Transforming Brighton, MA’s Cleveland Circle into a Bicycle-Friendly Urban Environment

Transforming Brightons Cleveland Circle into a

Bicycle-Friendly Urban Environment

Natalia Gayl

Natalia Gayl4

The Boston Architectural CollegeTransforming Brightons Cleveland Circle into a Bicycle-Friendly Urban Environment

Natalia GaylDate of Graduating Class: May 23, 2014

Bachelor of Design Studies with concentration in Sustainable DesignDate of Final Review: December 9, 2013

Claudette LHuillier, Joshua White and Sarah Eigen

________________________________________________________________Natalia Gayl

________________________________________________________________ Claudette LHuillier, AIA, LEED AP, Degree Project Instructor

_________________________________________________________________ Joshua White, Degree Project Instructor

___________________________________________________________________Sarah Eigen, Degree Project Advisor

5Transforming Cleveland Circle into a Bicycle-Friendly Urban Environment

Contents

Problem & Objective 6-7Background & Demographics 8-9

History 10-11Issues 12-13

Problems/Challenges 14-15Problems Planners Face 16-17

Precedent Study 18-23 Boston, Massachusetts 18-19 Portland, Oregon 20 San Francisco 21 Copenhagen, Denmark 22 The Netherlands 23

Design Exploration 24Traffic Study 25Everyday Challenges 26-27New Infrastructure 28-29

Solution in Plan 30-31Solution in Section 32-33New Design Implementations 34-35

Coexisting with Smart Signalization 36-37Education Outside of Infrastructure 38

Closing Statement 39

Building a Better Bike Infrastructure 41-52About the Author & Acknowledgments 53

Works Cited 54-56

Natalia Gayl6

Cleveland Circle in Brighton, MA greets the B, C and D (green) lines, Boston College, the Reservoir, the town pool and hundreds of residential living spaces yet this area has not incorporated bicycles into its infrastructure to the degree that it needs to. Encouraging more bicycle trips is an important component of the Citys Climate Action Plan, which sets a 2020 target of increasing the share of commute trips by bike to 10 percent. The 2013 Cyclist Safety Report sets a goal of decreasing bicycle crashes by 50 percent in the same timeframe and if we want to achieve these goals, large junctures like Cleveland Circle must be addressed.

Boston Bikes came out with a comprehensive Boston Bike Network Plan in September 2013 which sets an implementation process for the next 30 years. The plan identifies and calls for 75 miles of new facilities in the next five years and reaching a network of 356 miles within 30 years. (Boston Bike Network) The problem here is that one of the most dangerous and chaotic intersections in Brighton has been left out of the plan. Cleveland Circle has been the site of dozens if not hundreds of minor bicycle accidents and even though Brighton is formally known as Boston, this intersection is on the complete edge of the city making it less important for city officials to treat it.

This is why I have chosen Cleveland Circle as my site. As a former resident and current biker, driver and train commuter all by way of this hectic juncture I understand the neccessity to find a solution to this problem. Throughout this book, I will be stressing the importance of sustainable transportation by giving the bicycle precedence while allowing pedestrians and more environmentally friendly ways of transportation like the T to take priority over motor vehicles.

PROBLEM & OBJECTIVEcritical observations

Would you rather sit in traffic?Taken from kingsgreenpad.ca

Taken from kingsgreenpad.ca


NEWTON

BROOKLINE

CHESTNUT HILL

BRIGHTON

Would you rather sit in traffic?Taken from kingsgreenpad.ca

Cleveland Circles minor treatments dont address the problem of unorganized and dangerous traffic patterns, pedestrian and bicycle safety or a Complete Streets design. For all of Cleveland Circle there is only one shared lane and one bike lane in develop-ment by the Boston Bike Network 30-year plan.

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Natalia Gayl8

Brighton is a neighborhood of Boston that is connected to the rest of the city by the Allston neighborhood and is otherwise surrounded by Cambridge, Watertown, Newton, and Brookline. The Charles River separates Brighton from Cambridge and Watertown.

Cleveland Circle, an area of Boston, is located in the Aberdeen section of Brighton at the intersection of Beacon Street and Chestnut Hill Avenue. Cleveland Circle is the town center of Aberdeen, a residential area of apartment buildings and free-standing homes made up of working professionals of all ages, seniors and students. The area is surrounded by small businesses, retail and restaurant chains, bars, food trucks, cafes, ice-cream joints, offices, Boston College, the town Reservoir, town pool and ice-skating rink. Cleveland Circle is also where the B, C and D light rail green lines meet and interchange. All these characteristics make for an energetic and consistently busy town center.

BACKGROUND & DEMOGRAPHICS

Location: Brighton, MAPopulation: approx. 42,789Density: 14,797/mi2

Age cohort: 25-34


Residential/Retail

Offices

B LineBoston College

Recreation

ReservoirMBTA Facilities

Residential

Residential/Retail

Recreation

Residential

Abondoned Movie Theater

C LineCleveland Circle

D LineReservoir

Pool

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Natalia Gayl10

Historically, Brightons claim to fame was its livestock trade. It was the main cattle and slaughtering center of 19th century New England. Brighton manufacturing institutions produced a wide range of animal by-products, including varnish, lampblack, bone fertilizer, soap, oil, tallow, lard, whips, buttons, and corset bones. Livestock-related businesses fueled the local economy. In 1840, Brighton became the primary agricultural and market gardening centers in the Boston region. Brighton went from a network of horse-drawn carriage line of about 8,000 animals in the 1850s to streetcar in the 1880s. The streetcar prompted suburban development and Allston-Brightons population grew from 6,000 to 47,000 in the span of 50 years. The post-World War II period was not a happy time for Brighton. There was a variety of factors that contributed to the regions frustration including an increase in the number of cars, the newly constructed Boston College and the pressures the new developments exerted on Brightons housing stock, the flight of many long-term residents to the outer suburbs, high density/low quality development, and especially the inability to control undesirable development. In 1990, the population of Allston-Brighton was 70,000 and by 1996 the community had strengthened its voice in expressing its uniqueness as a municipality. (bahistory.org)

HISTORYfrom past to present

Map of the Disctrict of BrightonTaken from davidrumsey.com


Cleveland Circle, a curerntly chaotic and disorderly inter-section, has roots in why it has become what it is today. In the beginning Cleveland Circle has minimal development and a very simple intersection made primarily for horse-drawn carraiges. Once the rail is initiated and the motor vehicle is developed for mainstream use, Cleveland Circle turns into an open rotary and in 1925 its clear that through the continuation of development, the rotary becomes more difinitive for safety purposes and the area is made to function with the increase of residencies and businesses.

