Hyperloop: Architecture as Restorative Infrastructure

HYPER L P: Architecture as Restorative Infrastructure

A study of how Architecture and Urban Planning can utilize new and existing infrastructure to “Right the Wrong” of Urban Renewal & Remedy contemporary societal issues.

Name: Tyler Kimmel Study: Masters of Architecture Professors: Dwight Yee + Michael Abrahamson University of Utah

Contents: 04 04

06 06 08 10 12

PRELUDE People + Place + Technology

- PART 1 BACKGROUND The 5th Mode of Transportation How Does it Work?

32 33 34 36 38 42 46 66 68

16 20 21 24 28 30

Project Goals Site Right the Wrong Anti-Gentrification Restorative Infrastructure Site Design Hyperloop Station Hub Design

Challenges Past Transportation Tech

78 16

- PART 3 DESIGN

- PART 2 METHOD

- PART 4 CONCLUSION

78

Conclusion

80 82 84

Endnotes

Megaregion Scale City Scale City of Bridges Divided by Design Urban Morphology Gentrification

Bibliography Image Credits

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

People + Place + Technology Approximately 84% of the United States population lives in urban areas. That number is expected to reach 90% by the year 2050.1 As populations increase and major cities’ infrastructural issues are compounded, how will cities handle being scaled up at such a rapid pace? Major issues confronting US cities today include “fiscal difficulties, crowding, housing, traffic, pollution, public education, and crime.”2 These problems are incredibly complex as is, andvv any solution has to contend with politics, social reform, economic strife, and even global pandemics.

conquering the landscape. Technologically speaking, humans were able to build nuclear power plants, massive high rises, expansive freeways, and other “necessities” regardless of the natural environment.

If a river was in the way, we bridged it; if there was a mountain, we tunneled it.

Even societal hurdles such as vibrant cultures and neighborhoods in the way of these massive projects were bulldozed.

However, we can now look back and learn from those decisions by studying the negative repercussions, such as social and environmental impacts. This approach has 4 been called “restorative infrastructure.”

There is no straightforward resolution, but there are new technologies that can have a profound impact on regions, cities, and communities. One such technology is the

PEOPLE

hyperloop transportation railway. This paper

INTERACTION DESIGN

considers the design and implementation SOCIOLOGY

PE O PL PL AC E + E

URBAN SOCIOLOGY

communities, and environment.

The American Society of Engeineers defines infrastructure as “the combination community, region, or country. It includes everything from water and sewer systems to road and rail networks to the national power and natural gas grids.”3 During the twentieth century, infrastructure became about

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URBAN DESIGN

URBAN INFORMATICS

URBAN AND REGIONAL PLANNING

CE

SYSTEMS DESIGN

LOCATION BASED SERVICES INFORMATION SYSTEMS LOCATIVE MEDIA

A

SOCIAL MEDIA

COMPUTER SCIENCE

URBAN STUDIES

PL

of fundamental systems that support a

PLACE MAKING

ARCHITECTURE

PLACE + TECHNOLOGY

MOBILE TECHNOLOGY

H T EC

GY

challenges to the infrastructure, cultures,

+

consider historical, current, and future

HUMAN COMPUTER INTERACTION

LO

a downtown location. The design must

COMMUNICATION STUDIES

GY LO NO PLE CH EO P

between a diverse neighborhood and

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

TE

of such a transportation technology, sited

NO

PRELUDE

“

Restorative infrastructure is a new term developed to describe the utilization of urban infrastructure upgrades to fix problems caused by urban renewal, correct poor development, and to upgrade and revitalize nonfunctioning areas of the city. 4

- Ian Higenell

“

Figure 1 (Left) Urban Informatics The study of people, place, and technology. Many of the concepts will be touched upon in this paper.

Figure 2 (Right) Urban Infrastructure Shows the complexity and extensive usage of existing highway infrastructure within cities.

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

8h

PART 1

The 5th Mode of Transportation The hyperloop train concept became a hot

7h

topic when Elon Musk proposed it as a connection between Los Angelos and San Francisco in 2012. Since then, third-party

6h

entrepreneur groups have furthered the very near reality. The first will be built in the United Emirates and connects Dubai to Abu Dhabi.5 The advantages of the hyperloop are considerable. According to a feasibility study in the Rocky Mountain Region, there is ”a strong connection between transportation innovations and the success of the state and region. We see hyperloop as extending this history and catalyzing the next wave of transportation-related transformative

PITTSBURGH TO NEW YORK CITY

idea and solicited investors, making it a

opportunities.”6 It has been called the “fifth

5h

4h

3h

2h

mode” of transportation because it does not fit neatly into any existing models. Instead, it integrates design and operational concepts from several current transportation modes.

1h

Like train stations, hyperloop stations, called portals, are planned to be located within

0h

inner-city areas with natural links to existing transport infrastructure. Airports tend to be beyond city limits with fewer accessibility options. The hyperloop system, by contrast, is being efficiently designed to forego the lengthy check-in process typical of travel by flight, with advanced security checks. By understanding best practices from rail and aerospace transportation, passenger safety

PAGE 6

Figure 3 (Above) Pittsburgh to NYC This chart compares multiple transportation methods and the time it takes to travel from Pittsburgh, PA to New York City, NY.

BACKGROUND

and comfort will be ensured and enhanced: “Travel by hyperloop will be as easy as arriving at a station and walking directly through to the gate, with minimal reliance on specific timing. Pre-booking and clearance of travelers will become the norm, which, together with integration with local transport options, will combine to provide an effective solution for transportation access and ‘lastmile’ connections.”7

“

We see Hyperloop as extending this history and catalyzing the next wave of transportationrelated transformative opportunities. 8

“

Due to the fantastic speeds between cities, the hyperloop will allow someone to live in a completely different city or region from where they work. Most people cite their commute as the biggest tether to how far from work they live. People will no longer have to live close to where they work, allowing for better employment opportunities. This would help alleviate the mounting pressure from cities where infrastructure is often still catching up with development, and where housing prices have skyrocketed, making them unattainable 8 for most.

- Great Lakes Feasability Study

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

How Does it Work?

Current plans for the hyperloop call for the construction of belowground and raised tracks in between highways and railroad systems. Using this property makes the most sense because it is already governmentowned developed land, and it would have a minimal impact on existing ecosystems. The elevated tracks would be lifted by concrete pylons that allow cars, people, and nature to travel beneath freely. Seismically designed pylons that can move and flex independently will allow for construction in earthquakeprone zones.9 What makes the hyperloop special and significantly more efficient than modern-day trains and other forms of transportation is the lack of friction and air resistance. This is achieved by enclosing the train in the low-pressure environment of a vacuumsealed steel tube. Within the tube, the train will be capable of travel at speeds above 700 mph using magnetic levitation that allows it to glide very smoothly over rough outside surfaces for many miles with very little energy consumption. It is propelled using a linear electric motor that enables the

between major cities from several hours to several minutes. Additional benefits of the enclosed tube are a significant reduction in sound to the outside world, the ability to function in any climate regardless of the weather conditions, and the ability to create energy through the braking mechanism and photovoltaics, making the entire system net positive energy over the course of a year.

The hyperloop passenger pods are designed to carry between 20-28 people. This number comes from studies done that calculate the most efficient number to have directto-destination connections without having to stop. Each pod contains a restroom, the main entrance, an emergency exit, as well as steward that can serve drinks and snacks. The magnetic levitation and smooth propulsion make the ride turbulence-free and very quiet. A considerable aspect of the hyperloop being financially successful is the ability to ship goods at the speeds of flight and the prices of trucking. A speciallydesigned cargo pod will be able to send large quantities of products and resources across the country. Hyperloop portals will need to account for the amount of shipping with dedicated shipping docks and trucking 10 routes.

train to travel as fast as an airline with the convenience of a train. It will take off from the station with about the same G-force as an airplane at around 0.2 gs. Once it is up to speed, there is no turbulence and no sound.

All of this combined can cut travel times

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Figure 4 (Right) Hyperloop Concept Diagram This diagram explains how one of the hyperloop concepts works. This is the method to be constructed to connect Abu Dhabi to Dubai.

BACKGROUND

TRANSPORT CAPSULE

VIDEO WALL

PASSENGER PODS

HYPERLOOP Steel tube kept at one thousandth normal atmospheric pressure, virtually no wind resistance

AIR COMPRESSOR

Propels Capsule

POD CLUSTER Allows for preboarding

SPEED Can reach over 700 MPH

TRACK

GUIDE RAIL

Capsules powered by magnetic levitation, eliminating friction

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Challenges

A. Ecosystem

There are several potential concerns with the hyperloop that will aid in the design of a hyperloop portal as well as the initial routes.

I will list current issues/fears as well as a response.

Tunneling. A two-way hyperloop tunnel is smaller than a one-way, high-speed rail tunnel, making it much cheaper and more efficient with a smaller footprint. The use of existing vehicle and railroad tunnels will be the priority

“

Elevated Rails. The elevated concept is predominantly

The technology itself is not revolutionary, simply comprising a pod elevated and driven forward by magnetic levitation in a tube pumped to a near vacuum. 10

“

PAGE 10

- Rail Engineer

if possible when planning in mountainous regions. If space can not be made available, a new tunnel will be built near existing tunnels to minimize ecological impact.

designed to mitigate the negative impacts of construction in rural areas. By elevating the hyperloop, animals and people will be able to travel beneath freely.

Another benefit of the enclosed tube is the ability to cut off the chance of impacts with animals completely.

B. Physical Damage Breach in Hull. Earthquake or external impact. The tubes are made from thick steel and are engineered to withstand changes in pressure and air leaks while maintaining their structural integrity. The addition of air into the tubes from a leak would simply slow the pods down and increase the amount of energy required to move the pods to the destination. All pods will be fitted with emergency exits, and portions of the tube will be able to be closed off completely. In seismic zones, the hyperloop would be constructed on elevated, seismically designed pylons that can move and flex independently. Additionally, there will be an abundance of sensors that will immediately alert the highly secured central command center of anything out of the ordinary.

Intentional Sabotage. Many people bring up the fear of a terrorist plot, which is valid. But like any transportation method in the world, there is no perfect way to remedy the issue. If an explosive went off in a pod, or on the exterior of the steel tube, only one pod would be effected while the others are designed to stay at a safe enough distance away to stop in time.

