Thesis: Fill in the Blank

Amber Piacentine

Graduate/2015

Reclaiming Transit Wastelands. Urban mobility patterns are shifting from the automobile to pedestrian, cycling, and public transit; therefore, cities are installing more bus stops, bike paths, and walking trails. While this micro infrastructure creates an expansive network of physical and social connections throughout a city, it leaves behind remnants of land in the urban fabric – some small and awkward, some vast and open – that do not warrant traditional use. These residual transit spaces are often vacant, underutilized, and disconnected from their neighborhoods. This project activates these places as a hub of social gathering within a local neighborhood but also as part of a city-wide network of micro transit nodes that address a need and desire for public space. The design methodology includes an analysis and intervention for three different sites: desolate corporate plaza, urban fragment, and post-industrial brownfield. Each is cultivated for a customized experience for each neighborhood.

Desolate Plaza Pavilion
Brownfield Courtyard
Brownfield Pavilion
Desolate Plaza Courtyard
Kit of Parts Comparison Diagram
Reclaiming Transit Wastelands
Spatial Comparison Diagram
Three Sites Comparison Diagram
Urban Fragment Pavilion