19 research outputs found
MixCity: Investigative Research & Evolutionary Design on Mixed Densification in Shanghai’s Living Neighbourhood
No full textThe chapter first introduced the author’s motivation for this project. It shows the sprawl of monofunctional residential neighborhoods and the urgency to building more homes to accommodate the increasing population. In the problem statement, the author illustrated now the normal renovation mode of Lilong is to introduce monofunctional residential towers (Xiaoqu), and there are many issues like faceless urban pattern and poor walkability. The development is caused by profit, its is not sustainble for the city. For the research question, this chapter concludes “How to achieve sustainable living neighborhoods rather than introducing Xiaoqu in the old Lilong area by mixing in Shanghai’s densification Process?” To proceed with the research, it shows multiple methods to cope with research questions and defines possible research outcomes. For the methods, the author presents three main ways, including Spacemate, MXI, and parametric programming. Besides, he introduces a alignment table to show the inner connection among multiple research questions, methods, and outputs. In the end, he shows the conceptual framework and future steps of this project.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Sciences | Urbanis
New centralities in post-soviet Vilnius
No full textGiving away all the leverages of housing policy to the hands of free market created certain trends. Since profit started to play a main role in whole development scheme, high prices and short term thinking became the core issues. Market liberalization determined that real estate is produced with minimal resources and sold for the highest possible price. Despite many attempts to control quality of built environment by introducing new laws, there were no visible results achieved. This way of development comes along with lack of basic amenities, infrastructure, immense need for commuting and no sense of community. Even though in most cases quality is pretty low, high prices dissociate major part of society from affording a living place. It also became a driving force for concentrating vulnerable social groups in deprived city districts. At the same time sub-urbanization brings along another pack of problems – huge amount of people commuting everyday; immense need for road infrastructure; complete absence of everyday amenities; uncertain future of aging populatio
Rethinking the Absorption Capacity of Urban Space: How to better organise migration in the city?
No full textThis thesis project examined theories and practices of migration in Dutch urban space and observed that two tensions can be recognised. First, there is the tension between the dynamic nature of migration – migration as ongoing flow - and the rigid institutional and governmental practices offered as solutions. Second, a tension can be noticed between migration as a constant phenomenon in the current city, and the temporary, quick-fix housing options developed for migrants. The diverse flows of migrants to the Netherlands are primarily taken as temporary housing problems. This leads to exclusion and missed opportunities and results in a monoculture that can be considered negative for urban space. Consequently, if refugees, asylum-seekers and other migrants have to be really integrated in our cities and societies a more diverse, long-term, urban approach is needed. In other words, migration is a complex and pressing spatial urban challenge. The former prison complex Bijlmerbajes and the surrounding WPM area have been taken as a case study to investigate practices and elaborate guidelines for an alternative development strategy that can build up a diverse, porous and resilient urban space. This strategy consists of orchestrated small-scale investments, grassroots initiatives and diverse programmes based on a governmental investment in public space as an organised and designed grid related to three scales. The strategy leads to in an imaginary, future scenario for the WPM area, inspired by the 1970s ideal of the Bijlmerbajes. The project proposes to (re)open the former prison complex and to (re)create a Hotel City, where newcomers and temporary inhabitants can be received and prepare their integration into society. The ‘empty’ area next to the former prison complex is transformed into an experimental area with a lot of freedom where companies, institutions and individuals can rent, lease and develop space. The two zones (prison and empty area) are connected by a grid structure of public space and can together function as free-zone for experiments with new social and economic policies and practices. In this way, a place is carved out where newcomers, temporary inhabitants and more permanent residents of Amsterdam can together and actively become part of urban space. The intervention of a grid public space connects temporary stay and use with more long-term developments and permanent structures. On the one hand, this thesis can be seen as a visionary project, inspired by the fundamental ideal of the Bijlmerbajes aiming to foster integration and transition of migrants into city and society and vice versa. On the other hand, the proposal offers a series of realistic and pragmatic design ideas and suggestions based on existing European policies, that can be used as a quick-start for debate to reconsider migration in today’s political atmosphere.The most important insight of this research and design project is the idea that temporariness and permanence need an organised public space to manage demographic fluctuations and change. The three-scaled grid provides a flexible structure. Even though people come and go and might only stay for a short time, they need to be accommodated in a complex and diverse public space, which as such contributes to the city as a whole and long term creation. Thus, temporariness presupposes stability, and the other way around.Architecture, Urbanism and Building Science
