MEGALOPOLITAN BALTIMORE
Baltimore*is*40*miles north*of*DC and 188*miles*south of*New*York.*
NO LONGER IN THE BIG LEAGUES
In*1950*Baltimore*was*the*6th*largest* city*in*America,*now*it*ranks*21st*with*a* population*of*620,961.
THE CITY IS A PERSISTENT LOSER
In*the*last*decade*Baltimore*lost*4.6%*of*its* population,*about*30,000*residents.
TRADING IN THE BLUE COLLARS FOR WHITE COLLARS
In 1945*Baltimore*employed 260,000* workers*in*the*manufacturing*sector.*
By*2005, there*were*only 17,800*such*jobs.*
90%*of*jobs*are*now*service*related.
SUBURBANIZED CITY
Only*35%*of*Baltimore’s*workforce*lives*in* the*city.*The*rest*commute.
TOO MUCH HOUSING
Baltimore*housing*stock*is*designed*for*a* population*of*950,000*people.*
Some*estimate*that*40,000*units*are*vacant* in*the*city.
TOO MANY BUILDINGS
The*city*sells*vacant*rowhouses*for*less*than* $8,000.*
It*costs*around*$18,000*to*demolish*a* rowhouse*property*in*Baltimore.*
BALTIMORE IS A BLACK CITY
Baltimore’s*population*was 76% white*in*1950.* Now,*it*is*64%*black.*
Baltimore is a city of paradoxes
HISTORIC ROWHOUSES SIT EMPTY
WHILE NEW HOUSING IS CONSTRUCTED NEARBY
HIGHWAYS ARE AT CAPACITY
BUT EMPTY LAND EXISTS NEXT TO THEM
THE CITY INVESTS TO ATTRACT TOURISTS
YET IS LOSING PERMANENT POPULATION
THE SUBURBS ARE GROWING
2000 - 2010
POPULATION CHANGE
decline growth
POPULATION CHANGE
2000 - 2010 decline growth
BUT THE CITY IS SHRINKING
THE CITY EXISTS BECAUSE OF ITS HARBOR
BUT POLLUTES ITS WATERS
LIFE EXPECTANCY VARIES BY 20 YEARS
IN A 20 MINUTE WALK
HOUSING IS CHEAP
BUT THERE IS A LACK OF AFFORDABLE UNITS
THE CITY IS HOME TO WORLD-CLASS RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS
AND FAILING PUBLIC SCHOOLS
NEW OFFICE TOWERS ARE BUILT ALONG THE WATER
AS DOWNTOWN VACANCY INCREASES
And yet, this situation does not warrant hopelessness.
Baltimore is neither growing or rapidly declining.
BALTIMORE IS NEITHER A DETROIT
NEW YORK
OR A
BALTIMORE IS NOT JUST POST-INDUSTRIAL
AND IT IS NOT JUST CREATIVE CLASS
Our studio posits a new condition: AFTER-CITY
In order to understand Baltimore within the After-City condition, we examined the city through
5 lenses
5 sites
5 approaches
THE CIVIC CORRIDOR:
ENERGY FROM WASTE
DIVIDED CITY / OPEN CITY RESONANT URBANISM
HIGHWAYS & STORAGE AS URBAN DESIGN SYSTEMS
FLEXIBLE URBANISM: RECALIBRATING THE GRID
THE RING: FINDING A NEW CENTRALITY
LIMINALITY LOGISTICS
ENERGY
VACANCY CENTRALITY
THE CIVIC CORRIDOR:
ENERGY FROM WASTE
DIVIDED CITY / OPEN CITY RESONANT URBANISM
HIGHWAYS & STORAGE AS URBAN DESIGN SYSTEMS
FLEXIBLE URBANISM: RECALIBRATING THE GRID
THE RING: FINDING A NEW CENTRALITY
LIMINALITY LOGISTICS VACANCY
ENERGY
CENTRALITY
THE CIVIC CORRIDOR:
ENERGY FROM WASTE
DIVIDED CITY / OPEN CITY RESONANT URBANISM
HIGHWAYS & STORAGE AS URBAN DESIGN SYSTEMS
FLEXIBLE URBANISM: RECALIBRATING THE GRID
THE RING: FINDING A NEW CENTRALITY
LIMINALITY LOGISTICS
ENERGY
VACANCY CENTRALITY
THE CIVIC CORRIDOR:
ENERGY FROM WASTE
DIVIDED CITY / OPEN CITY RESONANT URBANISM
HIGHWAYS & STORAGE AS URBAN DESIGN SYSTEMS
FLEXIBLE URBANISM: RECALIBRATING THE GRID
THE RING: FINDING A NEW CENTRALITY
LIMINALITY LOGISTICS
ENERGY
VACANCY CENTRALITY
THE CIVIC CORRIDOR:
ENERGY FROM WASTE
DIVIDED CITY / OPEN CITY RESONANT URBANISM
