ALTERNATIVE STARTUP FOR THE CITY RETHINKING THE REVITALZIATION OF THE DOWNTOWN DISTRICT ROBERT BEUCHEL
TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT
p. 3
PROJECT PROPOSAL
p. 4
A CITY IN CRISIS
p. 5
(SPRAW)LING AWAY FROM THE CENTER
p. 7
ALTERNATIVE STARTUPS
p. 9
LARGE DEVELOPER REVITALIZATION
p. 12
ALTERNATIVE REVITALIZATION
p. 17
ANALYZING THE CITY
p. 25
REALIZING THE VACANT LOT
p. 33
PRECEDENTS
p. 35
PROGRAMMING THE CENTER
P. 41
ALTERNATIVE STARTUP FOR THE CITY
P. 47
REFERENCES
P. 63
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ABSTRACT The alterna ve startup looks to challenge the conven onal model of urban revitaliza on within the downtown districts. The project will explore the eects of the development projects on other communi es around the country and how they have played out. The study will also examine alterna ve models to redevelopment and revitaliza on that challenge the models laid out by private developers. The idea is take the knowledge gained through precedents and research to apply this to the downtown Fort Wayne District. The Alterna ve Startup looks to be a prototype that can be applied to other communi es. The project model looks to implement a process that can be applied to other communi es. By crea ng a framework for which to begin to inves gate the project, these processes will begin to lay the groundwork for what needs to be inves gated, explored, what can be achieved and how. These processes will be applied to Fort Wayne’s Downtown District. While the solu on for this project may be exclusive to Fort Wayne, the processes are something that can be applied to other communi es in the midst of revitaliza on or are looking for ideas of how to redevelop their own communi es. The processes stem from looking at other alterna ve models and how they have approached their communi es as well as looking at key texts. The project is much more than just a revitaliza on prototype that can be u lized by other communi es. It is a study of Downtown Fort Wayne, IN. What makes up downtown Fort Wayne? What a ributes does the city have that can be conducive for a successful community? What a ributes do they lack? One of the focuses is redeveloping the downtown through an inves ga on of space and how can local businesses, entrepreneurs and startups begin to reinvigorate the community? One of the features that needs addressed in the project is the a rac on of younger genera ons that are educated and skilled in ways that can bring innova on and new business ideas to the community. The main por on of the project looks at crea ng a set of processes that can be applied to revitaliza on within downtown Fort Wayne. The second part is addressing Fort Wayne directly and moving forward with laying out a concept for what can be a place where people work, live and play in Downtown Fort Wayne.
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PROJECT PROPOSAL Currently, there is a trend within many communi es of an exodus of key demographics. Many ci es are losing popula on of individuals between the ages of 18-24 and 25-44. These groups usually represent the young talent within a community that brings new ideas for businesses and ideas to invigorate the community. One other current trend that has not faded is the exodus away from the urban centers of the community. Many communi es look to downtown revitaliza on projects to bring back individuals. These projects usually cost the city millions of dollars and are not always successful. Many of these revitaliza ons usually only create des na ons within the community for individuals to visit, but then these individuals leave and return to the peripheries, taking with them capital needed to reinvest in these urban centers. How can we begin to understand how to bring these demographics back, and can we create a space that anchors an urban center with new business ideas and the ability to retain individuals within these downtown communi es? The lens for which this study will be conducted has two main cores. The first core is focusing on the urban center. Many American ci es are growing, but they are growing at the peripheries, leaving the urban centers downtrodden and abandoned. Many of these communi es look to invest in downtown revitaliza on projects, but fail to capitalize on a community aspect that creates a culture conducive for new ideas to flouish and a ract new people to the area. The second part of the study is focusing on what type of space is required for for startup companies and can they coexist in an environment with other aspiring entrepreneurs? These two cores will lay the framework for which the study will be conducted. The framework above will lay the founda on for how the informa on collected can be deciphered into a design solu on. The concept is crea ng an environment where aspiring individuals can come to prove their concepts and launch their business ideas within a collabora ve environment. The idea is to create an anchor points within an urban center that becomes the catalyst for new business ideas that begin to reinvigorate the downtown community. By crea ng a strong local business core, the idea would be to ensure that these individuals remain within the downtown area and a ract people to move to these loca ons. The idea is to redensify the downtown communityretain the popula on within these urban centers so that they do not just become des na on centers where people come to visit then leave at the end of the day.
