Tampa Wants to Be the Model for Healthy City Design

[M II A II R II K]

Tampa Wants to Be the Model for Healthy City Design


OCTOBER 2, 2015

BY MARIELLE MONDON

Read More: https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/tam...well-certified

The City of Tampa has joined with real estate developers to become the first U.S. city to design a district with public health as the driving principle. Every aspect of the 40-acre waterfront area — its buildings, walkability, low-pollen trees and more — is intended to make its inhabitants live healthier lives.

The partners in the effort are New York-based Delos, which, according to its website, “places health and wellness at the center of design and construction decisions,” and Strategic Property Partners, which owns the downtown land. --- “More than half of all people in the world now live in cities, and we spend 90 percent of our time indoors,” said Paul Scialla, founder of Delos, in a press release. “The built environment — our cities — are human habitat, and we have the knowledge to design them to sustain our health, not to harm it.”

After making a commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative to create guidelines for health-focused building design, Delos developed what it calls the Well Building Standard. Once finished, the district would be granted “Well Certification,” with office space and residences constructed will inhabitants’ health in mind. Think everything from air and water quality to optimal lighting and comfort. There will be a new hotel, an office tower, retail space and the University of South Florida Morsani College of Medicine and Heart Institute.

In its report on the deal, Tampa Bay Business Journal points out the move is also about economic development. Vinik, who is working to lure a corporate headquarters to anchor the district, said Tuesday that the wellness focus is a “major selling point” for potential tenants. --- “Not only among millennials, but all age groups these days, health and wellness is a major item that people are focusing on and care about,” Vinik said. “Some of the companies we’ve talked to are already aware of Delos and some of them aren’t, but in every single case it has if nothing else piqued their interest.”

Beyond the buildings, other plans are being laid out for the area, including better walkability, more green space, sound barriers to cut down on noise pollution, air quality monitoring and green infrastructure. According to the Tampa Bay Times, SPP “estimates there will be $20 million in public and private funds invested on health- and wellness-focused technologies and design strategies,” with the city’s contribution in the infrastructure area like bike paths and better sidewalks. Phase one, in what’s expected to eventually be a $2 billion project, is set to begin next year.

.....

[chris08876]

There's a nice revitalization effort going on.

Vinik's plan would transform downtown Tampa Bay, connecting existing assets like Channelside, Amelie Arena and the Convention Center using new development on 24 acres.

The plan? About $1 billion of development, Three million square feet, including three new office and hotel towers, a USF med school and heart Institute, 500 residential units, and 5,000 additional parking spaces.

What's in it for the rest of us?

In all, the creation of an estimated 6,700 jobs, and an annual addition of $35 million in tax revenues.

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http://www.wtsp.com/story/news/local...ampa/20549559/

[mhays]

Just a guess here, but by far the largest benefit to health with urban infill is simply helping people walk more and drive less. Not including the medical/research component.

It's the same with sustainable design/construction. The most celebrated Platinum/Whatever building that everyone drives to is still an environmental problem, and much worse than a building in the center of town that takes 10% of the land, reduces commutes, etc.

[Jasonhouse]

That's the old rendering.

The scale of the project has doubled to 6 million sqft, and a roughly $2 billion development.

Every block with a dot on it is owned by Jeff Vinik, and is part of the master planned development that will be subject to the WELL certification.


Full size rendering without the dots:
http://www.saintpetersblog.com/wp-co...unnamed-71.jpg

[fflint]

Low pollen trees--but then there's an elevated freeway spewing particulate matter over half the project. Lots of greenery, but then there's 5,000 new automobile parking spaces. This isn't a model worth emulating.

[Jasonhouse]

Of course, there's another mega-development in downtown Tampa's that's even bigger, at 9 million sqft. And that one's being done by the port authority.






We write about this stuff extensively on the URBN Tampa Bay Facebook page I've got linked to in my sigline. If you want to follow Tampa's urban goings on, you really can't do better. We do 30-40 posts a week, and they're all about Tampa's urban development and planning. Including an extensive commentary today about the Vinik-Delos partnership. https://www.facebook.com/urbnTB/posts/1504435969876158

[M II A II R II K]

Too bad the parking wasn't just restricted to parking garages.

