Through Lines: Forging New Connections with Alleyways

How can alleyways be reconceptualized to serve the greater purpose of connecting communities through enhanced bicycle/pedestrian networks?

To answer this question, our SmithGroup-funded research examined planning theories like the Garden City concept and built-alleyway precedents in Tokyo, Lisbon, Dallas and Los Angeles. Then we focused on Chicago, using in-depth GIS analysis to prioritize alleyway improvements based on community need and gaps in resident access to non-motorized routes and community destinations.

Site visits in three priority neighborhoods catalyzed our design thinking, resulting in a toolkit of potential alleyway treatments. Further discussion with community and agency partners clarified vital considerations for community engagement, cost, maintenance, safety and preventing gentrification. The result is five principles for successfully connecting communities through alleyways that highlight the key takeways of our research.

Through Lines: Principles for Successful Alleyway Connections

1.  Make community stewardship the heart of any plan.  
 

• Agencies like the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) identified maintenance and infrastructure degradation as a top concern. With a stretched budget, it is often difficult for CDOT to accommodate new projects, and ongoing maintenance increasingly falls on community partners; this is a trend seen in many other cities.
• These community partnerships are key to long-term success. In Chicago and New York City, nonprofit and volunteer groups like Friends of the Highline, Friends of the Bloomingdale Trail and Blacks in Green help fill maintenance, funding and advocacy gaps.
• Nonprofit and volunteer partners provide an opportunity for community ownership, claiming autonomy over implementation and programming strategies that reflect the unique needs of the community.
• As Janet Attarian, SmithGroup’s Senior Mobility Strategist, said, “Design something that people want to advocate for.” While this might seem self-evident, it is important to remain steadfast in designing something that people truly want.

2.  Advance a holistic approach to safety.
 

• One of the biggest obstacles is the concern about safety in alleyways. While difficult to quantify, the perception of safety within alleyways is as much of a barrier to project implementation as actual safety.
• Underdevelopment, underutilization and deterioration in alleyways contribute to the real and/or perceived fear of crime, and mass-media messaging reenforces the rhetoric.
• Jane Jacob’s Eyes on the Street theory hypothesizes that increasing the volume and diversity of uses on the street deters crime. In Chicago, where most modes of transportation follow roadways, fewer eyes are on alleyways, contributing to the perception of danger.  
• So how do you change the perception and reality of safety? The Routine Activity Theory argues that urban activity, lighting and well-maintained vegetation contribute to lower levels of crime. The perception of safety will improve through space activation and urban functionality.

3.  Develop proof of concept through alleyway pilot testing.
 

• Pilot projects support two significant outcomes. They drum up excitement for future investments and provide valuable lessons learned from small-scale implementation.
• While our methodology hinges upon identifying key alleyway interventions to connect non-motorized infrastructure citywide, a less intensive pilot project can serve as a catalyst to inform and promote long-term implementation of the broader vision.   
• Existing projects coordinated by the Chicago Department of Transportation can serve as excellent precedents.
  • The Make Way for People project connects pedestrians to the Jefferson Park transit hub and serves as a precedent for how to retrofit alleyways for people. 
  • The Lakeview Low-Line uses space beneath elevated rail lines to connect two commercial corridors.

4.  Make regulatory changes that support successful alleyway activation.
 

• In urban centers like Lisbon, Ho Chi Minh City, Barcelona and Tokyo, alleyways have long been an extension of pedestrian space. Adjacent site design orients buildings in favor of the alleyway, creating pedestrian-scaled access points and space to dine and shop.
• Today, cities like Vancouver are pushing to adopt similar site development through zoning and design guidelines. In Chicago, the Pedestrian-Street zoning designation prioritizes the pedestrian experience by reshaping the urban realm. Similarly, the following zoning and design guideline strategies could be considered to prioritize and create Through Lines in Chicago:
  • Ground-floor window transparency for commercial/mixed-use zones.
  • Rear access requirements for cultural, commercial, institutional and mixed-use or office buildings adjacent to alleyways.
  • Infill accessory dwelling units (ADUs) or garage conversions that support a variety of complementary home-business uses or provide low-cost lease space. (For more information on promoting neighborhood-scale home businesses, see Rebel Garages.)
  • Land use regulation
    • Encouraged uses adjoining alleys: residential, institutional, cultural, open space, mixed-use, commercial and other pedestrian-scaled uses.
    • Encourage site design that accommodates cafés, outdoor eating space and service windows.
    • Discouraged uses: auto-oriented uses like gas stations, drive-throughs and car washes.

Projects that are consistent with neighborhood character and embrace the history and active industry (i.e., jobs) are less likely to result in gentrifying impacts. (Curran and Hamilton, 2021)

5.  Avoid displacement - maintain legacy businesses & neighborhood affordability.
 

• Projects like the 606 and High Line have been widely acclaimed, acting as community and regional destinations. However, both projects have undergone significant neighborhood change following greenway development. While some view rising rents and property values as an inevitable outcome of successful neighborhood reinvestment and development, there are numerous zoning mechanisms and policy changes that can be advanced to mitigate gentrification and displacement.
  • Understanding the needs of current residents and business owners is vital. Any future work should be informed by a comprehensive engagement approach.
  • State and City funds can be used to ensure that legacy businesses aren’t adversely affected during construction, and technical assistance can help modernize business practices and promote placemaking where needed.
  • Utilize anti-displacement strategies like those employed in San Francisco’s Legacy Business Program.
  • Partner with dedicated nonprofits and community organizations like Community Land Trusts or the Detroit Greenway Heritage Conservancy, which was created to maximize neighborhood opportunity and mitigate potential displacement following construction of the Joe Louis Greenway. These organizations promote community ownership as a long-term solution to displacement, supporting the local community in wealth building.

The Through Lines Framework is just one step towards realizing a safer, more accessible and sustainable city. Building these beneficial infrastructure connections requires more than a design vision; designers must also forge more connected partnerships with city representatives and residents, consider holistic neighborhood wellness and safety, pilot ideas, advocate for regulatory changes and combat displacement. Our research suggests that the long-term viability of alleyway investment is anchored in and ultimately realized through committed community building.  

Download the report:  Through Lines: An Exploration of Connections Via Chicago’s Alleyways

This research was funded through a SmithGroup Exploration Grant.