BACKGROUND

C. Social Equity

D. Mental - People’s Fears

Cities being left out. The hyperloop will not be

Danger. Airplane transportation faced a very similar

constructed in a complete network spanning the United States. Instead, routes will be chosen based on economic success and societal needs. Over time, each station will act as a node that new routes can connect to, eventually leading to a complete network.

There are four comprehensive feasibility studies in the United States and many more around the world. The first is breaking ground in India this year. There was a global challenge to find the best place to benefit from hyperloop technology. After over 2,600 entries, the field was reduced to 35 potential locations, with each

challenge when starting out, trying to connect with mass-scale users. People feared traveling at very high speeds in a metal tube 1,000’s of feet above the ground.

The hyperloop will face those same fears, other than the fear of heights, until the public trusts the technology.

entry enjoying strong support from governments and urban planners. There were ten global winners, with four of those being in the United States. Cheyenne Denver - Pueblo, Chicago - Columbus - Pittsburgh, Miami - Orlando, and Dallas - Laredo - Houston.

These will likely be the first routes to be constructed.

Racial and Economic Bias. It will be crucial to learn

from historical precedents when planning the routes and to choose where to place stations within a city.

Planners and designers will need to study culture, communities, socio-economic interdependencies, etc.. and focus on community engagement. Racial separation lines must be avoided, and lessons from the “White Flight” of the 1950s-60s must be followed.

Terrorism. The hyperloop security will be every bit as

careful as TSA agents at airports but will use more modern methods. This approach should alleviate fears from attacks from within. There is still the potential for external threats, however. The idea to build the tracks between the highway also helps with the ability to self-police any irregular activity, such as placing an explosive on a structural pylon. When the hyperloop is built underground, it will be much better protected from these threats.

People will be traveling near supersonic speeds in a closed, vacuum-filled tube.

There is a distinct worry that many will have. The lack of any windows on the pods will hide the incredible speeds at which they are traveling, and the interior will be very light-filled. The technology makes the trip completely turbulence-free as well as noiseless. There will be snack and drink options, and a restroom on every pod.

Claustrophobia.

Elitism. The hyperloop must learn from the Japanese

bullet train that was designed and built with the intention of allowing people from rural areas to have the opportunity to find better job opportunities in the city. In reality, the price of the train is too great for those living in rural areas, so the majority of riders are wealthy suit-wearing businessmen. The hyperloop will be a joint effort between private and government agencies; the government portion must push for socially equitable pricing options so that riding the hyperloop is not limited to just the wealthy in America.

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Past Transportation Technologies Throughout history, cities have evolved, expanded, and contrasted based heavily on the connection to advances in transportation technologies. Each time, the city has to predict the popularity and demand of the transportation method and take the risk to build infrastructure to comply with the technology. If they choose correctly, they have the potential for a vast population and economic boom. If they are too late, they run the risk of losing business, population, and reputation. In the 1800s, for example, Cincinnati, Ohio, was one of the largest cities in America and used steamboats on the Ohio River as its primary source of transportation and trade. When the railroads made their way Westward and grew in popularity, Cincinnati voted not to invest in the infrastructure for railroad lines because leaders believed the railroad was a trend and initial costs were too high. Instead, the city chose to increase the capacity of steamboats and river trade. A competing city north of Cincinnati embraced railroad technology, building vast railroad lines and would eventually take much of the business from Cincinnati. That city was Chicago, which is now the 4th most populous city in America while Cincinnati is 68th.11 Before the industrial revolution, fur trade routes around the Great Lakes were the primary connections forming the initial

PAGE 12

settlements. Once cities were established, river and lake travel by sailboat and later steamboat led to expanding the scale of port cities. Eventually, inland cities began to build canals connected to larger bodies of water, spreading cities and networks even further. Railroads would subsequently take over much of the trade transportation and also led to new towns further west.

The railroad led to a much more expansive network over the United States. The next transformative transportation advancement was thanks to corporations such as the Ford Motor Company with the industrialization of automobile production. It lowered the vehicle price so significantly that automobiles were attainable to a much higher percentage of US families. With the prevalence of cars, major highways and road systems were created, urbanizing considerable amounts of land, and expanding trade and transportation to the most rural areas. With travel by vehicle, it still took days to cross the country, leading to the commercialization of flight. This step made it possible to cross the country in hours, not days. A ride on the hyperloop will be much more affordable than the price of a plane ticket while being considerably faster than traveling by vehicle.

The estimated cost for a ride from Los Angeles to San Francisco is $20.

BACKGROUND

There are, however, additional transportation

Figure 5 Atmospheric Railway Drawing

methods that have been proposed but never

These detailed drawings help show the complicated system Brunel created to power the Atmospheric Railway.

took off in a significant way. The I.K. Brunel Atmospheric Railway was a very early similar concept to the hyperloop that ran between

A contemporary transportation proposal is

Exeter and Plymouth in the UK from 1847-

autonomous vehicles. Allowing driverless

1848. This system moved carriages with

cars to direct you to your destination while

pressurized air. The air was extracted from

you get to relax, or maybe catch up on

a pipe that ran between the rails by pumping

work would be a great way to reclaim the

stations situated roughly every 3 miles

time spent commuting. There are, however,

along the route, creating a vacuum. A piston

many challenges with this proposal. The

contained within the pipe was connected to

first difficulty is reliably building a safe car.

the train, which pulled it forward. It ultimately

People would depend on the vehicle for its

failed due to a lack of material technology.

perception and decision-making capabilities.

The leather flaps within the pipes began

Unfortunately, many factors reduce the

to fail, causing air leaks in the system, and

perception of the car (Snow, heavy rain,

Brunel’s railway was abandoned.12

large objects) as well as the decision-making

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

capabilities (inaccurate maps, incorrect speeds, inability to understand where to pick people up/drop-off in busy streets).

Adding multiple redundancies with lidar technology, improved cameras, and learning from past mistakes will help, but these take time and money. A second issue is building a car that is useful, again getting back to its decision-making. Should it speed up when there is no traffic? Or change lanes when following a slow car? And what if there is an accident based on the cars’ perceived decision-making? The third is related to its affordability. It would likely cater to the wealthy and leave the less fortunate behind.

Michael Abrahamson offered a grim take on autonomous vehicles not being implemented 13 fairly, equally through a society.

“

What if, for example,

our infrastructure was not required to treat all autonomous vehicles equally? What if cities offer better-maintained, proprietary fast lanes so those using particular technologies can reach their destinations faster?

If so, where might this leave those less financially fortunate or less willing to cede control to an algorithm? As with recent debates about the internet,

“

the neutrality of our roads is at stake.

WHEEL CARTS

HORSE AND BUGGY

STEAM POWER

3500 BC

600 BC

1804

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13

- Michael Abrahamson

TRANSCONTINENTAL RAILROAD 1869

AUTOMOBILES 1892

COMM FLIG

191

MERCIAL GHT

14

BACKGROUND

Figure 6 (Above) Fully Autonomous Roadway Autonomous vehicles need their own space to operate and auto executives agree that putting them on the same roads as human-driven cars in a mixed-use environment will only increase liability claims.

Figure 7 (Below) Transportation Timeline This diagram shows the history of significant advancements in transportation technology.

HIGHWAY NETWORK

HIGH SPEED RAIL

BIKE SHARING

1956

1964

1965

SELF-DRIVING HYPERLOOP CARS 2019

2030?

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

PART 2

Method The hyperloop will have profound impacts economically, socially, and culturally. To understand these impacts, it is necessary to interpret them at different scales along with their influences/consequences.

At the megaregion scale, connections and relationships between cities can be better understood. These cities already have existing interdependencies that the hyperloop can enhance, as well as add new complexities to. At the city level, local governance, policies, and community will be essential to discern. The hyperloop is a potential threat to existing communities’ cultural resiliency, so grasping those intricacies is vital to gain public acceptance and promote a healthy future. At the hyperloop portal scale, connections to the site and its surrounding become critical. The hyperloop demands a unique approach to the design of a portal due to its technology.

Harmonizing the design with the surrounding context will be the biggest challenge.

Megaregion Scale As cities grow larger and spread further out, it is no longer possible to differentiate where one city stops and the next begins. The design research practice of RVTR reveals that “The megaregional territory is conceived of not as a problem to be solved, but as a complex environment to operate within, and to cultivate toward desirable spatial and societal features.”14 The megaregion is distinct but not isolated from that of the city, state, or nation. There are currently 11 megaregions defined by the Regional Plan Association within the United States.15 (Figure 13) The first hyperloop routes will be built within these megaregions, due in large part to the same conditions that formed them in the first place. Robert Harrison of UT Austin views megaregions as “highly populated regions that reflect powerful economic success and attract population growth either within a state or across state lines. They generate large sub-systems of production and consumption.

These economic systems result in the movement of goods and people and impact modal logistics, industry location, urban housing, city services, and more.”16 The hyperloop will stimulate each region to expand individual cities and territory.

A completed network of hyperloop routes would expand these megaregions even further to a point where each boundary

PAGE 16

METHOD

begins to touch others, negating the potential

Figure 8 Map of Existing Regions

negative aspects of competition between

This drawing shows the economic geography of the United States by overlaying commute routes for people in their respective city/region.

regions and pushing them to work together.

This not only strengthens the economy of each city and region but the nation as a

one route, it had excellent information that

whole. (Figure 15)

is universal for the planning of any course

The most comprehensive feasibility study ever released to the public for a hyperloop route was the Chicago-Cleveland-Pittsburgh suggested path. The feasibility study found that the construction of this route would

and station. The Great Lakes Hyperloop Feasibility Study, or (GLHFS), used costbenefit analysis guidance developed by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). It found that over a 25-year economic life of the project, property values are projected to

be very economically successful and that

rise by $74.85 billion, more than three times

it would benefit every city tremendously.

the capital costs for the project. Personal

While the study was specifically about this

income is projected to increase by more than

17

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

double the capital costs of the project, and employment will rise by 931,745 personyears. Primarily in the business services, logistics, maintenance, health care, and retail sectors. The GLHFS led to several conclusions that can be interpreted to most of the country:

Hyperloo

G M

General Conclusions from GLHFS: - This route produced a very strong operating ratio of 4.15 over the 25-year economic life of the project, making an operating profit of $30 billion.

- The travel market is estimated to grow by 25% by 2050.

- Freight traffic has a significant impact on the cash flows and effectively doubles the passenger revenues.

- Nearly 40,000 additional job positions will be created from 2025 to 2050 in the Great Lakes Hyperloop corridor.

