The Beauty and Challenges of Mixed Uses in Public Spaces. Nightlife Policy Innovations Managing the Balance between Vibrancy and Chaos

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1 The Beauty and Challenges of Mixed Uses in Public Spaces Nightlife Policy Innovations Managing the Balance between Vibrancy and Chaos June 30, 2015 Responsible Hospitality Edmonton City of Edmonton established the program in 2007 RHE takes a wholistic, integrated approach to the 6 core elements of safe & vibrant hospitality areas (entertainment, multi use sidewalk, quality of life, transportation, public safety, venue safety) licensed establishments open after midnight 38% of all the licensed seats are minors prohibited, those typically in operation after midnight; up from 25% in 2007 The late night economy is truly thriving 1

2 1. Venue Control Plans Two Innovations Innovation #1: Venue Control Plans Alcohol Sales Business Licenses 2. A Mathematical Formula for late night vibrancy Consumption Off Premises (liquor stores) Consumption on Premises (minors allowed) Consumption on Premises (minors prohibited) Requires a Control Plan as part of the business license Venue Control Plans Must address the venue s plans regarding: Medical / Safety Noise Control Patron Management Security Control Plans Benefits A great tool Helps to raise the standard for all venues Venue Control Plans are attached to the business license so they are enforceable in case there are issues For more information: Search: Business License Plan Requirements 2

3 Venues & Control Venue operators can plan for patron activities inside their venues, however venue operators don t have much influence on patron behaviour once they leave their premises. Venue operators have even less influence on the environment. Innovation #2: Exploring Social Capacity Dynamic Layering of uses on a sidewalk During the day: Street Lights Parking Meters Electrical boxes City signage Public transit stops, shelters & benches Newspaper boxes Phone booths Street preachers Aesthetics & beautification (flowers, trees) Mailboxes A frame signs / Advertising Panhandlers To name a few For consideration: the overlap of static vs. dynamic items Garbage & recycling receptacles Benches Bike racks Poster poles Sidewalk cafes & patios Storefront Displays People watching Access/line ups for public transit Street vendors Focused pedestrian use Taxi access Buskers Unfocused pedestrian use And at night, there s the daytime activity, plus Street Lights Parking Meters Electrical boxes City signage Aesthetics & beautification (flowers, trees) Mailboxes Street preachers Line ups for venues sidewalk cafes and patrios Garbage & recycling receptacles Benches Bike racks Poster poles Poster poles Phone booths sidewalk cafes and buskers patios Smoking sections Decreased public transit access A frame signs / Advertising taxi access Security staff at the venues doors Decreased focused pedestrian use Storefront Displays unfocused pedestrian use Heat lamps Decreased washroom access Street vendors people watching social disorder Decreased frequency of garbage pick up Public transit stops, shelters & benches Newspaper boxes Panhandlers Late night pedestrian rush hour demand on police Decrease in food options 3

4 The Challenges on the Sidewalk at Night So what s the bottom line? Fighting Anti social behaviour Garbage Perceptions True & False Pedestrian Safety There are more potential uses of a sidewalk at night. Crowd management Overservice Jaywalking Conflict between day and nighttime uses Lack of transportation options And there are more people using a sidewalk at night. Traffic management Multi use sidewalks Overcrowding Noise Public urination Cities need to improve planning for this on a strategic/macro/big picture level. RHE Believes: What do we want to measure? 1. Entertainment Destination Areas have a tipping point between vibrancy and chaos. 2. There is a way to determine, measure and manage that tipping point. 3. It might be through a mathematical formula or via a composite index. We don t know. Yet. But we re working on it. 4

5 What are the factors? Maybe? Maybe not? Current Areas of Research Services* Capacity** Vibrancy Data sets Operational building capacity Applying Principles of event management Density Social capacity Sidewalk capacity Flow rates * Includes, but not limited to access to: washrooms, food, transportation options, waste management, lighting, CPTED, Police ** Sidewalk capacity, Operational Load Capacity, & Social Capacity Sidewalk Capacity: A + B = C A. Like any venue, a sidewalk contains a finite amount of space. B. A finite space can only accommodate a certain number of people (i.e. a venue has a maximum capacity). C. Sidewalks have a maximum capacity. 2.html 5

