Roxbury Gardens

urbanity:

2 Boston Society of Architects - 2008 Dudley Charette Exhibition May 2008

Boston Society of Architects - 2008 Dudley Charette Exhibition 3May 2008

Introduction: The Urban Plan

There is a need for new ways of dealing with the fact that for a variety of political, economic, social and other reasons, many cities today face the problem of vacant, underused and underperforming lots within their borders. This is not only the result of the problem of the center being abandoned as a result of rampant suburbanization, though it is one of the main reasons, but the additive effects of severe de-industrialization and decline.

Consequently, this disruption of the city fabric and its related breaks in physical and social cohesion needs to be understood on both micro and macro levels, if new concepts for urban regeneration are to be developed. Oftentimes, however, conventional and even time-proven paradigms of urban and economic growth and development do not work in these cases and alternative concepts have been proposed that have proven more successful in breaking the impasse. These may include micro-credit and urban agriculture initiatives within special regeneration economic zones that challenge contemporary theoretical approaches to geographical and spatial understanding.

Moreover, the current polarization between regions of growth and development and others of abandonment and decline has to be accompanied by innovative and responsible spatial proposals that redefine the morphology of these regions and reevaluate their socioeconomic potential. It is no mystery then that in reinventing aspects of urbanism entrepreneurs have been called in to think outside the box and to brainstorm with politicians, architects, planners and property owners. There are already several examples where interdisciplinary teams have collaborated to suggest alternative strategies on how to deal with this recurring phenomenon of spatial indeterminacy and a couple of the more colorful ones have come from Leipzig in Germany and Liverpool in Britain.

In the former case, an intervention entitled “Bau an!” or “Grow!” dealt with the economic re-appropriation of space by adaptively reusing vacant apartment buildings or “plattenbau” slated for demolition. The interdisciplinary team – made up of two artists, an architect and a mushroom farmer – demonstrated that structures situated on a north-south axis and in close proximity to good transportation infrastructure are ideal for farming gourmet mushrooms. Obviously mushroom farming is but one possibility and the suggestion is that many other enterprises may be found for the adaptive reuse of the abandoned buildings.

In the latter case, an intervention entitled “Cow the Udder Way” featured a herd of cows, which was brought into empty overgrown lots in Liverpool with the aim of highlighting the symbolic self-preserving and self-supplying system: the cow grazing on unused urban land as a supplier of different products, such as: manure as a source of energy; urine as a cosmetic product; methane gas for burning, etc. Using an agro-urban bottom-up-method, the possibilities of an urban regeneration rethinking were viewed as a new area for production and a discussion of alternative planning methods. The project was instrumental in stimulating a cultural discussion about the transformation and the reprogramming of urban areas.

With this in mind, this team’s proposal . . .

Big Picture Themes:



Step 1: reCreateWith the notion that the Dudley Square area will embrace the evolution desire to house a greater economic diversity is to embrace the ideals of transit-oriented design, density, and economic generators (jobs, etc.). To do this requires some rethinking of the traffic flow, including the busses and Silver line at Dudley station.

Currently the terminal jettisons busses into the mid-block of Dudley Street. This makes for a complicated traffic flow and certainly a more hazardous environment for the pedestrian that are hoped to be participating in the local businesses. That same street wall provide a shallow sidewalk depth that will have to be reworked in order to provide a proper venue for pedestrian interaction and flow.

In terms of the physical intervention, U:3 would argue for minimal change to existing conditions in the surrounding context, the exceptions being the reconfiguration of Dudley Sq. Depot to allow for infill / reconstruction of edge along Dudley St. and connection therein to competition site across the way. The frontage of the competition boundaries to be dedicated to institutional built and open space, while the core is taken by the incubator (whose form / function may give rise to various alternatives of what frames it, i.e. a landmark). Back-of-the-lot to be dedicated to residential with some mixed possible to make the connection to fabric on top of park. The park itself to be connected through residential to Dudley Sq. depot and form a recognizable Mall (another landmark). The library itself to undergo treatment for engagement to context and the learning center to be given an addition related to incubator building.

