Gray to Green

Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities

Gianluca Sanzone The Pennsylvania State University Dept. Of Architecture Undergraduate Thesis Spring 2022

Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

Abstract

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Soccer has continually grown to become one of the most popular sports in America throughout the past two decades. More and more kids and adults are picking up the beautiful game by watching and playing by joining leagues and teams. However, the spaces to play are concentrated and unevenly distributed. The PayTo-Play culture in America has pushed playing opportunities into suburbs and away from urban areas and cities.

Within these urban landscapes, the few opportunities to play require payment, require some sort of registration to a team / league, or simply not feasible to reach for some participants seeking play. Other public spaces where play can occur are either privately owned, surveild, or again not within reach.

This leaves people in urban areas seeking a public space to play with nowhere to go. The only truly public place remaining in cities are the streets.

This thesis proposal aims to tackle these issues and design a new street and street system for urban areas. This design will be created through a generative code aimed to create boundaries, resolve existing conditions, and provide opportunity for designers, planners to reclaim the public realm.

These streets and street systems will not only give back public space to urban inhabitants, but be a catalyst to better neighborhood making and connections.

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A New Urban Landscape

Spring 2022

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Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

Contents

The Green Drought

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Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

The Green Drought

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This success and growth of the game professionally doesn’t arise without the grassroots game developing simultaneously at home. At the same rate of development after the so called “soccer-boom” in the 90’s, soccer as a youth sport has slowly become a taboo at first for parent’s 5-yr-old daughter to participate in into the norm for kids to play on a rec team at least for a year or two in their lives. The popularity of the sport has grown exponentially throughout the past two decades due to this popularity and exposure on the professional level reaching parents, young adults, and even kids and seeing the game of soccer as a feasible recreational activity. The feasibility comes from the fact that soccer is one of the cheapest sports to participate in compared to other sports in America, and that multiple genders can participate due to Title IX.14 At a youth level considering expenses like travel, gear, and team registration; the sport asks parents and participants very little to take out of their pocket to participate relative to other sports. The only other sports that are of equal or less expense are football (because costs and gear are mostly funded by schools) and basketball.13 And unlike football, only basketball and soccer can allow for multiple genders to participate, either separate or co-ed.

13. “Youth Sports Facts: Challenges.” The Aspen Institute Project Play, 2021, https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/youth-sports/facts/challenges. 14. “Youth Sports Facts: Participation Rates.” The Aspen Institute Project Play, 2021, https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/youth-sports/facts/participation-rates.

Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

The sport of soccer has been around in the United States since the 1800’s.

Through years of progressive build-up play and popularity, the boom of the sport of soccer hit the country in the mid to late 1990’s. Success through the women’s national team winning of the FIFA Women’s World Cup on home soil and multiple qualifications for the men’s team into the FIFA Men’s World Cup, captivated the attention of the American public and sporting eye like never before. This success evolved into homegrown players being B-list names in Major League Soccer to traveling and playing abroad in the top leagues around Europe like the German Bundesliga and the English Premier League. Fast forward to 2022 where now American players are serving key roles in the most historic and successful teams around the world such as Barcelona and Juventus.

Spring 2022

Soccer In America.

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Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

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Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

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Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

US Youth Sports Participation Ages 5-18

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$300

$400

Average US Youth Sports Yearly Cost

$500

$600

$700

$800

$900

$1k

$1.25k

$1.5k

Economic Disparity.

Despite the growth, relatively economical cost, and fluid participation; there’s always a catch. As we grow out of youth sports from the grades on K-5 and enter the realm of school sports and travel teams in middle school, participation levels begin to drop. This downturn is due to a multitude of factors: playing level and ability, tryouts filtering, and availability of a team / club in the area or school district. But one statistic that stands out the most is participation levels per income bracket.

Half of participants within middle school and high school teams come from a household with an annual income of $100,000+. Although there are participants coming from households of $25,000 - $100,000, that only accounts for approximately 25% of the total participants within high school soccer. The other 25% come from families with an annual income of $25,000 or less.11

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College 17+

Professional

45k

973

>$25k Household $25-100k Household

As for the other side, participants who don’t come from a comparatively wealthy background can’t afford to join these teams and clubs and consequently can’t improve their skills. This economic disparity leaves not only a gap in skill level between participants but, down the line, leads to a cut in participants at the collegiate level leaving only wealthy players still in the pool of participants.