City in Balance: a spatial vision and strategy on the continuity between centre and periphery in Amsterdam
No full textAmsterdam is dealing with a discontinuity between a gentrified urban centre and a disadvantaged periphery, caused by the presence of different spatial concepts. The centre follows the concept of centralisation and therefore has fine grain, marked by the richness of connections between the different scaled grids. Centrality happens on the streets and so these streets, including the radials, function as high streets full of vital urban life. The periphery, however, follows the concept of decentralisation and has a coarse grain with a disengagement between the different scaled-grids. The vivid high streets of the centre change into traffic arteries, characterised by a thinness of experience of public space. Centrality happens in self-contained pockets and neighbourhoods are culturally and socially homogeneous. In between centre and periphery the Ringzone is located, which is actually a grey zone dominated by the metropolitan scale.Meanwhile, the municipality aims to maintain welfare and prosperity for all residents and therefore should acknowledge the social and economic importance of public space. The social benefit of spatial interventions is, however, not visible in the municipal strategy and in the scale and character of the projects close to the Ringzone. Moreover, trends like gentrification and fragmentation cause a growing dichotomy between centre and periphery. Amsterdam should not take this for granted, but needs to restore the balance between centre and periphery by creating continuity of vital urban life instead. Therefore, the city should focus on linking the concept of centralisation and decentralisation by making use of the radials connecting both city parts and crossing the Ring. The radials have potential as arteries of public life and the local economy, leading towards a reorientation process from centre towards periphery. Vital urban life is the end-product of the different scaled grids in the city and creating urban life therefore starts by integrating these grids. The strategy shows how Amsterdam can make a step towards continuity by zooming in on several locations in Amsterdam’s peripheral district Nieuw-West. This new approach towards the radials contribute to ‘The City in Balance’ and offers new insight for both other city parts and entire cities dealing with a dichotomy
People-oriented Street Design: Transform street from spaces into places with Automated Vehicle as a trigger
No full textImproving the quality of urban spaces has always been the central concern for the urban designers. Street as the typical type of public spaces comprises more than 80% of public space in cities, but they often fail to provide a space where people can safely walk, bicycle and socialize, this mainly because cars dramatically occupies most street spaces, street is no longer a social space but just traffic corridor. Automated vehicle as the new technological regime will allow organizing transport supply in a radically different way, especially when fully automated vehicle are applied. Peple will be released from drving and road infrstructure will also change. It is a huge opportunity to bring street back to more people-oriented design. I choose Amsterdam-zuidoost, a typical area with low quality of street as my design target, trying to be an eye-opener to figure out To what extent and in what way can automated vehicle be a trigger to transform automobile-oriented street into people-oriented street when 100% used. I build up my two extreme scenarios according to different policy, also street protypes under these two scenarios. In scenario 1, SYMBIOSIS STREET,we can see a more vivid future street with diverse functions and activities, also more sustainable environment. If we are lead to this condition, strict rules for AVs and our travel behavior should be accepted, apart from this, more taxes regarding travel miles, ownership will also be inevitable.On the other hand, we will have more efficient and convenient public transport system, more equal society and less social segragation. While this needs Top-down policy and coorperation of AV companies and everyone of us. In scenario 2,FLUID STREET, there will be freedom for everyone to choose their own way to travel, loose policy will encourage indivadual ownership and long travel miles and time on streets. To garuntee the efficiency and safety, there will be no more interactions between people and AVs, people will across street by cars, moving projects provide them with everything and space they need for daily life, their activities actually are restricted in cars, their neighborhoods and different buildings. This kind of new lifestyle makes people rely much more on vehicles, causing privacy and internect safety concerns, and it is unfair for people who cannot afford AVs and rely on public transportation. If we let AVs go, this is probably our future. And it is our choose to lead to which senario.<br/
The Opportunity in the Vacancy: The Effects of Automobile Dependence in U.S. Cities
