How Would You Redesign An Aging Shopping Mall? Ewu Students Come Up With An Urban Village For Shadle Center Site

Here’s the assignment: Transform the Shadle Center into an urban village, bustling with activity, excitement and business.

That was the challenge given to two groups of Eastern Washington University urban planning students last quarter.

Their assignment is similar to the dilemma facing developers across the country: what to do with aging, fading shopping centers that bustled with business 30 years ago but now are empty.

The EWU students attacked the theoretical problem with zeal, quickly bulldozing the 27-acre Shadle Center.

Just as quickly - on paper at least - they rebuilt the shopping area, filling it with small shops, brick walkways, tree-lined streets, outdoor cafes and refreshing fountains. The students even found room for apartments over the shops and quaint townhouses.

“This was an interesting assignment, taking something in dire need of help and turning it into something extremely livable and sustainable well into the future,” said EWU student Jory Phillips.

When the first EWU group was finished with its design, there was 425,000 square feet of shopping area (about 25 percent more than there is now) and housing for about 700 people.

Students used “City Comforts” by David Sucher as a textbook and guide in creating their proposed urban village.

“High on our list was making sure the people living there would be able to interact and there would be a lot of fun things going on,” said Phillips.

The second group designed two “grand buildings.” Each of the three levels is stepped back from the street to prevent the feel of towering structures.

Inside the buildings is a mixture of stores, shops, restaurants, offices, day care and night clubs.

Beneath the buildings is parking for 500 cars.

Both groups began by researching the Shadle Center neighborhood, bordered by Garland and Rowan, A Street and Cedar. Students found a neighborhood dominated by single-family homes, with few apartments or duplexes. The houses are in good condition and the neighborhood stable.

The students found that about 85 percent of the homes are occupied by the owner, a dramatically higher level than the national average of 66 percent and the Spokane average of 56 percent.

Using census information, the students also discovered that most of the Shadle population is older than 65.

“It’s possible that many of the residents will soon have to give up their homes,” said their instructor, Susan Bradbury. “Will they be able to stay in their neighborhood?”

Then the urban planning students examined traffic flow - the stream of cars that flows down Wellesley and Alberta through the heart of the neighborhood.

They considered ways of making the neighborhood easier to walk through. They added sidewalks lined with trees, improved crosswalks and increased bus stops.

They used a narrow grid of streets to slow traffic through the neighborhood.

Shadle’s massive parking area was replaced by on-street parking screened by trees and parking on top or under buildings.

“So often we design our parking lots to accommodate Christmas shopping. The rest of the year they are vacant,” said student Eva Krause.

Both plans kept the existing Safeway and McDonald’s.

“I put some of the figures into a spreadsheet, assuming 100 percent lease and occupancy. This village would be profitable way into the future,” said Phillips “It would take a huge investment. You can’t just plop it down for a few million and go away with the profits,” he said.

Students spent a lot of time in the neighborhood.

They designed townhouses and apartments in their plans to fit in with the neighborhood. These look like homes with porches in the front and garages tucked away in the back or on the side. Garden apartments were placed around courtyards and open spaces.

But nice buildings, cozy shops and quaint condominiums can’t resurrect a fading neighborhood. People are key.

The students focused on bringing families and children into the neighborhood.

“By having a more diverse mix of people, you create a more dynamic place. People will get along better. It will be more vibrant,” Phillips said.

By the end of the quarter, students had created a unique area that brings nature and people together to interact in a variety of ways.

“It shows how an urban village can be integrated into an existing neighborhood and enhance what is already there,” said Bradbury.

Krause said they envision their village as a major transportation center. They imagine people taking the bus home from their jobs, walking to the grocery (store), day care or dry cleaner, then strolling home.

“I think this is realistic plan, but it will take someone with vision, someone willing to take risks, to implement it,” she said.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: Photo