- The financial and economic results are unprecedented. Hyperloop will spur the New Economy service industries of finance, software and logistics; thus understanding the needs of the commuter population are paramount to maintaining a responsive service along the corridor.

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City Population Scale

B. 1 Mil - 3 Mil D. 6 Mil - 10 Mil

A. 150,000 - 1 Mil C. 3 Mil - 6 Mil

op Route

METHOD

Portal Location

Megaregion Area

Great Lakes Megaregion

Northeast Megaregion Pittsburgh, PA

Piedmont Atlantic Megaregion

Figure 9 Completed National Network This map shows a completed hyperloop network as well as the expanded megaregions that could result from the new transportation technology.

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

City Scale Existing megaregions such as the Northeast region of New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington DC are already acting cohesively as a region while still maintaining the identity of individual cities.

Each city has its own culture, character, and problems that make it unique. It is essential to preserve those differences even if the current concept of city boundaries is entirely different in 20 years. The hyperloop will have a significant impact on cities and will accelerate growth, so there must be a plan for the future.

Future cities and urban life are trending towards on-demand.18 Everything from Uber, Amazon, GrubHub, to grocery pick-up and instantly downloadable entertainment. The hyperloop will also fit within that category because people can order a ticket on their phone and receive the exact time to arrive to make it to their destination at incredible speeds. The speeds are only comparable to flight, but with flight, there is a long checkin and security procedure, as well as the fact that airports are usually located a good distance from the city center. The hyperloop can be much cheaper and much more efficient with people’s time.

Figure 10 (Left) Pittsburgh Photo in Text This image captures a view of the famous incline overlooking downtown Pittsburgh.

Figure 11 (Right) Pittsburgh Aerial This image shows downtown Pittsburgh and the many bridges connecting the neighborhoods.

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METHOD

City of Bridges The site I have selected is in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The city is located on the western edge of the state, conveniently at the boundary of both the Great Lakes Megaregion and the Northeast Megaregion, the two highest populated regions with the most significant economic reach in America.19 The city is located in Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley resulting in considerable variation

time, smoke in the air could be so thick that residents could not see the sun. When the steel industry collapsed in the 1970s, the city lost more than half of its population, forcing it to reinvent itself. While it took decades to do so, today, Pittsburgh is known as a hub for education, health care, and technology.20 Today, the city has over 68 colleges and universities, over 1600 technology firms such as Google, Facebook, Apple, and Amazon.

Today, the city is widely viewed as one of the

in topography. It sits at the confluence of the

most livable cities in the world, coming in at

Allegheny River and Monongahela River,

#11 at The Economists “Global Liveability

which converge to create the Ohio River.

Ranking.”

Pittsburgh boomed from the late 1800s to the

Pittsburgh has made tremendous progress

mid-1900s based on heavy industrialization,

in a relatively short time, but it does have

primarily in the steel industry. During this

existing challenges that it is working through

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

to become a sustainable and viable city for years to come. Lifelong Pittsburgher and VP of Fourth Economy, Jerry Paytas, believes that “a closer look reveals that we’re not there yet. For Pittsburgh to grow from good to great, a number of areas need to be improved”.21 These areas include poor air quality, disconnected transportation networks that do not work together, and equity and diversity struggles with race and social issues. Many of the problems of today are directly related to

North

the decisions and planning choices made by

city officials over the last 100 years.

22

OH

IO R

“

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R

Dow

NG

AH

EL

A

R

S

“

This maps shows the importance of the 3 rivers that help create Pittsburgh.

ENY

GH ALLE

NO

22

- Abby Mendelson

Figure 12 (Right) Map of Pittsburgh, PA

R

MO

1 Mile

For Pittsburgh to grow from good to great, a number of areas need to be improved.

IVE

1 Mile

METHOD

hside ER

RIV

wntown

East End

RIVE

R

Southside

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Divided by Design – Urban Renewal The increased mobility brought upon by automobiles in Post World War II America and the abundant supply of steel products, a large workforce, and general ambition led to America spending billions of dollars on new highways throughout the nation. Construction of the interstate highway system played a key role in creating the spatial and economic conditions prevalent in urban centers today—conditions that influence interracial interactions, economic mobility, and community stability.23 The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 authorized the construction of 41,000 miles of interstate highways throughout the

[v]ery “few Blacks lived in Minnesota, but the road builders found them.

“

- Rondo Resident

PAGE 24

nation. It also allocated $26 billion to pay for them. Under the terms of the law, the federal government would pay 90 percent of the expressway construction costs. “They were intended to serve several purposes: eliminate traffic congestion; replace what one highway advocate called “undesirable slum areas” with pristine ribbons of concrete; make coast-to-coast transportation more efficient; and make it easy to get out of big cities in the case of an atomic attack.” 24 The national network was planned without urban designers, but rather engineers dominated the decision-making. “They were trained to design without much consideration for how a highway might impact urban fabric and viewed the highway as just an efficient way of moving people from A to B.”25

At the city level, planners used the “undesirable slum areas” reasoning to cut off low-income but highly-diverse communities from the predominantly wealthy and white areas of the cities. In many cases, the highways completely destroyed these communities and displaced thousands of residents. In states around the country, highways disproportionately displaced Black households and cut the heart and soul out of thriving Black communities as homes, churches, schools, and businesses were destroyed. In some cases, entire Figure 13 (Right) Divided by Design The divided by design approach unfairly targeted Black communities and purposely divided them.

METHOD

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Black communities were leveled. Highway construction both “symbolically and physically” encouraged racial segregation and isolation.26 A notorious case of this occurred in St. Paul, Minnesota, where the construction of Interstate 94 displaced one-seventh of the city’s Black residents. As one observer noted, “[v]ery few Blacks lived in Minnesota, but the road builders found them.”27 Figure 14 (Above) Aerial of I-94 in Rondo This aerial shows the construction of I-94 cutting through the Rondo neighborhood.

The Rondo Neighborhood of St.Paul, MN, held over 80% of St. Paul’s African American residents in 1950. It was almost

Figure 15 (Below) View from I-94

entirely independent from the “white”

This photo shows the fractured Rondo neighborhood caused by I-94.

the passing of the Federal-Aid Highway

PAGE 26

neighborhoods around it. In 1956, after

METHOD

Act, Minnesota planners designed the I-94 interstate to go straight through the heart of this neighborhood. Despite many residents that voiced their concerns, the city forced houses within the highway’s path to sell their homes for a fraction of what they were worth back to the city. When homeowners refused, they were met with sledgehammers tearing down their walls by police and city officials.

I-94 would eventually displace 600 families and over 300 businesses from Rondo.

“Highways, train tracks, and other vestiges of racist urban planning ensure that the rich and the poor sections of the cities hardly ever mix.”28 These examples of systematic racism were seen throughout the country, leading many to view the interstate systems as racist monuments. Every year in July, known as Rondo Days, the neighborhood is celebrated and remembered, showing the lasting impact of cultural loss and its effect on communities.

There have been many proposals to land bridge over the interstate and create a communal, healing green space above.

The current leader of this area is seeking $6,000,000 in state funds to push the project through pre-design, general planning, and engineering studies. The city recognizes that a grievous error was made with the destruction of such a vibrant and thriving culture.

Figure 16 (Right) Historic Map of Rondo This map shows the many structures demolished to make way for the highway, including key community buildings and parks.

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The Lower Hill Neighborhood was a densely populated community until the mid-1950s. The majority of these buildings were residential and housed families that lived in the area for generations. This area was the African American cultural core of the city, and hosted many famous jazz musicians such as Duke Ellington and Ella Fitzgerald.

Figure 18 (Right) 1967 Lower Hill Map The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 paved the way for city planners to have justification to remove hundreds of buildings that they deemed as “blight” on the city. Planners capitalized on the opportunity and expanded the scope of the project by adding construction of a large Civic Arena.

1967

Figure 17 (Right) 1910 Lower Hill Map

1910

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

PAGE 28

2020

Figure 19 (Right) 2020 Lower Hill Map Beginning in 2010, and completed in 2012 was the demolition of the Civic Arena (then Mellon Arena).

Mellon Arena was the home of the Pittsburgh Penguins Hockey team until the construction of PPG Arena just to the South of the former location.

METHOD

Urban Morphology – Lower Hill District Another prime example of this divided by design approach to city planning during the urban renewal of the 50’s and 60’s is in Pittsburgh, PA. A predominantly Black community known as the Hill District was devastated in order to make way for Interstate 579, a new Civic Arena, and ample parking. The lower Hill District neighborhood closest to Downtown was almost completely destroyed, displacing more than 8,000 residents and over four hundred businesses.29 City officials viewed the Lower Hill community as “blight,” and its removal had a secondhand benefit of making it easier for the many affluent white Pittsburghers

to get to the central business district from their suburban homes. The population of the Hill District dropped from around fifty-four thousand in 1950 to approximately 9,500 in 2013, with nearly forty percent of the Hill District’s current residents living below the poverty line.30 Prior to its destruction, the Lower Hill community was known for being the cultural center of Black life in the city and a major heart of jazz. It was the oldest Black community in Pittsburgh, beginning in the early 1800s with the influx of freed slaves from Haiti. The area was then known as “Little Haiti” and later as the Harlem of Pittsburgh. The loss of such a culture is still felt today. 31

“

They had visions of this big glorious opera house [the Civic Arena], not recognizing that there was this place — right here — stocked with jazz and nightlife.

“

31

- Carlos Peterson

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Gentrification

the very idea of what we now understand as

The modern version of cultural subversion

Village was a very affordable and attainable

and mass displacement is gentrification, a term that is typically used to refer to the displacement of families, the destruction of cultures, the decreased affordability of life for everyone, and the general influx of wealth and affluent residents and businesses into historically diverse areas. It is a complex term to understand and even more challenging to correct. Peter Moskowitz, the author of How to Kill a City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood, explains that “It cannot happen without a deeply rooted inequality: if we were all equal, there could be no gentrifier and no gentrified, no perpetrator or victim.”32 On the surface, it can seem like a positive force for poor neighborhoods because money is being pumped into low-income communities leading to more businesses and cleaner spaces. Eventually, however, the people who should benefit from the influx of wealth cannot afford to live in the location any longer. They are forced to move to a cheaper area, allowing wealthier people to take their space and rehabilitate. This

gentrification. As recent as the 1990s, West location to live. Today, however, the average price for a 1-bedroom apartment is around $4,000 a month, while the national average is just above $1,600.33 Even though New York soon learned about this new phenomenon as well as the adverse side effects, it did nothing to stop it, just as nearly every city is currently doing. According to Moskowitz, “The problem is that much of gentrification can be solved with planning, but the goal isn’t to end gentrification, but rather to earn more money.

