The Alumni Plaza

The space I chose is the alumni plaza. It is located between the administration building on the north, the mall on the south, the student union, on its’ west and modern languages to the east. Due to its location, it is a heavy traffic area. The student union is a popular place for nearly all university students and even faculty. This serves as a passing through place and also a good place to eat lunch or catch up on some homework.  Therefore there is heavy traffic going north and south as well as east to west going to and from class, the mall, and the student union.

In my time observing and drawing the space, it seemed that this was indeed what people use it for. Many were eating their lunches on the steps or the lawn above, while others were doing homework in between classes. It serves as a great places for commuter students to sit between classes if they have a break, rather than going to the library or going home.  As mentioned in William Whyte’s video, “The Social Life of Small Urban Spaces,” people sit where there are places to sit. That is definitely evident when looking at the Alumni plaza. The high wall with “steps” provides endless options for where and how to sit. The stairs could fit a large number of people and are big enough to leave space so that you don’t feel crowded.

Another thing people do a lot of on the lawn in the alumni plaza is to sunbathe. There were at least four girls sunbathing while I was observing, if not more. Many others may have that intention while sitting on the grass

but are less obvious about it. Those who are tanning wear shorts and tank tops and lay on the grass with their ipods, possibly even taking a nap. The elevation of the lawn means that much of the sound is drained from those passing through as the high wall creates a great sound barrier. Also those walking through don’t notice those sitting up on the grass very much. 

The people who are walking typically have a specific goal in mind of where their destination is and therefore look straight ahead. Since the grass is so far up, it is less in pedestrians’ vision than those at eye level, for example, those sitting on a bench.

credit:http://www.hargreaves.com/projects/Academic/UArizonaAlumni/

In my defining the space I have decided to include the three benches around the tree nearby (just on the north side).  In addition to benches in this plaza there are several trashcans, which are heavily used since there is a lot of eating that occurs here. 

There are an incredible number of steps to sit on, stand on, perform on, etc. The possibilities really are endless with these steps.

These are my hand drawn plan view maps: 

This image points south at the top and shows the direction of traffic flow to and from mall and the student union. There are trees, rocks, cacti, benches, and trashcans. This photo focuses on the steps and pedestrian pathway down the middle. There is a bike pathway down the left side of the photo, which often causes accidents and issues between bikers and pedestrians.

This drawing showcases the benches in the bottom left of the drawing. It also points south at the top of the photo like the drawing above. Specifically it has detail in the pavers beneath the benches and large shapes show where the trashcans and trees are. Stars represent trees, which there are 3 of in this drawing, and the circles are the trashcans. On the north sides of the two large wall structures, (opposite the side of the lawn) there are several large rocks, barrel cacti, and large bush-like cacti. There are squares around the trees, which represent a change in the ground from pavers to dirt / woodchips. 

This image points North at the top and shows the side with the lawn. The grass like lines represent grass and the arrows show the flow of pedestrian traffic down the middle and to the north of the lawn. In the top right are the benches, trashcans, trees, and a light post. To the south of this drawing is the UA mall. 

More Information:

Ariel Photographs:

The following are Ariel Shots of the Alumni Plaza. Photo from the Hargreaves Associates website. This is the landscape architecture firm which designed the plaza.

Credit: http://www.hargreaves.com/projects/Academic/UArizonaAlumni/

An ariel shot from Google Images: 

http://maps.google.com/mapshl=en&sugexp=gsis&pq=uofa+alumni+plaza&xhr=t&q=google+earth&cp=8&qe=Z29vZ2xlIGU&qesig=JA7iJ4T1K1DATdoSH0GjEw&pkc=AFgZ2tk6ET2kAuF1Yp43ATcrEg4QggCzVR_gzUiUL-

The location of the plaza on the University of Arizona Map

http://parking.arizona.edu/parkingmap/index.phprevNum=1&accordIndex=0&startMap=Building&mapLines=&

mapOLays=&mapMIDs=&mapZoom=15&mapLat=32.23458419463706&mapLng=-110.95024108886719

The University of Arizona CatTran - Wasted

      The campus at the University of Arizona is relatively large in size, with many restaurants and activities. In addition the city of Tucson has even more to offer outside the campus limits. In order to make transportation around campus easier, the University provides several trans, each with their own route. The buses provide a shuttle service to and from campus and surrounding areas such as the local grocery store and downtown. The CatTrans at the University of Arizona have many valuable services, but unfortunately they are wasted.

How much does the CatTran Cost?

