Xiaoran Zhang_Portfolio Key Projects Preview

O Coexistence the

O PORTFOLIO O of

XIAORAN ZHANG

Contact Information Email: xiaoranzhang619@gmail.com Cell: NL: +31 6 57212791 US: +1 (412)-519-4283 Address: Coolsestraat 82, 3014 LN Rotterdam, Netherlands

Commoning the City Studio 2020 Fall Studio Team Research Instructor: Prof. Stefan Gruber, Prof. Jonathan Kline Duration: 09/2020 - 12/2020 Team : Clover Chau, Sharleen Devjani, Cassandra Howard, Longney Luk, Sameedha Mahajan, Bingjie Sheng, Harvest Su, Yashasvi Tulchiya, Yiya Wang, Xiaoran Zhang Role in Team: Case study and toolkit development, worked on individual vision and proposal.

Commoning the City is a research-based-design studio focused on the bottom-up transformation of cities and explores how designers and planners can tap into the self-organizing behavior of cities in order to empower citizens to claim their right to the city.

In the year of 2020, the studio focused on conceptualizing neighborhoods as commons, with a particular scrutiny towards contemporary notions of community in relation to the school wide theme of propinquity, also in corresponse to the the COVID-19 pandemic exploring many alternative solutions tackling the existing emergent chanllenges. © Sebastian Schels

Commoning Case Study Toolkit

Commoning Cards

The commoning cards practice is a newly created research process in the fall of 2020. The creation of the card set is to develop a participatory toolkit for not only designers, but all the participants with non-design background to understand the commoning concepts and new strategies towards decision making and resource sharing. During the mid-term review, a discission session happened using this card set as a classification tool identifying each of the topics around the difinition of commoning.

Site Visits and Visioning Although during COVID-19 pandemic, international site visit trip was canceled, the studio still had the chance to make two site visits to the local projects (Garfield Community Farm and The Octopus Garden, Pittsburgh), with a focus on local placemaking, selfsufficiency and sustainability.

With the inpsirations from the case studies and site visits, I was able to create a collage, mostly using the characters from the case studies to illustrator an initial vision for my thesis proposal.

Case study is one of the most significant practices in the first semester team research process. By studying the community cases from the international setting, the research team can build a solid toolkit—ranging from concepts to spatial design methods and practical experiences. These tools will aid the students in re-imagining the methodologies of architecture and urban design: shifting from an obsession with form to exploring collaborative design, from the authoritarian control of design rights to open and participatory design, and from an excessive focus on construction details to viewing randomness and uncertainty as new opportunities.

Each case study is illustrated as a composition of there layers of scales. The background is usually a regional mapping practice with diagram interpreting the understanding of the macro mechanisms of how the project works from social, economical and political perspectives. The middle ground analyzes the spatial structure from design and program perspectives, and the foreground demonstrates the social scene with diverse activities from the communities.

In the class, the research team was able to discuss and learn from different case studies, refine the case study posters, and later contribute to the case study toolkit.

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Soot and the City, Pittsburgh Air Quality Based Environment System Research Full Link: https://pittsburghair.cargo.site/

Neighborhood Study 0

Studio Team Research Instructor: Prof. Nida Rehman Duration: 01/2020 - 05/2020 Team : Sameedha Mahajan, Harvest Su, Yashasvi Tulchiya, Yiya Wang, Xiaoran Zhang Role in Team: Researched on city air pollutant sources - developed storytelling sectional maps.

500

1500m

Downtown

The studio research project Soot and the City explores Pittsburgh’s air quality through urban design, focusing on how the built environment contributes to and can mitigate air pollution. By examining materiality, form, and development processes, the project highlights the stories of underprivileged communities. Using multi-scale mapping, it explores potential interventions for addressing environmental justice issues in the city.

“I will never forget the first time I experienced that smell” “We need to operationalize actions we can take now to address this problem”

“There are so many statistics in here I was floored with.

