PORTFOLIO ALLISON ROSE DAWSON MASTER OF CITY PLANNING, URBAN DESIGN CERTIFICATE IN LANDSCAPE STUDIES UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF DESIGN 2013
INTRO The following examples of work display the breadth and variety of scales, sites, and contexts of the projects I have worked on to date. These experiences have given me the opportunity to work between different areas related to urban planning, urban design and landscape architecture; establishing from different sides an important relation with the thinking and creation of the built environment. I am an Urban Planning Professional with a background in Design. After 10 years of academic achievements and a multi-disciplinary career working in Graphic Design, Non-profit sector, Education, Research and most recently local Government, I am focusing on utilizing design to empower change agents and battle inequality. As a graduate from the University of Pennsylvania with a Master of City Planning and Urban Design with a Certificate in Landscape Studies, I am particularly interested in providing resources for communities to realize their potential and take ownership and investment to create healthier, sustainable, and more prosperous communities.
CONTENTS 2013
2012
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INFORMAL ARMATURES HARARE, ZIMBABWE
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CASE STUDIES & SHORT DESIGN EXERCISES
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ENVIRONMENTAL REGIMES LOS LAURELES CANYON
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3D DIGITAL MODELING
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CATALYTIC ECOLOGIES ANACOSTIA, WASHINGTON DC
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GREEN RESIDENCE ON THE BAYOU ULI/GERALD D. HINES STUDENT URBAN DESIGN COMPETITION
INFORMAL ARMATURES PROJECT: 702 STUDIO LOCATION: HARARE, ZIMBABWE INSTRUCTOR: DAVID GOUVERNEUR DATE: SPRING 2013, PENN SCHOOL OF DESIGN PARTNER: GENSLER, DC Published in Harare 2040: Towards a More Inclusive City by Thabo Lenneiye. 2014. ISBN: 9781312051195.
This project focuses on the community of Hatcliffe, which is about 15 km from Harare’s Central Business District. Hatcliffe is one of the only informal settlements that is adjacent to some of the wealthiest communities in the city. The objective of this proposal is to create beneficial exchange of economic and cultural resources at this intersection of high and low-income settlements. The strategy includes the reintegration of damaged, underutilized wetlands into a productive hydrological armature which addresses social interaction, water provision, and job creation. This armature is the mechanism to inform growth and expansion within the 2040 Vision Plan of Harare.
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CATALYTIC ECOLOGIES PROJECT: PUBLIC REALM STUDIO LOCATION: ANACOSTIA, WASHINGTON DC INSTRUCTOR: IGNACIO BUNSTER-OSSA DATE: FALL 2013, PENN SCHOOL OF DESIGN PARTNER: WALLACE ROBERTS & TODD (WRT)
This studio took place in Washington DC in an underserved community, Anacostia, where it was critical to understand the dynamic forces that shape the design of the public realm. The site was located across the Anacostia River, which lacked connections to the rest of DC and the neighborhood. A new pedestrian and freeway bridge were part of the new City Plan. How the connection from the bridge into the historic downtown was handled was the challenge. My strategy was a triple bottom line approach that would catalyze development and attract private investment along the river waterfront.
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ALLISON ROSE DAWSON 2014