     Some students that see the CatTran go by, think that it requires a permit or pass to get on and ride. A few off-campus parking lots require a permit to board, but in all other areas the CatTran provides services completely free to students, visitors, faculty, and staff. The CatTran earns money one way by advertisements on the buses. Businesses such as Beyond Bread, Tucson International Airport, and UA Presents, all pay for some part of CatTran fees by advertising on the bus. This creates a win-win situation for both the company advertising and the CatTran. Advertising is a very smart move for Beyond Bread, for example, because the CatTran has a stop close to the sandwich shop’s central location off of Campbell. 
As the picture demonstrates, Beyond Bread has highlighted its location nearest the University. When students ride the bus they see the close proximity and may ride the CatTran to the restaurant in the future. The phrase, "In Crust We Trust," shows creativity and clearly targets a younger audience. In my experience of riding, I enjoyed looking at the advertisements because it gave me something to do. The advertisements enhance the space, while subsidizing the free transportation.

            In response to hearing that the one can ride the CatTran for free, many would make assumptions about the quality of the bus. However the absence of a fee for riding does not represent the quality in any respect.

Clean and Comfortable

     The buses clean floors and seats had no visible food or excess dirt on the ground and the windows sparkled with shine. This could partially result from the fact that food, drink, and smoking are all prohibited while riding the bus. This helps to keep the amounts of crumbs and spills to a minimum. However, students still track a fair amount of dirt into the bus on their shoes and the CatTran custodians do a very good job of getting that dirt out. The no smoking, eating, or drinking sign on the bus, also gives a sense of authority to the drivers of the buses. If anyone tries to test the limits, the drivers can point to the sign and ask the student to get off the bus if necessary. This authority is very important, especially on the night cat, since students riding to and from the sorority and fraternity house can sometimes get a little rowdy.
      The first time I walked on the bus I expected the seats to compare to those found on a yellow school bus from my childhood. In actuality, they bus features individual seats in pairs of two similar to those found on a charter or coach style bus. The impression of dirty and uncomfortable buses most likely comes from a childhood of school buses with low expectations of comfort and cleanliness. Students may not get on the bus to find out the truth of this false opinion because they are unaware of the routes of the buses or because they have alternative methods of transportation around campus.

     Most importantly the buses feature “climate controlled” temperatures. On a rainy or cold day, hiking across campus has no comparison to riding the CatTran. The same goes for a hot Tucson day, the CatTran is always controlled to a temperature comfortable for its passengers. With large, open windows and comfortable seats, one can find it difficult not to enjoy the time riding the bus.

Friendly Drivers

     With the exception of one driver, all drivers seemed to act incredibly happy and friendly wanting to go out of their way to help their passengers. In my experience, the drivers seemed very aware of who boarded the bus where and tried to help anyone who looked confused. The buses all have signs that say “Please Request Next Stop.” Since many of the stops on the bus routes are only utilized if someone needs to get on or off, this sign helps to prevent unnecessary stopping. By asking people to request their stop, this also encourages communication with the driver. Many drivers will then strike up conversation about the passenger’s major at the university, what they plan to do for the day, or where they come from. 

     However, some would say that the sign makes it more difficult for passengers to ride the bus.   The process may be confusing for a person riding the tran for the first time, especially for someone unfamiliar with the streets in Tucson. It can be hard to tell the bus' location on the map in relation to the desired stop. At this point in time, the drivers can help. They show willingness to help the students find the right stop for them, but understandably this could intimidate an unfamiliar rider. Easily the confusion factor could stop non-regulars from riding the bus.

Empty Seats

     Unfortunately the CatTran is surprisingly underused. In riding 5 different trans, (purple, mauve, USA, green, and teal) for a full two hours (10:00 am to 12:00 pm), several of the trans had a surprisingly low population riding it. The purple had a full-load of passengers along with the green because their routes go to and from University Medical Center (UMC). However, the mauve, which goes off campus to Safeway and an employee parking lot, only had two passengers. The USA's seats were completely empty, with a fairly long route via 4th avenue to downtown. With that said, a student who wishes to ride the tran and stay on campus can typically expect to wait no longer than ten to fifteen minutes for the on campus buses. The trans that go off campus can have as long as thirty minutes of a wait time. The shuttles run constantly from 6:30 am to 6:30 pm and the night cat runs from 6:00 pm until 12:40 pm with a maximum twenty minute wait time.

     In riding the CatTran for a short period of time, it becomes obvious that they are underused and perhaps run too often. The people using the empty trans seemed to go from the middle of campus, to somewhere else on campus. It makes sense for these to run empty because classes in the middle of campus aren’t very far from those on the outskirts of campus. The bus cannot go directly through campus, as it must stay on the roads. Therefore it may be faster for students to cut through the middle of campus by just walking or riding a bike. If a student knows they may wait ten to fifteen minutes for the CatTran to arrive, they may chose to walk more often than ride if it is faster. This low usage also has an affect on the overall cleanliness of the bus. Without passengers loading and unloading, dirt cannot be tracked onto the buses as easily. 

      In my experience riding the CatTran, I validated that this free and clean form of transportation is staffed by friendly drivers, but not used to its full potential. In saying that, for those who utilize it, the CatTran provides an excellent alternative to biking, walking, or driving a car around campus. The question becomes, will the University justify continuing this costly program with such low utilization?