Though the foresight of New Yorks’ planners presented an opportunity to design the city more equitably, that was never part of the mission.”34 According to a study from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), Pittsburgh is already one of the most gentrified cities in America, coming in at number 8 above cities such as San Francisco, Austin, and Denver.35 The economic factors for the city’s renaissance (Technology, Health Care, and Education) are the same factors that have

essentially erases the cultural history.

bred the ingredients for the gentrification.

The West Village neighborhood, part

the influx of college-educated millennials

of Greenwich Village located in Lower

moving into historically white-working class

Manhatten, New York City, was one of

neighborhoods. “Pittsburgh went from having

the first areas in that metropolis to go

one of the oldest average populations to the

through significant transformations due to

youngest over the same period studied in the

gentrification. West Village is the former

NCRC report.”36 The elderly, the diverse, the

home of Jane Jacobs, who fervently fought

service-workers, and the oppressed are forced

against urban renewal, slum clearance, and

to move from their homes.

PAGE 30

Primarily, the most prominent cause is

METHOD

Decreasing Population

Increasing Population

Figure 20 (Above) White Population Movement

Figure 21 (Above) African American Movement

Gentrification leads to movement of affluent people to desirable or developed communities.

In Comparison to figure 20, there is an inverse correlation showing gentrifiers and gentrified.

Figure 22 (Below) Increasing House Value This map shows the relationship between increased income and house values. Highlighted areas show increases in home value between 50 - 85%.

Small % Change

50% Increase

85% Increase

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

PART 3

DESIGN Q: How can architecture, urban planning,

and infrastructure cooperate to revitalize and enhance a non-functioning urban public location with the addition of a multimodal transportation hub?

I seek to explore the potential of public infrastructure and new transportation technology to improve a non-functioning public space and re-engage public activity.

This project aims to produce an integrated and functioning multimodal transportation hub that includes hyperloop transportation.

This infrastructure architecture will engage the public through “righting the wrong” of the divided by design mindset of the ’50s and ’60s that ravaged entire neighborhoods and livelihoods by acting as a catalyst to provide new program and new facilities for public life in the urban core of Pittsburgh. This project will be an example of infrastructure

modern system of providing humans with basic necessities, acting as a conduit between municipalities. Cities that have a portal stand to benefit tremendously economically. Still, towns and areas that the route traverses through will benefit from solar farms, water connections, and internet access.

The New Deal’s highway systems in the 1930s and The Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 were two of the largest and most ambitious infrastructure projects in U.S. history. A hyperloop network spanning the entirety of the United States would be just as ambitious, but there are many lessons to be learned from the issues of past transportation technologies that must be avoided. The design will need to right the wrong of historical interstate infrastructure failures, remedy current-day issues, include all citizens, and be forward-thinking to mitigate gentrification and uncontrolled rapid city growth.

providing a model for the future development of hyperloop portals throughout the country, most of which will have similar conditions to restore damaged urban areas within cities and regions.

The hyperloop network will provide much more than just travel opportunities. It can be used as infrastructure for fiber optic cabling, potable water, sewage, a continuous pedestrian park, recycling, farming, freight, and education. It can be thought of as a

PAGE 32

Figure 23 (Right) Hyperloop Preferred Route This is the hyperloop route recommended by the Great Lakes Feasability Study for Chi - Cle - Pit.

DESIGN

Goals

1: Design an integrated, synergistic multimodal transportation hub.

2: Right the wrong inflicted by urban renewal of the 50s and 60s.

3: Create an engaging civic space for all.

4: Enhance the Site, City, and Region.

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRCTURE

Site The selected site is just East of Downtown, where the former Civic Arena could be found before its demolition in 2012. This location was chosen because it fits the requirement of being adjacent to interstate infrastructure that the hyperloop would be constructed on, and it has a direct connection with Downtown, Figure 24 (Above) Aerial over Civic Arena This image shows the former Civic Arena as well as the surrounding context, primarily parking.

allowing users to get immediate access to the central business district, unlike airports.

Currently, the area is entirely surface-level parking with minimal site usage otherwise.

The site has a massive change in topography between the Hill neighborhood to Downtown of about 125’. The most effective activator of the site is PPG Arena just to the South that houses the Pittsburgh Penguins NHL team.

The site is currently bounded by Bedford Street and Centre Street to the North

Figure 25 (Above) Aerial over Civic Arena Site This image was taken after the Civic Arena was torn down. The entire site is now surface level parking.

and South, both running East-West from Downtown towards the University of Pittsburgh. To the East and West are Interstate 579 and Crawford Street, allowing for access in any direction. I-579 separates Downtown from the Hill District residential neighborhoods to the East, causing massive disparity in property value and overall wealth. The Interstate effectively acts as a wedge, dividing the city. Further to the South is Duquesne University, with a number of neighboring restaurants and bars. The site has the potential to unite all of these

Figure 26 (Above) Aerial over I-579

neighborhoods and begin to heal historical

Interstate 579 creates a wedge between Downtown and the Hill Neighborhood.

wounds caused by city planners and leaders

PAGE 34

in this area.

DESIGN

North Side OHIO

RIVE

R

NY

HE

EG

L AL

ER

RIV

East End

Downtown

MONON

GAHEL

A RIVE R

.5 Mile

South Side .5 Mile

Figure 27 (Above) Pittsburgh Map

Figure 28 (Below) Site Context Diargram

This map places an emphasis on buildings and roads, showing density and hinting at topography.

This diagram gives insight into surrounding features influencing the site.

I-579

Former Civic Arena

PPG Arena Duquesne U.

PAGE 35

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Right the Wrong The hyperloop network throughout the country would inherit the historical transgressions that came along with the divided by design approach of the ’50s-’60s, as well as existing problems today. The massive wedge in Pittsburgh caused by the construction of Interstate 579 separating Downtown from the diverse Hill Neighborhood is a physical and societal reminder that past planning policies have historically been racially motivated. For the city and surrounding areas to heal, there needs to be an acknowledgment and a direct action to understand and work toward correcting the historical mistake.

The first and most apparent response is to bridge over I-579 to create a physical connection between the neighborhoods and remove the hardline edge that acts as a border wall to separate the poor and diverse.

There are massive changes in elevation and a complex network of overpasses and bridges in this area, but by intentionally capping off the “racist highway,” the city can make a statement recognizing that the infrastructure in place has perpetuated severe social injustices. Bridging over the highway has the added benefits of helping with sound pollution, mitigating vehicle emissions in the area, and adding usable square footage to a city growing quickly and running out of space.

PAGE 36

Outside of the very politically heated idea of reparations that seem very unlikely, there is no restitution for those displaced and forced to give up their homes when the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 upended their lives.

Still, there are programmatic elements that can bring light to the topic and make sure that the city never again considers such perilous planning. The addition of a central civic park creates a space where all city residents can gather and have their voices be heard. Public forums such as streets, sidewalks, and parks are generally where protesters and visitors get to exercise their rights, but Pittsburgh does not have ample gathering space or parks such as Central Park or the Washington Mall.

Parks are a tangible reflection of the quality of life in a community. They act to define the shape and feel of a city and its neighborhoods and they function as a conscious tool for revitalization.

DESIGN

Hill District

Proposed Landbridge

Downtown Figure 29 (Above) Proposed Landbridge

Figure 30 (Below) Neighborhood Axon Diagram

The landbridge over I-579 covers where the historic Lower Hill community was once located.

Diagram showing the surrounding neighborhoods.

Technically the site belongs to Downtown.

Strip District

Population: 607 Median Home: $381,300 Median Rent: $1,819 87% Rent / 13% Own

Population: 3,618 Median Home: $323,620 Median Rent: $1,591 83% Rent / 17% Own

Downtown

Hill District Population: 2,261 Median Home: $136,570 Median Rent: $822 75% Rent / 25% Own

Population: 6,599 Median Home: $123,200 Median Rent: $1,045 83% Rent / 22% Own

Bluff District

PAGE 37

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Anti-Gentrification

lower prices begin to draw them back toward

Newly built architecture and parks are

attract many people to the site, but the lack

inherently gentrifiers, but by proactively identifying, supporting, and promoting desired positive behaviors, designers can mitigate the speed and effect of gentrification, allowing for residents and the community to have more control of their future. The three leading causes of gentrification are market factors, demographics, and public policy. Steve Holl, author of Gentrification: Causes and Consequences, mentions that these oftenoverlapping categories are general, but most specific causations will fall within these groups: “The first two, supply-side factors and demand-side factors, might be roughly described as the different sorts of

the center.38 The hyperloop will undoubtedly of commercial programming will make the site simply a central location for people to travel to before their final destination.

Commercial programming and residential housing are the two most prominent causes of attracting affluent people to move to a location.39 Demographics (Demand-side factors) focus on the demographic, employment, and cultural shifts that explain why people move to gentrifying neighborhoods. These include a growing shift towards double-income families that are having children at older ages, changes in attitudes and preferences such as anti-suburban sentiment, and

demographic and market forces that push or pull wealthier residents into lower-income neighborhoods. The third category, public

LEADING CAUSES OF GENTRIFICATION

policy, is the set of rules designed by urban policymakers that make gentrification more

DEMOGRAPHICS

or less likely to occur.” This project will 37

touch all three categories by mitigating the negative market factors, promoting poor and diverse demographics, and centralizing and increasing public transportation capacity that falls under public policy.

MARKET FORCES

PUBLIC POLICY

Market factors (Supply-side factors) are influences that push or pull people to and from a specific location. Just as lower prices once drew people to the city’s periphery, now

PAGE 38

Figure 31 (Above) Gentrification Causes The three primary categories leading to gentrification in modern cities.

DESIGN

millennials preferring city centers compared to older generations. The multimodal transportation hub will expand the horizon of job opportunities for the resident of the Hill Neighborhood. They will also have access to grocery stores, health care, recreation, and other advantages. The new park surrounding the hub will have programmatic elements specific to the neighborhoods existing demographics to meet their needs.

Perhaps the most effective way to encourage or mitigate gentrification is to enact policy.

