Buildings are vital, but without great streets and other public spaces linking them together, you just don’t have a complete city. For years, we have handed our public spaces over to cars, leaving us dissatisfied with our community. Cars are ubiquitous and they have to be accommodated, but they can’t be allowed to completely dominate at the expense of everything else. By bringing balance back and creating spaces that are comfortable, safe, and convenient for people outside of their cars we can make our cities more attractive, more fun, more prosperous, and safer. ZUS founder Dan Zack has been involved with several streetscape and urban design projects that struck this balance and centered people, not cars.
Examples of Zack’s streetscape and urban design work include:
Valley Medical Center Conceptual Infill Design
Year(s): 2021
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Fresno
When the County of Fresno declared this property to be surplus, the City of Fresno explored the possibility of acquiring and redeveloping it. Mr. Zack developed a site plan and massing model which identified a way to break the large parcel into urban streets and blocks while maximizing housing capacity allowed under the current zoning, introducing open space, and creating a walkable neighborhood center for the surrounding area.
High-Speed Rail Station Area Planning
Year(s): 2020 to 2021
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Fresno
After the High Speed Rail Authority hired a new Director of Planning, interest in planning out the area around the future Fresno station resumed and intensified. Mr. Zack worked closely with HSR staff and staff from other City of Fresno departments to identify optimal intermodal connections, automobile, bicycle, and pedestrian circulation around the station, the configuration of the station itself, early activation of presently unused HSR-owned properties, and the optimal long-term utilization of those sites.
Tactical Urbanism Training and Pilot Project
Year(s): 2019
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Fresno
Mr. Zack retained the services of Streetplans, Inc. to train a staff team from the Planning & Development and Public Works departments on tactical urbanism. The training culminated in an implementation of a pilot project at Wishon and Olive avenues in the Tower District which featured pained bulb-outs and sidewalk extensions.
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Southern Blackstone Smart Mobility Strategy
Year(s): 2017 to 2019
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Fresno
Mr. Zack assisted in the writing of the grant proposal which funded the project with Fresno Metro Ministries and the Local Government Commission, assisted in the creation of the project boundaries, oversaw the Request for Proposals and the selection of Community Design + Architecture as the consultant, supervised the plan creation, and participated public workshops. The project was adopted in 2019 and the City is presently working on implementing its recommendations.
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High Speed Rail Station Area Master Plan
Year(s): 2014 to 2019
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Fresno
Mr. Zack served on a staff team which worked with High-Speed Rail Authority staff and the project consultant, AECOM, to create a development strategy, plan intermodal connections, address urban design issues, conduct public outreach, and develop plan goals and objectives. The final report was completed in 2019.
Parklet Pilot Program
Year(s): 2018 to 2019
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Fresno
Mr. Zack led a staff team from the Planning & Development and Public Works departments to develop a pilot program for outdoor dining parklets which could be installed by business owners in the parking lane adjacent to their establishments. The program received a positive reception and resulted in one initial parklet being installed prior to the Covid -19 crisis. The pilot program was then absorbed into an expanded and expedited program that was designed to serve as a mitigation to the pandemic.
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Outdoor Dining Guidelines
Year(s): 2017
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Fresno
Subsequent to the redesign of Fulton Street, the historic main shopping street of Downtown Fresno, Mr. Zack led a team of staff from the Planning & Development and Public Works departments to create guidelines for the design and placement of outdoor dining areas within the public right-of-way. The work was conducted completely in-house.
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Fulton Street Restoration
Year(s): 2014 to 2017
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Fresno
In the early 1960s, as subdivisions and shopping centers sprawled past the northern edge of the city, civic leaders were worried by the slight decline in Downtown Fresno’s economic strength and decided to take decisive action to rectify the situation. Fulton Street had been the primary commercial corridor of the entire region since the turn of the century, but by mid-century it had become a loud and unpleasant 4-lane highway. The street was demolished in 1963 and replaced with a pedestrian mall which opened to the public in 1964. It was aesthetically attractive but was designed to serve as a de facto park instead of the main street of a commercial district, and commerce suffered almost immediately. It was the second such pedestrianized main street in the US. By the 1980s there would be nearly 200, but by the 2010s only 30 or so remained. In March of 2016 the City began demolition of the Fulton Mall, and in October of 2017 a festival attended by 10,000 people celebrated the re-opening of Fulton Street. The project had been initiated before his arrival at the City of Fresno, but Mr. Zack became involved in 2014. He participated in the review of late stage design changes, construction impact mitigation, public relations and outreach during construction, and assistance in planning of the grand opening celebration. He and his staff worked with Code Enforcement to clean up properties for grand opening and to assist in the redevelopment of certain sites after the project was complete.
