Redefining the Street as a Third Place: A Design Toolkit for Kapahulu Avenue

Abstract

Today, when we think of the word "street," the first image that comes to mind is often cars. Historically, however, streets were places where people were more often journeying on foot, stopping to greet one another and converse. While streets are now primarily used for transportation, the purpose of streets can be redefined to make them into places that encourage social interaction and bring a better quality of life to the surrounding communities. Methods of transforming streets exist, but are these successful in creating a place for the people of the local community? This project proposes the concept of redefining the street as a “third place” as a strategy for transforming an existing street from a space for transportation vehicles into a place for people of the local community. The intent of this project is to define place, develop an understanding of what it means for a space to be a place, outline what makes a place successful, understand the third place concept, and investigate how a street can be redefined as a third place. In addition, this project also explores current methods of street design and examines various existing street design guidelines in order to identify which design principles and design elements encourage turning streets into third places. Using the existing knowledge and research about place, street design, and design guidelines, this project developed a design toolkit for the Kapahulu Community that can be used as an inspirational guide for both redefining and transforming Kapahulu Avenue into a place primarily for the local community. This project, using the design toolkit created for this site rather than current planning methods, also presents possible changes for Kapahulu Avenue. Ultimately, the goal of this project is to develop a design approach that will help to create a pedestrian- friendly environment that retains and represents the community’s eclectic character. With careful planning and consideration for what exists along this street, Kapahulu Avenue has the potential to become a vibrant third place.