Examples that fall into this policy factors category are tax incentives, federal policies, and local economic tools such as the construction of public transportation. The leading thought of best practices to avoid gentrification are to “invest in low-income communities, support small landlords, increase the supply of affordable housing, reduce land-use regulations, and invest in public transportation.”41 I will focus on centralizing and increasing the capacity of public transportation within the city of Pittsburgh.

However, this category is the hardest for architecture and urban design to effect directly. The individuals who have the most control over this are city leaders and planners, but they tend to value economic success over other measures of success.

40

Figure 32 (Below) Multimodal Hub Concept This diagram explains the methods of transportation proposed to come together for a Hub in Pittsburgh.

PAGE 39

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Hyperloop Route City to City Connection Pittsburgh has a tremendous amount of topographic variation and natural elements that are nearly impossible to build upon making the construction of the hyperloop challenging. But these same constraints also help with its placement in the city. The route would enter the city along existing highways that have already navigated the terrain and require a site near the central business district. The former Civic Arena site is the best location in the city because it sits next to Interstate 579 and has direct connection to downtown and space available to build a station.

Light Rail Route Intercity Connection The current light rail system in the city runs at a deep level in the downtown portion but mostly at-grade South of the city. In the 1960’s, Pittsburgh had the largest surviving streetcar system in the United States.

Today there are a total of three lines, with the longest line at 10.5 miles connecting the southern Bethel Park suburbs to the northern Upper St. Clair suburbs. The light rail is extremely underutilized and has vast potential to expand throughout the city.

PAGE 40

Figure 33 (Above) Hyperloop Route

Figure 34 (Below) Light Rail Route

DESIGN

T I ON

Bus Routes Inter-Neighborhood Connection Pittsburgh has one of the most abundant bus route systems in America, with over 670 buses operating daily. A distinct challenge the city faces is a poor connection to and from low-income neighborhoods and relatively low ridership. Routes can also be very confusing to visitors due to the one-way roads and windy streets due to changes in topography. Many residents do not use the public bus system due to the confusing interface of the schedule-finder online or on paper schedules.

Map 10: F

Figure 35 (Above) Bus Routes

Figure 36 (Below) Green Space

Green Space Street to Street Connection The city currently does not have a large communal space near the urban core such as Central Park or Golden Gate Park. The largest park near the downtown area is Point State Park, which stuggles with pedestrian access and parking availability, limiting its service. OpenSpacePGh released a comprehensive guide to optimize the current parks spaces, as well as create a future plan for cennected greenspaces. The current plan suggests the city entirely revolutionizes their waterfront with a continuous park.

PAGE 41

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

“

Public infrastructure is a “catalyst fo systems that help build and revitalize c [broadening the scope of city] infrastru facilities can develop beneficial relatio surrounding economic, social and envi and neighborhoods.

“

42

Restorative Infrastructure

42

The hyperloop will place new emphasis on cities’ infrastructure as the technology becomes more and more accepted by the public. Infrastructure upgrades such as this provide a chance to consider the current and future states of the planning and design process, allowing an opportunity to upgrade the city’s greater context and the buildings involved. Restorative infrastructure is a new

Michael Singer is an architect that has been engaged in the rethinking of infrastructure facilities and systems in the United States and Europe and co-authored Infrastructure and Community. He describes public infrastructure as a potential “catalyst for interactive systems that help build and revitalize communities. By [broadening the scope of city] infrastructure, public facilities can develop beneficial relationships with their surrounding economic,

term developed to describe the utilization of

social and environmental networks

urban infrastructure upgrades to fix problems

and neighborhoods”.43 The multimodal

caused by urban renewal, correct poor

transportation hub fits perfectly into this

development, and upgrade and revitalize

description and focuses on congregating

non-functioning areas of the city. This concept

highly diverse groups of people into a central

leads to the revitalization of unattractive or

location and uses public transportation

hostile pedestrian environments, allowing for

infrastructure to send them to their final

better community engagement.

destination.

PAGE 42

DESIGN

or interactive communities. By ucture, public onships with their ironmental networks C H A P T E R

7

I M P L E M E N T A T I O N

- Michael Singer

Transportation may be the most effective infrastructure to heal a damaged site or neighborhood. A multimodal transportation hub will amplify the success of all the surrounding neighborhoods and programmatic elements. The central location of the hyperloop can create a multimodal hub for transportation in the city. By consolidating the base point of these transportations as well as expanding on their capabilities, it 7.30 encourages many more residents to use public transportation.

HY PE RL OOP

LI GH TR AIL

PU BL IC

BUS

GR EE NS PAC E + PARKS

The site becomes a connection bridge over I-579 between the Hill Neighborhood and Downtown, showing residents that the Figure 37 (Right) Consolidated Transportation This diagram shows the consolidation of all the main transport methods in the city into a central location.

Co

ns oli da t ed Tr ansportation

PAGE 43 N

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

PAGE 44

DESIGN

Pedestrian Greenspace

Elevated Light Rail

Elevated Hyperloop

Existing Highway

Bundled Conduit

Figure 38 Stacked Infrastructure The combined transportation infrastructures are stacked for efficiency and convenience.

city recognizes the issue caused by past decisions. The roof of the transportation hub is an elevated rooftop park with bike paths and programmable space. Where the hyperloop enters the city over I-579, there is an opportunity to stack a new light rail line over the hyperloop and a connected greenspace/bike path above that. Creating new lines through established cities and communities is very expensive, complex, and damaging to residents and businesses affected. The hyperloop allows for integrated transportation lines with minimal footprint and maximum usage. These also add to the infrastructure conduit the hyperloop creates (fiber optic cabling, potable water, sewage, etc.), adding to the many reasons the hyperloop should be constructed.

By covering the highway with a park, users enjoy less noise pollution and better air quality so that they can truly enjoy their experience.

PAGE 45

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

PAGE 46

DESIGN

Site Design

Bedford Ave

Wylie Av

e

Managing the organization of the many different transportation methods at this location became a prime factor in the design of this site. Because the hyperloop will run along I-579, the hyperloop station must have proximity to the interstate, pushing the majority of architectural programming near the Western part of the site, allowing the Eastern portion to remain open park space. The addition of a new light rail route along the stacked infrastructure that runs North/South through the city allows for new connected light rail lines that run East/West at key points. This site is one of those key points that a new route running East toward the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, and the currently disconnected Tech areas would tremendously help unite the city.

The historic Wylie Avenue that once was a main bloodline through the Lower Hill District has been severed since the construction of the Civic Arena. Linking Wylie Avenue to its

Centre Ave

Downtown affiliate creates a continuous road that bisects the site, placing an emphasis and importance back on the street. This location is already in a prime area for automobile transport due to its exit and onramp connection points to I-579 as well as downtown and neighborhood access.

Figure 39 (Left) Transportation Organization This diagram shows the organization of hyperloop, light rail, roadways, and walkways / bike paths.

PAGE 47

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

FAM

LEISURE

TR

UC

TU

RE

URBAN PARK

MULTIMODAL TRANSPORTATION HUB

EL

EV

AT

ED

IN

FR

AS

RECREA

PAGE 48

PPG ARENA

MILY

ATION

DESIGN

The transportation circulation through the site allows for the available park space to be partitioned. Each partition responds to the needs of the surrounding context to promote engagement and build identity.

The family and recreation portions are designed to benefit the Hill District, based on their needs positively. Currently, the Hill District is challenged with a lack of park space, grocery access, limited public transportation, and poor walkability.

The leisure park links the PPG arena where the Pittsburgh Penguins play to the proposed design of the multimodal transportation hub. This park is an ideal location for large gathering events such as arts and craft fairs or a winter hockey rink.

The Urban Park is the front door for anyone coming from Downtown to visit the site. They will have access to a food truck court, ample seating for lunch breaks, and a quiet nature trail.

The rooftop park connects to all portions and is designed for movement and assembly.

There is an overlook offering fantastic views of the city at the Western edge of the rooftop park. There is also a large walkable ramp that connects the city level to the rooftop level.

Figure 40 (Left) Site Partitioning

This diagram shows the strategy for partitioning the park into smaller, but interconnected parks.

PAGE 49

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

DOWNTOWN PARKING

GARDENS

OUTDOOR CLASSROOM URBAN FOREST LAWN REFRESHMENTS BIKE RENTAL

STAGE

PUBLIC GATHERING RESTROOMS

OV

URBAN

GR

M OO ST E SR OR AS CL AN F WN B TS LA UR EN AL NT HM E G ES E RE FR A G ERIN BIK RE S T GATH S IC BL OOM G PU R ST TIN RE E A TOP A S US S TING E N B D SEA AR RE VE UT CO HS AT KO O EP BIK LO T UR TY C I AINS K CO T UN RUC FO T OD FO

CITY LOOKOUT

FOUNTAINS FOOD TRUCK COURT

E

ARENA SEATING

BUS STOP COVERED SEATING BIKE LANE

PA

RENTAL

ORCHARD

FARMERS MAR

EQUIPMENT

SEATING

PAGE 50

FARMING STORAGE

AIL ET

PARKING

TR B A AI LL ING LS

AC

ES

ET ING

SK LK

BA

WA

RECREA

CHILDRENS PA

SE

TR

P

TE

RR

TO

COMMUNITY GA

PUBLIC RESTROOMS

AT

ER EV HO EN CK T L EY RU AR A N T N BU MA W N S S ING RK

WI

NT

WE

ST SC A U LC DIUM LPT OM UR SE E ES AT ING IG N

E

AN

EL

BIK

BASKETBALL COURTS

FARMING

S

ART MARKET RUNNING TRAIL BUS STOP TERRACED SEATING

URBAN

EN

GROVE

WINTER HOCKEY EVENT LAWN

TRAIL

RD

WELCOME SIGN

RUNNING

GA

BIKE LANE SCULPTURE GARDEN STADIUM SEATING BIKE LANE

ING

BLUFF DISTRICT

RK

COVERED PAVILLION

PARK ENTRY

RKET

E

ARDENS

ATION FIELD

ARK

Y

DESIGN

Downtown

Hill District

Bluff District

This location is at the convergence of three neighborhoods that influence the site. Each has a different street grid that the design draws from in order to stitch itself into the existing urban fabric and create a new, united network. (Figure 41) The overall site is around 50 acres of outdoor space, which grants ample space for a large amount of community building programming. To ensure that the park is

HILL DISTRICT URBAN ORCHARD

FARMERS MARKET RENTAL EQUIPMENT

COVERED PAVILLION RUNNING TRAIL

URBAN FARMING FARMING STORAGE PARKING

utilized effectively, programmatic elements are placed near the community that can benefit the most but is still open to anyone in the city to take advantage of. Much of the design incorporates the street angles of the adjoining neighborhoods, which accentuates the intent of the programming to contribute to the adjacent communities.

