UHP3

My second in a series of self-designed research-based projects for the University Honors Program, “IC53” is a theoretical proposal for a community center, pedestrian bridge, and road reconfiguration in my hometown of Imlay City, Michigan. The mission of this project would be to cultivate a more eco-conscious and neighborly community by creating a more walkable business district, adding pedestrian infrastructure, making more free communal spaces, and promoting carpooling.

The program of the project includes a multi-directional bike path; sidewalks on either side of the main road; a pedestrian bridge; a community garden; a carpool lot; and a community center with multi-purpose spaces, public restrooms (with street access), and ADA access to the pedestrian bridge. The site for this project would be the southeast corner of the Eastern Michigan Fair Grounds, a large plot of land that sits unused for all but the one week of the year that the fair is held.

In my proposal for the road redevelopment portion of the project, the elimination of a left turn lane in favor of a standard “Michigan Left” U-turn-based layout aims to ease the urgency of cars turning left to reduce the rate of accidents. In addition, narrower lanes and a roundabout at M-53’s primary intersection with Borland Road urge drivers to slow down, creating a better environment for pedestrians.

While aiming to reduce the speed of traffic through town, “IC53” also gives drivers in the community the option to carpool, with a large separate carpool parking lot included as part of the design. This initiative to encourage the town’s commuters to carpool acknowledges the deep sentiment towards car-dependency in the region, while still attempting to reduce the amound of traffic that disrupts pedestrians and the natural environment.