Re/Generative Urban Design Studio _ Howard Middle School Booklet

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

studio viii - coles

DESIGN

VENUE

celebrate culture enrich community embrace history RE-VITALIZE

AUBURN

C ORRIDOR rodriguez - asamoa - zarur

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

RESEARCH historical timeline

module 01 analysis + observations

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

RE-GENERATIVE

COMMUNITY

URBAN

DESIGN

overview + reflections

sweet auburn COLOR MY HISTORY

This collage is a representation of Sweet Auburn district from its early history to its present environment. The images at the bottom showcase the early advancement of the black community however are black and white to represent the oppression individuals faced.

As the images begin to show color it represents the new life and potential Sweet Auburn holds as a major key development in the progression of the black community in the country.

PROJECT SITE

AUBURN AVENUE CORRIDOR

Encompassing a large context of rich history embedded into the Auburn Avenue corridor, this street hosts some of the most iconic buildings in Civil Rights legacy, Ebenezer Baptist Church, Martin Luther King Jr’s Home and many other museums dedicated to the Civil Rights movement.

sweet auburn

GEOGRAPHY SWEET AUBURN IS BOUNDED BY: Freedom Parkway and the Old Fourth Ward (formerly the separate Bedford Pine neighborhood) on the north Boulevard and the Old Fourth Ward on the east the MARTA east–west line and the Oakland and Grant Park neighborhoods on the south, and the Downtown Connector and downtown Atlanta on the west

CONTEXT POPULATION

Sweet Auburn is a historically African-American area, closely associated with the Civil Rights movement. The Martin Luther King Jr. Historic Site contains the activist’s birthplace and tomb, and the APEX Museum has exhibits relating to African-American history. Lively Edgewood Avenue, on the Atlanta Streetcar route, is known for its street art, hip bars and eateries, and artisan food at Sweet Auburn Curb Market. - WIKIPEDIA

HISTORY

HISTORY

POPULATION

CONTEXT

SWEET AUBURN DISTRICT

POWER TO THE PEOPLE Throughout researching, analysing and visitng Sweet Auburn, the one thing that really resonated with me is the people that exist here. Whether I didn’t physically see people, the people of Sweet Auburn still show their voices through art within the neighborhood, it is how they voice their opinions... how they communicate. A striking factor of the neighborhood itself is its strong rich history that is influential to the civil rights movement - that can’t be ignored.

My personal reflection highlights the people of Sweet Auburn, the business owners, the community members, the historical figures. People are who inhabit the spaces we design and live everyday on the streets we design - taking great consideration and not erasing the essence of a community like Sweet Auburn is my main goal when transitioning into the next phase of re-generative urban design.

swee

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

URBAN SCOPE

LEGEND

traffic flows pedestrian hubs

ROADS I-85 connector primary streets local streets freedom park trail

0.14 mi

ELEMENTS

0.28 mi

interstate ramp

0.40 mi

potential pedestrian traffic nodes high pedestrian traffic node

POPULATION

CONTEXT

buffer zones

HISTORY

module 01.2 data analysis + OUTCOMES

intersections/crosswalks

0.22 mi

0.40 mi

TRAFFIC FLOWS + PEDESTRIAN HUBS While analyzing the interstate roads and primary streets along the site, there is a sizeable amount of crosswalks along the street.

A significant point to consider is the abundance of people who park/walk around MLK’s home and the MLK center, however freedom park trail is located at the top of the site yet it feels disconnected from the site itself and isn’t accesible when actually being in the MLK center.

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN SCOPE

URBAN

DESIGN

OUTCOMES

vegetation

SWOT analysis

STRENGTHS

WEAKNESS

-The strength of the community is focused on the commercial district along Auburn Ave. -The district is a historical landmark and acts as a tourist destination.

Strengths

-The strong prevalent black culture continues to educate the neighboring community and nation.

-The preservation of historical landmarks such as MLK Jr birth home show the enriched ambience of Sweet Auburn district.

-The weakness of the site stems from underfunding in the community which has resulted in several abandoned and condemned buildings.

-The high police traffic in the area presents the possibillity od distrust in the neighborhood.

The strengths of Sweet Auburn are those that are determined by the advantages of the site itself

-The high level of homelesness undervalues the district and doesnt present the community in the best light.

The weakness are determined by the disadvantages with respect to similar projects

SWOT

threats

SWOT analysis will help develop the Sweet Auburn project to identify the strengths and weaknesses of the site to aid in the re-generative urban design

weakness

CONTEXT POPULATION

VEGETATION Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. A vegetation map holds critical information on whether the land is managed for agriculture or forestry or recreation.

The gradient indicated shows the variance in vegetation type from dry or sand-like dirt to lush grass.

HISTORY

CONTEXT HISTORY

POPULATION

The threats can be associated with demographic or urban factors that can be determental to the Sweet Auburn

THREATS -Large developers buying property in the area for less money than the property is worth and building apartments.

-Because of redlining the value of the neighborhood has been lowered to the point its hard for locals to properly sell parts for development that could improve the community.

The opportunities are those factors that have an advantage in the long term and have possible future expansion

opportunity

OPPORTUNITY -The empty Wheat St. apartment lots provide a perfect opportunity for future development from community center to garden spaces or parks.

-The excessive parking spaces covering historical sites can be re purposed to educate the community of its once peak greatnes.

-The Freedom park trail’s possible extension into the district can strengthen the communities perception of being unsafe.