6 Number of people Number of people Pedestrian Crossings & Servall Data Whyte Avenue March 30, to 0000 Pedestrian Crossings & Servall Data Whyte Avenue April 6, to to 0100 to Time of Day 0000 to 0100 to Time of Day 0200 to to 0300 Pedestrian crossings Patrons Entering Patrons Leaving Pedestrian Crossings Patrons Entering Patrons Leaving So what does it mean? Flow Rates For the best (maximum) crowd flow for a normal crowd: Width of a route at its narrowest point x 82 people per metre per minute = flow To evaluate risk: assess whether the crowd can flow towards the narrowest point on the sidewalk more quickly than it can flow through that point. Challenge: How do we define a normal crowd on the sidewalk? Flow rates within Entertainment Districts shift during different times of day, due to different uses of the sidewalk, differences in crowd demographics, and the presence or absence of alcohol use. Flow Rates Proposed standard measurement for sidewalks in Entertainment Areas: Social Capacity Different types of businesses have different Social Capacities not related to their size. It s the measurement of space that could actually be used. Day time Crowd flow = Width of a route at its narrowest point x 82 people per metre per minute 2 Bookstore: 14 people Nightclub: 275 people Nighttime Crowd flow = (Width of a route at its narrowest point x 82 people per metre per minute 2) 3 6

7 Proposed Social Occupant Load Formula The Street is an Event Operational Occupant Load Potential Line Up Potential Smoking Section Social Occupant Load The Street is an Event A mass gathering of people within a venue or space The main phases of an event: ingress (arrival), circulation (participation in activities), egress (departure) A finite number of routes to, through and from their locations A finite amount of available space The need for crowd management, and crowd control within the crowd management plan The Basics of Public Safety for Event Management 1. Is the site suitable for the event? Does the site meet the event requirements for functionality, services and safety? 2. Is there sufficient ingress, egress and site capacity for the crowd? The Principle: Separate static (standing) from dynamic (moving) crowds. 7

8 The Tipping Point s Root Cause A complex layering of uses are competing for a finite amount of space on the sidewalk. Proximate causes of the root cause: Lack of sidewalk flow Mixed use areas are planned primarily for daytime & evening use Night time use is more complex not enough has been known about late night use. Proposed Basics for Planning, Managing and Operating Mixed Use Entertainment Areas 1. Is the site suitable for the proposed use? Does the sidewalk and block face meet the use s The requirements Questions: for functionality, services and safety? 2. What is the proposed business Social Occupant Load? Can the block face accommodate the Social Occupant Load? Future Works 1. How does one measure vibrancy? What are the canaries in the coal mine for reaching the tipping point? 2. RHE has proposed tools for a block face assessment to determine the ability of a sidewalk to manage pedestrian flow. However, it paints an incomplete picture of the cumulative effect of having multiple mixed use block faces. How does one measure an Entertainment Area Destination s Overall Capacity? 3. Can the Overall Capacity be increased through the provision of additional services? How does one determine the appropriate level of service? 4. How can City planners accurately measure the level of risk in Entertainment Area Destinations, and assess how it changes over the course of 24 hours? More Analysis Required In the context of pedestrian flow and pinch points, we hope to better define relationships of and requirements for: The width of sidewalk in front of a late night venue Building frontage The cumulative effect of number of late night businesses on a block face, and the area as a whole. 8

9 Which data? Psychological space requirements 311 Calls 211 Calls Bus shelter vandalism Number of licensed seats Calls for EPS service Vehicular traffic routes & rates Servall data Principles of event and crowd management Pedestrian flow Radius of other late night businesses Variety of business licenses Special Events Weather What else? Questions? Suggestions? Miki Stricker Talbot Street as a Venue Coordinator Responsible Hospitality Edmonton, Sustainable Development City of Edmonton miki.stricker talbot@edmonton.ca What data set (or combination thereof) is the canary in the coal mine? 9