Context, continuity & change : where the past meets the present : an exploration into reuse of older structures for contemporary urban needs

Abstract

Today's society is forcing a reevaluation of the role of our urban areas and the design profession is one of many fields which is being called upon to assist in the definition of the future of them. While many communities have been successful in creating unique individual elements within their urban areas, the difficulty has been maintaining the vitality and energy necessary downtown to support them. In addition to this, urban downtowns suffer from a lack of collective vision which can serve as both unifying and promotional impetus for attracting people to live, shop, work, and recreate downtown. We are all aware of the problems that the increased mobility that the automobile has created, parking, traffic, etc.; however, as natural resources become scarce it is clear that the downtown once again holds the potential for future social interaction. A successful downtown or urban area is the result of a collective spirit in which their are many individual contributors. Not only can individual buildings and spaces be created, but entire cities and urban areas as well. It is true that much of what a city has to offer has evolved over time and cannot simply be "placed" into an urban area with hope that it will attach itself and work. Too often in the recent past, cities have looked for the universal solution to their economic woes by taking a concept from a neighboring community, specifically, a hotel - convention center complex, an enclosed urban mall, a closed pedestrian mall, to name only a few. What this practice has failed to recognize and utilize are the unique features that already exist within that community in order that a personal solution be made for that particular community, not an inappropriate, applied solution.Now that the background has been established it is possible to explore the specific objective of my thesis research which will be a synthesis of many issues from urban design, historic preservation, and creative new design. As was mentioned, cities of all sizes are looking for ways of getting people back downtown to work, shop, live, and recreate and this desire is forcing aggressive strategies to accomplish this goal. I strongly believe that every community should try to promote the unique cultural, design, geographic, and historical aspects which it possesses to address this need to promote the return to the city. What I hope to explore is the relationship between a strong individual project design and the connection or implication it can have on the surrounding urban fabric. As is evident by observing life on the street, a street is a stage on which life takes place, a strong physical manifestation of culture and its influence on built form. Therefore, the role of streetscape in the success of urban areas is critical and also the impact of new design on that streetscape can greatly influence the quality of that urban area. Through the use of a contextural or historic parameters I feel that it will be possible to explore both the evolution of both urban design as well as the streetscape so vital to the success of an urban area. It is for this reason that I have chosen an urban project that will allow me to explore the relationship between individual project design and surrounding context using a historical structure as a springboard for this exploration.