I’m shocked to learn how bad this problem is”

Micro climate formed by built environment

Traffic caused diesel PM2.5 pollution

Lawrenceville BRACKENRIDGE TARENTUM

EAST DEER

“It’s getting pretty bad” “The smell is definitely noticeable”

“My family often wakes up feeling ‘foggy’ in the head, with burning throats and eyes”

“I didn’t have asthma when I moved to Pittsburgh, I have asthma now”

SPRINGDALE SPRINGDALE

CORAOPOLIS

EMSWORTH NEVILLE VERONA MILLVALE

BELLEVUE STOWE MCKEES ROCKS Esplen Fairywood Chartiers Sheraden Windgap

Brighton Heights

INGRAM Heights Elliott CRAFTON

West End

PENNSBURY VILLAGE

CARNEGIE

SHARPSBURG

Pollutant absorbed into water

Shenango Plants

Upper Lawrenceville Morningside

Northview Marshall-Shadeland Heights Spring Perry South Hill-City Fineview View California-Kirkbride Manchester

ETNA

Pollution caused by steel foundry

Neighborhoods and schools affected by downwind pollution of factories

Allegheny cemetery topography can trap the polluted air

PENN HILLS

Lincoln-Lemington-Belmar Garfield Larimer Homewood Homewood West North Point Breeze Homewood South East Hills North

Upper Hill Bedford Dwellings Terrace Middle Hill Crawford-Roberts West Oakland Oakland Bluff

WILKINSBURG

South Shore Mount Washington

MONROEVILLE

Allentown Beltzhoover Arlington Arlington Knoxville Heights Hazelwood St. Bon MOUNT Clair Air Glen Hazel

OLIVER

Carrick

Hays

Overbrook

SWISSVALE BRADDOCK HILLS CHALFANT HOMESTEAD RANKIN BRADDOCK NORTH TURTLE CREEK PITCAIRN BRADDOCK WHITAKER EAST PITTSBURGH WILMERDING

“The windows were open and it smelled like Shenango was in my room ”

EAST MCKEESPORT

BALDWIN Lincoln

“I had run two marathons, and I couldn’t get up and down the stairs without my inhaler here”

“It was dangerous to sleep with the windows open at night because you didn’t want to be awoken by the stench”

DUQUESNE

BRIDGEVILLE DRAVOSBURG

PORT VUE GLASSPORT

MCKEESPORT

The wind direction and lack of trees can concentrate pollution on the west side

LIBERTY

Mononghela Valley

VERSAILLES

133k

This map overlays median income with childhood asthma rates, and we see a pattern of environmental injustice happening along the river and around the hill district.

SOUTH PARK

283k

CLAIRTON

39k 2.3%

Childhood Asthma

Median Income

ELIZABETH

13.5%

FORWARD

18.0%

“US Steel acts with impunity. God forbid that the unhealthy air we breathe would be put upon them and their families”

“I’m scared one day when he does finally get it, it might be too late if I’m not around” “I have lost a grandfather, a father, a sister, a daughter, and a son to cancer ”

Income & Health Map Air Pollutant Matrix Reduced birds due to decrease in food availability

Acidification of water and soil

Cheswick and Springdale Boroughs Dry deposition NOX, NHX, SOX

Wet deposition H+, NO3-, NH4+, SO42-

“Living next to a coal plant is like a neighbor from hell just moved in”

“It’s like hell. Living in hell. It’s filthy; it’s dirty; it’s noisy—it’s unhealthy” “Dirt on my windowsills, dirt on my furniture. It’s a constant cleaning.

Filthy. It’s a filthy place to live, and we’re breathing this in” N2O

Organic Aerosol, PM2.5

O3, NOx, CO, VOC’s, PM2.5 River

NOX

Soil Process NO3-, SO42-, NHX

NOx, SO2, H2S, NH3, C6H6, PM2.5

“The smoke is always there. Wherever you go, you see it”

Acidification of water + eutrophication

Wastes expelled into river

Significant increase in bulk density and decrease in porosity

The pollutants penetrate the ground water reserves and contaminate drinking water

2 Downtown

Factory

The Vicinity Area

Restaurant & Retail

Residence

Vermont Homes for All Toolkit

Urban Planning and Design Project in Utile, Inc, with State of Vermont Location: State of Vermont Status: Complete - adopted Duration: 06/2023 - 03/2024 Role in Team: Urban design lead- developed spatial analytical workflow on community site selection and visualizations for housing typology infill studies.