The economic disparity between players income leads to a gap in playing opportunity and the betterment of skill, while discouraging poorer participants away from the game leaving only the rich to play the so called beautiful game.

High School 13-17

Youth 6-12

>$25k Household $25-100k Household

$100k + Household

1.7mil

$100k + Household

1.2mil

# of Players

Path from Youth Sports to Professional Related to Player Economic Background

Pay-to-play, however, is not just an issue in soccer. It plagues all sports across America. From cheap sports like basketball, to even the more costly sports like lacrosse and tennis. This structure also tends to overlook impoverished players behind without providing an equal opportunity to participate.

11. “State of Play 2020: Pre-Pandemic Trends, Ages 13–17.” The Aspen Institute Project Play, 2021, https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/state-of-play-2020/ages-13-17.

Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

But this economic gap isn’t due to registration fees to join these school teams and how players and families can’t afford them, mostly because school teams don’t require fees since they are publicly funded. In fact, it’s play outside of school teams. These players that come from these households of $100k + have the finances to pay for their children to play for private club teams, travel teams, and academies. These organizations and programs operate outside of the school team season and act as not only another playing opportunity, but as supplementary training as well in order for these players to develop their skills and game IQ. Clubs who travel, train, and play usually require hefty registration fees to join and include travel costs not covered by the team itself. These possibly include flights, hotel rooms, and dining costs.

To join these clubs, players need to pass a tryout, but as in everything, politics plays a role. Even if you’re not the best on the field, if you have the cash to dish out, you’ll be able to play. In America, this is known as pay-to-play.

Spring 2022

Rare P ath

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Where do I P(l)ay?

Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

Knowing that pay-to-play cripples the possibility of playing a sport outside of its designated season, the problem is also spatial. Most of these pay-to play opportunities like club teams, travel teams, and academies are often found in suburbs. This is due to again, where the money is. Because of the high fees and travel costs, most of the participants who can afford to play for these teams live out of urban areas into the fringes and suburbs.

The opportunities follow the money, and so do the playing spaces.

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Zooming into urban participants, since these teams and academies are located in suburbs, so are the fields. Having these clubs be out in the suburbs collaterally causes playing spaces to be scarce within urban landscapes. Not so much a problem for suburban dwellers to find a place to play but for urban residences, this poses a challenge. Although there are parks and fields within cities and towns, most of them don’t facilitate play for either lack of equipment or lack of accessibility and feasibility. Some fields may be available only to rent and require a minimum amount of participants, restrict play to a window of time, or are simply only available for urban based teams which require another registration fee. For those parks and fields that are free and publicly funded, most of the time they’re already occupied by groups who hoard the field for hours during desired playing times which discourages use from other groups looking to play. Sports complexes with multiple fields and courts, which are found in most suburbs, are also scarce in urban areas leaving most participants to share the same field with multiple sports and participants as well.

To recap, players who don’t have the money to pay to join teams have to find other spaces to play. Those other spaces to play either need to be reserved, rented, or simply just already in use leaving nowhere to play in urban areas. So where can they play?

N New York City Walking Distance from NYC Parks Soccer Fields4

4. “Field and Court Permit Availability Map.” NYC Parks, 2022, https://www.nycgovparks.org/permits/field-and-court/map.

The City vs. It’s People Since possibilities and opportunities are scarce in urban landscapes, players and participants look deep elsewhere into existing public spaces to play. Across American cities, the existence of public spaces is abundant and vast. The most notable and influential catalyst for public spaces in America is due to the New York Zoning Resolution of 1961. The Resolution incentivized builders and developers to plan a public space in front, around, or under their developing projects and in return, would be rewarded more floor space above by increasing the amount of floor plates. This yielded building plazas and other public spaces around New York and other cities and afforded citizens a place to congregate and connect.3 These spaces were known as P.O.P.S. (Privately Owned Public Space). However, further down the road these public spaces would never serve the public like they once would.