Images taken from bahistory.org

1885 1925

1909

Natalia Gayl12

ISSUES

Each of these sketches allowed me to analyze and compartmentalize Claveland Circles issues with a more critical eye. At this point in my process, I was able to determine exactly what made Cleveland Circle so confusing to navigate.

This is an image of the current conditions of Cleveland Circles intersection as viewed by a pedestrian on the corner of Chestnut Hill Avenue and Beacon Street.

14 crosswalks in 1 intersectionNo bike lanes

No barrier between train and pedestrians

investigating an abondoned sea of asphalt

Unsafe crossing

No signalization or signage in U-turn zone

No painted car lanes


Here we see Beacon Street from the point of view of a person getting off the Outbound train at the Cleveland Circle T stop. Inconvienient, unsecure and minimal bike parking

No bike lane

No barrier between tracks and sidewalk Unclear wayfinding

Natalia Gayl14

1. Intersection of 3 rails/5-way intersection2. 7-11 parking lot has inconvenient one-way and dangerous cross-

walk placement3. Lack of metered and unmetered parking4. Unclear merging of lanes (3 into 1)5. Poor pedestrian visibility6. Diagonal metered parking does nothing for placemaking and

creates poor visibility of pedestrians in crosswalk7. D line pedestrian way is not simple or intuitive8. Confusing double-streetlight on Chestnut Hill Avenue9. Nowhere to purchase Charlie Card by C line10. Unintuitive wait time for C line (lack of information board)11. Beacon Street bike lane ends abruptly before intersection and

begins again after intersection12. Bike lanes are in dooring area13. Closest grocery store is 1/2 mile away which is far for a town

center14. Only 8 bicycle parking spots at Reservoir stop and 8 at Cleve-

land Circle stop15. Traffic lights are not timed intuitively16. Slippery train tracks are no friend of the car or bike tire17. Too many intersecting train tracks create higher risk of danger18. Train changeovers (when B, C and D rails interchange) cross

directly over the intersection interrupting traffic without any notice (traffic lights dont regard this event)

19. Abandoned movie theater is ugly, unused and is foregoing a very long permitting process causing issues in the community

20. No wayfinding 21. Train yard is open to the public even though it is private prop-

erty22. Delivery trucks double park infront of businesses making park-

ing and visibility a parallel issue23. Private-way where C and D interchange is a cut-through for

pedestrians (no signals or barrier between train and pedestrian)

PROBLEMS/CHALLENGESaccessibility, connectivity, bikability, physical barriers

In order to better understand the prob-lems and challenges surrounding Cleve-land Circle I created an exhaustive list which turned quickly into an over-whelming realization of exaclty how many issues one such area can have. This realization helped me understand why Cleveland Circle may have been left of out the Bike Network Plan.


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23

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1415

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Natalia Gayl16

PROBLEMS PLANNERS FACE

-------Street regulations-------Ideas on safety

-------Historical preservation-------Ownership of land

-------Finances-------Public/Democracy

-------Lane regulations/Design-------Motor Vehicle priority

-------Change-------NIMBY (community displeasement)

-------Careless citizens-------Parking/Space issues

-------Integrating plans/design-------Rising density-------Maintenance

-------Wayfinding-------Stereotypes

addressing a long history of incremental design is not easy

After cataloguing the many issues that exist in Cleveland Circle I came up with a paralell list of problems planners face. This exercise made me understand the difficulty of addressing city planning and urban design issues. Ive heard community mem-bers say things like, I dont understand why they cant just put a bike lane in, all they have to do is paint some white lines. Ill admit to saying similar statements. Through this process so far, Ive gotten to understand that things snowball very quickly and each topic of controversy is a chain reaction to another. For example, if the city went ahead and painted bike lanes in, com-munity members may begin to complain about safety issues sur-rounding these lanes; lack of bike traffic signals or the dangers of such a large volume of cars sharing the road with the new influx of bicyclists. Intergration of cities, since Cleveland Circle sits on the edge of Brookline, Chestnut Hill is also a difficult task like making sure bike lanes dont cut off at the town line but that the other town agrees to carry the bike lane through in order to keep fluidity and safety for their citizens. Here is a list of some other problems associated with city planning.


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CONNECTION

COLLABORATION

HIE

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RC

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PARTICIPATION

$$$

RAILSMOTOR VEHICLES

BICY

CLES

PEDESTRIANSSAFETY

BUSESINTEGRATION

POLI

TIC

S

REGULATION

AG

REE

MEN

T

CO

MPL

IAN

CERETROFITTING

PARKING

Natalia Gayl18

The new Complete Streets approach puts pedestri-ans, bicyclists and transit users on equal footing with motor-vehicle drivers. The initiative aims to improve the quality of life in Boston by creating streets that are both great public spaces and sustainable trans-portation networks. It embraces innovation to ad-dress climate change and promote healthy living. (bostoncompletestreets.org)

PRECEDENT STUDY

Once I was understood the complexity of Cleveland Circle and the logistical process of redesigning a seemingly small area, I decided to look at how other cities were tackling similar problems. Having been fa-miliar with Boston Complete Street Guidelines, I be-gan there with an in-depth look at my cities guidelines.

Boston, Massachusetts

Top: Diagram of bike lane design on Commonwealth Avenue. This design does not solve the conflict between a right turning vehicle and a bicyclist.

Taken from wiki.coe.neu.edu

Left and Right: Guidelines emphasizing Multi-modal, Green and Smart solutions.

All images on bottom of spread taken from bostoncompletestreets.org


The following are some Complete Streets Guide-lines characteristics that allow for a

Safe, Simple, Accessible, Informative, Connected, Comfortable, Inclusive and Well-MaintainedCleveland Circle

Pedestrian Experience Bicyclist Experience

Natalia Gayl20

I then explored how other top biking cities treat-ed their intersections starting with Portland, Or-egon. Portland made bike boxes popular in their city. It seems that this infrastructure works best for Portlands roads but this minimal addition to make biking safer was not a big enough leap for what I wanted to see happen to Cleveland Circle.

Above: Untreated Portland intersectionTaken from otrec.usBelow: Consequence of untreated intersectionTaken from humanstransport.org

Portland, Oregon

Campaign to accompany Portlands bike boxes. These were made into large signs and posted up at each bike box intersection and intended for motorists rather that bikers.Taken from streetsblog.org


San Fransiscos SFMTA is developing a new engineering guide where they introduce what they call green backed or super sharrows. The SFMTA acknowledges that the guide is based on proven designs for safer bicycle infra-structure but I still dont believe this type of treatment will be enough for the chaos that is Cleveland Circle.

