As we discussed last week in our great Placemaking idea series, there are ways of making the project area welcoming to bicycles. Tonight, the City of Madison’s Pedestrian, Bicycle, and Motor Vehicle Commission (PBMVC) is considering an ordinance change that would allow bikes to be ridden on the State Street Mall (although this would not […]
Read more about "State Street Mall Great Placemaking Idea #6: Alternate Bike Route"As we mentioned last time, bike traffic at and near the 700 and 800 blocks of State Street is unlikely to decrease anytime soon—in fact, given ongoing or upcoming improvements to Library Mall, the Memorial Union, and the new Alumni Park, bike counts are actually likely to increase substantially. While in the previous installment of […]
Read more about "State Street Mall Great Placemaking Idea #5: Using covered bike parking and bike valet services to handle increased bike traffic"
State Street Mall and Library Mall continue to be a major bicycle thoroughfare as well as a pedestrian mall. During a 2013 traffic count, the design team clocked 1000 bicyclists entering the project area in one day. Of those 1000, more than 900 disregarded the posted prohibition of riding on the mall. This number suggests […]
Read more about "State Street Mall Great Placemaking Idea #4: Tasteful Use of Artistic Bike Racks to Help Brand the Space"
For great Placemaking idea #3 we’ll take a walk. To walk through the Library and State Street Malls is to experience history. As the primary nexus of activity on the east end of campus and the gateway between the university and Madison’s downtown, this area is rife with historical significance. Renovations and updates to such […]
Read more about "State Street Mall Great Placemaking Idea #3: Redesign the Fountain as an Interactive Water Feature"
Currently, the Library Mall lacks suitable shade structures or comfortable seating (see image below, top), even when it is not under construction. The 700 and 800 blocks of State Street currently offer seating, but it is fixed, made of concrete, and awkwardly arranged in the middle of a pedestrian through-way around a 70s-era speaker podium […]
Read more about "State Street Mall Great Placemaking Idea #2: Flexible shade and seating"
One of the most important aspects of proper placemaking, according to the Project for Public Spaces, is this: “The Community is the Expert.” When the State Street Mall design team asked the public for their suggestions and ideas of how to improve one of Madison’s iconic public spaces, a frequently recurring comment was that Library […]
Read more about "Idea 1 of 8 Great Placemaking Ideas For The State Street Mall Renovation"