P.O.P.S. Situations Ground Floor Entrance

Plaza

Side Park

3. Dowling, Robert, et al. “1961 New York City Zoning Resolution.” NYPAP, The New York Preservation Archive Project, 1961, https://www.nypap.org/preservation-history/1961-new-york-city-zoning-resolution/. 5. Gannon, Devin. “During the Pandemic’s Peak, Low-Income New Yorkers Lacked Access to Quality Green Space.” 6sqft, 16 July 2020, https://www.6sqft.com/during-the-pandemics-peak-low-income-new-yorkers-lacked-access-to-quality-green-space/.

Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

Not much has changed throughout the years following the 92’ Race Wars and the Zoning Resolution. Many cities still struggle to find urban public spaces apart from parks. It’s a constant gray area between public activity and private ownership. Recently, the introduction of the COVID-19 Pandemic revealed lack and need for public space. A study done in New York has shown that at the peak of the pandemic, where residents used green and public space as a lifeline, some areas could only provide 2 sq. ft. of green space per person.5 Following up, many of the areas that afforded much more space for residents were in primarily white neighborhoods, often coming from private green and public spaces like closed courtyards.

Spring 2022

The 1992 Race Wars in LA where police brutality, public demonstrations, and violence broke out throughout the city of Los Angeles and the public spaces embedded in the city was televised on national TV and poured civil unrest, instability, and bloodshed into American homes for the first time. Following the events cities, developers, and property owners with public and building plazas began to surveil these spaces, constrain, and prevent activity within these public spaces. The introduction of bollards, CCTV cameras, and security guards began to be implemented immediately P.O.P.S. Construction following the race wars. Developers and owners than began to limit and forbid some activities in these plazas. The best example of these restrictions, particularly in LA, is the forbiddance of skateboarding, a sport embedded in the LA and west coast culture suddenly had limited its arena to perform, shrinked substantially. Along with activity restriction, some owners would then limit the use and premise permission of these spaces to only tenants if they were a residential building, or employees of tenants and their clients if the building was zoned commercially.

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Where we playing?

This study has now dually established that: formal playing spaces are scarce, unpractical, and not economically feasible at times in urban spaces due to those opportunities being pushed away to suburban areas as result of the pay-to-play culture in America; and other available public spaces are not accommodating for fundamental public activity and congregation. The question then becomes, where can these playing surfaces and public spaces occur in an urban environment? The answer is simple: the only place left to the public.

When you try and search for the only place in cities where anything can happen, that is funded publicly, can cross borders of sex, age, sexual orientation, race, and income, and urban programs, there’s only one place where all this can happen.1 The street. Streets then become the only possible playing and public space for the cities and their inhabitants.

Mixed Use Private

Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

Public

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N 0’

20’

50’

100’

200’

Typical Block Zoning Usage

1. Bodnar, Judit. “Reclaiming Public Space.” Urban Studies, vol. 52, no. 12, Sept. 2015, pp. 2090–2104.

Precedents

Small field inside a church courtyard in Rome, Italy.

Small field inside a residential courtyard in Madrid, Spain.

Small field between residential buildings in Paris, France.

Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

Spring 2022

When searching for existing public spaces and playing spaces embedded within cities and towns, these small 5-a-side pitches across European cities are a perfect example. European cities have the benefit of soccer being a predominant factor within each countries culture, like football in America. However, unlike America, these playing spaces are abundant. Scattered throughout cities and towns, tucked in between buildings, alleyways, or even in the middle of piazzas and squares. These spaces are embedded within these cities which strengthen their ties to the local communities. Local boys and girls gather here and play until dinner time on a regular basis. Meanwhile, older residents around the area gather here to watch pick-up games, hang out and share ideas or just catch up on their lives. These fields become a part of the local way of life and broader culture of the city. Having these spaces to congregate strengthen the connection between the people living around these fields, and the city they inhabit.

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Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

Gray to Green: Mission Statement.

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Spring 2022 Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

This thesis proposal aims to deliver more public space to American cities through streets by transforming them to accommodate playing spaces, other recreational activities, and various programmatic opportunities.

This is in order to smooth out the equity of spatial opportunities that are necessary for urban dwellers and to provide spaces where inhabitants can congregate once again. These public spaces are aimed to tighten the bond between the city they live in and the people that live in the city to form more intimate communities.