COMMUNITY GARDENS PUBLIC RESTROOMS

RECREATION FIELD CHILDRENS PARK PARK ENTRY

Figure 42 lists the majority of the site elements. Many of these are flexible and adaptable to changes in seasons, time of day, and desired usage. These uses concentrate park users towards the center of the site for shared community space, with more specific neighborhood needs around the site boundary.

Figure 41 (Top) Contextual Influence This diagram shows the different street grid angles of the surrounding neighborhoods.

Figure 42 (Left) Site Programming This diagram shows the site programming as well as the neighborhood they intend to promote.

PAGE 51

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

FAMILY PARK KIDS PARK DOG PARK RUNNING PATH

FARMERS MARKET

PAGE 52

DESIGN

URBAN FARMING

PICNIC AREA COVERED PAVILION

URBAN ORCHARD

CONNECTION TO ROOFTOP PARK

UNDERGROUND PARKING

Figure 43 Family Park Aerial This aerial shows the important elements of the Family Park, building a connection with the Hill District.

PAGE 53

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

RECREATION PARK

ROOFTO CONNEC

TERRACED WALKWAYS UNDERGROUND PARKING

WALKWAY TO HUB

PAGE 54

DESIGN

OP PARK CTION MULTI-PURPOSE FIELDS

BASKETBALL COURTS FAN SEATING

RUNNING TRAIL SOUND DAMPENING TREES

Figure 44 Recreation Park Aerial This aerial shows the important elements of the Recreation Park, building a connection with both the Hill District and the Bluff District.

PAGE 55

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

LEISURE PARK

R CON

GA

WELCOME TO PITTSBURGH WELCOME TO PITTSBURGH

PAGE 56

DESIGN

ROOFTOP NNECTION

STADIUM SEATING GROUP ATHERING WINTERTIME ICE RINK

STREET PARKING CONNECTION TO PPG ARENA

Figure 45 Leisure Park Aerial This aerial shows the important elements of the Leisure Park, building a connection with the Bluff District.

PAGE 57

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

URBAN PARK

NATURE WALK DENSE URBAN FOREST VARIOUS SEATING OPTIONS FORMAL ENTRY FROM DOWNTOWN

PAGE 58

DESIGN

CITY OVERLOOK RAMP TO ROOFTOP PARK GREYHOUND BUS STATION FOOD TRUCK PARK

Figure 46 Urban Park Aerial This aerial shows the important elements of the Urban Park, building a connection with Downtown.

PAGE 59

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

ROOFTOP PARK

AUDITORIUM BENCH SEATING REFRESHMENTS BOOTH BIKE PATH ACCESS TO ELEVATED WALKWAY

PAGE 60

P S

EV SE

DESIGN

ACCESS TO ELEVATED WALKWAY

PERFORMANCE STAGE / SCREEN

VENT EATING

CITY OVERLOOK

RAMP TO DOWNTOWN

SUNBATHING LAWN

Figure 47 Rooftop Park Aerial This aerial shows the important elements of the Rooftop Park. This park connects to all portions of the site, uniting them into a continuous civic space.

PAGE 61

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

PAGE 62

DESIGN

Figure 48 Proposed Site Plan This site plan shows the rooftop park connections to the surrounding parks as well as the overall design.

PAGE 63

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

PAGE 64

DESIGN

Figure 49 Hub Rendering This rendering shows the close proximity to Downtown as well as some of the site elements.

PAGE 65

RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Hyperloop Station

There are several proposals for hyperloop

The hyperloop station, or portal, will have

based on the unique circulation required by

portals, with each one having a different form

a very dynamic relationship with the

the technology and the site (figure 50). Each

surrounding community no matter where it

strategy has additional requirements for

is placed. Each portal will create a network

space, height, and program. The design for

of architectural interventions throughout the

this project employs the gridded approach

region, but each will be unique to the specific

because it allows for multiple loading and

site. Portals will serve as the focal point of

unloading stations within a small footprint,

the hyperloop system where all transport functions and technologies converge.

44

“Station planning considers the complete passenger experience, embracing access,

providing numerous simultaneous departures and arrivals. This method also supports future expansion, making it ideal for a new technology that has future variables that are

ADA compliance, safety, security, movement,

hard to predict, such as passenger count,

amenities and services, all in support of

popularity, and even ecological factors.

the passenger experience delivered in a sustainable, energy-efficient design. Lessons learned from decades of experience in station planning for various transport modes recognize that passenger handling facilities must accommodate not only today’s needs

The station’s interior guides passengers through it with a sizeable open geometry that passengers walk along in the same direction as the pods, effectively becoming a physical

but also, to the extent practicable, tomorrow’s

waypoint so that users know where they are

passenger expectations.”46

and where to go at all times.

Downtown

PAGE 66

Covered I - 579

Ramp Connecting Rooftop to Downtown

Single Entry Point

DESIGN

Spiral

Irregular Spiral

Gridded

Segmented

Double Entry Point

Loop

Figure 50 (Above) Diagram of Hyperloop Portals

Figure 51 (Below) Section Through Site

There are many different examples of hyperloop portal circulation, each with different constraints.

This site section extends from Downtown all the way to the HIll District.

Main Atrium

Drop Off

Underground Parking

Hill District

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RESTORATIVE INFRASTRUCTURE

Hub Design The central urban location makes it ideal for public transportation to reach anywhere in the city. The multimodal hub will act as the gateway to Pittsburgh for many travelers and is organized in a simple, understandable manner. The hyperloop and the community programming operate as the hub’s core, with quick access to light rail, public bus, rideshare, parking, equipment rental, pedestrian pathways, and bike lanes

RIDE SHARE

(Figure 52). New users who arrive at the city for the first time will quickly get to their next destination by taking one of the many

L

transport options. Factors that may influence

L2

their decision on intracity transport may be time, cost, ease, distance, etc.

BUS STATION L3

The benefits of a hub are significant.

One of the most valuable that multimodal transport provides is “first mile” and last mile” solutions. Riders can take a bus or subway from an inner-city hub to a stop near

HU

BU STO

BUS STOP

their destination, then ride a bicycle, walk or use a ride-sourcing service to take them to their final destination. Users are much more likely to rely on public transportation over inefficient private vehicles, helping to reduce traffic congestion, accidents, and greenhouse gas emissions. Multimodal hubs are a vital measure to contribute to inclusivity “because it provides affordable options for all segments of a city’s population,”45 according to Smart Cities Readiness Guide.

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LIGHT RAIL

DESIGN

“

L2 L3

UB

PARKING

BUS STOP

L2

US OP

RIDE SHARE

Figure 52 Hub Diagram This diagram explains the concept of a centralized hub with access to many modes of transportation.

“

PARKING

Multimodal transportation also is inclusive because it provides affordable options for all segments of a city’s population: young people too young to drive, seniors who don’t want to or shouldn’t drive, people with disabilities, millennials and others who want to avoid the cost of owning a vehicle, low-income residents and others who simply choose to include bicycling and walking along with 45 their other options.

- Smart Cities Readiness Guide

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Figure 53 Exploded Axon All Levels This axon shows the various levels of the building including the secured vs public distinction.

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DESIGN

The building consists of four levels, with each level alternating between secured and public. The rooftop level is a continuous park open to anyone throughout the year.

This level shares the same height level as the pedestrian green space of the stacked infrastructure. The concourse level is primarily secured due to the security needs of a hyperloop station. This level also has a light rail station that is open to the public and the environment. The community level is open to the public and is designed to invite anyone into the structures’ many shared spaces. There is ample vertical circulation through the building and site that aid in the rooftop and community levels, blurring the lines between architecture and park. The hyperloop gate level is entirely secured and below ground.

Figure 54 Hub Section This section cuts through the central atrium showing the connection between secured and public levels.

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Light Rail Station

Figure 55 (Above) Exploded Axon Concourse

Figure 56 (Below) Atrium Rendering

This axon shows the various levels of the building with an emphasis on the Concourse Level.

This rendering shows to visual connection between the secured level 3 and the public level 2.

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Local Ven Entertai

ndors + inment

DESIGN

Cafe

Admin Offices

Market

Front Desk Waiting Outdoor Seating

Security

Waiting

Bar Open to Below

Bar

Security

Waiting

Waiting

Front Desk Admin Offices

Market

Cafe

Concourse Level

Figure 57 (Above) Concourse Plan

Level 3 is reserved for the hyperloop guests and is designed around a large opening in the floor to visually connect to level 2, as well as aid in wayfinding. This level consists of two lobbies, security, departure and arrival gates, and subsequent supportive programming. Because users will be arriving from the multiple public modes of transportation throughout the site, it was essential to have two secured entry lobbies.

the central atrium, where they can choose to get food/drink, sit in a waiting area, or begin loading into their respective pod. Hyperloop travel is significantly more streamlined than travel by plane, skipping lengthy wait times.

Should a passenger arrive early, they can access waiting areas, bars, cafes, the level 2 community space, or the surrounding park.

Upon arrival, guests are first introduced to the lobby, where they can find ticketing information, stairs to the lower level, a waiting area, and learn how the technology works. From there, a ticketed passenger would enter through the secured portal into

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Figure 58 (Above) Exploded Axon Community

Figure 59 (Below) Community Space Rendering

This axon shows the various levels of the building with an emphasis on the Community Level.

This rendering shows to visual connection between the secured level 3 and the public level 2.

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DESIGN

Small Meeting

Auditorium

Outdoor Seating

Cafe

Group Gathering

Admin Offices Meeting Spaces

Group Gathering

Meeting Spaces

Computer Room

Convenience Store

Cafe

Community Level

Figure 60 (Above) Community Plan

Level 2 is entirely a public level that is an extension of the park into the building. This space can be used year-round and has programming similar to that of a community center. There are small and large meeting rooms, a café, space for a farmers market or other group events, computer rooms, a convenience store, and plenty of informal seating.

Pittsburgh may use this space in the winter for a farmers’ market, with fresh produce and seafood caught the same day due to the significant speed of the hyperloop.

