Defining Mixed-use along Honolulu's Transit System within the Context of the Urban, Neighborhood, and Suburban

Abstract

My interest in mixed-use began when I questioned the purpose of projects or buildings that function as a single-use. For example office buildings that are built for administrative personnel and conference rooms would bring greater profit to users and owners if shops and restaurants were included into the building program. There is greater land-use efficiency with properties that include multiple uses within a single development. A mixed-use building has a range of economic and social benefits for users and owners. In order to gain a better understanding of mixed-use, I have studied numerous California and New York City resources on the subject and received an internship with two architecture firms on the mainland that have experience with this complex building type. I also had the pleasure of visiting a few mixed-use projects while living in San Francisco and New York City. In this paper, I have researched historical mixed-use examples from Mesopotamia, China, and Rome. In addition, I examined several contemporary mixed-use projects: Flatiron Building, Rockefeller Center, Unite d’habitation in Marseilles, Beijing Looped Hybrid, and Tokyo Midtown. Mixed-use projects bring opportunities and advantages for the community. In general mixed-use developments foster social and community gathering, provide a higher standard of living, and offer economic benefits for public and private entities. In Hawaii we are blessed with beautiful weather and unique scenery found nowhere else in the world. Like other cities, Honolulu is growing in population. This population requires additional resources to support it. Homes, jobs, and transportation are needed to help sustain our growing population. Honolulu is currently at a pivotal point in its history. Honolulu is faced with a transportation and housing crisis. How will Honolulu respond to the future growth in population? Mixed-use and an efficient transit system can help alleviate Honolulu’s transportation and housing crisis. Mixed-use can produce benefits for a community through the creation of spaces that unify community and building. In this paper I will analyze the ways in which a transit-oriented development (TOD) (a form of mixed-use) reacts to Honolulu’s proposed transit system. I explored solutions for downtown Honolulu (urban), M_'ili'ili (neighborhood), and Ewa (suburban) contexts along the transit route. Mixed-use and the transit system will have a large impact on the community and the future of O'ahu.