Quote:
Originally Posted by BCTed
Do you really think you could design these lots? Can you even name off the top of your head the type of software that is used to create the diagrams that illustrate the designs?
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Off the top of my head, judging by the fontstyle and the style of the drawing lines, I'd have to say that the drawings were created by AutoCAD and rendered to PFD format for their online presentation. But don't take my word for it, I am not a certified parking lot designer.
I am sure someone worked hard on the plan for the Centre Mall site. However, hard work does not always lead to the best results.
The biggest critisism I have for the Centre Mall layout is that it is basically the same design as suburban power centre format without any significant modification to make it fit properly in an urban environment. There is no consideration given for pedestrian traffic. The design is to accomodate automobile traffic almost exclusively, to a much higher degree than the previous incarnation of the Centre Mall.
Traffic patterns drawing people to the centre will now almost exclusively be personal automobile traffic. This is a serious flaw in design. The immediate catchement area for the Centre Mall site, i.e. the people living around it, are being discouraged from walking to and within the site to do their shopping. Furthermore, more personal automobile traffic will be taxing the limited road infrastructure feeding into the shopping centre. The presence of so many drive-throughs will increase idling and deteriorate air quality in a neighbourhood already suffering from poor air quality.
The complete lack of consideration for pedestrian traffic to and within the site has excluded an entire demographic from shopping at the centre. Obviously, the building developers are putting all their business hopes in the suburban shopper driving to and from the site. This shows a serious lack of insight in design and demographics. It will drive away the current core demographic of shoppers on a gamble that a completely different demographic will replace them in greater numbers, a demographic more likely to drive away from the urban core to do their shopping.
Why not design a site that retains the original demographic while attracting new demographics? That of course would require creative design instead of simply squeezing an off-the-shelf design into a site that dosn't really suit it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BCTed
Perhaps I should have used the term "shopping centre site layouts" rather than "parking lots", but all the same --- PARKING LOTS ARE NOT EASY TO DESIGN. There are a ton of things that you have to consider when putting together a lot and it is not like anyone can come in off the street and do these things:
- consideration/forecasting of traffic flow
- spacing
- turning radii and proper angling
- grading and drainage setup
- lighting coverage
- legal considerations
- landscaping
- etc., etc.
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I notice no reference to pedestrains in your list of considerations, unless you feel they fit into the 'etc., etc.' category. This is an excellent summary of what is wrong with this design, and those like it. Pedestrians are relegated to the 'etc. etc.' level of consideration.
Anyway, this is way off topic for a thread talking about CanWest's 'contribution' to Hamilton. Further discussion should move to the
Centre Mall thread.
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