Changing Ways:



Step 2: Create New Economic Base

Examples mentioned in the introduction (Bristish) are the product of alternative proposals generating new ways of envisioning urban and economic regeneration and spatial production by rethinking local flows of people, goods, and information in relation to a greater context. According to the theorist Henri Lefebvre and his assertion that space is a product of practice, “. . . an existing space may outlive its original purpose and the “raison d’être” which determines its forms, functions and structures (and) it may thus in a sense become vacant. (It may then become) susceptible of being diverted, re-appropriated and put to a use quite different from its initial one.” According to this project team, indigenous re-appropriation and adaptive reuse of urban fabric in the Dudley Square area, in combination with strong urban subcultures, have the potential bringing about successful spatial and economic networks that time tested practices have not been able to achieve.

This is the reinvestment from within that is needed for Dudley Square to remain a viable and identifiable piece of the existing community. By taking this unused land and using it it creates many layers of community ties, to include the end product being an economic engine that produce grown is produce sold at the market. The traffic generated is the reason for advocating that local crafts people occupy “stalls” within the marketplace to reduce the need for advertisement dollars. Again, this layering of community ties that can be brought into the economic stimulation of the area.

Stirring Economy:



Step 3: Clarity & Scale of Streetwall

With the fractured nature of the existing streetwall, interrupted by unclear entries to the library, police station, and courthouse that are combined with poorly constructed paths and egress to and from these venues, it becomes imperative that a clear street edge with readable frontages and entries is made.

The vista view that looks south down Warren Ave at Dudley Street is an opportunity to create a new clear public face for the Dudley Branch of the Boston Public Library. Having an iconic vestibule and properly scaled but transparent streetwall along Dudley removes the “fortress effect” of the existing building face and empty plaza. It also brings the entry around to the main street rather than its current location, tucked around a corner.

Metaphorically it also helps to push the idea of these uninviting and unclear and in some cases unsafe areas be rationalized for the purposes of making them more accessible and usable. This usability includes possible tie ins to local college programs for running businesses, i.e. a cafe at the library run my Business majors at Northeastern with student at the local culinary arts schools providing the menus.

These buildings along Dudley as well as up a new permeating street to be discussed later, are opportunities to incorporate sustainable technologies to help begin to make Roxbury less dependent on high-priced energy sources while perhaps serving as a potential economic layer for the local base.

Clear sight:



Step 4: Permeate the SiteWith the re-established streetwall at Dudley and the traffic more organized to promote walkability, the goal is to permeate the site by creating a new street that moves south towards the ball field and upper park of the Boys and girls club. This also includes a thru-street (perhaps re-introducing Cliff Street that left long ago) along the ridge at the southern edge of the site.

This permeation will take the form of a live-work arcaded street. Live-work provide a “two for one” investment and interest community-wise. By providing residences in the core of the square there is benefit to having services for these people to include restaurants, service shops like dry-cleaning, and other amenities either new or enhanced by the new homes. Given their proximity to the transit it qualifies for transit-oriented funding opportunities and certainly green funding. This will help bring down the construction costs thus helping to keep them affordable.

By also serving as the business end, small shop owners can truly be invested in the street level presence to include public safety (eyes on the street, so to speak) and general economic stimuli.

These Porter Square (Cambridge MA) examples show that you can be creative with the shop depths (these being about 12 feet deep due to the blank wall of the CVS retail box) and edge treatment.

The street itself can be closed for pedestrian only traffic during events that can be held, essentially aggregating all the peripheral smaller plazas that are so inefficient and uninviting. It also serves as the link to the green edge along the new thru street.

Changing Direction:



Step 5: reConnectAlong the back edge of the site runs a new thru road that follows the old route of the long gone Cliff Road. This serves as a local traffic link from Warren Street to Washington Street. It helps create a new “green edge” that will serve as both a potential relocation of the World War II Memorial Park, that would terminate a Washington Street extension street, as well as new community gardens that line the hillside. They would terrace up to the existing and rather uninviting park in the mid-block of St. James Street.

As stated earlier these gardens help to make the current ill-used back area of the site something that has public interest and benefit while allowing the community to take matters into their own hands, “beautifyingly” speaking.

These new greens take the residential edge at St. James and provide the direct link to Dudley Square and back again.

Linking the Community:



Step 6: reActivate

Documents

Roxbury Gardens