San Francisco, California

Guidance markingsTaken from sf.streetsblog.org

For an intersection that is pedestrian heavy like Cleveland Circle, diagonal crosswalks seem to solve a couple issues. First, cars that have to turn left or right wont be backed up by pedestrians as they would be in a typical 4-way, 4-crosswalk intersection. And, pedestrians no longer have to wait two light cycles to cross the street which means that they wont back up cars at each crossing. Everybody is better off.

Diagonal crosswalksTaken from quora.com

Natalia Gayl22

Copenhagen has long implemented the use of a bright blue hashtag symbol for their intersections. This is a great treatment for a city who has most of its citizens commute by bike. Here, a barrier be-tween bicycle and car are not necessary since this city has been bike safe and friendly since the 1970s. The wide blue stripes accommodate the hefty amount of bicyclists riding through the city every day.

Copenhagen, Denmark

Above: Example of Copenhagen Left - bikers have to wait in an unsafe left turning area.Taken from betweenyellowand-blue.wordpress.com

Left: Intersection near Norre-port (downtown Copenhagen)Taken from stephocus.com


My last and most informative precedent research was on Amsterdam and Holland. Holland has found a hap-py medium between the long-debated protected cy-cletrack (studies show percieved safety leads to higher risk of accidents/injuries when not riding in a cycle-track) and open-to-car-traffic bicycle lane by putting barriers between the two where it counts: at the in-tersection. This model seems most fitting to my idea of a bicycle and pedestrian friendly Cleveland Circle.

The Netherlands

Below: Typical street in HollandTaken from bicycledutch.files.wordpress.com

Top right: Safe, simple and comfortable interac-tion between pedestrians, bicyclists and drivers

Taken from funologist.org

Bottom right: Diagrams depicting impact of medians between bicyclist and motor vehiclist

Taken from wiki.coe.neu.edu

Natalia Gayl24

DESIGN EXPLORATION

In an attempt to un-tie the historical knot that is Cleveland Circle, I was encouraged to blue-sky some ideas after my Midterm Re-view in order to un-leash my imagination without being bogged down by political is-sues or by my personal history with the area.

These diagrams are a product of a quick-drawing exercise I per-formed which brought me to explore hierarchy and discover which ar-eas are most problem-atic. Making multiple modes of transporta-tion work together was a challenge. My explo-ration with the reloca-tion of bicycles, cars, trains and pedestrians helped me decide that bicycles and pedestrians would be the priority.

bicycle fly-overs

bike & ped rotary, nix cars

section of bike fly-overs over T

above-ground and under-ground

open space park, no car access

bike-only intersection with pedestrian crosswalks

car rotary & bike fly-overT is underground

Kendall Square as example of T underground

at-grade bike lanes fly-over at intersectionT underground

2-way bike paths & reclaimed space

bike & pedestrians onlyexpanding people-space

car one-ways, mixed bike & pe-destrian path, T relocation, bike parking

2-minute exploration sketches


TRAFFIC STUDY

TRANSIT

CAR TRAFFIC

PEDESTRIAN BICYCLE

Once again overwhelmed by the magnitude of Cleveland Circle and all of the problems that exist within it I decided to compile a multi-mod-al traffic study. Doing this study helped me indicate the three most used intersections by pedestrians and bicyclists which then helped me fur-ther understand which area needed the most help. Out of all three sites, I chose the path more traveled: the crossover on Chestnut Hill Avenue.

Chestnut Hill Ave

Chestnut Hill Ave Suth

erla

nd R

d

Beacon St

Beacon St

Natalia Gayl26

The transformation from historical rotary to current day intersection has left a potential death trap for anybody trying to cross the street that is not driving in a car. But, the driver is not spared. Cars also need to be on the look-out for something that is larger than them: the train. The Green Line terminates at Cleveland Circle but performs an exchange between lines B and D therefore crossing through the intersection without any warnings or signals.

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K E Y :

Car Train Pedestrian Bike

EVERYDAY CHALLENGE: CROSSING THE STREET without getting hit by a car or a train


One of the problems I encountered was the angle of the intersection. Since my site used to be a ro-tary, the intersections road design encountered a blow because of the lack of attention to safety.Putting intersecting roads at 90 increases general visibility for bikers, pedestrians and drivers and the current angles, particularly the larger ones, are not safe for pedestrians trying to cross the road. Larger angles yield higher vehicular speeds. I chose to ap-ply this treatment to Cleveland Circle which gave me something I did not expect - reclaimed space.

Skew decreases drivers ability to see cyclists

Right angle creates visibility

When reclaming the 7-11 parking lot I was careful not to block off Sutherland Road which currently a one-way residential street. My decision to keep Sutherland Road acces-sible was not an easy one since cars would have to cross over a bike lane so I decided to keep it as a residential only way rather than a cut through which is it today. I applied the same rules for the entrance to MBTA facilities.

Reclaimed Space

Limited access one way to residents of Sutherland Rd

Opening in bike lane allows access to MBTA facilities by employees

7-11 parking

lot

Suth

erla

nd R

d

Obtuse angles = High speeds

62 107

121130

Natalia Gayl28

Median withGreenery

Arguably, the most important design deci-sion I made was to follow Holland by way of example and create a safer intersection for bikers and pedestrians by construct-ing safety medians. These medians increase visibility between the driver and biker and prevent collisions via a physical barrier.

This implementation provides cyclists with a safe waiting zone when crossing the street.

Chestnut Hill Ave

Medians solve the most dangerous manou-vre a bicyclist can take: the left turn.

Degree of Separation

NEW INFRASTRUCTURE

Beacon

St


ReclaimedLot

Sidewalk

Bike Lane

Protective Medianbetween

Cars and Bikes

Train Tracks

PedestrianWait Zone

Median withGreenery

PedestrianCrosswalk

BicyclistWait Zone

Natalia Gayl30

SOLUTION IN PLAN

H

Protective Median between Cars and Bikes

Pedestrian Waiting Zone

Reclaimed Parking Lot with Permeable Surface Creates Safer Turning Radius for Cars and Hubway Station with Helmet Vending Machine

Covered Bike Lockers for commuters and Open Bike Rack

Green Parklette - extension of Public Space for restaurants and cafes & Bike Rack

Green Waiting Area for Train

Pedestrian Crosswalks

Colored Bike Lanes with Directional Arrows

Wide Sidewalks

Train Tracks - Rerouted Minimally to accommodate new infrastructure

Jan Gehls (a practicing urban design consul-tant and professor at School of Architecture in Copenhagen, Denmark ) Principles for Liv-able Transportation adapted for Cleveland Circle.