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Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

Generative Design Code

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Banking on the work of Michael Sorkin’s book, Local Code; where he generates a distinct city code in order to deliberately and explicitly set rules for his Utopian city to follow in order to spur his ideal world.9 This proposal aims to do the same by setting out a set of planning and design rules for the city and its streets in order to generate these green streets.

9. Sorkin, Michael. Local Code: The Constitution of a City at 42 Degrees N Latitude. Princeton Architectural Press, 1993.

Existing Conditions

Existing streets in cities don't accommodate for the public and prioritize automotive travel. Yes, a street is meant for cars, however pedestrian use is limited or non-existent. Design features like curbs, that separate sidewalk from street create almost an implied exclusive zone where people are not meant to cross or enter. Although these curbs have been implemented for safety standards, it creates a barrier and doesn't allow for inhabitants to use all the public space available. Along the curb, parking that infests the streets asserts its dominance and emphasizes that division between sidewalk and street even more. These issues need to be addressed in order to reclaim public space.

The second existing constraint is park / field location and their proximities to residential areas, and conversely, lack thereof. Pinpointing and mapping out where these public playing spaces exist is key in understanding green street placement, more specifically the recreational green street’s locations that will serve for play and sporting activity. Finding the limit of a 10-minute walking distance from the existing spaces is what was used in this study. Once these boundaries of proximities were found and mapped, we can begin to see the areas and neighborhoods where those fields don’t reach and are too far away for those inhabitants to approach. These areas where parks don’t reach can be known as “droughts spaces” which is where these green streets will be placed to uniformly distribute playing and recreational opportunities.

The third and final constraint, which is essential to the first guideline of the code and the most important, the existing street grid. Ultimately, where these green streets are located. It is essential to understand the grid at a precise and intimate level to create this code.

7. “NYC Planning Zola.” ZoLa, 2022, https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/about/#9.72/40.7061/-73.733. 12. “Urban Footprint - The Allocation of Space in U.S. Cities.” Geotab, Apr. 2019, https://www.geotab.com/urban-footprint/.

Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

The first existing constraint being local zoning boundaries. Zoning boundaries are important because they not only delineate where public, commercial, and industrial activity happens in cities, but also help target residential areas.⁷ Commercial and residential zoning areas are equally important, these green streets can serve either zoning area in their respective locations. And in some cases, accommodate for both residential and commercial when approaching that zoning boundary between the two.

Spring 2022

Before setting out to write a code to generate design and planning, some existing conditions need to be addressed for this code to adapt to every city. This thesis adopts New York city as a site to utilize this code due to New York’s existing condition of having the least amount of green space per capita compared to other American cities.12

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Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

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Key

Residential Commercial Industrial

New York City Zoning Map

New York City Avenue Traffic Diagram

Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

New York City Street Traffic Diagram

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Spring 2022

The Generative Code I. - Existing Grid [I. 1.] - Green Streets shall reside where the traffic congestion is low.

[I. 2.] - Traffic Analysis

[I. 2. A.] - Observing and comparing streets and their traffic flow will dictate where green streets are placed.

II. - Proximities & Placement [II.-1.] - Initial Green Street placement shall begin from the first street on the outer most edge of the city along the axis of low traffic flow.

[II.-2.] - Green Streets shall have the same 10 minute walking distance proximity (radius).

[II.-3.] - Green Streets shall run the entire length of the street.

[II.-4.] - All other Green Streets shall be planned along the same street axis as the initial street.

[II.-5.] - Consecutive Green Streets shall be touching via walking distance proximity (radius) to the previous Green Street, but not overlapping the

previous Green Street walking distance proximity.

Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

[II.-6.] - In between these of Green Streets, there will be supplementary Green Streets for other street programs.

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[II.-7.] - Those other Green Streets in between shall be spaced out according to their program and walking proximity (radius) and equally between

the two green streets used for placement.

[II.-8.] - This is such so that every Green Street with different program shall be equally distanced from its other Green Street with the same

program.

[II.-9.] - This rhythm of streets will span the limits of the city.

III. - Green Streets Programs [III.-1.] - The Program of Green Streets shall begin with the initial Green Street Placed on the outer most edge of the city along the axis of low traffic flow.

