MIDTERM PORTFOLIO Minh Le ARCH 103 Spring 2013
OVERVIEW 1. Photomontage of San Francisco (pg.3 –8) 2. Kevin Lynch’s “The City Image” – based study of AT&T Park (pg.9 -18) 3. The City Form – Node study of the intersection between 9th Avenue and Irving Street (pg.19 -25) 4. The Utopian Vision (pg. 26 -40)
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Icebreaker : “San Francisco Within” My concept is to create an overview image of the city of San Francisco from the local people’s perspective; It’d be the image of the San Franciscan’s interactions rather than the city famous for its tourist attractions. More specifically, I want to show my own personal interactions with the city.
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The three main ideas I want to show in the photomontage are: The city of hidden treasure and discovery, the city as small community/ gathering spot, and the city as the get away destination. These interaction often overlap one another; and to me, none of them is considerably more significant than the others. Therefore, I decide to cut the images out in a similar size and lay them over one another, as in to show their equal importance and interaction with each other.
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The black and white print is the result of the fear that some intense color may dominate and attract all attention to its image, throwing off the idea of overall image. But after the class critics, I realize that color print is the risk I should have taken. With a set of multi images and contents, the color may have help to convey the activity and connection.
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City of Hidden Treasure and Discovery As the exploration process for this assignment, I get introduced to the new area I’d never set foot on, the Heron’s Head Park in Bay View. As an immigrant who have only live here for 5 years, the city constantly amazes me with new areas and attraction that not many people know about. The Heron’s Head park represents the hidden treasures within the city, the small little haven surrounded by the industrialized community. The Golden Gate Park, in the other hands, is sometimes like another world to me. Nature within the “man-made” world. 6
City as Community Gathering This city is a diverse community, yet, it has its own way of bringing people together. I really like these open semi-public areas practically in every neighborhood throughout the city. These spots can be share by community as the gathering destinations, or can be also used as one’s own personal spot. These spaces somewhat slow down the city rushing life, so people can stop, and reflect and interact with each other. 7
City as the Get Away Spot Life and school sometimes can be really stressful. At those moments, I always want to be able to just get away from all that and just be myself, just rest without worrying about life’s complications. Baseball has been the “medication” for my “stress and depression” for a while. When I think of SF, it’s somewhat incomplete without talking about my relationship with the city sport. It’s the common interests of not just community, but of the whole city, considerably. So I guess I can say that baseball and AT&T Park is a way for me to interact with the city and its people. 8
“The City Image” District The AT&T Park is located at the China Basin of the SOMA.
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Source: Google Map
Connection and Accessibility
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Landmark
Source: flickr.com
AT&T Park doesn’t serve only as the landmark for wayfinding purpose or district attraction. It also serves as an icon of the city’s sport franchise. It is the destination of community/ city gathering. It houses history as well as memories, and it is interpreted differently by different people. It gives the neighborhood an unique characteristic that is loved by all people of the city. 11
Paths Source: Google Map
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The paths along and surrounding the AT&T Park are similarly wide to be open for pedestrians. During any event held at the Ball Park, these big open space will allow the big number of people walking/ passing along or gathering.
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Nodes Willie Mays Plaza , in front of the main gate entrance, is the busiest node of the site.
The wide, open space allow the gathering of the large number of people .
14 Source: flickr.com
Two other major nodes within the site are The South Beach Park and China Basin Park, respectively North and South side of AT&T Park, are within walking distant to the Ball Park.
These two parks are often used by families and other people during the day which the Ball Park is inactive.
15 Source: flickr.com
Edges
Edges between Pathway (Pedestrian walk, vehicle road) and Node (Muni station)
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Some quick thought … While studying further the area of AT&T Park, I realized that the neighborhood seem to change from what I have been familiar with, and I realize it is because of the off-season. The energy of the game goers make the ball park area, arguably, more vital than any other areas in the city during the season. But when baseball is not around, the area changes completely. It suddenly becomes this quite neighborhood which occupied mostly by the vehicles and public transportation. The number of urban actors now decreases, and they are mostly office men and women of the surrounding. I wouldn’t consider it a dead zone, since there are still interactions, but it is not vital as it’s supposed to be. Professor Lum has given some suggestions of the multi-functional building that can enhance the beauty of the surroundings. I think this would be a great thing to do, because the beautiful areas surrounded do not have to be in the state of “restoration” as the ball park does. By bringing in the additional attraction, the area can be vital all year round, and the business within the area can benefit as well. 18
Study of Node: 9th and Irving When I first get introduced to and asked to define the vitality of the city, the first thing I think of is the somewhat famous, public area with thousand and thousand of people. However, after studying further the Lynch’s notions of 5 city forms and learning from classmate’ discoveries, I realize that the vitality of the city can grow from a smaller scale such as within community. And also since the AT&T Park neighborhood is not quite “itself” this time of the year, I decide to explore the more personal area: the intersection of 9th Avenue and 19 Irving Street.
9th and Irving vs. 8th and Judah To better understand the vitality of the intersection of 9th and Irving, I decide to compare it with the nearby intersection, the 8th and Judah. 9th Avenue & Irving Street
The comparisons are in terms of public transportation, accessibility to major area, type of building uses.