No full textAutomobile dependence and suburban sprawl have a cyclical compounding relationship. Automobiles require a large amount of space and infrastructure in order to be an effective means of transit. This prompts constructing the urban environment at a lower density, which generates suburban sprawl. The low-density development then requires an automobile for ease of access, which generates dependence. In this way automobile dependence and suburban sprawl build upon each other. This relationship has a series of primary spatial effects and secondary socioeconomic effects on the urban environment. The United States is currently stuck in a system of automobile dependence that perpetuates nearly all cities across the country. But, automobile dependence is more severe than the mere use of a car. It instead, refers to the necessity of an automobile for accessibility within nearly all aspects of daily life. Todd Litman defines automobile dependence in terms of three criteria: 1) reduced transport alternatives, 2) automobile oriented land use patterns, and 3) high levels per capita automobile travel. The three definition criteria were used as the main methodology by dictating the spatial analysis, key goals, and strategy themes. The key design goals of the thesis were 1) to consider destination as well as transportation 2) work to attract suburban inhabitants back into the city and 3) focus on pedestrianizing public space. The themes of this thesis are transit, development, and culture. It is crucial that these three themes work together in a cohesive strategy in order to alleviate the effects of automobile dependence. The design of this thesis concluded with proposals at the city, district, and neighborhood level, with the design at the neighborhood level being the focus
The Movement in Movement: Towards a Responsive and Cohesive Strategic Regeneration for Bogotá's Historic City Center
No full textThis thesis aims to contribute to the definition of a comprehensive and integrated vision for Bogotá, Colombia, in terms of urban regeneration and social cohesion. It attempts to facilitate the construction of civic meaning, institutional cooperation and spatial revitalization in a historically unequal territory. By analyzing and recognizing the disparity between Bogotá’s urban transport and urban structure city models at the metropolitan level, this project will revise the impact and influence that past and prospective public transport systems could raise in the existing urban patterns and social dynamics of the Historic City Center. The objective is to redefine regeneration through mobilization in order to renegotiate the role that mobility structures could have as instruments for sustainable and inclusive socio-spatial transformations. The outlines are established under a systematized urban regeneration model engaged by the potentialities of a Sustainable Transit-Oriented Development. By providing an integrated framework, strategy and guidelines of this project will become an operative design platform able to promote new urban conditions and new forms of the state in the social, spatial and economic domain. The articulation between the values of mobility, identity and urban networks, from the local to the metropolitan level, will promote the consolidation of the City Center as the city’s main structural element once again. As a result, this will become a stepping stone for a competitive, genuinely democratic and socially-fair emerging metropolis model
Smart mobility: a strategic solution in urban development
No full textThis thesis researches the effect of smart mobility on parking space. To what extent will space become available and how can this be used for the restructering challenges within the urban enviroment
Towards an Olympic legacy for all: Regeneration oriented design principles for Olympic legacy enhancing the social sustainability of Rotterdam South
No full textThe image of Olympic Games is mixed. The Games are a monumental celebration, but its organisation and legacy are also seen as a threat to the sustainability of the city. This research distinguished three main actors, each with different aims for supporting the Games; The International Olympic committee, the host-city and the citizens of the host-city. Research showed that especially the wishes of the citizens are neglected in the organisation and legacy of the Olympics. This graduation project aims to enhance this citizens by researching the potentials for the Olympic legacy to enhance the social sustainability of the host city. If so, the Olympic Games can be of great additional value to the city and its inhabitants. This research looks into the concepts of mega-event planning, Olympic legacy, urban regeneration and social sustainability and the interrelation between these concepts. Eventually it sets up a theoretical framework for enhancing social sustainability in decisions based on location, projects and legacy of the Olympic Games. To evaluate social sustainability in former Olympic Games, a case study to 2012 Olympics in London is conducted.This knowledge is used to create a strategy and design for a future Olympic Games in the city district of Rotterdam South. The Olympic areas are located in Zuiderpark and Varkenoord North, with the neighbourhoods in-between as focus area. To counter the severe socio-economic and -spatial problems in this city district, a strategy consisting of seven proposals for a social Olympic legacy are implemented and further explored in design interventions. Eventually a design is made for Varkenoord North with use of these strategic proposals and changing the urban environment to a sport, transport and business node, creating a new identity as Feyenoord city. The area will be the representative image of a renewed Rotterdam South by using the Olympic Games for sustainable regeneration.During the graduation research design principles for enhancing social sustainability within Olympic legacy are gathered and collected in a separate booklet “Towards an Olympic legacy for all” Book 02.<br/
