existing conditions analysis: introduction evelopment in ... · existing conditions analysis:...

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ner EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS: Introduction

DEVELOPMENT?

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WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE

Balancing current development between economic, social and environmental principles in ways that benefit society now and in the future Consideration of impacts that tradit onal act ons have on: • Lasting economic development • Resources (reduce, reuse, recycle) • Soc equ ty/fa rness

THE PROJECT This project is part of a course entitled “Sustainable Development Plann ng & Pract ce.” The goa s of the c ass are to have students work

th Viet-AID in developsustainab e deve opment plan for Fie ds Corner.

PURPOSE OF THE EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS To ana yze the neighborhood of F ds Corner from four perspectives:

1. Demographics 2. Environmental Condit ons 3. Industry Activity 4. Commercial Activity

Through this preliminary analysis, we hope to dentify potentiadevelopment goa s, strateg es, and next steps in collaboration w th Viet-AID.

Phase I project by the students of class 11.947, “Sustainable Development Planning & Practice,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Department of Urban Studies & Planning – Spring 2004, in partnership with Viet-AID (Brian Cheigh, Pankaj Kumar, David Perkes, Heather Seyfang, Jeanne Zhijun Tan)

EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS: DemographicsPl

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THE DATAThese numbers are from the 2000 US Census for five tracts: 916, 917, 920, 921, and 922.Total population = 22,672% Males = 48.3% Females = 51.7Number of Households = 7037Average Household Size = 3.22

% Change in Racial Composition From 1990 to 2000

-75

-25

25

75

125

175

White Black Asian Other

% C

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Economic Status of Residents

0%20%40%60%80%

100%

White Black Asian

% o

f Pop

ulat

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Below Poverty Level Above Poverty Level

Area of analysis

Education Levels (of people 25 years and older)

0%20%40%60%80%

100%

White Black Asian

% o

f Pop

ulat

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No High School Diploma HS Diploma Some College

Annual Income(in US $)

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

White Black Asian

% o

f Hou

seho

lds

Less than 10,000 10,000 to 29,99930,000 to 59,999 60,000 and above

Racial CompositionOther20%

Asian15%

Black42%

White23%

House Occupancy

0

400

800

1200

1600

2000

White Black Asian Other

Num

ber o

f Hou

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Owner Occupied Renter Occupied

Age Distribution

0

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

3000

Below 5 5 to 19 20 to 39 40 to 59 60 andaboveAge in Years

Num

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f Per

sons

White Black Asian

Ability of Asians to Speak in English

0

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Not At All Not Well Well Very Well

Num

ber o

f Per

sons

Not At All Not Well Well Very Well

Census 2000 data for Asian ethnic groups in Boston shows that the largest group was Chinese, nearly 44% in 2000, down from 55% in 1990. The second largest groups was the Vietnamese, around 24% in 2000, up from 16% in 1990. The growth of the Vietnamese community in Boston between 1990 and 2000 was around 128%. In Fields Corner, Vietnamese population grew by 190% to comprise around 87% of the Asian population, which is around 15% of the total population.

Source: US CENSUS, 2000

Means of Transportation to work

0

10

20

30

40

50

Walk PublicTransport

Carpool Car Other

% of P

opulation

Vie

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Lan

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00

0

l i

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EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS: Environment

li i

Brow r ites wher se may havwi us substances tants, or contaminant xampl m commer c ore

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Toxic Rel

0 150

Allston

/Brig

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Hyde P

ark

North Dorc

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South

Boston

West R

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RECYLCING & WASTE STREAMS • Severa opportun ties for recycling

and composting programs • Need addit data for household

and commercial waste streams

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Phase I project by the students of class 11.947, “Sustainab e Development Planning & Practice,” Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Department of Urban Studies & Planning – Spring 2004, in partnership w th Viet-AID (Brian Che gh, Pankaj Kumar, David Perkes, Heather Seyfang, Jeanne Zhijun Tan)

BROWNFIELDS: nfields a e se prior u e left the site

th hazardo , pollus (for e e fro

cial a tivity), therefcomplicating i s reuse.