HIGHWAYS & STORAGE AS URBAN DESIGN SYSTEMS
FLEXIBLE URBANISM: RECALIBRATING THE GRID
THE RING: FINDING A NEW CENTRALITY
LIMINALITY LOGISTICS
ENERGY
VACANCY CENTRALITY
VACANCY LIMINALITY
LOGISTICS CENTRALITY ENERGY
ENERGY
SOURCE OF IDENTITY
URBAN WASTES: POLLUTE
+ fall line + rail + regional + global ENERGY, WATER, AND URBANIZATION
CITY-WIDE ENERGY-SHEDS
Water
Electricity
Transportation
CORRIDORS ORGANIZE SYSTEMS, CONNECT TO NEIGHBORHOODS
Waste
BENEFIT, CIVIC SPACES - A POWER LINE, AQUEDUCT,
HIGHLINE
PUBLIC
AND
IN ONE
Waste can be reused for public
LIMINALITY
DIVIDED CITY: WORK THAT ADDRESSES POLARITY Baltimore: Divided City Baltimore: Open City
DISPARATE SPATIAL AND SOCIAL
ARCHIPELAGO:
CONDITIONS
LIMINAL SPACE: IMMEASURABLE VALUE FOR THE CITY
URBAN DESIGN
URBAN DESIGN
URBAN DESIGN
URBAN DESIGN
URBAN DESIGN
WINERY - ATTRACTS BOURGEOISIE AND PROVIDES JOBS
EVENT SPACE - WHERE A PATCHWORK OF CULTURE IS PROUDLY ON DISPLAY
Harmony is not the only answer.
LOGISTICS
Analysis Corporation Infotech Northrop Grumman Public Self Storage Affordable Self Storage IBM Fort Knox Self Storage Lockheed Martin ProSync Technology Corp Social Security US General Services GROWTH WHERE FEW PEOPLE LIVE
Context and History: Baltimore as a Logistics City
Coordinated transportation modal point at the harbor- trains, water, streetcar and roads
Farthest inland port in East
Logistic Growth of Baltimore
Map of Baltimore's railroad and shipping 1878
Baltimore's port in 1911
BALTIMORE HAS FLOW
REDIRECTING GROWTH INTO THE CITY
Baltimores of institutional storage in the USA Storage is considered a “Recession Resistant” industry STORAGE: A GROWING INDUSTRY IN A DEINDUSTRIALIZING NATION
782.6
STORCAL
SITE: A SEQUENCE OF HIGHWAY EXITS AS A LINEAR SYSTEM OF PLUG-IN STORAGE FACILITIES
CORE UTURE CORE
VOLUME TYPOLOGY
apx. 10,000 sqm x 10m height
30 warehouses = site
Storage
10,000 sqm
Double program
5,000 sqm
Associated clusters
2,500 sqm
Access/Terrace
2,500 sqm
Car parking
5,000 sqm
Public space
5,000 sqm
100m 100m 10m
WAREHOUSE
AVERAGE
STORAGE UNIT
DOUBLE-PROGRAMMED
Double Program Unit Typologies
SEVEN URBAN DESIGN FRAMEWORKS
CENTRAL CORE CLOVER CUL-DE-SAC NATURAL STEM
Logistics
Industry distribution
Public access
Truck loading docks
Public parking
Public use
Public open space
Marine recreation
IMPLEMENTATION ON SITE
Green space
Associated businesses
Public space
Warehouse Double program
STORAGE AS A NEW URBAN LANDSCAPE
Storage 10,000 sqm Double program 5,000 sqm Associated clusters 2,500 sqm Access/Terrace 2,500 sqm Car parking 5,000 sqm Public space 5,000 sqm 10m AN URBAN DESIGN
,
,
.
FOR EACH BIG BOX
EACH EXIT
EACH CITY
Emptiness has intense value.
VACANCY
ROWHOUSES SIT EMPTY WHILE NEW HOUSING IS CONSTRUCTED NEARBY.
AND VOID IN BALTIMORE’S HISTORIC
MAPPING VACANCY
CORE
PARK: A SHRINKING NEIGHBORHOOD IN A SHRINKING CITY
HARLEM
PARK: VACANCY AND VOID AT THE BLOCK SCALE
HARLEM
TARGETED STRATEGIES FOR HARLEM PARK
FAST, CHEAP, SOFT
FENCE
Flexible & cheap. Requires somewhat intact fabric. No demolition.
INFILL
No demolition. Flexible, responsive to local needs.
OCCUPY THE CENTER
Use existing voids in centers of block for community space. No demolition.
REFRAME
SLOW, EXPENSIVE, HARD
Little demolition. More expensive. Somewhat exible.