Vermont’s home production is principally producing large and expensive single-households. The housing options in-between, like a duplex or fourplex, cooperative housing, senior housing units, age-friendly homes, or townhouse condominiums are very limited. With the goal of alleviating regulatory and financial complocations of developing diverse homes on a small footprint for local residents, a systematic overview from development to design of new Missing Middle Homes (MMH) typologies in local communities was introduced in this toolkit.

Community Infill Design & Study Community-Scale Existing Conditions Analysis - Zoning

Initial Site Analysis - Environmental Constraints

Existing Analysis - Developable Parcel Width

Initial Site Analysis - Steep Slope

Existing Analysis - Proposed Focus Area

Infill Site Selection and Home Typology Test-fit For the community infill design case studies, I worked on developing a comprehensive spatical analysis workflow for better understanding of community environmental and regulartory constrains for missing middle home development, and identification and selection of infill focus areas with high development potentials.

Additionally, I participated the local site visits for each community and interviews with each property owner for finally identified infill sites, in order to better understand different site conditions and develop a hypothetical infill test-fit for each community. The test-fit visualizations illustrate an approach to bringing new Missing Middle Homes to that community through site plan and perspective rendering, along with the regulatory information and development metrics listed.

Community-Scale Existing Conditions Analysis - Flood Harzards

The purpose of community case studies was to explore how the environmental, infrastructural, design, and regulatory characteristics of each community interacted with the developed Missing Middle Home typologies, which is a process of “groundtruthing” how these proposed home typologies best fit into the actual physical and regulatory conditions.

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MBTA Communities Multi-Family Zoning Technical Assistance

Summer 2024

Urban Planning and Design Project in Utile, Inc, with Massachusetts Housing Partnership Location: State of Massachusetts Status: In progress Duration: 11/2023 - 09/2024 Role in Team: Urban Planning Analyst - worked on zoning schemes and calculations to make sure communities’ zoning submission compliant, and visualize 3D buildout scenarios.

Over the course of 2023 and 2024 Utile has been working with a communities across Massachusetts to develop local responses to the statewide MBTA Communities policy, which was enacted to address the statewide housing crisis. The policy requires all communities with MBTA public transit access to have at least one zoning district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted by-right and meets other criteria set forth in the statute such as a minimum gross density, and specific contiguity and transit station area relationships.

As a planning analyst in the consulting team providing technical support, urban design and engagement, I worked closely with public agencies, using data visualization tools including GIS systems and Rhino to create zoning scenarios and models. Other than technical and design support, one notable challenge is to integrate and balance housing production goals with the preservation of valuable community retail, commercial, and industrial uses.

MBTA Communities Zoning Update

MBTA Communities Zoning Map

Proposed Zoning District

Multi-Family Only Unit Capacity

Mixed-use Unit Capacity (excluding ground floor commercial area)

WSQ1: 3+ Story

227

0

WSQ2: 4+ Story

3,292

223

WSQ3: 5+ Story

182

499

Total

3,701

722

District Total Capacity

4,423

Required Minimum Capacity

1,701

Additional Units Beyond Minimum Required

2,722

Urban Design Considerations •

From the beginning, our goals have emphasized the Square as a vibrant destination with thriving businesses, walkable streets, better community spaces and more people. We need more people to support businesses and keep the Square our community center.

•

The Square’s look and feel matter. The proposed plan uses a form-based zoning approach with required design standards to shape future development.

The proposed standards include building height, stepback requirements, varied facades, roof, and architectural features. They will apply in both “by right/site plan review” and “special permit” areas.

•

WSQ3: 5+ stories

WSQ2: 4+ stories

WSQ1: 3+ stories

Watertown Square Area Plan

There is a “tiered” approach to density, with higher density (red) mainly in the downtown core, medium density (blue) around that core, and medium and lower density (blue and green) as a transition to lower density residential neighborhoods. Each will be a separate zone.

•

Higher density makes sense in the downtown core to support a strong Watertown Square identity and increase the opportunity for new housing in the area that has the best access to public transit and is the most walkable.

•

We want meaningful buildings in the downtown core to thrive and offer ground floor retail. Much of the downtown core should remain under a discretionary “special permit” process with a ground floor retail requirement.