Taken from PR Newswire

1. Walk the walk: Create great pedestrian environments.2. Powered by people: Create a great environment

for bicycles and other non-motorized vehicles.3. Provide great, cost-effective public transport.4. Cruise control: Provide access for clean pas-

senger vehicles at safe speeds and in sig-nificantly reduced numbers.

5. Deliver the goods: Service the city in the cleanest and safest manner.

6. Mix it up: Mix people and activi-ties, buildings and spaces.

7. Fill it in: Build dense, people and transit ori-ented urban districts that are desirable.

8. Get real: Preserve and enhance the local, natu-ral, cultural, social and historical assets.

9. Connect the blocks: Make walking trips more direct, interesting and productive with small-size, permeable buildings and blocks.

10. Make it last: Build for the long term. Sustainable cities bridge generations. They are memorable, malleable, built from quality materials, and well maintained.

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Interactive Information Board

Digital Train Information Board & Charlie Card Kiosk


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Natalia Gayl32

SOLUTION IN SECTION

In a Society becoming steadily more privatized with private homes, cars, computers, offices and shopping centers, the public component of our lives is disappearing. It is more and more important to make the cities inviting, so we can meet our fellow citizens face to face and experience directly through our senses. Public life in good quality public spaces is an important part of a democratic life and a full life.

-Jan Gehl

One major sacfirice is that parking has been cut to cre-ate more space for people rather than cars. Many busi-nesses would have an initial problem with this but stud-ies show that taking away parking spaces does not hinder business but rather increases the bicycle and pedes-trian traffic therefore increasing business. Kyle Rowe, a University of Washington student looked at the im-pacts of the impacts of new bike facilities in Seattle and came to find that there was a 400% increase in tax-able retail sales data after a bicycle facility was installed, compared to no change at the neighborhood-wide and comparison sites (trasnportationissuesdaily.com)

Jan Gehl has extensively reasearched the form and use of public spaces. His philosphy lies in the idea that places are for people and has investigated public spaces and public life through the eyes of the human experience. In my new rendering of Cleveland Circle, I have applied Gehls principles by adding greenery and nature, public spaces/spaces for social interac-tion, wider sidewalks and crosswalks, bike lanes, bike racks and an overall pleasant and livable town center.

Enjoying a glass of wine on the corner of a street in Copenhagen. Even a car-centric space can be made into a pleasurable place with the right design decisions.Photo by Author


Beacon Street ElevationAfter

INBOUNDTRAFFIC

10 ft.

INBOUNDTRAFFIC

10 ft.

IN-BOUNDTRAIN

5 ft.

OUT-BOUNDTRAIN

5 ft.

OUTBOUNDTRAFFIC

10 ft.

OUTBOUNDTRAFFIC

10 ft.

SIDEWALK6 ft.

SIDEWALK6 ft.

PARKING9 ft.

DIAGONALPARKING

9 ft.

DIAGONALPARKING

9 ft.

Beacon Street ElevationBefore

INBOUNDTRAFFIC

10 ft.

INBOUNDTRAFFIC

10 ft.

IN-BOUNDTRAIN

5 ft.

OUT-BOUNDTRAIN

5 ft.

OUTBOUNDTRAFFIC

10 ft.

OUTBOUNDTRAFFIC

10 ft.

TRAINWAITING

AREA7 ft.

PARKLETTE/BIKE

PARKING10 ft.

OUT-BOUND

BIKE6 ft.

IN-BOUND

BIKE6 ft.

SIDEWALK6 ft.

SIDEWALK6 ft.

Natalia Gayl34

Like in Holland, Colored Bike Lanes give bicy-clists their own safe-zone while Yield Markings, used in Copenhagen, warn bicyclists when they en-ter a car-zone. Used widely in the States, Painted Arrows in bike lanes direct the movement of traf-fic (all bike lanes are one-ways) while adjacent green spaces takes over the once existent parking spac-es creating what San Fransisco calls Parklettes

Creating 10 ft Wide Perpendicular and Diagonal Crosswalks, like those used in California, give pedes-trians peace of mind when crossing the street. Diagonal Crosswalks allow pedestrians to go directly where they need to go without having to wait for two signal cycles which is a bonus for pedestrians and drivers. Now, all walk signals light up allowing pedestrians to move across the intersection as they please. They are painted green to act as an extension of the green space. Paint-ing Bike Lanes at Intersections is a design decision that European countries follow in order to make the biker completely visible. These markings also prevent bikers from taking the dangerous left turn through oncoming vehicular traffic. Median Islands create a safe wait-ing zone for cyclists and pedestrians if they dont have enough time to cross perpendicularly over a wide street.

NEW DESIGN IMPLEMENTATIONSCOLORED BIKE LANES

YIELD MARKINGSDIRECTIONAL MARKINGS

PARKLETTESPERPENDICULAR AND DIAGONAL CROSSWALKSPAINTED BIKE LANES AT INTERSECTIONSMEDIAN ISLANDS

San Fransisco ParkletTaken from sfpavementtoparks.sfplanning.org

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Two corner parking lots have been con-verted into Public Spaces with Perme-able Surfaces to filter rain water, which foster community interaction. These re-claimed spaces allow for community in-teraction and would be great places to hold farmers markets, picnics or simply provide seating for students wanting a place to relax with a coffee between class-es. The green lots have space for Bike Racks, Sheltered Bike Lockers and a Hubway Station. There is now a Bar-rier between parked train cars and motor vehicles and a new green space for pas-sengers to pleasantly wait for their train.

RECLAIMED PUBLIC SPACESPERMEABLE SURFACESBIKE RACKS & SHELTERED BIKE LOCKERSHUBWAY STATIONINFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

A nice precedent is one of Portlands reclaimed space on 45th Street created by a rerouted intersection. The space is now part sculpture garden, part seating area part bioswale.Taken from treehugger.com

Taken from velo-city.org

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Natalia Gayl36

Car & Bike Video Detection can be used to monitor ve-hicles that are not following traffic laws and/or be used to detect bicycles and give signalization priority. Train Detection Cameras turn all traffic signals red in the oc-casion that the light rail needs to cross the intersection.

Timed Signalization is extremely important in the design of signals so that each mode has an adequate amount of time to perform each action resepectively. Pedestrians will be given priority when crossing streets. Timing will go up from 10 seconds to 25 seconds and will be timed in conjunction to bicycle cross signals.

