Naples 5th Avenue South

5th Avenue South

5th Avenue South in Naples Florida (specifically, the approximately five blocks between 8th and 3rd Streets) is an intriguing experiment in New Urbanist, pedestrian oriented design in an overwhelmingly auto-focused region. In 1994 Andre Duany and his firm DPZ were commissioned by Naples to conduct a charrette to formulate a master plan for the Avenue. At the time 5th Avenue's predominantly one story, strip mall style storefronts were largely vacant and had little identity. DPZ created an overlay district with very specific regulations for redevelopment which emphasized density, mixed use, landscaping, and building frontage. Since that time 5th Avenue South has changed dramatically and offers some insight into the benefits and challenges of implementing New Urbanist plans.

DPZ Redevelopment Area (Yellow) and Public Parking Structures (Red)

5th Avenue Post-Modern Architecture

From 8th through 3rd Street 5th Avenue is made up mostly of two to three-story, mixed use buildings, typically with commercial first floors that directly abut the sidewalk with set-back residential apartments above. Almost all of these buildings were built after the master plan was adopted and they fully embrace, for good and for bad, the post-modern Floridian architecture of the 1990's. Perhaps owing to the city's name the new buildings, in addition to red tile roofs, have been generously seasoned with concrete replicas of Italianate colonnades, balustrades, window treatments and urns. Their stucco exteriors range from plain white to pastel pinks, yellows and oranges.

Details

The biggest exception to this overall pattern are the older one-story commercial buildings on the Avenue's north side between East and West Lake Drives. Retaining the Avenue's pre-DPZ template, these buildings, which are mostly restaurants, nevertheless have incorporated themselves into the new streetscaping by converting their front, strip mall style parking into patios for dining. While not exactly in line with the original DPZ vision I can't help but love this adaptive re-use which is a wonderful example of how designs hostile towards pedestrian comfort can be adapted to fit into a more walkable context.

Parking-to-Patios Adaptation

The street's landscaping is another item worth mentioning. Along the length described above there is a consistent five to six foot bank of plantings between the sidewalk and the street. The planting are generally well maintained with dozens of tall, spindly coconut palms lining either side. The Avenue also has some nifty branding with custom "5th Avenue" streetlights and two large painted 5th Avenue street treatments at either end of the development. Besides these features there is a great deal of variety in pavement treatments, ranging from brick crosswalks to storefront designs employing brick, colored concrete and stone, the appearance of which seem to be at the discretion of the building's owner.

Sidewalk Plantings

Pavement Treatments

Many of these elements are classic New Urbanist design: relatively dense, mixed-use buildings with very little setback from the sidewalk oriented unambiguously towards the main street. The addition of awnings, plantings, and removal of driveways are all intended to make the pedestrian comfortable by removing barriers for exploration and blurring the line between sidewalk and store. The targeted development area is also contained within a 10 minute zone, the widely accepted limit on how far pedestrians are willing to walk.

5th Avenue South Cross Section at E. Lake Dr. (looking east)

New Urbanist 5th Avenue may be, but transit oriented it is not, and the street is supported by a number of significant secondary features. In addition to on-street, mid-block and traditional blacktop parking the development is further enabled by two enormous public parking structures on either side of 8th Street. These parking amenities are linked to the main Avenue by side streets as well as a series of well executed pedestrian walkways.

Pedestrian Walkways

While 5th Avenue is not particularly notable architecturally there are at least a few points of interest. Sugden Community Theatre at 7th Street is one of the Avenue's better post-modern buildings, if only because it eschews it's neighbor's garish colors and faux-italian sensibilities. The plaza in front of the theater is also well executed; flanked by two restaurants and planted with shade trees instead of spindly palms.

Sugden Community Theatre

The second point of interest is actually just a block west at 6th Street. 6th Street's planting strips and median have also been planted with shade trees that have matured to the point that their branches overlap one another over the roadways, creating a wonderful tunnel effect and actually puts me in mind of Uptown New Orleans. The intersection is also home to the 5th Avenue Coffee Company which is housed in a charming one-story 1950's modernist building. The shop has only a minor setback from the sidewalk, allowing it accommodate outdoor seating, hold the corner and more-or-less line up with the frontage of its neighbors. While nothing extraordinary it is nevertheless a nice vestige of the street's pre-1990's appearance. The development area is also proximate to Cambier Park, which has been well developed and has a number of recreational amenities.

6th Street and 5th Avenue Coffee Company

The final feature is actually at the end of 5th Avenue three blocks past the DPZ development, and that is the public access point for Naples Beach. The access point (one of many) is little more than a few parking spots and a short boardwalk from the cul-de-sac to the sand, but the idea of easy public access to arguably the City's greatest single asset, it's Gulf Coast beach, is a real triumph of public-minded planing.

Public Beach Access

Physically speaking 5th Avenue is well executed, its architectural aspirations non-withstanding. Rather, the street's main failings lye in its disconnection from the rest of the city and its amenities, which are primarily tourist-oriented. Blessed with an abundance of cafes and restaurants 5th Avenue nevertheless has no pharmacies, no groceries, or really any locally oriented, daily use operations besides banks. This makes the Avenue an attractive place to visit, but not the kind of walkable, complete neighborhood development it was intended to be. Setting aside the lack of daily amenities the Avenue's walkability also remains an island of pedestrian oriented design in a city that simply is not. Throughout the rest of Naples sidewalks are inconsistent at best and way-finding between other centers of activity like 3rd Street South, public beach access points, the City Dock or Naples Pier can be challenging.

In 2004 DPZ did a 10 year check-up analysis of the project, and since that time the street has continued to fill in and develop, however the same concerns about locally oriented amenities were also cited in that report as a major shortcoming. Ultimately it seems that when implementing New Urbanist projects in car oriented communities (a trend that occupy a great deal of American planning in the coming years) changes to zoning and form based codes can have a major impact on physical development, but the complete neighborhoods the developments are intended to create remain far more elusive.