This space serves as a mixing chamber, weaving hyperloop passengers, neighborhood residents, tourists, and anyone else using the site. When hyperloop passengers arrive, there is ample meeting space for formal or informal meetings, areas to rest, and places to entertain. Residents of

A key design aspect of this floor is the large opening, visually connecting to the level 3 Concourse level and the opening to the passenger gates level. This helps break down the elitist boundary that the hyperloop can potentially create due to the higher cost of ridership than typical public transportation.

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Figure 61 (Above) Exploded Axon Gates

Figure 62 (Below) Hyperloop Diagram

This axon shows the various levels of the building with an emphasis on the Hyperloop Gate Level.

This diagram explains the process of arrival and departure for a hyperloop pod.

UNLOADING

OUTER SHELL

3 1

4. SANITATION / MAINTANENCE

5 6

2

7 4. SANITATION / MAINTANENCE

7. DEPARTURE

5. PRE-LOADING CARTRIDGE ASSEMBLY 6. LOADED CAPSULE

LOADING

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DETACHMENT

4

1. ARRIVAL

PRELOADING

3. UNLOADING PASSENGERS

2. ARRIVING

DESIGN

Storage

PA DE

Admin Offices

E

UR

RT

E INC

AL

RIV

AR

A EN

INT

MA Maintenaince

Garage

Storage

Maintenaince

Hyperloop Gates Level

Figure 63 (Above) Hyperloop Gate Plan

Level 1 Is private and is used for departure and arrival gates for hyperloop passengers.

The rest of the level is dedicated to maintenance, storage, and offices.

run at optimal performance. However, riders will know well ahead of the exact times they need to arrive, load, and depart. When the pods are loaded, they are free to embark on their journey to the next city and reach maximum speed within minutes of leaving.

The majority of what happens on this level happens behind closed doors due to the streamlined sequence for passengers.

Travelers will arrive at the destination station and immediately unload when their pod goes to the necessary arrival bay. The unmanned pod then goes through sanitation and maintenance briefly before continuing to the departure gates, where riders can already be ready and waiting. Passengers will have a short window to load due to the precise timing that the system requires to

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PART 4

Conclusion Urban renewal destroyed countless sites throughout America, such as the historic Lower Hill Neighborhood. City infrastructure has massive potential to positively change the existing conditions of damaged sites while influencing the future to put community, diversity, and social equity at the forefront.

The future of travel has the ability to reshape the way we plan and use public space, enhancing connectivity between cities and people. It can galvanize societies to push for and appreciate new inclusive development and stimulate activity. By “righting the wrong” of the divided by design mindset of the ’50s and ’60s, infrastructure can act as a catalyst to provide new program and new facilities for public life in the urban core of Pittsburgh.

Figure 64 (Right) Aerial Over Pittsburgh This view shows the prominent location of the multimodal transportation hub and accompanying park.

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City infrastructure has massive potential to positively change the existing conditions of damaged sites while influencing the future to put community, diversity, and social equity at the forefront.

CONCLUSION

Design principles: • Attract people of all ages and incomes.

• Establish a connection between the Hill District and Downtown.

• Create a variety of site uses and activities.

• Emphasize the transportation experience.

• Combine and efficiently organize transportation in the city.

• Reinforce a rich diversity in the pedestrian environment.

• Limit the extent of retail to markets, arts and crafts and cottage industries, with goods produced on-premise.

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Endnotes 1. University of Michigan, “U.S. Cities Factsheet | Center for Sustainable Systems.” accessed June 28, 2020, http://css.umich.edu/factsheets/us-citiesfactsheet.

2. Saylor Academy, “Problems of Urban Life.” 2012, https://saylordotorg.github.io/text_social-problemscontinuity-and-change/s17-03-problems-of-urbanlife.html.

3. ASCE, “2005 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure.” (Reston, VA: American Society of Civil Engineers, 2005), https://doi. org/10.1061/9780784478851.

4. Ian Higenell, “Restorative Infrastructure.” (Halifax, Nova Scotia, Dalhousie University, 2012).

5. The National.“Hyperloop to Transit Passengers between Dubai’s Airports in Six Minutes,” The National, 2018, https://www.thenational.ae/uae/ transport/hyperloop-to-transit-passengers-betweendubai-s-airports-in-six-minutes-1.723960.

6. AECOM (Firm) et al., “Rocky Mountain Hyperloop Global Challenge.” 2016, /z-wcorg/, http://hdl. handle.net/11629/co:26984_tra12h992016internet. pdf.

7. Inc. Transportation Economics and Management Systems, “Great Lakes Hyperloop Feasibility Study.”

Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, and Inc. Hyperloop Transport Technologies. 2019.

8. Inc. Transportation Economics and Management Systems.

9. Virgin Hyperloop, “Virgin Hyperloop.” Virgin Hyperloop, 2019, https://virginhyperloop.com/.

10. Hardt Global Mobility. “Hyperloop: Prospects and Challenges.” Rail Engineer. Accessed March 27, 2021. https://www.railengineer.co.uk/hyperloopprospects-and-challenges/.

11. Zane L. Miller, “Boss Cox’s Cincinnati: Urban Politics in the Progressive Era.” (Columbus: Ohio State University Press, 2000).

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12. Gary Keeling, “MyBrunel.Co.Uk Isambard Kingdom Brunel,” Isambard Kingdom Brunel, 2014, http://www.mybrunel.co.uk/.

13. Michael Abrahamson, “A Driverless Detroit: Public Roads and Private Goals in the 1970’s.” Take Shape V.2: Commute (2018).

14. Geoffrey. Thün, “Infra Eco Logi Urbanism: A Project for the Great Lakes Megaregion.” (Zürich: Park Books, 2015).

15. Richard Florida. “The Mega-Regions of North America.” Martin Prosperity Institute. university of Toronto.

16. Olivia Posner, “What Are Megaregions?,” Cooperative Mobility for Competitive Megaregions, 2020, https://sites.utexas.edu/cm2/about/what-aremegaregions/.

17. Inc. Transportation Economics and Management Systems, “Great Lakes Hyperloop Feasibility Study.”

Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, and Inc. Hyperloop Transport Technologies. 2019.

18. Nancy Scola, “Five Things Elon Musk’s Hyperloop Could Mean for the Future of Cities.”

Next City, 2013, https://nextcity.org/daily/entry/fivethings-elon-musks-hyperloop-could-mean-for-thefuture-of-cities.

19. Geoffrey. Thün, “Infra Eco Logi Urbanism: A Project for the Great Lakes Megaregion.” (Zürich: Park Books, 2015).

20. Angie Jeremy. “Everything You Need to Know About Pittsburgh (A City Guide).” April 6, 2018, https://www.discovertheburgh.com/the-ultimatepittsburgh-guide/.

21. Abby Mendelson, “5 Challenges Facing Pittsburgh (and What We’re Doing about Them).”

NEXTpittsburgh (blog), September 30, 2014, https:// nextpittsburgh.com/features/5-challenges-facingpittsburgh-and-what-were-doing-about-them/.

22. Mendelson, Abby. “5 Challenges Facing Pittsburgh (and What We’re Doing about Them).”

NEXTpittsburgh (blog), September 30, 2014. https:// nextpittsburgh.com/features/5-challenges-facingpittsburgh-and-what-were-doing-about-them/.

ENDNOTES

23. Deborah N. Archer, “‘White Men’s Roads Through Black Men’s Homes’: Advancing Racial Equality Through Highway Reconstruction.”

Vanderbilt Law Review Volume 73, no. 5 (October 2020): 32–37.

24. History.com, “The Interstate Highway System.”

HISTORY, accessed March 16, 2021, https://www. history.com/topics/us-states/interstate-highwaysystem.

25. Charlie Sorrel. “Why Did The U.S. Let Highways Ruin Its Cities, And How Can We Fix It?.” Fast Company, May 31, 2016, https://www.fastcompany. com/3060340/why-did-the-us-let-highways-ruin-itscities-and-how-can-we-fix-it.

26. Deborah N. Archer, “‘White Men’s Roads Through Black Men’s Homes’: Advancing Racial Equality Through Highway Reconstruction.”

Vanderbilt Law Review Volume 73, no. 5 (October 2020): 32–37.

27. Greg Donofrio, “Racial Dividing Line, A Public History of 35W.” (blog), December 4, 2020, https://35w.heritage.dash.umn.edu/essays/racialdividing-line/.

28. Donofrio.

29. Deborah N. Archer, “‘White Men’s Roads Through Black Men’s Homes’: Advancing Racial Equality Through Highway Reconstruction.”

Vanderbilt Law Review Volume 73, no. 5 (October 2020): 32–37.

30. Diana Nelson Jones, “Traces of a Lost Neighborhood.” accessed March 26, 2021, https:// newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/lower_hill/.

31. Jones.

32. Peter. Moskowitz, How to Kill a City : Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood. (PublicAffairs, 2018).

33. “The 2020 National Apartment Average Rent Price Analysis,” Rent Blog (blog), May 6, 2019, https://www.rent.com/blog/national-apartment-rentprice-analysis/.

35. Jason Richardson, Bruce Mitchell, and Jad Edlebi, “Gentrification and Disinvestment 2020” (National Community Reinvestment Coalition, 2020).

36. Richardson, Mitchell, and Edlebi.

37. Steve Holland, “Gentrification: Causes and Consequences.” Journal of Lutheran Ethics Accessed March 16, 2021. https://www.elca.org/ JLE/Articles/1135.

38. Holland 39. Neil Smith, “Toward a Theory of Gentrification A Back to the City Movement by Capital, Not People,” Journal of the American Planning Association 45, no. 4 (October 1979): 538–48, https://doi. org/10.1080/01944367908977002.

40. Jason Richardson, Bruce Mitchell, and Jad Edlebi, “Gentrification and Disinvestment 2020” (National Community Reinvestment Coalition, 2020).

41. Steve Freilihon, “Gentrification’s Effect on Urban Communities.” Architectural Record. Accessed March 27, 2021. https://www.architecturalrecord. com/articles/13654-gentrifications-effect-on-urbancommunities?v=preview.

42. Michael Singer, Ramon J. Cruz, and Jason Bregman, “Infrastructure and Community. How Can We Live With What Sustains Us?” (Environmental Defense & Michael Singer Studio, 2007).

43. Michael Singer, Ramon J. Cruz, and Jason Bregman.

44. Inc. Transportation Economics and Management Systems, “Great Lakes Hyperloop Feasibility Study.”

Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, and Inc. Hyperloop Transport Technologies. 2019.