COEXISTING WITH SMART SIGNALIZATION

SURVEILLANCETIMED SIGNALIZATION


I have designed Informational Signage that will be placed on all four corners of Cleveland Circles intersection so that drivers are aware of the new infrastructure. These sign posts will be placed before the car stop lines in order to be most visible. Another post Ive created is for pedestrians and bi-cyclists. This post is equipped with a Push to Walk but-ton, a Wait On sign for bicyclists, a Stop and Go sig-nal and a Countdown Signal for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Interactive Information Boards allow resi-dents and visitors to explore what the area has to of-fer as well as plan their trip by rail or bike.Taken from inhabitat.com

WATCH FOR

BEACON STREETCHESTN

UT HILL AVE

Digital Information Boards provide wait times for pas-sengers. Keeping passengers informed allows them to have the freedom to wait for the train, choose another form of transportation or run to the pharmacy nextdor.Taken from signindustry.com

TO REQUEST GREEN

WAIT ON

CLEVELAND CIRCLE STATION

GOVERNMENT CENTER 1min

NORTH STATION 5min

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Natalia Gayl38

EDUCATION OUTSIDE OF INFRASTRUCTURE

If Boston wants to become more like its more bikable predecessors it must take larger strides to implement a number of different strategies and come at this issue from a variety of angles. One of which is education. Something which Boston lacks and cant do anything about is the lack of historical bicycle infra-structure. Unlike Denmark, Boston residents are not wired to be wary of bicycles on the roads. American children grow up riding bikes in their neighborhoods and some people even end up mountain biking into their teen years but that is usu-ally where our relationship with the bike ends. Since riding bikes as transporta-tion has become more popular, a strong education of how to treat bicycles and bicyclists is in order. In Denmark, young children are taught to ride bicycles at a very young age. Combing experiential and classroom education at a young age and carrying it through adult driving education will ultimately yield in a powerful and connected transportation community. It will be a miracle achieving a friend-ship between drivers and bicyclists in a city like Boston but it is not impossible!

Taken from blogs.denmark.dk

EducationalCampaigns


Despite all the changes Ive made there is still room for people, bicycles, cars and trains.There are layers upon layers of infrastructure that can be laid over the existing plan of Cleveland Circle from physical infrastructure, design implementation to educational programs aimed at teaching children and adults how to share the road. I have created a series of strategic applications which when used in tandem with each other will create a more unified, connected and cooperative space for people to experience and en-joy. Cleveland Circle has the opportunity to move away from its bad reputation of being a messy, unsafe and confusing intersection to a place where people want to spend time in. Its a lot easier than it seems.

Now that each piece of transportation has its designated place and orga-nized signalization, bicyclists, pedestrians, motor vehicles and the light rail can work efficiently and happily without disturbing one another.

Natalia Gayl40


RESEARCH PAPER

BUILDING A BETTER BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE

Natalia Gayl42

I became passionate about sustainable design long before I can remember. As a child I would make art out of recyclables and as an adult, I didnt stray too far away from that, painting along the wood grain of plywood pieces I would find on the side of the road. But, it was not until my trip abroad that I understood the impor-tance of urban planning and sustainability as one cohesive element. American cities are polluted with cars and trucks. Why has the four- wheeled automobile taken over a much simpler form of transporta-tion: the bike? With countless benefits it will be easy to see why many European countries are populated by bicycles, bike paths and cycle-tracks. Size and space in Europe may not be as abundant as in the US, but as we move towards more compact cities it is crucial that we rearrange current infrastructure and strongly instate a more powerful bike infrastructure. My goal in this paper is to use European cities as prime examples of why the bicycle can contribute to the sustainabil-ity of a city and essentially help save the world from the seemingly inevitable climate change. Through my direct experience of the #2 most bikable cities in the world according to Copenhagen-based ur-ban planning consultancy Copenhagenize Design Co., Copenhagen, I have learned what works, what doesnt and what could be done bet-ter. There are hundreds if not thousands of ways we can, are, and will address climate change and I feel strongly that bike transportation can be a very large contributor to positive change. Here are twelve reasons why incorporating cycling into our lives will provide positive change.

1. Its easier to finance a new bicycle than a new car.2. A bicycle has a tiny manufacturing footprint when compared to a car.3. Bicycles produce no meaningful pollution when in operation.4. Bikes save taxpayers money by reducing road wear.5. Bicycles are an effective alternative to a second car6. Using a bike for transportation can help you lose weight and improve overall health.7. You can store dozens of bicycles in a single automobile-sized

parking space.8. Bicycles dont burn gasoline.9. Bicycling may be faster and more efficient than taking a car.10. Bikes cost much less to maintain and operate than automobiles.11. Bicycles provide mobility for those who may not qualify or afford to drive.12. Studies show that bicycle commuters are healthier, more productive, and require less time off of work.1

Copenhagen taught me about urban planning, bicy-cling and deep-rooted family culture, putting a twist on my definition of sustainable design. My focus has changed from purely sustainable architecture to city and urban planning in terms of transportation, streets and public spaces. I had a bike while in Copenhagen, the biking capital of the world, which I loved and rode every day to and from school. My classes were held downtown right in the hustle and bustle. Danes are a kind people that are very dedicated to their families and usually have friends whom they have known since childhood. Danish men and women are tall, blonde and beautiful. They all look like models walking around without smiles on their faces. This all seemed a bit cold to me when I arrived but I like to say that they are just like glass ketchup bottles, its hard to get anything out at first but once you shake them a little they pour out stories, advice and smiles. I made great friends, American and Danish, and had the opportunity to take walks through the city streets, visit museums and frequent coffee shops. I spent a lot of time on my own and I think that was the most crucial part of my trip. I learned a lot about myself, being in a committed 2 year relationship didnt give me much

1 Baskind, Chris. 12 Reasons to Start Using a Bicycle for Transportation. Mother Nature Network, 18 March 2010. Web. 29 October 2013.

http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/transportation/stories/12-reasons-to-start-using-a-bicycle-for-transportation)


time to spend time alone. Owning a bike gave me a sense of autonomy, of being able to carry myself from one place to another without having to rely on anyone or anything. To be autonomous is to be independent and self-governing. Theres something completely human about wanting to be autono-mous, to make our own choices and not feel like we are being coerced by something or someone else. Dr. Alex Lickman, a Buddhist physician, wrote an article on why being able to make a choice freely can affect our happiness. And this freedom of choice relates directly to my bike and the ability to have freedom on two wheels. If I wanted to go to the store, I grabbed my bike and went, if I was ready to go home before my friends were, I grabbed my bike and rode home, listened to my music and felt the freedom of being just me and my bike. I, of course, missed my family, my friends and my fianc but I can simply say that studying in Copenhagen was the time of my life, a special moment in my career and something I will cherish for the rest of my life. It is this experience that I wish to bring to Boston. Biking was such an integral part of my time abroad that everyone needs to experience.