NMU: 2+ stories

MBTA Communities Considerations •

Some blocks in the WSQ3, WSQ2, and WSQ1 zones would be by right/site plan review and comply with the MBTA Communities law. The NMU zone would be special permit only.

•

By right/site plan review permitting is proposed for some of the downtown core as well as the Galen Street gateway and the Arsenal/North Beacon Street gateway (where auto uses are now dominant).

Zoning for these blocks would comply with the MBTA Communities law.

•

Most other portions of the study area, e.g., going west on Main Street, provide a transition to lower density residential neighborhoods and/or don’t present important opportunities for change. Special permits should continue to be required for these blocks.

•

“Unit capacity” is the state’s way of measuring compliance with the MBTA Communities law—it is a theoretical measure of the maximum number of units that could be built and assumes the land is vacant.

The “unit capacity” of the MBTA Communities zone in the proposed plan is 4,423 units. The required number is 1,701 units.

•

Publicly-owned parcels, such as the municipal parking lot, cannot count towards compliance with the MBTA Communities modeled unit capacity requirements. These publicly-owned parcels are proposed as by right/site plan review to promote redevelopment as part of a coherent vision for Watertown Square.

Stay connected by visiting watertownsquareimprovements.com or following @watertownmagov on Instagram.

Watertown Square Area Plan State-provided toolkit for housing creation calculation and model compliance

The Watertown Square Area Plan explores all physical and human-centered aspects of the study area, with a special emphasis on the configuration and design characteristics of the public realm – including streets, sidewalks, and open spaces – and the buildings that define and activate it.

In the urban planning and design team, I worked as a planning analyst conducting existing site analysis, calculating and proposing zoning schemes in response to both form-based code and the MBTA Communities Law.

Town of Cohasset Zoning Technical Support City of Newton On-Call Zoning Assistance The zoning redesign work began with testing an existing draft form-based code. Utile analyzed the proposed zoning in residential districts, creating illustrations to clearly present the impacts to the Zoning and Planning Committee (ZAP) for feedback and refine the code to suit the needs of stakeholders.

As the urban designer and planning analyst, I prepared the submission materials for the proposed zoning scenario in response to MBTA Communities Zoning Policy, and developed perspective visualizations for development schemes following proposed form-based code.

The town of Cohasset, located in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, is intersected by a commuter rail line and must comply with the MBTA Communities Law to meet multifamily housing creation goals. Given the town’s low-density character and the presence of environmentally sensitive wetlands, extensive discussions arose about balancing the priorities of creating new housing and preserving existing community assets.

As a planning analyst, I supported the technical consulting team to develop and evaluate multiple zoning scenarios. This involved creating maps, building calculation models, and visualizing potential development outcomes. The goal was to identify the most balanced solution that supports housing creation while preserving the town’s valued assets.

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The Andover Comprehensive Plan: Envision, Preserve, Enhance

Development Prototypes

Urban Planning and Design Project in Utile, Inc, with Town of Andover Location: Andover, MA, US Status: Complete - adopted Duration: 01/2023 - 08/2023 Role in Team: Urban designer - worked on existing spatial analysis, town planning vision maps and developed urban design scenarios for priority districts.

The designed prototype scenarios help contextualizing the planning strategies.

Focusing on large-scale industrial office parks, the design emphasizes creating an environment with better mobility and accessibility, as same as job creations to the community. As an opportunity for providing more housing to the town, the housing infill scenario illustrates opportunity zones where smaller-scale neighborhoods can locate closer to the commuter rail and riverfront.

Riverfront Opportunity Zones

Prototype Design - Industrial - Office Park

A Comprehensive Plan is a planning tool which develops a strategic vision and road map for the Town’s future. As the Town of Andover prepares for the coming decades after last completed comprehensive plan in 2012, the design team worked with the town in a 2-year time frame to help better understanding the existing development and planning policies, enhancing local character, and developing a road map for the town to broaden policies and create urban development visions, which will reflect the values and goals for residents, business owners and other key stakeholders.