RE-FOREST
Enclosed forest. Little demolition required, not expensive.
CLEAR
Some demolition.
SUBURBANIZE
Some demolition required. Re-de nition of block unit.
BUILD-OUT
High-density, expensive
FLEXIBLE
URBANIST TOOL KIT INTERVENTIONS
SOFT HARD
Flexible
FLEXIBLE URBANIST TOOL KIT INTERVENTIONS
FENCE
& cheap. Requires somewhat intact fabric. No demolition.
SOFT HARD
RE-FOREST
Enclosed forest. Little demolition required, not expensive.
FLEXIBLE URBANIST TOOL KIT INTERVENTIONS
OCCUPY THE CENTER
Use existing voids in centers of block for community space. No demolition.
HARD
FLEXIBLE URBANIST TOOL KIT INTERVENTIONS SOFT
SOFT HARD
BUILD-OUT
High-density, expensive, unlikely.
FLEXIBLE URBANIST TOOL KIT INTERVENTIONS
REFRAME
Little demolition. More expensive. Somewhat exible.
KIT INTERVENTIONS
FLEXIBLE URBANIST TOOL
SOFT HARD
FLEXIBLE URBANIST TOOL KIT INTERVENTIONS SOFT HARD
INFILL
No demolition. Flexible, responsive to local needs.
HARLEM PARK 2031: ONE POSSIBLE OUTCOME
Incompleteness is a virtue.
CENTRALITY
RESTRUCTURING
THE SUBURBS.
THE CITY IS ISOLATED FROM GROWTH IN
GROWTH DECLINE
COMMERCIAL)PROPERTY SHIFTING FRAMES AND MULTIPLYING CENTERS
CAPTURING THE CULTURAL CONTENT OF THE CITY AND THE ECONOMIC ACTIVITY OF THE SUBURBS
RING: A STRATEGIC SEAM
A LEGIBLE THRESHOLD: A COMMUTER’S REST STOP ADJACENT TO DEVALUED NEIGHBORHOODS 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 0 Land(Value((High(to(Low) Land(Value(Polarity Vacancy Crime(level A B C J H G E E G H C B A
Vienna/Ringstrasse Paris/Peripherique
BALTIMORE
SLOWS THE TRANSITION, REDUCES TIME ON THE ROAD
A/mobile/tax/base/of/over/$6*billion/annually/leaves/the/ Baltimore/City/as/commuters/return/home/each/night.
MONO-FUNCTIONAL
MULTI-FUNCTIONAL
ACTIVATE THE MEGA-BLOCK CONDITION WITH PUBLICLY-DIRECTED PARCELS.
MATERIAL '&coherent&material&treatment
CROSS&WALK '&marking&territory&on&the&road
PARKING '&accessible&for&the&commuter
WATER&FOUNTAIN '&feature&found&in&traditional&parks&
SPEAKER '&opportunity&for&broadcast
RAILROAD&TIE '&marker&for&pedestrian
PHYSICAL)COMPONENTS
WI'FI '&encourage&congregation
ADVERTISEMENT&ON&ROOF '&additional&source&of&revenue
LIGHT& '&visibility&from&above&and&afar
TRAFFIC&MIRROR '&added&visibility&and&safety&
MATERIAL '&coherent&material&treatment
CROSS&WALK '&marking&territory&on&the&road
PARKING '&accessible&for&the&commuter
WATER&FOUNTAIN '&feature&found&in&traditional&parks&
SPEAKER '&opportunity&for&broadcast
RAILROAD&TIE '&marker&for&pedestrian
WI'FI '&encourage&congregation
ADMINISTRATIVE)STRUCTURE
ADVERTISEMENT&ON&ROOF '&additional&source&of&revenue
PUBLIC&OWNERSHIP 'land&remains&accessible&
SOFT) paved&or&vegetatedSELECTION&COMMITTEE '&open&RFP&process&on&cycle
AFFORDABLE&RENT '&maintain&access&for&diverse&operators
MEGA-MICRO HYBRID
ONE LARGE FOR MANY SMALL
A TRADE:
SCENARIO PLAN: A FLEXIBLE FUTURE
2 1 3 A LEGIBLE RING OF DIFFUSE PLAY
The new project for the city is neither urban or suburban.
THE CIVIC CORRIDOR:
ENERGY FROM WASTE
DIVIDED CITY / OPEN CITY RESONANT URBANISM
HIGHWAYS & STORAGE AS URBAN DESIGN SYSTEMS
FLEXIBLE URBANISM: RECALIBRATING THE GRID
THE RING: FINDING A NEW CENTRALITY
LIMINALITY LOGISTICS
ENERGY
VACANCY CENTRALITY
Warehouse Double program Public space Associated businesses Green space