Sustainability is inevitably in our future and designers are faced with dealing with this matter every day. In response to the issue of the lack of bicycle infrastructure, designers need to take a look at the overall benefits of adding cycling to their current city. And this isnt just for people who ride their bikes. As proven in Jan Gehls Cities for People, roads show improvement through better pavement, the local economy improves because many more small stores are needed to pro-vide for people instead of cars and this street-level/eye-level city experience has the potential to add outdoor caf seating therefore further improving the streetscape by increasing pedestrian traffic. (Citation: Jan Gehls Cities for People) Mi-kael Colville-Andersen, CEO of Copenhagenize stated in an article that, by failing to embrace cycling culture, American

cities are losing out on significant financial benefits, Colville-Ander-sen told Business Insider. Studies show that every kilometer cycled in Denmark earns the country .23 (partly because cyclists have been shown to spend more money in local stores)1

Since sustainability is a major goal and topic in this paper, I want to make sure we are on the same page with what sustainability really means. According to the Miriam-Webster Dictionary, sus-tainability is the quality of not being harmful to the environment or depleting natural resources, and thereby supporting long-term ecological balance.2 Synonyms include: endurable, livable, tolerable, inhabitable, sufferable, tenable.3 Oxford English Dictionary defines sustainability as the property of being environmentally sustainable; the degree to which a process or enterprise is able to be maintained or continued while avoiding the long-term depletion of natural re-sources.

1 Davies, Alex. What Americans Dont Get About Cycling And Why Its A Problem. Business Insider. 29 Apr 2013. Web. 30 Apr 2013.

2 Sustainable. Merriam-Webster.com. 2013. http://www.merriam-webster.com (30 January 2013).

3 Sustainable. Merriam-Webster.com. 2013. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/thesaurus (20 January 2013).

One of my favorite spaces in downtown Co-penhagen. This is an example of what positive attention towards cyclists can do to a city. Liv-ing in a city can be so much more enjoyable.(photo taken from Robert Harding Images)

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Dictionary defines sustainability as the property of being environ-mentally sustainable; the degree to which a process or enterprise is able to be maintained or continued while avoiding the long-term depletion of natural resources.1 Its interesting that tolerable is a syn-onym for sustainability. It seems a bit harsh but maybe its true that we are living in-tolerably. I dislike looking at anything that I am do-ing in such a negative fashion, but the way the public and the govern-ment in America is handling the bicycle issue is unacceptable. This puts a new perspective on our future and what sustainable is. Sus-tainable doesnt necessarily mean a white, organic Zaha Hadid style building but, perhaps, a building that can endure the future. What Im saying is that everything should be built to last whether it be a building, a transportation plan or business model. The way the OED describes sustainability is one of the most accurate definitions since a broad range of examples can be understood by the sentence, the de-gree to which a process or enterprise is able to be maintained of con-tinued while avoiding the long-term depletion of natural resources.2 I never thought too hard about the fact that the word sustain is the root of the word sustainable. The definition of sustain is to keep up or to keep going3 , which is the essence of the whole idea of sus-tainability. This is similar to the idea that everyone should have the opportunity to live a no less than bearable life. Ive noticed that the word tenable, meaning: capable of being occupied, possessed, held, or enjoyed, as under certain conditions4 , is a great alternative way to express sustainability either in a paper or a presentation.

I look at Copenhagen as a model city because of the intercon-nection of biking transportation and overall happiness and well-being, and as a place I wish all cities could potentially become in the near future. As stated in Catherine Ward Thomspons book called Open Space: People Space, public spaces change public life. Public

1 Sustainability, n., The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. Oxford University Press. 30 January 2013 .

2 Sustainability, n., The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. Oxford University Press. 30 January 2013 .

3 "Sustain." Merriam-Webster.com. 2013. http://www.merriam-webster.com (30 January 2013).

4 Tenable. Merriam-Webster.com. 2013. http://www.merriam-webster.com (30 January 2013).

spaces create happy, healthy people. For example, Copenha-gens busiest street Stroget has been closed off to car traffic (except for the occasional early morning delivery vans and bicycles) since 1962 and is now a walking only street with open cafes.

People are out enjoying this area year-round now as opposed to dur-ing the two warm summer months. (photo taken by Author)


There is nothing more enjoyable than curling up in a blanket provided by the cafs outdoor space while sipping on a hot chocolate and watching the snow fall.(photo taken by Author)

I understand that Denmark is the size of Florida and changes happen there much quicker than they would in the USA but the members of Parliament are a group of intelligent and sensitive individuals very aware of what is becoming of our world and that change is vital for Bostons tired model of a car-centric economically corrupt system. To give you a better sense of Denmark and its size, take a look at the following maps.

This is a map of Scandinavia which is just west of Europe. Denmark is the smallest country in Scandinavia.(image taken from scantours.com)

Here is a closer look at Denmark and the three is-lands that make up the country. You can see it is sur-rounded by water and filled with canals.(image taken from infoplease.com)

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Close-up map of Copenhagen. You can see the city center and the surrounding outskirts. (photo taken from vidiani.com)

Copenhagen is the capital of Denmark and has a population of a little over 1 million people. The entire country is about the size of Florida is made up of three islands: Jut-land, Zealand and Amager. Copenhagen is laid out similarly to Amsterdam with its quaint canals, beautiful bridges and converging tunnels connecting different parts of the city and it only take about 20 minutes to get from one end of the city to the other. I lived in Nrrebro and it took me exactly 18 minutes to get to school. Thanks to the Copenhagens early investments on cultural centers and infrastructure, this lovely haven has earned the title of being one of the top five most sustainable cities in the world. Denmark is known for having immaculately clean tap water (better filtered than a bottle you would buy at the store) along with pleasantly clean canalwater allowing for a satisfying summertime dip. More than one third of the population (and growing) rides their bicycles to work1 and why wouldnt they with Copenhagens 217 miles of bike lanes? The medieval city shines with its pulsating his-tory of the Viking Age. Having kept a strong connection with their rich historical antiquity yet moving towards an ecologi-cal future is what I think makes Copenhagen so unique.

