Throughout the semester, our class endeavored to learn about the Washington Park and Martin Drive East Neighborhoods. We attended neighborhood meetings, engaged residents in participatory design processes, and hosted an outdoor community event. Throughout this process, we took notes of the concerns, ideas, and priorities of the residents and other stakeholders. The most commonly expressed items can be classified under four categories: Food, Community, Wellness, and Education. The graphic to the right attempts to organize these programmatic possibilities and find those that might pair beneficially.
It should be noted that these priorities will change from neighborhood to neighborhood as well as over time, but they provide a starting point for discussion and development. The physical model is intended as a tool for discussion and collaboration between residents and other stakeholders to spur meaningful neighborhood development. The movable pieces allow participants to brainstorm and visualize the possibilities of the existing structure. The images below explain how the physical kit of parts works - its pieces, and how they interact with one another. The configurations investigate possible programmatic pairings, and are meant to spark ideas and provoke creativity. They are by no means the only solutions. |