Existing Spatial Analysis Existing Analysis - Mobility and Transportation Network

Existing Analysis - Environment & Ecosystem

Vision Planning and Urban Design

Prototype Design - Industrial - Housing Infill “Learning from present” is the first step of visioning planning and scenario design. Based on comprehensive understanding of databases, I created a series of maps to visualize where most opportunities and challenges exist in the town: Shawsheen River, as the most important corridor of the town, brings the highest potential for local development and peacemaking, as same as facing the complication of zoning, transportation and ecosystem.

Following public hearings and community engagement, my team initiated the visioning and design process, incorporating feedback gathered from workshops and surveys. As a community-driven plan, it reflects the priorities identified by residents: “Grow along Interstate 93, Enhance along the Shawsheen River, and Connect East to West.”

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Downtown Pittsburgh Green Space System Optimization Design Issuu link: https://issuu.com/xiaoranz/docs/xiaoranzhang_urban_design_media_project_2020

Urban Design Media Lab Work Instructor: Prof. Nico Azel Duration: 01/2020 - 05/2020

Downtown Pittsburgh experiences high air pollution, primarily from traffic and industrial emissions, which negatively affects public health. Green spaces can act as natural air filters, reducing pollution and improving urban air quality. Through data analytical and visualization tools, the project strategically proposed a green space system that is better connected and allows multiple micro-scale interventions to exist.

Walking Accessibility Network Evaluation

Current

Current Isovist View Range

Current Green Space

Comparing the 5-minute walksheds between the current situation and the proposed design scenarios reveals that most of the previously underserved areas are now within accessible walking distances due to the added green spaces. These enhancements create a more cohesive spatial network, particularly along the riverfront, which gains increased connectivity and ecological benefits from the newly integrated green spaces. Similarly, an analysis of the isovist view range shows a significant improvement in visual connectivity, with a more continuous and expansive line of sight along the river. This fosters a stronger sense of openness and accessibility, contributing to a more inviting and integrated urban environment.

Recreation Green Space Filtration Green Space Traffic Green Space Current 5-minute Walkshed Recreation Space 5-minute Walkshed Filtration Space 5-minute Walkshed

Recreation Isovist View Range Filtration Isovist View Range Traffic Isovist View Range Green Space Center Point Recreation Space Center Point Filtration Space Center Point

Isovist View Range Evaluation

Traffic Space 5-minute Walkshed

Scenario

Current

Traffic Space Center Point

Scenario

Overlook Platform Recreation Stairs ft

30

30ft

Recreation Green Space

Hierarchical Landscape

Existing Green Space Components

In this scenario, more accessible entrances can and recreation components can reform the walking and cycling trail along the river.

Existing Green Space

Installed Mini-labs Filtration Tower ft

60

Filtration Green Space

60ft

Exhibitions

In this scenario, filtration components can reduce the air pollution along the river and bring more renewable energy installations.

Existing Green Space

Smart Isolation Belt Filtration Road Light

ft

90

Traffic Green Space

Components

90ft

Components

In this scenario, filtration components can reduce the spread of air and noise pollution along the highway.

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Rural Commons Concept Based on the Case Study of Gaoli Village Instructor: Prof. Renchao Luo, Zhou Xu Site: Nanjing, China Duration: 03/2017 - 06/2017 Individual Work

This project envisions a rural cooperative system through diverse housing types. It reconnects villagers and urban residents with shared living spaces and public areas, fostering a locally-driven live-work community. By leveraging nearby tourism resources, it boosts the local economy and builds connections between travelers and residents, preserving the traditional rural lifestyle while revitalizing the village economy in a modern, sustainable way.

N

Fish Pond Basic Farmland Community Range Railway Land Road

0

0.25

0.5

1km

Rivers & Ditches

Construction Land to Farmland Ratio North Part Construction Land

North Part

Farmland

South Part Construction Land

South Part

Farmland

Gaoli Village is rooted in a traditional agricultural economy, surrounded by rich natural tourism resources and suburban landscapes. However, the village faces a significant challenge: a growing disconnection between the community and its farmland.

Urban Development Brings Change

Urban Expansion & Village Location

N

20

60m

Ground Plan

Urban Per Capita Annual Income

Urban & Rural Income Gap Mechanization reform to increase production!

Seek for better job and more income in big city!