[III.-2.] - The Program rhythm of Green Streets shall begin with a Green Street for Play followed by individual streets for: Food, Market / Shopping,

Culture, Art, and Relaxation [III.-3.] - Description of Green Street Programs

[III.-3.-1.] - Green Streets For Play

[III.-3.-1.-1.] - Green Streets For Play shall be placed in residential zones per the existing zoning boundaries.

[III. 3.-1.-2.] - Green Streets For Play shall also be in drought areas where no parks or fields reach within a 10 minute radius.

[III.-3.-1.-3.] - The initial Green Street For Play placement proximity will touch, but not overlap, on the edge of the last proximity

(radius) of the closest playing field / surface.

[III.-3.-1.-4.] - Activities can include but are not limited to: soccer, basketball, football, tennis, and wall ball.

[III.-3.-2.] - Green Streets for Food

[III.-3.-2.-1.] - Green Streets for Food shall be placed in residential and commercial zones per existing zoning boundaries.

[III.-3.-2.-2.] - The initial Green Street for Food shall be placed following the initial Green Street for Play.

[III.-3.-2.-3.] - The following Green Streets for Food shall always follow Green Streets for Play.

[III.-3.-2.-4.] - Activities can include but are not limited to: picnic tables, food trucks, and community gardens.

[III.-3.-3.] - Green Streets For Markets / Shopping

[III.-3.-3.-1.] - Green Streets for Markets / Shopping shall be placed in residential and commercial zones per the existing zoning

boundaries.

[III.-3.-3.-2.] - The initial Green Street for Markets / Shopping shall be placed following the initial Green Street for Play.

[III.-3.-3.-3.] - The following Green Streets for Markets / Shopping shall always follow Green Streets for Play.

[III.-3.-3.-4.] - Activities can include but are not limited to: farmers markets, commercial kiosks, and start-up company kiosks.

[III.-3.-4.] - Green Streets for Culture

[III.-3.-4.-1.] - Green Streets for Culture shall be placed in residential and commercial zones per existing zoning boundaries.

[III.-3.-4.-2.] - The initial Green Street for Culture shall be placed following the initial Green Street for Markets / Shopping.

[III.-3.-4.-3.] - The following Green Streets for Culture shall always follow Green Streets for Markets / Shopping.

[III.-3.-4.-4.] - Activities can include but are not limited to: fashion shows, screening parties, conventions, and concerts.

[IV.-1] - Each Green Street shall be equally subdivided into 3 zones in order to make program equitable for all inhabitants and users of the street.

[IV.-1.-2.] - Each zone shall include 4 sub-zones, each of specific activities: Parking, Service, Shared Program, and Free Program [IV.-2] - Descriptions of Green Street Sub-Zones

[IV.-2.-1] - Parking Sub-Zone

[IV.-2.-1.-1.] - The sum of all the Parking sub-zones on a single Green Street shall only account for a certain percentage of length

along the street.

[IV.-2.-1.-1.-1.] - This length is determined by the percentage of car owners on the street (i.e. - 20% of car owners = 20% of

street length alloted for parking).

[IV.-2.-1.-2.] - The length sum of all Parking sub-zones on a single Green Street shall be divided by 3, each division of length shall be

equally placed in each of the 3 Green Street sub-zones.

[IV.-2.-1.-3.] - Parking sub-zones shall be no wider than 8 feet.

[IV.-2.-2.] - Service Sub-Zone

[IV.-2.-2.-1.] - Service sub-zones shall be placed either in front or behind Parking sub-zones along the same side of the Green Street.

[IV.-2.-2.-2.] - Service sub-zones shall be no larger than the width of the parking sub-zone, and no longer than 10ft.

[IV.-2.-2.-3.] - Service sub-zones are to accommodate for waste management, recycling, and compost collection.

[IV.-2.-3.] - Shared Program Sub-Zone

[IV.-2.-3.-1.] - Shared Program sub-zones are to accommodate the designated street program, while allowing for sub-zones Parking and Service to function.

[IV.-2.-3.-2.] - Shared Program sub-zones are to be directly adjacent to Service and Parking sub-zones and run from those other sub zones to the side of the Green Street.

