meant that it was possible to fit the Stadium into the plan and also to keep productive activities and existing structures and buildings as long as possible. • There has been good coordination and consistency between the 1991 Urban Project approach, the area-based development, and the statutory plans: the 1994 Regional Structure Plan, the revised local plans, and the recent Plaine Commune Master Plan. • These plans have been closely related with sector-based plans and policies of Plaine Commune, such as the Economic Strategy, the Housing Plan, the Social Regeneration Policies, the Retail Structure Plan, the Environment Plan, etc. • A rare result: Re-development without gentrification. There are more jobs and people by 2020 than ever before, without the gentrification process which large projects often imply, thanks to public land acquisition policies and public housing policies. Weaker points • The area was not really planned as a regional urban centre, only as a local regeneration: It lacks a real ‘city feeling’, a real heart, with vibrant urban intensity. Many urban functions (ie: shops, leisure and cultural facilities) are spread out in the large area or cater mainly for local needs. • As in many large-scale projects, there is still a mismatch between new job opportunities and local skills. This is now been tackled through agreements signed between businesses, training institutions and local authorities. • There is still lack of medium- and high-income families, and also of old people. A more balanced social and generation mix is still to come. On the other hand, lowincome residents and businesses are increasingly threatened by rising land prices and rents. • There is a need to improve and reinforce the quality and maintenance of the public realm, as well as architectural and urban design, and environmental standards: Plaine Commune is currently working of these topics. Governance, time and money Strong points • The whole project is a story of consensus-building through open debate at different levels: neighbourhood consultative councils, municipal councils, local authorities. Very few developments have been opposed by citizens. • Stakeholder involvement and public participation has accompanied the first part of the regeneration process, in particular within the ‘Open Forums’ of the Plaine and the ongoing ‘Community Approach’ district management.19 • All this has contributed to build trust between public authorities and private parties: developers, investors and final users are now being involved upstream in the different development schemes, which was not the case before. Weaker points • The overall process has been relatively slow. It took almost 15 years from the creation of Plaine Renaissance to the growth boom of the very late 1990s. • This is related to the fact the existing governance structure is not at the right level. After 1999, the joint strategic project committee ceased to function, with the result that strategic regional issues have often come second to local issues. The sheer number of players with different interests requires more coordination.

• The overall ambition and spatial vision can sometimes get lost in area-based development procedures and short-term logic. After 2000, the Urban Project was not updated and the previous role of Hippodamos 93 has not been fully taken over by Plaine Commune. • Government and regional investments are not sufficient to address the needs. As a result, infrastructure improvements have been postponed many times: Extension of the M12 metro line, North-South Plaine tramway, Orbital metro, restructuring of major interchanges, new road links above the canal and railway tracks, Canal-Park, some educational and training facilities, etc. Conclusions Urban decline can be a rapid phenomenon, but regeneration is slow at first, then—once trust is back—things can go very quickly, as if life had to catch up. The Plaine Saint-Denis area took off after the 1998 World Cup—5 years after the wise decision to locate there the Stade de France (1993) and over 10 years after the start of the regeneration process. The strength of Plaine SaintDenis regeneration approach is that it is not a single flagship project, but a coherent spatial vision and strategy. However, with the market-forces now supporting the process, initial ambitions and government support have weakened. This could in turn weaken the consistency and quality of the final result. The combination of flexible physical planning, public direct intervention, support of private investments and making use of opportunities, has worked fairly well in the Plaine SaintDenis regeneration process. Community involvement in the process by the local residents and businesses has been successful. But at wider levels, for instance at the level of the Paris region or internationally, Plaine Saint-Denis needs to build up a stronger image. The area lacks a real centre and cultural landmarks—with the exception of the stadium. The regeneration is mainly a local project supported by higher-level players, and not a metropolitan project supported by local communities. However, in many aspects, the Plaine Saint-Denis regeneration process stands out among other large-scale urban projects as trying out an original and interesting path to sustainable development. Halfway from the initial time-frame (2015), a lot has been achieved, probably more remains to be done. Unlike some ‘turn-key redevelopments’, the future of Plaine SaintDenis remains very open.