Rural Per Capita Annual Income

More labor, more harvest!

The house is gradually vacant and decaying!

We enjoy working together!

Timeline

0

1960s

1970s

People's Commune Movement

Household Contract Responsibility System

1980s

Reform and Opening

1990s

2000s

Farmer Migration

Intensive Farmland

The village layout centers on a windmill-like public space, surrounded by clustered residential base units. Each unit incorporates three distinct housing prototypes designed to support production, daily living, and social interaction. This structure fosters a balance between individual needs and community engagement, creating a harmonious and adaptable living environment for all residents.

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From Past to Future - AR-based History District Regeneration Instructor: Dandi Ma Site: Shanghai, China Duration: 06/2018 - 08/2018

Team : Xiaoran Zhang, Yanran Lu Role in Team: Preliminary research, concept generation, diagram drawing, architectural representation

Phenomenon - “In Between”

Amid Shanghai’s urban renewal, the Old North Station Shikumen Historic District has emerged as a key area of transformation.

However, the site has faced significant challenges, becoming a neglected and ambiguous space caught between the demands of historical preservation and the pressures of gentrification.

This project seeks to balance historical conservation with future development by leveraging AR technology and interactive installations to safeguard the district’s heritage and living culture. By integrating innovative solutions without increasing construction intensity, the initiative addresses residents’ living needs while enhancing the value of historical blocks, bridging urban tradition with modern city life.

1 Retail

RESERVED RESIDENTIAL AREAS

COMMUNITY ACTIVITY CENTER Ladder Stand Cube Sports Cube

AR Implantation Point

NEW COMMUNITY 12F 1-3F Shopping Mall 4F Public Platform 5-12F Stacked Apartment

HERITAGE CONSERVATION EXHIBITION AREA Former Residence of Wu Changshuo Former Residence of Mr.Liang

1

1

1

1

1

1 1

1 1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1 1

2

2 2

2

1

2

2 2 2

2

2

2

2

2

2 2 2

1

In the process of urbanization, skyscrapers are gradually replacing the traditional urban places. Extensive demolition and construction activities have caused historic communities become undefined negative urban spaces, The Shikumen historical area in Shanghai is undergoing this issue that has been affecting cities internationally.

2 Homestay Room

2

2

2 2 2

2

2

2

2

2 2

2 2 2

2

2

2

2

2

Old Town

Old North Station District

Shanghai N 0

1

3km

Early Shikumen District Mid-term Shikumen District Late Shikumen District

Master Plan

Old Town 1846 British Concession 1848 British Concession 1863 International Settlement 1899 International Settlement 1847 French Concession 1861 French Concession 1900 French Concession 1900 French Concession 1914 French Concession

Modern Style

Traditional Features

JIANYELI

XINTIANDI

Reformed as Commercial Center

Reformed as Superior Hotel

TIANZIFANG

Reformed as Creative Industry Park

COMMERCIAL CENTER 19F 1-2F Shopping Mall 3F Public Platform 4-19F Hotel

Conflicts In History Districts of Shanghai Located in Shanghai, many Shikumen History District are under the process of regeneration. Through this process, many modern styles are added into reconstruction of history buildings, which causes the new-built environment incongruous with the conser vation of traditional district.

COMMUNITY CULTURE CENTER 5F 1F Public Reading Room 2-5F Tanggu School

SHIKUMEN RESIDENCE EXPERIENCE AREA Homestay Restaurant

LANE CULTURAL EXHIBITION HALL VIRTUAL TECHNOLOGY EXPERIENCE HALL N 0

10

50m

ground floor &roof combined

Based on the layout of surrounding lanes, alleys, and public facilities, the site’s street texture has been restructured to establish a public space system that integrates with its surroundings. The design introduces east-west and north-south axes, dividing the site into four functional zones: a new community area, a public service area (comprising commercial, cultural, and educational spaces), residential areas, and tourist zones, which include a Shikumen residence experience section and exhibition spaces.

Former Residence Celebrities

Vista of Historic District

THE WORKS ON SHIKUMEN <WINTER OF SAN MAO> <IN THE MOOD FOR LOVE> CHANGSHUO WU 1844-1927 PAINTER CALLIGRAPHER

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