Abstract:
This creative project redesigns the underutilized industrial riverfront area of White River
in Indianapolis as an example to explore strategies to develop a complete system to connect
the riverfront green spaces in a medium-sized city in United States. Industrial development
used to be prosperous in Mid-western area of United States. Industry, especially manufacture
developed fast from late 19th century in Indianapolis, and became the economy’s mainstay of
the city. Along with the transformation of economic structure, industrial decline and many
factories close down lead the contaminated lands cannot be used any more as well as many
surrounding vacant lots. Setting the goal for redesigning a sustainable system of
industrialized river-edge sites to provide comprehensive service for human, the project
explores developing the underutilized urban river-edge sites as well as returning to local
community uses.
This project reviews existing literatures to identify solutions for redesigning and
improving urban river-edge networks, including providing more opportunities to local
community uses, providing sustainable site design for redeveloping underutilized urban river-edge sites, increasing urban spatial design for underutilized area, and cooperating with
commercial development to facilitate the urban economic development. Then, the project
analyzes problems and conflicts of the existing conditions, including population decreasing,
commercial declining, and aesthetics. In the design process, the project provides possible
design solutions to increase the connection of the existing green spaces along river-edge, and
increase the comfort of local residential environment.