AIR AND WATER QUALITY • Asthma rates are increas ng for

Dorchester and Asian communities • Attributable to emissions from

numerous types of business • Contaminated runoff from oil leaks

and industry

OPEN SPACE • 9 open spaces classified as parks,

community gardens or playgrounds • Among lowest neighborhood ranking

for open space per 1000 children

TRANSPORTATION • High concentrat on of auto trips • H gh daily ridership on T and Route

17 Bus • Pedestrian act s not emphas zed

Air Emissions

ease

Hazardous Wastes

Environmental Protection Agency: Reported Spills

Since 2000, 27 oil and/or hazardous waste spills were reported to the MA

Department of Environmental Health within our field study

area. Some of these sites may be eligible for state

funding for redevelopment under the

1998 Brownfields Act.

Green space acres per 1000 children by neighborhood

50 100 200

Acres per 1000 Children

West Roxbury South End South Dorchester South Boston Roxbury Ros ndale North Dorchester Mattapan Jama ca Plain Hyde Park Fenway Kenmore East Boston Char estown CentraBack Bay Beacon H

ston/Br ghton

EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS: EconomicPl

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FIELDS CORNER MAIN STREETS AREA COMMERCIAL ANALYSISOverrepresented types of businesses:

• Building Materials/Hardware• Financial/Insurance/Real Estate

Underrepresented types of businesses:• Food Supply/Supermarket• Food Services

VIETNAMESE BUSINESSES IN THE MAIN STREETS AREA• Family based/small businesses• 25% of total establishments (36/143)• 13% of total commercial lease area• 2% of total sales

STREET-SCAPE OF MAIN STREETS DISTRICT• Poor street image• Lack of pedestrian activities• Lack street cleaning• Public ‘eyes’ for safety• Dangerous for pedestrian traffic• Car dependent, but lacking parking

ANALYSIS OF ZIP CODE 02122 (Larger Region Analysis)Fields Corner has the most concentration of commercial establishments in the Zip Code.

4 dominant sources of economic activity: Food services, health care and social services, construction, auto-related businesses, and financial services businesses.

Heavy industrial activity occurs near Fields Corner as a result of ‘Local Industry’ zoning.

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Viet_own

FC_Green_Land

residential area

Commercial area

Parking

CM

Institutional

Institution

Industrial

1 Family Residential



Apartment

Mix use

RL

FC_sensus_BG

Data Sources: U.S. census 2000 and Boston Assessor’s Office

Fields Corner Commercial Area

Area ofAnalysis

Compare with Typical Neighborhood Shopping Center

0 5 10 15 20 25 30

food

Food Service

Clothing and Accessories

Gifts/Specialty

Liquor/wine

Drugstore/pharmacy

Women’s hair salon(Beauty salon)

Dry cleaner

Unisex hair(barber salon)

Videotape rentals

Nail salon

Banks

Finance company

Insurance

Medical and dental

Bus

ines

s Ty

pe

Percentage of establishments

Typtical Neighborhood Shopping Center Fields Corner

0 375 750 1,125 1,500187.5Meters

Number ofEstablishments

Food Services, 15.49%

Health Care and Social Services,

9.41%

Financial and Insurance Services, 10.20%

Construction, 10.78%

Auto-Related Businesses,

10.98%

All Others, 43.14%

Total Number of Establishments: 510

Estimation ofTotal Employment

Financial and

Insurance Services,

5.75%

Construction, 10.94%

Auto-Related Businesses,

11.50%

Health Care and Social Services, 16.79%

Food Services, 16.17%

All Others, 38.85%

Total Estimated Employment: 5981

Map of Zip Code 02122

CommercialAreas

LocalIndustry

Economic ActivitySource: U.S. Census, County Business Patterns - 2001

AlsenM

aples Industrial ParkLocated in the ‘Local Industry’section

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER: Key Findings and Frameworks KEY FINDINGS FROM THE SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORKS

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ENVIRONMENT

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Sustainable Development

Fields Corner

Business Framework

Framework

Social Framework

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busiorgani isitors.

