EMERGENT INFRASTRUCTURES

In order to address the transportation issues of cities, this thesis proposes a new type of urban transportation system that stiches the tears in New York’s urban fabric togther, both by its path of travel and its physical architectural existence. Drawing from urbanistic and architectural concepts presented in the Situationist Internation movement, Towards a Performative Theory of Assembly, The Right to the City, The American Technological Sublime, and the Urban Sociology Reader, this transit system travels through the city like a souture, providing marginalized communities with access to green spaces, cultural centers, performance spaces, and education, as well as acting as a physical platform for cultural expression and community engagement. Train stations with specific programs defined by the character and needs of the surrounding community find place along this new transit line, while also providing connection to many hubs along the train’s path. Traveling between the major parks of New York, it will connect the people to much needed natural environments as well as provide better connection for Brooklyn, Queens, and Manhattan. It enhances the quality of life of New Yorkers by giving them access to the best parts of their city. It emerges from the industrio-infrastructural grit of Brooklyn to create a new form of urbanistic community engagement and repurposes its capitalist origins.

East Elevation

The largest of the train stations along the B-Loop suspended rail line will be Barclay Station in Downtown Brooklyn. It combines unconventional forms at the base with a slab tower that recalls its high rise context. It will be filled with a variety of community spaces including a library, daycare, maker’s space, and pop-up retail, along with a few floors of affordable housing and open office space located in the tower.

Note: Drawings and renderings in progress