20 8th Avenue & Judah Street
Accessibility 9th and Irving (red circle) has direct access to Golden Gate Park, UCSF campus and facilities via public transportation of light rail N and bus line 44. It is also located 1 block away from bus lines 71, 71L, 16X in the north and 6, 43, 66 in the south. 8th and Judah (blue circle) locates in the route of bus line 6 and 43, 1 block away from the bus line 44, 66 and N car.
Source: sfmta.com
In conclusion, the intersection of 9th and Irving is more active through the public accessibility from and to major area (UCSF, Golden Gate Park , and even Ocean Beach) 21
Service Provides The majority of building types around 9th and Irving is for small local business (restaurant, retail, coffee and drink, utility store). While 8th and Judah includes housing apartment complexes. 9th Ave. & Irving St.
I come to realization that these local business help create the sense of community for this neighborhood; where people can gather at some specific coffee shop, have a meal at a familiar restaurant, or catch up at the usual bakery ‌ A sense of community that unique and within this specific neighborhood.
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8th Ave. & Judah St.
Node As Point of Interest With access to various services and line on the route connect to major areas, intersection of 9th Ave and Irving St becomes the interest point of the neighborhood. At night, even if the nearby intersections are quite “dead and shut down�, the intersection is still vital.
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Street Conversation The public parklet provide the node for passersby or just simply a meeting spot for people to create a sense of community. It encourages people interaction on the street. It creates the conversation between paths, pedestrian walk and vehicle road
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Flexible Use of Node The parking lot on 9th Avenue another important node near the intersection because of its flexible use during the weekend. Every Sunday, its transforms into the farmer market. This enhances the sense of community, encourages people interaction, hence develop the notion of vitality.
25 Source: sfgate.com
Utopian Neighborhood
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Concepts and Principals •Open Space promotes community gathering, hence vitality •Engaging and suitable for all ages •Pedestrian Path (or light traffic) is more important than car’s road •Close to major transportation for better accessibility •Flexible use of nodes, and possibly pathways •Local Business to create the neighborhood’s personality •Vista view from and to the landmark
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Open Space for Community
The open, public park serves as the local landmark, as well as the gathering space for the community. More people will help create and develop the vitality of the neighborhood
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Engaging and Suitable for Everyone
There are various activities provided for people of all ages. Playground for kids, open grass fields for family and their pets, benches, seating area for elders, ‌
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Pedestrian Path and Public Transportation Focus Heavy traffic road is off of main grid, to encourage pedestrian traffic. Public transportation is also off main grid, but located at the surrounding blocks to provide easy access to the main grid. Pavements are 20-foot wide to create comfortable room for pedestrian as well as bikers. No parking is allowed on street of the main grid; designated parking space is provided. 30
Supporting Local Business Local business (orange) surrounds the public park to provide service for local people. Resident housing (peach) is at the back of the neighborhood, supporting the small businesses.
Public sservices (red) locate near the main heavy road for convenience access, also bring people into the neighborhood attraction and local business.
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Flexible Uses
Parking lot is at the center of the public-shared buildings and services to provide parking space for main grid visit. During weekends, specifically Sunday, when most of those services are closed, it can be turned into neighborhood’s Farmer Market.
32 Source: flickr.com
Major Street, running through the center of the grid, can be used for the annual Street Fair.
33 Source: 365thingsaustin.com
Vista View and Accessible Points
Local landmark (Public Park) is reachable from nodes of the off grid intersections.
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Utopian Vision The Slow Life of Community’s Personal Public Space “Slow Life” as in Experience in Slow Pace/ Slow Motion, which refers to the pedestrians (and possibly bikers) beings.
“Slow Life” is built upon the activities of walking and biking, which focuses on people and their interaction to each other; from which build up the sense of community.
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After the first study , mentioned above, some principals and concepts are considered to support the idea of the “Slow Life,” such as the flexible uses of nodes/ path to hold community events, or promoting pedestrian and bike over car and heavy traffic, to supporting small local business to build up the notion of community gathering, … Yet, to help make the idea stronger and plausible, I still need to work on some new concepts: •Street and Sidewalk use • Public space that attract people
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Street and Sidewalk Use
The alley at the South-West corner of the main grid serve as the sitting area/ gathering spot as well as the direct access to the Public Park
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Parklet or public on-street sitting area may encourage people interaction and sense of sociability within community.
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Open Space - Public Park The Public Park is located at the local point of the neighborhood and surrounded by local business/ its community.
The building block will be specifically arranged to allow sunlight into the park all day long, providing a warm, welcoming space for people.
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Possible Approach Development The most useful critic I get from classmates and professor is that my plan/ design seems to lack the development on the notion of nodes and their connection. One possible approach and would be my first move is to work and to create the various node within the blocks, each with its own characteristics. The connection between these nodes would greatly help support the idea of Slow Life and people interaction. 40
Few Words of Expectation This first half, due to some personal issue, I feel like I couldn’t stay as much focused on the work as I hoped at the beginning of the semester. Even though the work load is reasonable and expected as for third semester design, yet, sometimes I couldn’t help but feel overwhelmed. Fortunately, I have still been able to learn from classmates; also the fact that Professor Lum commits to be patient and supportive with the class studying pace and struggles has helped me a lot on getting back on track. The second half is always about speeding up and heading to the finish line, but having to know what to expect and be prepared, I believe I can keep up and finish this semester in which I will have no regret behind, and positively with a BANG ! 41