Greenspace Presentation School of Urban and Regional Planning Class led by Dr. Chuck Connerly, Dr. Lucie Laurian, and Dr. Scott Spak Varsha Borde Ben Curtis Katie Gandhi Parker Just
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Sioux City Greenspace Plan Varsha Borde Ben Curtis Katie Gandhi Parker Just May 5, 2016 1
Parks Riparian buffers Trees Bio swales Rain gardens Bio retention cells Streetscaping Landscaping Permeable paving Trailside vegetation Community gardens Image credit: greenspacescotland.org.uk Prairie 2 2
Plan Vision To transform downtown Sioux City, Iowa into a cohesive network of high quality greenspaces that supports and promotes quality of life and community health, provides ecosystem services, and fosters a vibrant downtown environment. 3 3
Goals and Objectives 4
Creating the Plan 5
Stressed trees, ponding, paved slopes 6
High impermeability, steep slopes 7
8 degrees warmer, low resident access 8
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Survey Public Concerns Lack of vegetation Stormwater infiltration Unattractive streetscapes Trees in poor health Public Preferences Places to sit and relax Native prairie plants Community event space Walking and biking Cooling features Waterscaping 10
Public Preferences Green roof Native prairie grasses Amphitheater Pond with bridge Trail greenspace Public Art I think with the parking garages there is adequate parking allowing more space being dedicated to beautifying and adding value to Sioux City. 11 11
Where should greenspaces go? 12
Priority Projects Pearl Street park West edge of downtown Pocket parks Pierce Street Virginia Street Sixth and Nebraska Trails 13
Design Recommendations 14
Design Recommendations 15
Design Recommendations 16
Design Recommendations 17 18
Design Recommendations Green Roof and Wall Design Recommendations 18 19
Design Recommendations 19
Design Recommendations 20 17
Policy Recommendations Greenspace Incorporate greenspace during street reconstruction Develop healthy, productive lowmaintenance greenspaces Clean and remediate greenspace soil Enhance existing greenspace to provide increased services 21
Policy Recommendations Biodiversity Ensure a diverse vegetative populations No one tree species should make up more than 10% of all trees Establish networks of greenspace to support biodiversity Image credit: Unknown 22
Policy Recommendations Access & Networks Prioritize areas of high resident, employee, and visitor densities Create ADA-accessible greenspaces Utilize riparian areas as natural greenspaces 23
Policy Recommendations Funding Establish a greenspace fund Reevaluate the current stormwater fee Partner with private property owners Incentivize greenspace implementation 24
Policy Recommendations Education Conduct tours, workshops, trainings, and grand openings Install educational signage Utilize media to educate Image credit: The Watershed Company 25
Implementation Plan 26
Implementation Plan 27
Questions? 28
Acknowledgements Lucie Laurian, School of Urban and Regional Planning, The University of Iowa Scott Spak, School of Urban and Regional Planning, The University of Iowa Theresa Blossom, School of Urban and Regional Planning, The University of Iowa Ragen Cote, Downtown Partners Sioux City Sarah Fish, Downtown Partners Sioux City Michelle Bostinelos, Executive Director, Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council Charlie Cowell, Planner, City of Sioux City Matthew Salvatore, Parks and Recreation Director, City of Sioux City Kathryn Pfaffle, Transportation Modeler/GIS Specialist, Siouxland Interstate Metropolitan Planning Council Christopher Stoakes, University of Iowa College of Engineering, The University of Iowa Sioux City Public Museum 29 29
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