45. Smart Cities Readiness Guide. “What Multi-modal Transportation Does for Smart Cities.”

Smart Cities Council. accessed March 16, 2021, https://rg.smartcitiescouncil.com/readiness-guide/ article/multi-modal-what-multi-modal-transportationdoes-smart-cities

34. Moskowitz.

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Bibliography

Deborah N. Archer. “‘White Men’s Roads Through Black Men’s Homes. Advancing Racial Equality Through Highway Reconstruction.” Vanderbilt Law Review Volume 73, no. 5 (October 2020): 32–37.

Donofrio, Greg. “Racial Dividing Line.” A Public History of 35W, December 4, 2020. https://35w.heritage.dash.umn.edu/essays/racial-dividing-line/.

Freilihon, Steve. “Gentrification’s Effect on Urban Communities.” Architectural Record.

Accessed March 27, 2021. https://www.architecturalrecord.com/articles/13654gentrifications-effect-on-urban-communities?v=preview.

History.com. “The Interstate Highway System.” HISTORY. Accessed March 16, 2021. https://www.history.com/topics/us-states/interstate-highway-system.

Holland, Steve. “Gentrification: Causes and Consequences.” Journal of Lutheran Ethics Accessed March 16, 2021. https://www.elca.org/JLE/Articles/1135.

Hardt Global Mobility. “Hyperloop: Prospects and Challenges.” Rail Engineer. Accessed March 27, 2021. https://www.railengineer.co.uk/hyperloop-prospects-and-challenges/.

Ian Higenell. “Restorative Infrastructure.” Dalhousie University, 2012.

Jason Richardson, Bruce Mitchell, and Jad Edlebi. “Gentrification and Disinvestment 2020.” National Community Reinvestment Coalition, 2020.

Jeremy, Angie. “Everything You Need to Know About Pittsburgh (A City Guide),” April 6, 2018. https://www.discovertheburgh.com/the-ultimate-pittsburgh-guide/.

Jones, Diana Nelson. “Traces of a Lost Neighborhood.” Post Gazette. Accessed March 26, 2021. https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/lower_hill/.

Mendelson, Abby. “5 Challenges Facing Pittsburgh (and What We’re Doing about Them).” NEXTpittsburgh (blog), September 30, 2014. https://nextpittsburgh.com/ features/5-challenges-facing-pittsburgh-and-what-were-doing-about-them/.

Michael Singer, Ramon J. Cruz, and Jason Bregman. “Infrastructure and Community.

How Can We Live With What Sustains Us?” Environmental Defense & Michael Singer Studio, 2007.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Moskowitz, Peter. “How to Kill a City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood.” PublicAffairs, 2018.

Smith, Neil. “Toward a Theory of Gentrification A Back to the City Movement by Capital, Not People.” Journal of the American Planning Association 45, no. 4 (October 1979): 538–48. https://doi.org/10.1080/01944367908977002.

Sorrel, Charlie, Charlie Sorrel, and Charlie Sorrel. “Why Did The U.S. Let Highways Ruin Its Cities, And How Can We Fix It?” Fast Company, May 31, 2016. https://www. fastcompany.com/3060340/why-did-the-us-let-highways-ruin-its-cities-and-how-can-wefix-it.

Rent Blog. “The 2020 National Apartment Average Rent Price Analysis,” Rent. May 6, 2019. https://www.rent.com/blog/national-apartment-rent-price-analysis/.

Thün, Geoffrey. “Infra Eco Logi Urbanism : A Project for the Great Lakes Megaregion.”

Zürich: Park Books, 2015.

Transportation Economics and Management Systems, Inc., “Great Lakes Hyperloop Feasibility Study.” Northeast Ohio Areawide Coordinating Agency, and Inc. Hyperloop Transportation Technologies. 2019.

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Image Credits

Figure 1 Urban Informatics.

Marcus Foth et al., Street Computing : Urban Informatics and City Interfaces, 2016.

Figure 2 Urban Infrastructure.

“How Transportation Infrastructure Keeps Sustainability on the Move | Greenbiz,” accessed March 27, 2021, https://www. greenbiz.com/article/how-transportationinfrastructure-keeps-sustainability-move.

Figure 3 Pittsburgh to NYC. Tyler Kimmel Figure 4 Hyperloop Concept Diagram.

Virgin Hyperloop, “Virgin Hyperloop,” Virgin Hyperloop, 2019, https://virginhyperloop. com/.

Figure 5 Atmospheric Railway Drawing.

Adam Malik, “The Herculean Task Required to Reduce Liability Claims Involving Autonomous Vehicles,” Canadian Underwriter (blog), July 30, 2020, https:// www.canadianunderwriter.ca/insurance/ the-tall-task-of-keeping-liability-claims-downwith-autonomous-vehicles-1004195021/.

Figure 6 Fully Autonomous Roadway.

“Self-Driving and Electric Cars Could Be the Future of Travel. But Consumers Are Wary of the Technology,” ValuePenguin, accessed March 27, 2021, https://www.valuepenguin. com/auto-insurance/car-technology-safetysurvey.

Figure 7 Transportation Timeline.

Tyler Kimmel

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Figure 8 Map of Existing Regions.

Aarian Marshall, “Colorful, Explosive Maps Reveal We All Live in Megaregions—Not Cities,” Wired, December 2, 2016, Figure 9 Completed National Network.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 10 Pittsburgh Photo in Text.

“Pittsburgh Sign Stock Illustration. Illustration of Graphic - 131050101,” Dreamstime, accessed March 27, 2021, https:// www.dreamstime.com/pittsburgh-signusa-city-name-text-photo-backgroundimage131050101.

Figure 11 Pittsburgh Aerial.

“Aerial Photo of Pittsburgh (Selective Color Version),” Dustin McGrew Photography, accessed March 27, 2021, https://shop. dustinmcgrewphoto.com//listing/758440087/ aerial-photo-of-pittsburgh-selective.

Figure 12 Map of Pittsburgh, PA. Tyler Kimmel Figure 13 Divided by Design.

“Divided By Design,” accessed March 27, 2021, https://www.goodreads.com/book/ show/53677852-divided-by-design.

Figure 14 Aerial of I-94 in Rondo.

Next Topic: October 2019 edition of The Alley, “‘This Is Our Rondo - We Just Don’t Know It yet,’” The Alley Newspaper, accessed March 27, 2021, http://alleynews. org/2019/10/this-is-our-rondo-we-just-dontknow-it-yet/.

IMAGE CREDITS

Figure 15 View from I-94.

Next Topic: October 2019 edition of The Alley, “‘This Is Our Rondo - We Just Don’t Know It yet,’” The Alley Newspaper, accessed March 27, 2021, http://alleynews. org/2019/10/this-is-our-rondo-we-just-dontknow-it-yet/.

Figure 16 Historic Map of Rondo.

Next Topic: October 2019 edition of The Alley, “‘This Is Our Rondo - We Just Don’t Know It yet,’” The Alley Newspaper, accessed March 27, 2021, http://alleynews. org/2019/10/this-is-our-rondo-we-just-dontknow-it-yet/.

Figure 17 1910 Lower Hill Map. Tyler Kimmel Figure 18 1967 Lower Hill Map. Tyler Kimmel Figure 19 2020 Lower Hill Map. Tyler Kimmel Figure 20 White Population Movement.

Jason Richardson, Bruce Mitchell, and Jad Edlebi, “Gentrification and Disinvestment 2020” (National Community Reinvestment Coalition, 2020).

Figure 21 African American Movement.

Jason Richardson, Bruce Mitchell, and Jad Edlebi, “Gentrification and Disinvestment 2020” (National Community Reinvestment Coalition, 2020).

Figure 22 Increasing Home Value.

Jason Richardson, Bruce Mitchell, and Jad Edlebi, “Gentrification and Disinvestment 2020” (National Community Reinvestment Coalition, 2020).

Figure 23 Hyperloop Preferred Route.

Virgin Hyperloop, “Virgin Hyperloop,” Virgin Hyperloop, 2019, https://virginhyperloop. com/.

Figure 24 Aerial over Civic Arena. admin, “2008 to Present: PPG Paints Arena (CONSOL Energy Center),” PittsburghHockey.Net (blog), accessed March 27, 2021, https://pittsburghhockey.net/ arenas/consol-energy-center.

Figure 25 Aerial over Civic Arena Site. admin, “2008 to Present: PPG Paints Arena (CONSOL Energy Center),” PittsburghHockey.Net (blog), accessed March 27, 2021, https://pittsburghhockey.net/ arenas/consol-energy-center.

Figure 26 Aerial over I-579. admin, “2008 to Present: PPG Paints Arena (CONSOL Energy Center),” PittsburghHockey.Net (blog), accessed March 27, 2021, https://pittsburghhockey.net/ arenas/consol-energy-center.

Figure 27 Pittsburgh Map. Tyler Kimmel Figure 28 Site Context Diagram.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 29 Proposed Landbridge.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 30 Neighborhood Axon.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 31 Gentrification Causes. ?????

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Image Credits

Figure 32 Multimodal Hub Concept.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 46 Urban Park Aerial.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 33 Hyperloop Route.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 47 Rooftop Park Aerial.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 34 Light Rail Route.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 48 Proposed Site Plan.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 35 Bus Routes.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 49 Hub Rendering.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 36 Green Space.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 50 Diagram of Hyperloop Circulation.

Tyler Kimmel

Figure 37 Consolidated Transportation.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 38 Stacked infrastructure.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 39 Transportation Organization.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 40 Site Partitioning.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 41 Contextual Influence.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 42 Site Programming.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 43 Family Park Aerial.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 44 Recreation Park Aerial.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 45 Leisure Park Aerial.

Tyler Kimmel

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Figure 51 Section Through Site.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 52 Hub Design.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 53 Exploded Axon All Levels.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 54 Hub Section.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 55 Exploded Axon Concourse.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 56 Atrium Rendering Tyler Kimmel Figure 57 Concourse Plan.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 58 Exploded Axon Community.

Tyler Kimmel

IMAGE CREDITS

Figure 59 Community Space Rendering.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 60 Community Plan.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 61 Exploded Axon Hyperloop Gates.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 62 Hyperloop Diagram.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 63 Hyperloop Gate Plan.

Tyler Kimmel Figure 64 Aerial Over Pittsburgh Tyler Kimmel

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Thank you.

An accompanying video presentation can be found at this link: https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/541458606

Tyler Kimmel kimmeltm@gmail.com

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