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A CITY IN CRISIS As ci es grow, many of them face the same dilemma. While the popula on con nues to grow in most ci es, these ci es begin to lose out on a cri cal mass of individuals that are the best and brightest. These individuals look to move more a rac ve ci es and leave their hometowns with a void that cannot be filled. The current trend is that many ci es are losing key demographics in the ages of 18-24 and 24-44. The popula on described is the individuals that usually inhabit dense urban areas, bring new business ideas to forefront, and are at the forefront of innova on. Fort Wayne, IN, located in the northeast corner of Indiana, is no stranger to this crisis at hand. The city is currently in the midst of expansion and seeing a popula on increase overall, but the city is s ll losing out on these key individual groups. As these individuals leave the city, so goes with them all of the fresh ideas, innova on and business opportuni es that come from having these individuals within the city. Looking at the 2000 and 2010 census data, informa on can be found in the decline in these age groups. As all of the age categories con nued to climb, the 18-24 groups saw a decline from 10.7% of the overall city popula on to 10.2%. While half a percent is not a large popula on change, it is s ll significant when you are looking at small group of the popula on. The 25-44 age group saw a decline from 30.5% of the popula on in 2000 to 26.7% of the popula on in 2010. What this data is showing that while Fort Wayne con nues to grow in popula on, it is failing to retain individuals within key age groups. The loss of individuals within the 1824 popula on shows a loss of individuals leaving the city a er high school. Many of these individuals leave the city for higher educa on, or others move to larger metropolitan areas in search of dierent opportuni es. A decline within the next age group of 25-44 shows a lack of being able to retain individuals. This age group shows many fresh out of college graduates not returning to their hometowns but seeking opportuni es in other areas. This group represents a large percentage of the workforce and entrepreneurial individuals. As Fort Wayne con nues to grow in popula on, it needs to find a way to retain these individuals as well as create opportuni es to a ract individuals from other communi es to want to move to the city. The city is con nuing to grow quickly, but is the city heading to a crisis of becoming an aging city where the youth leave to chase other opportuni es outside of their community.
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FORT WAYNE POPULATION population 343,650(projection) 253,691 254,555 205,727 178,269
1970
173,072
172,391
1980
1990
2000
2010
2012
2050
Projected Share of Total Population by Age Group, 2010 to 2050 30%
25%
25-44 45-64 65+ 0-14
20%
15% 15-24
10%
2010
2015
2020
2025
2030
2035
2040
2045
2050
Source: Indiana Business Research Center
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(SPRAWL)ING AWAY FROM THE CENTER The concept of Sprawl is not something new. It gave rise to the car culture that arose just prior to World War II. The ability for residents to move to the suburbs where cost of living was cheaper was made easier with the ability to drive into downtown centers as the car became more affordable to ci zens. As the escape to the suburbs arose, businesses followed the exodus from the urban center. With the majority of the popula on now living in the suburbs, businesses would move from the urban centers to be closer to their target audiences. Ci es con nued to expand further and further out, as land became available for expansion. As people and businesses began to move from the downtown neighborhoods to the suburbs, this le the urban centers abandoned and desolate. It created segrega on amongst the poor that could not afford to move from the city and the new emerging middle class. Even though the majority of the popula on lived outside of the urban center, they s ll traveled to the downtown communi es to work. This allowed for a niche of businesses to arise that catered to the workers that traveled into the city every day to work. Unfortunately, these businesses followed the typical work day, leaving them closed during the evening hours and weekends. The urban centers quickly became a place where people came to work but not play and stay. Fort Wayne started out as a very dense urban center. Forming around where the three rivers met, the community remained very central and dense for almost a good 100 years. Just prior to World War II is when the city quickly expanded to the peripheries. The expansion, which is shown on the next page, documents the city’s expansion from its concep on in the 1800s to through 2010. The city is s ll expanding as we speak. As Fort Wayne looked to its peripheries for expansion, the focus of the downtown area was lost. It became a desolate and abandoned area with li le human traffic outside of business hours. Currently the city is s ll expanding. As the city con nues to expand, developers are destroying farmland and wooded areas to create new subdivisions and shopping centers to cater to the expanding popula on. As the popula on centers shi , the city is scrambling to improve the infrastructure to accommodate the new popula on centers. Fort Wayne is in the midst of revitalizing their downtown. Currently the projects that have been completed have only created des na ons. The focus for crea ng a sense of place where people come to work, play and stay have not really been met yet.