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

POPULATION HISTORY

module 01.3 EXPERIENTIAL STUDENT INTERVIEWS

CONTEXT

OBSERVATIONS

cognitive map analysis

FERNANDO

DORON

NICOLE

“My cognitive analysis shows the shared spaces that the students experince and the environment around them in their daily routine. One space they all share is Howard Middle School so that becomes the focal point. Many of the students describe areas outside Sweet Auburn such as Inman Park and Piedmont Park. Shared public spaces are a prominent feature the students referenced along with the BeltLine and Freedom Park trail so this analysis reinforced our desicison to the design of more green spaces in the master plan. “

“ My cognitive analysis highlights the idea of how the students view Sweet Auburn, for them they usually highlight their home and their school so their focus is primarily based on getting from home to shool and vice versa but the in-between experiences isn’t as prominent. “

“My cognitive map analysis stitches together the associations that the students had of Sweet Auburn into a translation of their perception of the site. The graphic shows the way the students cluster certain areas together based on proximity and familiarity to MLK or other prominent conditions of the site. “

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

URBAN LANDSCAPES CONCEPT 1 - FOOD, HISTORY + EDUCATION CONCEPT 2 - [RE] CONNECTING THE TRAIL

Commercial District

POPULATION

CONTEXT

sweet auburn trail

HISTORY

module 02 LARGE SCALE DESIGN INTERVENTIONS

conceptual development

CONCEPT 3 - KIDS ARE THE NEW FUTURE EXPLORING IDEAS Our 3 concepts attempt to reinforce this idea of providing programs and resources to bring the community together and give them things to do. By activating the community with our strategies we hope to maintain the bright community here while also adding a level of density and historical significance.

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

RE-GENERATIVE

SCHEME 1 - [RE] CONNECTING THE TRAIL

URBAN LANDSCAPES schemes

Freedom Park trail is located at the top of the site yet it feels disconnected from the site itself and isn’t accesible when actually being in the MLK center. A favorable design intervention is to RE-connect the Freedom Park Trail to encompass the Auburn Ave Corridor as a way to unite the site’s fragments and piece back together the history of the site along the trail while also providing opportunites for a pedestrian friendly and easier to navigate environment along the corridor.

URBAN

DESIGN

MASTER PLANNING

LEGEND PROGRAMS 1 - artist’s lofts, studios + gallery 2 - art supply shops 3 - community center

4 - greenhouse + urban farm 5 - affordable housing (apartment + townhomes) 6 - food bank/soup kitchen

7 - misc. retail 8 - ATL center for self-sufficiency 9 - commercial/social spaces

JACKSON STREET NE

The trail provides a meaningful connection to lead a pedestrian to the historical hub, commercial hub and end at the Munipial Market. The trail becomes a means to attract people to the local businesses here to stimulate the economy here

HISTORY

POPULATION

CONTEXT

1

Commercial District

AUBURN AVENUE NE

2

SCHEME 2 - EAT, LIVE, CREATE, PLAY Exploring the ideas of utilizing food and historical monuments as a facilitator for education within the community. Creating urban agricultural spaces with greenhouses and community gardens to teach adults and children in Sweet Auburn is a way to tie everyone together and fill the empty unintentional green space of the old Wheat St. Apartment’s Lot into intentional green space.

Creating a civic space that highlights every historical figure that made Sweet Auburn the neighborhood it is thru an artistic and sculptural way, this could give greater identity and respect to the rich history nestled in this community.

2

9

4 6

5 5

5

OLD WHEAT STREET NE

AUBURN AVENUE NE

8

EDGEWOOD AVENUE SE

13

AUBURN AVENUE NE

AUBURN AVENUE NE

7

10

7

7

BOULEVARD NE

Art District

IRWIN STREET NE JACKSON STREET NE

3

HILLIARD STREET NE

IRWIN STREET NE

12

EDGEWOOD AVENUE SE

11

10 - mixed use office space + retail 11 - misc. restaurant/bars 12 - small business development resource center

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

MASTER PLANNING

axon view

COMMUNITY CENTER

Utilizing topography, ramps and stramps to incorporate a walkable green roof-scape condition to bring intentional green spaces above ground was a major driver for these three massings.

This strategy plays to our concept of utilizing the existing green spaces but also creates this new area to play and interact with and provide a lookout point over to the neighborhood.

CIVIC SCULPTURE PARK + CAFE

ATL CENTER FOR SELF-SUFFICIENCY

AFFORDABLE TOWNHOMES

module 03 small scale design interventions

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

SECTIONS

MICRO SITE PLANS developments, urban hubs

AUBURN AVENUE NE AUBURN AVENUE NE

2

Hilliard St Ne

AUBURN AVENUE NE

1 2 7

4 5

POPULATION HISTORY

PROPOSED

PROPOSED

Hilliard St Ne

EXISTING

CONTEXT

EXISTING

Auburn Ave NE

LEGEND PROGRAMS 1 - stage 2 - pop-up shops 3 - long bench seating 4 - tables 5 - parklet

3 2 6

6

1

Auburn Ave NE

RE-GENERATIVE

URBAN

DESIGN

MICRO SITE PLANS developments, urban hubs

JACKSON ST NE

EDGEWOOD AVENUE SE

7 6

5 1

4

8

EDGEWOOD AVE SE EDGEWOOD AVE SE

HISTORY

PROGRAMS 1 - pocket park 1 2 - tables 3 - pocket park 2 4 - string light canopy 5 - small garden and triangular seating 6 - triangular seating 7 - parklet 8 - small business resource center

JACKSON ST NE

POPULATION

CONTEXT

2 LEGEND

LOCAL POP-UP SHOPS

3

LOCAL BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTER

COMMUNITY CENTER