V. BENEFITS OF URBAN RENEWAL Urban Renewal: Benefits for the Community • Creates new local jobs – temporary and permanent – and keeps earnings local. • Establishes an environment that fosters growth in new businesses. • Promotes the introduction of new housing products, and offers resources for reinvestment in established neighborhoods. • Eliminates hazards and conditions that undermine the integrity and safety of the community. • Stems the decline of property values and correspondingly the revenues of the municipality and other taxing entities. • Provides upgraded and needed infrastructure for future growth. • Supports local historic preservation efforts. Urban Renewal: Benefits for the Local Government • Increases tax revenues from new businesses, consumer purchases and property taxes. • Keeps sales tax dollars local for use within the urban renewal area or community at-large. • Only method of financing capital improvements that does not require an increase in taxes. • Contains costs associated with the provision of government services by using existing infrastructure in a more fiscally-responsible way. • Encourages in-fill rather than fringe development, resulting in a more efficient use of land and lower municipal capital costs. • More effectively leverages transit improvements, correspondingly lowers regional infrastructure cost. • Identifies capital improvements needed to stabilize existing areas and encourage reinvestment. • Makes development within municipalities more cost-effective than sprawl development outside. Urban Criticisms: Controversy over Urban Redevelopment • Disillusionment has set in because more than a decade of federally supported redevelopment in major cities has failed to make the headway expected against urban blight and the social problems that blight creates and renewal is intended to relieve. • Wholesale clearance of slum areas and pillar-to-post relocation of the families who lived there have generated wide discontent. • Members of racial and ethnic minorities who have seen the slum buildings they occupied replaced by luxury apartment houses have grown resentful of city planning that rarely seems to make adequate provision for their needs. James Baldwin, Negro author, recently put the feeling in one short sentence: “Urban renewal means Negro removal.” • Mike Harris argues that “…large scale urban projects represent a new way of planning the city that is centrally concerned with marketing and the provision of competitive infrastructure….much of today’s city making is undertaken by delivering a list of big, often disconnected projects with the primary aim of attracting investment, the benefits of which are almost always reaped by the private sector.”

VI. REFERENCES: o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o o

https://www.designingbuildings.co.uk/wiki/ https://www.memphis.edu/law/documents/dickerson46.pdf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ https://www.mcgill.ca/mchg/student/neighborhood/chapter1 http://siteresources.worldbank.org/ECAEXT/Resources/MonitoringWhatMatters_chapter4. pdf https://kyombenideas.wordpress.com/notes-on-urban-renewal-defination-stategiessuccess-or-failure/ http://eres.scix.net/data/works/att/eres2011_72.content.pdf http://www.academicroom.com/topics/what-is-urban-renewal https://www.theclassroom.com/what-are-the-pros-cons-of-urban-development12079447.html https://urbanconsolidation.weebly.com/advantages-and-disadvantages.html http://lift-littleton.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/UrbanRenewalFactsBenefits.pdf https://www.sgsep.com.au/publications/best-practice-principles-urban-renewal https://books.google.com.ph/books Urban Renewal and the End of Black Culture in Charlottesville, Virginia: An Oral History of Vinegar Hill https://unhabitat.org/wpcontent/uploads/2010/07/GRHS2009CaseStudyChapter08Paris.pdf http://lift-littleton.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/UrbanRenewalFactsBenefits.pdf https://library.cqpress.com/cqresearcher/document.php?id=cqresrre1963082100 World Building of the Year Award - Design Review https://www.earchitect.co.uk/singapore/conservatories-bay-south-garden Beautiful photo montage video of Gardens by the Bay with no narration. (3:30 min) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMVQKk4kOCo Engineers for the project - Grant Associates http://grant-associates.uk.com/projects/gardens-by-the-bay-cooled-conservatories/ Slideshow including engineering diagrams: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gardens_by_the_Bay http://grant-associates.uk.com/projects/gardens-by-the-bay/ https://waterfrontseattle.org/Media/Default/Library/Design%20Commission/16_0721_De sign%20Comm_OLW_FINAL.pdf https://www.ci.oswego.or.us/sites/default/files/fileattachments/boc_drc/calendarevents/2 1283/drc_07-24-14_approved_minutes.pdf www.tandfonline.com edkitehousing.org.uk