[IV.-2.-4.] - Free Program Sub-Zone

[IV.-2.-4.-1.] - Free Program sub-zones are to accommodate the designated street program and its activities.

[IV.-2.-4.-2.] - Free Program sub-zones shall occupy the entire width of the street.

Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

IV. - Street Design

Spring 2022

[III.-3.-5.] - Green Streets for Art

[III.-3.-5.-1.] - Green Streets for Art shall be placed in residential and commercial zones per existing zoning boundaries.

[III.-3.-5.-2.] - The initial Green Street for Art shall be placed following the initial Green Street for Culture.

[III.-3.-5.-3.] - The following Green Streets for Art shall always follow Green Streets for Culture.

[III.-3.-5.-4.] - Activities can include but are not limited to: sculpture gardens, performances, and digital art projections.

[III.-3.-6.] - Green Streets for Relaxation

[III.-3.-6.-1.] - Green Streets for Relaxation shall be placed in residential and commercial zones per existing zoning boundaries.

[III.-3.-6.-2.] - The initial Green Street for Relaxation shall be placed following the initial Green Street for Art.

[III.-3.-6.-3.] - The following Green Streets for Relaxation shall always follow Green Streets for Art.

[III.-3.-6.-4.] - Activities can include but are not limited to: zen gardens and reading benches.

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[IV.-2.-4.-3.] - Free Program sub-zones may be placed in between Shared Program sub-zones, even if it crosses Green Street zone lines.

[IV.-3.] - Each Green Street shall be protected audibly and visually, and distinguishable between existing streets through vegetation at each

entrance / exit.

[IV.-3.-1.] - Appropriate signage shall also be at each entrance / exit in order to distinguish Green Streets from existing streets and other

Green Streets and their respective programs.

[IV.-4.] - Each Green Street shall make use of grasscrete instead of traditional asphalt in order to facilitate for play streets and incorporate

greenery while maintaining the ability for vehicular movement.

[IV.-5.] - Each Green Street shall allow a minimum 10’ lane, or gap acting as a lane, along the center of the street through all program, zones, and

sub-zones.

Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

[IV.-6.] - Each Green Street shall have curving sidewalks, named TurfScapes that blend the sidewalk with the street and facing buildings.

[IV.-6.-1.] - Sidewalks may slope up and down in either direction to afford and facilitate spatial conditions for programmatic and residential

uses and accommodations.

[IV.-6.-1.-1.] - Accommodations and uses can include, but are not limited to: seating, planting, storage, program activity definition, and

sub-division definition.

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Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

Spring 2022

Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

This generative code transforms the existing American urban street from a gray, suffocating, parking ridden, detached, maze of one ways that don’t promote neighborly interaction; to green, vibrant, merged, bands of open program and life to solve the equity of space and promote connection between inhabitants and their built environments in order to build tighter communities.

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[IV.-2.-1.-1.] - The sum of all the Parking sub-zones on a single Green Street shall only account for a certain percentage of length along the street.

A New Urban Landscape

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Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

Spring 2022

[IV.-6.] - Each Green Street shall have curving sidewalks, named TurfScapes that blend the sidewalk with the street and facing buildings.

[III.-3.-1.-4.] - Activities can include but are not limited to: soccer, basketball, football, tennis, and wall ball.

[III.-2.] - The Program rhythm of Green Streets shall begin with a Green Street for Play followed by individual streets for: Food, Market / Shopping, Culture, Art, and Relaxation.

[II.-2.] - Green Streets shall have the same 10 minute walking distance proximity (radius).

[IV.-1] - Each Green Street shall be equally subdivided into 3 zones in order to make program equitable for all inhabitants and users of the street.

These Green Streets, designed by the generative code, are the direct essence of play by the means of design. Play and sports have a set of rules, parameters, and boundaries, both physical and interpretive. The magic of sport is when players (designers, architects, urban planners) use their skills and creative attributes and use them while working within the rules of the game (Generative Code) in order to become better players, teammates, and if successful, win the game (designing better cities, creating better communities).

Sports and local teams represent the values of a local community.