[pdxtex]

"500 residential units, and 5,000 additional parking spaces" ....... they need to reverse these numbers.

[The North One]

Dear god, I guess it truly is impossible to make a modern, walkable, attractive city.

What a joke.

[Ant131531]

Originally Posted by pdxtex

"500 residential units, and 5,000 additional parking spaces" ....... they need to reverse these numbers.

Agreed. For such a large scale project(2 billion they said?), only 500 residential units are being built? Like what? You would expect at least 1,000 units, maybe up to even 2,000 for 2 billion being spent. And 5000 parking spaces? Why are there 10 parking spaces for every residential unit being built?

Not impressed.

[mhays]

Pretty sure office space, retail etc., is included too. The 5,000 obviously serves more than the housing. That said, wild guess they're including way too much parking by bigger-city standards.

[hammersklavier]

Originally Posted by mhays

Pretty sure office space, retail etc., is included too. The 5,000 obviously serves more than the housing. That said, wild guess they're including way too much parking by bigger-city standards.

That said, Tampa is, like most Sun Belt cities, way too autocentric (especially by coastal standards). The question then becomes: how much parking is appropriate in an environment where car-free lifestyles remain untenable? Tampa is at a point where car-lite lifestyles are becoming possible, but not car-free ones. Much like Kansas City, really.

[Lakelander]

It's pretty crazy to see how much the Channel District has changed since I moved to Jax 12 years ago. Looking at pics I have on file from 2000, it's literally night and day. With that said, I wonder how many cities out there, have similar projects claiming they'll be the first? There's a 1,200-unit mixed use brownfield development proposed near DT Jax claiming the same thing:

Healthy Town is designed for Generation H, a generation defined not by age but by the common belief that the most fulfilling, most productive of lives are achieved by healthy living. This is a belief that applies to personal habits as well as to the entire environment. It is an environment that includes—but goes far beyond—bike paths, fitness centers and daily activity. It includes an entire community that promotes good health and happiness.

http://www.healthy.town/

[tdawg]

Tampa just needs to look across the bay at St Pete about how to build a vibrant, walkable downtown core. I have fallen in love with St Pete on my past few trips down there.

[mhays]

Some people live car-free in Tampa. It's certainly possible, even if most of those are due to cost. I bet the number of people with decent incomes and no car have risen in recent years as housing has been built near jobs, the idea that a car is mandatory has declined nationally, etc.

It's probably a better bet financially to take the "safe road" with lots of parking, in this type of city. But infill tends to be its own infrastructure of making it easier and easier to not have a car. Maybe it starts with the 20-something trying to live on $40,000, and the retiree running out of money or eyesight. It'll expand demographically from there.

[BnaBreaker]

Alright Tampa, I'll give you the fact that you're likely on the forefront of the 'low pollen tree' movement. But when it comes to everything else health related, you'll essentially need to rebuild your city from scratch, and even if you do that, you'll just be emulating the development patterns of cities in this country like San Francisco and Boston that have already been doing this for centuries simply because it made sense and not because it was 'trendy.' Don't get me wrong. I give my respect to Tampa for having the desire to change it's ways, as it were, but in order to become the "model health city," it's going to have to do A LOT more than plant some trees and build a few waterfront condo towers.

[M II A II R II K]

It also has the highest per capita rate of strip clubs in the city.

[Eightball]

Originally Posted by tdawg

Tampa just needs to look across the bay at St Pete about how to build a vibrant, walkable downtown core. I have fallen in love with St Pete on my past few trips down there.

yep, DT St. Pete is dope

[bobdreamz]

Originally Posted by M II A II R II K

It also has the highest per capita rate of strip clubs in the city.

Well isn't sex healthy too?

[dc_denizen]

Tampa: fantastic model of urban design.

see here: the definition of urban