Viet-AID

MIT

A Long Term Strategy

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DEMOGRAPHIC • H gh dependency on automobiles for transit • High rate of employment in the hea th care sector

among residents • Ethnic diversity and w de range of incomes • Relatively low educational attainment • S gnificant numbers of V etnamese in the region • S gnificant amounts of community based

organ ons

AL • Area may have significant numbers of brownfields • Lack of open space, but two arge parks n the area • Lack of pedestrian orientated pathways • H gh asthma rates • Current heavy industrial activity and auto-related

commerc act vity • H gh automobile traff c in the area desp te presence

of mass transit • Occupational health issues in auto-related, beauty/nail salons, heavy industry

• H gh employment opportunities in the health care and social services sector

• Lack of certain business typ cally found n shopping Centers

• Vietnamese businesses represent disproportionately sma l market share

etnamese bus nesses are primarily small, family run businesses

• Heavy industrial activity • C uster industries in health care and social services,

and auto-related businesses

EXISTING CONDITIONS ANALYSIS

Plan for

Mobility

Mak ng sustainable development a cornerstone of business practices to enhance economic development as we as environmental sustainability.

Enhancing the mob ty in and around the Fie ds Corner community that w enhance a sense of responsibility, openness, and v ty.

Creating and nurturing greater social linkages within the Fie ds Corner community between a stakeholders – residents, employees,

nesses, community zations, and v

Local Industry Framework:


OPTIONS FOR NEXT STEPS: 3 Sustainability FrameworksPl

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Mobility FocusBusiness Focus Social FocusThis option focuses on altering how people move

around Fields Corner.

End Goal & Vision:

Improve sustainability of Fields Corner by enhancing mobility in and around the community through design improvements, promoting pedestrian-friendly activities, and introducing alternative means and purposes of travel.

Objectives:

• Leverage new design of T station to increase non-auto modes of transportation

•Increase walking, cycling and transit use as modes of transportation

• Increase sense of openness, safety, access, and comfort by enhancing pedestrian-orientated activities

• Partner with local businesses to target and increase pedestrian customer base

• Increase linkages between local residents/employees, and the commercial district/major employers

Implementation Actions:

• More pedestrian friendly streetscapes

• Eliminate barriers to pedestrian flows, and promote events, actions, structures that enhance pedestrian flows

• Engage businesses/property owners to improve facades and increase business hours

• Market Fields Corner as an accessible and friendly destination

This option focuses on social networks and activities in Fields Corner.

End Goal & Vision:

Improve sustainability of Fields Corner by creating and nurturing greater social linkages within the Fields Corner community between all stakeholders – residents, employees, businesses, community organizations, visitors, etc.

Objectives:

• Identify and eliminate the barriers and sense of division that prohibit community building

•Tap into underutilized social assets of neighborhood

• Increase pedestrian traffic, creating a sense of community, increasing public safety, and promoting business and local social activity

• Work with the huge youth population to ensure their linkages with the larger community

• Increase community pride, sense of place, and joint responsibility for working towards sustainable development


• Engage large youth population to improve community (murals, festivals, etc.)

• Social festivals & expansion of existing cultural, social, and/or commercial activities

• Social assets directory

• Increase the collaborative capacity of the numerous community based organizations and service providers in the neighborhood

This option focuses on the current commercial assets of the Fields Corner neighborhood.

End Goal & Vision:

Improve sustainability of Fields Corner by focusing on the commercial assets of the neighborhood. By making sustainable development a cornerstone of business practices we hope to enhance economic development as well as environmental quality goals.

Objectives:

• Help Vietnamese business realize market potential and opportunity

•Increase sense of business owners’responsibility as members of community

• Introduce best practices for sustainable development for specific business types

• Increase networks between related businesses to attain sustainable development and economic development goals

•Improve links between business owners, employees, residents, and other businesses


• Environmental best practices

• Employee well-being best practices

• Business association for sharing resources and information

• Spread information to Vietnamese-owned businesses throughout greater Boston area

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