And within itself, a team is a community. Having collections of local players, vendors, artists, designers, and other groups of people in the streets can help strengthen the connection within these neighborhoods and other adjacent communities with their own values.

Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

With this design code, a band of 6 Green Streets (Play, Food, Market, Culture, Art, Relax) can be the basis of defining pockets of mini communities within the large scope of a city. On the basis that each Green Street houses roughly 1,400 people, the 6 streets would consist of roughly 8,400 residents, enough to be considered a neighborhood. A band of 6 streets can then equally disperse program and spatial opportunities to residents all while keeping people close by defining communities and neighborhoods through these bands. In this thesis’ example, Green Streets reclaim more than 25 million square feet of public space to the urban realm.

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These Green Streets and their various programs can also facilitate different activities and even programs based on events within the cities throughout the calendar year. Events such as film festivals, marathon routes, and fan zones. Along with activities like wine tastings, summer camps, and Christmas markets.

As designers, architects, planners, and thinkers, our first job is to put the needs of the user group at the forefront of each endeavor. By setting parameters on how our streets are designed, operated, functioning, we are putting the user group of cities at the head of the design, it’s residents.

Doing so collaterally changes the dynamic of how: an individual interacts with the street, bodies of people interact with the street, neighbors, neighborhoods, communities, boroughs, and ultimately cities interact with their streets.

Green Streets turn our cities and streets from gray to green.

Typical Green Street View Corridor

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Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

Spring 2022

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Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

Typical Green Street Plan

0’ 10’ 20’

N 50’ 100’

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Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

Spring 2022

Works Cited 1. Bodnar, Judit. “Reclaiming Public Space.” Urban Studies, vol. 52, no. 12, Sept. 2015, pp. 2090–2104.

2. Chipperfield, David. “Vamos a La Calle.” La Voz De Galicia, 2 Apr. 2022, https://www.lavozdegalicia. es/noticia/barbanza/porto-do-son/2022/04/02/span-langglvamos-callespan/0003_202204B2C8991.htm.

3. Dowling, Robert, et al. “1961 New York City Zoning Resolution.” NYPAP, The New York Preservation Archive Project, 1961, https://www.nypap.org/preservation-history/1961-new-york-city-zoning-resolution/.

4. “Field and Court Permit Availability Map.” NYC Parks, 2022, https://www.nycgovparks.org/permits/ field-and-court/map.

5. Gannon, Devin. “During the Pandemic’s Peak, Low-Income New Yorkers Lacked Access to Quality Green Space.” 6sqft, 16 July 2020, https://www.6sqft.com/during-the-pandemics-peak-low-income-newyorkers-lacked-access-to-quality-green-space/.

6. “New Yorkers and Their Cars.” NYCEDC, 5 Apr. 2018, https://edc.nyc/article/new-yorkers-and-theircars.

Gray to Green: A Generative Code for American Cities Gianluca Sanzone

7. “NYC Planning Zola.” ZoLa, 2022, https://zola.planning.nyc.gov/about/#9.72/40.7061/-73.733.

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8. Schulman, Alli. “Soccer Participation in the United States.” Medium, SFIA, 15 June 2018, https://sfia. medium.com/soccer-participation-in-the-united-states-92f8393f6469.

9. Sorkin, Michael. Local Code: The Constitution of a City at 42 Degrees N Latitude. Princeton Architectural Press, 1993.

10. “State of Play 2020: Pre-Pandemic Trends, Ages 6–12.” The Aspen Institute Project Play, 2019, https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/state-of-play-2020/ages-6-12.

11. “State of Play 2020: Pre-Pandemic Trends, Ages 13–17.” The Aspen Institute Project Play, 2021, https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/state-of-play-2020/ages-13-17.

12. “Urban Footprint - The Allocation of Space in U.S. Cities.” Geotab, Apr. 2019, https://www.geotab. com/urban-footprint/.

13. “Youth Sports Facts: Challenges.” The Aspen Institute Project Play, 2021, https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/youth-sports/facts/challenges.

14. “Youth Sports Facts: Participation Rates.” The Aspen Institute Project Play, 2021, https://www.aspenprojectplay.org/youth-sports/facts/participation-rates.

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Undergraduate Architectural Thesis The Pennsylvania State University

Spring 2022