Mid Block Connectors

The mid-block connector and transportation center re-work concepts continue to intrigue.

As excellent as the Rogero-Buckman design is, it drops the ball with the mid-block connector concept. It seems the idea of working in a continuation of the Riverscape/Third Street walkway was not developed too much by most of the schemes.

Here is a take on how to maybe work this into the Rogero-Buckman desing, playing on the "neon district" concept by putting in an accent, maybe some sort of tower, that would be visible to streetcar passengers coming up north, and then a neon trestle or lighting feature crossing the street into the space between the Lofts @ St Clair and old Journal-Herald building, which would be the start of a walk to 3rd.



...and how that might work. The idea is to hold the walk close to buildings, and maybe develop a little plaza or parkette on the way to 3rd or 4th. Lighting could be part of the design. The chamfering the of the walk beyond the openings between the buildings would be to not take up too much parking.



..and another trestle feature over 3rd to show were the walkway might come out of the David Building, since that would be less obvious. The idea is to do various design features to act as visual cues that there is something happening across the street or at the other end of a vista or scene, so you follow the walk via path of spatial or architectonic "events".

It's an interesting solution to the big blocks of downtown.