I'm not sure if these were intended as gateways, but they serve that purpose. From what I know, they were installed to calm traffic by limiting the number of direct vehicular entrances to the neighborhood. The feeling they provide is that they were set down, but didn't have the rest of the project done that would integrate them better. Are they intended to just act as partly-functional parking areas from the Mountainview Drive side? Mildly odd sitting areas from the neighborhood side? Their design has a boldness and largeness that they force you to look at them. The housing form for them is on the right track for the neighborhood, but the final design doesn't quite seem to get where it could have gone. Maybe it's that they're missing a site specific integration into their individual locations, and not necessarily drawing successfully from the neighborhood for how they 'feel'. This might be a case where as the neighborhood continues to develop, if small pocket parks were installed, then perhaps they wouldn't feel like they were kind of plopped down. My opinion is mixed. If I saw people sitting or playing around them, then I'd feel a bit better about them. Do they get used? Isn't it also odd that it's a pedestrian gateway, but then there are sidewalks on each side? For proportion and scale and other design aspects, they work well. We probably need a good photo with leaves on to see how the trees contribute to connection... but, that's only for summer anyways.
This feature had a specific purpose, so if anyone knows how well it achieved its goals for the neighborhood, please leave a comment. Sometimes it's about more than just design... but, since this one is obviously designed with thought... it's also open for comment.
Location: Along Mountainview Drive
Designer: Does anyone know?
~Peter
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