I lived on the direct bus line to school and I decided to immerse myself in the typical Copenhagen culture and rent a bicycle through a program set up by DIS which cost about $100 for a full semester of 4 months. Now, you must understand, I am not a die-hard city nor trail biker but I did love biking down quiet suburban streets and the occasional trail with my parents when I was growing up. I purchased a street bike in 2010 so that I could bike to school but after an accident involving my tire and the train tracks in Cleveland Circle, I decided that maybe biking in the city wasnt for me.

1 dEstries, Michael. Top Five Most Sustainable Cities in the World. Ecomagination.General Electric Company, Nov 29 2011. Apr 14 2013.

http://www.ecomagination.com/top-five-most-sustainable-cities-in-the-world.


This is a crash data map of Boston. Red balloons represent bike/care accidents, grey represents bike on bike accidents, pink represents more than two acci-dents in the same space and yellow represents a bike hitting a pedestrian. This map is accessible through the Boston Cyclists Union website and is created using ambulance run data from Boston EMS from May 2010 to June 2011.image taken from Boston Cyclists Union Interactive Crash Map

Boston is full of hazards like inlaid train tracks that cannot be removed but rather worked around/with.

Its all about where you direct different types of traffic. Back in Copenhagen, I knew I had nothing to worry about not only because of what I had read about biking in Denmark but the fact that after just one ride alongside dozens of bikers I didnt see one pothole, imbedded train track nor unmarked bike track. The city was filled with bike trails, bike lanes and mostly cycletracks. Cycletracks differ from bike lanes in that they are a type of segregated cycle lane that is physically sepa-rated by barriers, parked cars of bollards.

Cycletrack on side street in CopenhagenImage courtesy of Alta Planning

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This is a concept that is still fairly new to Boston and it is im-portant to see the difference in safety, comfort and most of all enjoy-ment that this infrastructure can provide. Cities like Portland, NYC and San Francisco have incorporated their own version of bicycle infrastructure which works with their vernacular architecture and design. Boston is well on its way to figuring out what works best for its region.

I was the temporary owner of a highlighter-yellow six-speed beach cruiser or as my friends and I liked to call it, The Grandma Bike. I had three options when it came to riding to class, two main roads or a bike path/trail designed by Danish Architects, Bjarke Ingles Group. The park was built on top of an old train yard back in 2007 in the ethnically diverse neighborhood of Nrrebro and consisted of a long stretch for biking alongside a trail for walking and most interestingly, objects and furnishings from each of the 50 countries that Nrrebro was made of. Having been able to experience my favorite architects designs in action was a definitely a pinch-me moment. As soon as Superkilen ended, there was a bike stoplight and an opening to a curbed cycletrack which allowed me to complete my journey.

Typical Danes riding on a cycletrack after a snowstorm. Danes do not fear the snow.photo by James Sievert

Somervilles overly wide Beacon Street does have a bike lane (on one side) but provides hardly any pedestrian cross-walks. This picture was taken at a very quiet time of day. Bea-con Street is usually unsafely buzzing with car traffic inter-rupting cyclists journeys to and from school or work.photo taken from Wicked Local Somerville Journal

One project that the Boston Cyclists Union is advo-cating right now is the Beacon Street Reconstruction Project which is a full-depth, which means that crews will dig all the way down to the base layer to completely replace the road-way. The new surface will thus be far less prone to pot-holing than it is currently. Reconstruction will cost about $4.5 mil-lion which is being funded by the federal government and the State. This is a great example of an in-depth reconstruction which doesnt just deal with surface planning.

Photo taken

from the Somerville

Patch


As springtime intern, I was able to explore what exact-ly goes into designing and implementing a cycletrack. Imple-menting and advocating for safe biking can be a very long and traitorous process mostly because of Bostons pre-dated laws on road widths and predated governors of certain sectors but the BCU is proof that non-profits organizations hold a very important place in society. It is a place for people to gather and voice their concerns as well as a platform for campaigns and discussions relating to all things bikes.

Though it may seem as though I am bashing on Bos-ton as a completely unbikable city, I am not. Boston has a rich history of biking and a lot of passionate bike lovers. I was at MIT just the other day and the school is its own little biking city. I can confidently say there are almost 2000 bikes at and around MIT and bike lanes/cycletracks integrated all over campus!

Photo by Author

Photo courtesy of Peter Koonces blog

Its livability in the city that we look for which translates to a place that, according to the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, is suitable for human living, possible to bear; endurable1. To understand exactly what this term means, lets look at the synonyms: tolerable, habitable, sufferable, and Oxford English Dictionarys definition: of a room, house, city, etc.: suitability for habitation; capacity to offer comfort-able living. [Also,] of a region, environment, planet, etc.: capacity to sustain life2. We are seeing the words tolerable, suitable, and com-fortable. This makes me think about most peoples desire to own a gigantic house on an acre of property and how unsustainable this idea is. If we all lived like this, the world surely would not be able to sustain itself. Maybe sustainability means cutting our expectations of what a happy life entails. For example, Danish people are the happiest people in the world and their outlook on what a home is completely different than ours. I would love to conduct a survey of the American population versus the Danish populations vision of their idea of a perfect future and what type of house that may include.

1 "Livability." Merriam-Webster.com. 2013. http://www.merriam-webster.com (30 January 2013).

2 Livability, n., The Oxford English Dictionary. 2nd ed. 1989. OED Online. Oxford University Press. 30 January 2013 .

On MITs Vassar Street, right along the famous Frank Gehry Build-ing, the bike lanes are integrated into the sidewalks.Photo by Author

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Bostons region has integrated biking into its system since the early 1900 and North America saw its first bicycle boom in the late 1960s. The rich history the bicycle carries, as it came even before cars is living proof that living by bike is possible. Boston colleges like BU, Northeastern and Harvard have a very high biking population and are probably the most willing to integrate bike infrastructure in and around their campuses. Boston is home to more than 60 colleges and universities serving over 250,000 students and growing. We can see the importance of interconnectedness throughout the city for students sake, who are least likely to own motor vehicles. This would also have a positive effect on reliving the stress put on Bostons metro system.