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Transit Station Area Planning
Year(s): 2010 to 2014
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Redwood City
Mr. Zack worked closely with staff from the Caltrain commuter rail system on design issues relating to the addition of a third track and the potential full grade separation to the corridor through Downtown Redwood City. In particular, Mr. Zack was charged with ensuring that such improvements were designed in a manner that will integrate seamlessly with transit-oriented development planned for the area and would not create a barrier through the center of Downtown.
El Camino Real Grand Boulevard Streetscape
Year(s): 2007 to 2010
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Redwood City
The Grand Boulevard Initiative is a collaboration of 19 cities, San Mateo and Santa Clara counties, and local and regional agencies united to improve the performance, safety, and aesthetics of El Camino Real. During Mr. Zack’s time on city staff Redwood City was deeply involved in the effort, and took a leadership position by completing work on one of the first improvement projects in San Mateo County. The project, completed in 2010, included the narrowing of the roadway, widening of the sidewalks, the planting of three rows of Chinese Elm trees, new street lighting, bicycle parking, and benches, among other improvements. This block serves as a model for the entire Downtown Redwood City segment of El Camino, which the City hopes to improve similarly in the coming years. Mr. Zack performed this work in conjunction with urban design consultant Terry Bottomley. He also had to work with the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) very closely in order to gain approval for several design exceptions, as El Camino Real also serves as State Route 82.
Theater Way
Year(s): 2003 to 2006
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Redwood City
Theater Way is a “woonerf” style shared space that features a large dining terrace, a flexible parking/dining zone, pedestrian zones, a flush vehicular travel lane, and removal bollards for temporary vehicular closures. Mr. Zack was on the staff team that worked with consultants Freedman, Tung, and Bottomley (now Freedman, Tung, and Sasaki) to develop the design. This project was part of a group of Downtown projects which were awarded a Charter Award for Outstanding Urban Design by the Congress for the New Urbanism in 2007.
Courthouse Square
Year(s): 2003 to 2006
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Redwood City
Courthouse Square is the central plaza and outdoor living room for Downtown Redwood City. Mr. Zack was on the staff team that worked with urban design consultants Freedman, Tung, and Bottomley (now Freedman, Tung, and Sasaki) to develop the design. This project required the demolition of a Depression-era annex in order to restore the visibility and prominence of the 1910 San Mateo County Courthouse building. The design arose out of a series of three intensive public design workshops held by the consultants and the staff team. The new plaza, completed in 2007, was designed to accommodate formal and informal gatherings and by 2011 was hosting 83 events a year attended by more than 100,000 people. Courthouse Square features a large, decoratively paved plaza at the foot of the Courthouse portico. Two semi-enclosed pavilions flank the central plaza space, framing views of the Courthouse and Fox Theatre, while providing shade and incorporating vendor kiosks which offer food service and other activity-generating offerings. The pavilions and kiosks are surrounded by comfortable tables and chairs, and are outfitted with night lighting to allow activity to occur on warm evenings. A series of ornamental fountain bowls featuring water cascading into two basins at the main plaza level define the edge of the central space along with stair-like seating edges and add the pleasing sound of falling water to the plaza experience. Courthouse Square was the centerpiece of a group of Downtown projects which were awarded a Charter Award for Outstanding Urban Design by the Congress for the New Urbanism in 2007, and it also was recognized with an award from the American Public Works Association.
Broadway Streetscape
Year(s): 2003 to 2006
Role: City Staff
Jurisdiction: City of Redwood City
Mr. Zack was on the staff team that worked with urban design consultants Freedman, Tung, and Bottomley (now Freedman, Tung, and Sasaki) to develop the design, which dramatically improved pedestrian circulation a the aesthetic quality of the central two blocks of Downtown Redwood City’s primary thoroughfare. The project included widened sidewalks (including and enhanced queuing area in front of the historic Fox Theatre), enhanced lighting, new street streets, bulb outs, and a narrowed vehicular travel way. This project was part of a group of Downtown projects which were awarded a Charter Award for Outstanding Urban Design by the Congress for the New Urbanism in 2007.
Tower District Specific Plan Design Guidelines
Year(s): 2001 to 2004
Role: Consultant (pro bono)
Client: City of Fresno
Mr. Zack co-authored this document for the historic Tower District neighborhood of Fresno while serving as a member of the Tower District Specific Plan Implementation Committee. The project was undertaken when Mr. Zack revealed to the committee that the zoning which regulated the Tower District neighborhood at the time was in conflict with the goals, objectives, and policies of the Specific Plan, which had been adopted in 1991. The City declined to peruse a rezoning at that time, but agreed to design guidelines as a way to promote development which was consistent with the vision of the plan. The Design Guidelines recommend appropriate design approaches for site planning, architecture, and public spaces. Mr. Zack authored much of the document, led the community outreach, prepared all diagrams, designed the document layout, and took many of the photographs used to illustrate the design concepts. This work was done pro-bono for the City of Fresno, which later awarded Mr. Zack and his co-author with an award for Best Neighborhood Preservation Project for the document
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