Another interesting investigation is Smart Growth which is, according to the Mirriam-Webster Dictionary, an urban plan-ning and transportation theory that concentrates growth in compact walkable urban centers to avoid sprawl. (Citation: "smart growth." Merriam-Webster.com. 2013. http://www.merriam-webster.com (30 January 2013).) Smart Growth, a theory invented by Parris Glenden-ing, advocates compact, transit- oriented, walkable, bicycle-friendly land use, including neighborhood schools, complete streets, and mixed-use development with a range of housing choices. The term 'smart growth' is particularly used in North America. In Europe and particularly the UK, the terms 'compact city' or 'urban intensifica-tion' have often been used to describe similar concepts, which have influenced government planning policies in the UK, the Netherlands and several other European countries. Smart growth is a better way to build and maintain our towns and cities. Smart growth means building urban, suburban and rural communities with housing and transportation choices near jobs, shops and schools. This approach supports local economies and protects the environment, economic growth in which there is an effort not to waste resources (fuel, water, etc.) or damage the environment. This term is not yet present in the Oxford English Dictionary. I believe Websters Dictionary does a fine

job of defining smart growth as a walkable urban center that avoids sprawl. More sprawl means more land BUT, also means more cars, more CO2 emissions and less connection to the city and less bikes and bike paths/trails/cycletracks! The city becomes built for cars because of all the cars created by Parris Glendenings idea of sprawl. Post-war times called for the Federal Housing Administration to implement suburban sprawl for many reasons, one of the reasons being the inven-tion of railways and the car.

This crosswalk in LA has been been removed because of the high risk of pedestrian and car collisions. What could help here is a narrowing of the road and adding cycle-tracks on either side, a stop sign and a pedestrian signal.photo taken by Damien Newton of LADOT


One of the most remarkable programs that exists in many countries is the bike share program. All vary in plans but hold one essential goal: to provide people access to rent bicycles in the city for a low cost. Bostons Mayor Thomas M. Menino founded the Boston Bikes program in 2007 and soon after, in collaboration with the Director of Bicycle Programs, Nicole Freedman, decided it was time to implement Bostons own bike share program.1 The very first bike share began in Amsterdam in 1965 followed by Paris, cities in the UK, Den-mark, Sweden, The Netherlands, Ireland, Spain, Germany, Finland, Greece. Cyprus and Canada jumped on board fol-lowed by North American cities starting with Portland, OR, Irvine, CA, Madison, WI, Boulder, CO, Denver, CO, Minne-apolis, MN, Washington, D.C., Salem, MA, and finally Bos-ton, MA. According to Elaine Kurtenbachs article on bikes in Shanghai, bicycles have been around for quite some time and only now is the car beginning to take lead. Because this is a sign of development, the people of China are accepting these vehicles with open arms, though,because of Chinas huge population bikes are still their num-ber one form of transportation. A New York Times Reporter states, Multiplying cars may be a sign of affluence, but the bike's staying power is a reminder that most of China's 1.3 bil-lion people have yet to make it into the middle class.2 Wang, a 30-year old, earns $300 a month transporting flowers and garden supplies on his three-wheeled bike cart. This alone has allowed him to support his family. Imagine if he had car pay-ments to cover? He would undoubtedly be in the negatives. A modest family car costs about $6,000 and licensing it $5,000 - adding up to more than most Shanghai workers make in a

1 Hubway History. (2007). Retrieved Apr 30, 2013, from

2 Kurtenbach, Elaine. Bicycles a Mainstay in China. The New York Times. NY Times. ttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/business/

worldbusiness/07iht-bike.1.14289892.html?pagewanted=all

year.1 Its interesting to see bikes treated in such a different manner. There are even some main streets that dont allow bikes merely be-cause of the masses of crowds they bring. No matter how affluent the development in cars may seem to the Chinese, the bike will always have a purpose.

Essentially, through my research, I have gathered a large amount of information that will help inform and put in place my ideas for my thesis project. Boston needs to allow for bicycles and bi-cycle infrastructure to be incorporated into its preexisting infrastruc-ture in order to support, promote, encourage, enable and integrate bike use. This is one of the best modes of creating a sustainable com-munity because with bicycle infrastructure comes Complete Streets, a program of Smart Growth America which ensures that transpor-tation planners and engineers consistently design and operate the entire roadway with all users in mind, sustainable sites, stormwater solutions and environmental mitigation to name a few. Boston is on

1 Kurtenbach, Elaine. Bicycles a Mainstay in China. The New York Times. NY Times. ttp://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/07/business/worldbusiness/07iht-

bike.1.14289892.html?pagewanted=all

I love this photo from Suzhou where it looks like the bike lane is about to take over the car lane.photo by Sarah Marlowe

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on its way to being one of the worlds top biking cities but needs to use other cities as precedents of what works and what doesnt in the addition and use of bicycle infrastructure. cities as examples of what works and what doesnt in the addition and use of bicycle infrastruc-ture. The purpose of the study was to examine what a bike can be and what a bike is in the US, Europe, Copenhagen and China. As a biker in Copenhagen: the second most bikable city in the world, and in Boston, I discovered that there are more positive outcomes than negative implications related to bicycles in the urban setting. Anoth-er aim was to find out why Boston does not have a better transporta-tion infrastructure specifically for bicycles and how can this issue be addressed. Biking can save the world! It is so much more than just a 2-wheeled recreational vehicle; it can actually change the future and reduce CO2 emissions tremendously. Boston is not exactly like a European city but with investments in cycletracks, bike parking and education Boston has a chance of adding itself to the list of most bikable cities in the world. Finally, the secondary benefits of bicycles were examined in the study including a rise in local economy, a drop in health costs, denser neighborhoods and overall happier people.


About the Author

Natalia Gayl immigrated to the United States in 1989 from St. Petersburg, Russia. She grew up in Andover, MA and graduated with a bachelors degree in Sus-tainable Design from Boston Architectural College in 2014.

Her time abroad in Copenhagen had a lot to do with shaping her passion for sustainability and urban plan-ning. Natalia came back to Massachusetts and earned a position working with a non-profit bike advocacy group, the Boston Cyclists Union and for MassDOT participating in projects like the South Coast Rail Development, Global Warming Solutions Act and was one of the principles in the development of the Social Sustainability Guide.

Her drive for a safer and more efficient city brought her to her final project: a redevelopment of her old stomping grounds. Natalias other interests are art, entertaining, sustainability and holistic design. She hopes to be a big part in shaping the future of biking in Boston.

A Word of Thanks

First of all, I thank my parents for their support in my life. I owe them all I am. A thank you as well to all my friends, family and fiance who supported me along the completion of the Bachelors program.

To my teachers and professors, both from the program and those involved in my previous education, for their enthusi-asm and support.

I owe special thanks to Claudette, Josh, Sarah and Diana for being amazing teachers and motivators. I wouldnt have been able to do this without your guidance. And finally a thank you to my classmates for listening to my presentation probably about 20 times throughout the entire semester. Congratulations graduates.

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Transforming Brighton, MA’s Cleveland Circle into a Bicycle-Friendly Urban Environment

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