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1833
1865
1900-1920
1940-1960
1970
1980
1990
2000-2010 8
ALTERNATIVE STARTUPS FOR THE CITY As Fort Wayne looks to redensify their downtown community. They have begun by looking at large scale renova on projects. The first major revitaliza on to bring people back to the downtown neighborhoods was the crea on of the Downtown baseball stadium. This project created a large des na on for people to visit, but it did not create a place that would a ract ci zens to stay in the urban center, but only a des na on. They created a place to play, but not a place for work and live. One of the major problems from this project was the vacant lot adjacent to the stadium that was le empty for mul ple years. This was supposed to be a mixed use development with condominiums in the upper floors and businesses at the street level. The project ran into disinterest as it struggled to meet the minimum occupancy to begin the project. The problem was that the downtown neighborhoods had not created a sense of place that would a ract residents to this area. One of the models for revitalizing the downtown centers has been local governments sinking money into development projects. These projects tend to lack community input and are more developer focused on trying to drive the property value of that given space. In this scenario, many of the projects fail because the strategies pursued by the city governments to revitalize the downtown neighborhoods were part of the problem from the beginning (Ward, 2010, p. 1183). As these development projects come into the downtown communi es, they tend have a high cost associated with inhabi ng the spaces. With these prices, you see an absence of local businesses because of the inability to aord the space. This creates places for na onal chains to come into the community. While crea ng jobs, these businesses are less likely to reinvest back into the community. These large scale projects look to only improve face value of the city. They seek to create places of play and work where ci zens only come to work and be entertained. They lack the general connec on of crea ng a sense of community in most circumstances One of the more successful models for revitalizing downtown communi es is through Business Improvement Districts (BIDs). The BIDs are usually a coali on of ci zens and local businesses that seek to improve the districts within which they live and work. These groups seek to create a sense of place within the community. They look to improve the quality of life, living and work. They take on the projects of regenera ng urban centers to create a sense of community. These en es generally reject state centered prac ces and embrace a more flexible approach to downtown governance (Ward, 2010, p. 1181). Since BIDs are not ed to government en es, it allows them to have the ability to adapt quickly and crea vely to new opportuni es that arise. They also have the ability to take calculated risks and try new approaches without having to go through the bureaucra c 9
process (Ward, 2010, p. 1181). The BID’s have the ability to make significant change to their communi es. They have been responsible for many of the revitaliza ons within the major ci es of the United States as well as the smaller communi es around the country. Their main goal is to upgrade the economic, social, environment and physical well-being of their community. The BIDs have the ability to improve the quality of life within their urban centers, empower the ci zens to have a posi ve impact on their communi es and to create a sense of place within their neighborhoods. The above methods are what have been commonly done within communi es around the United States and the global sphere. While these methods have their advantages that could work in understanding how to fix the Fort Wayne downtown community, this study looks to create a new model that could poten ally help the Fort Wayne community, as well as poten ally be applied to other communi es around the country and globe. The new model looks to combine two business strategies that currently foster and promote new businesses star ng up. It looks to invest directly into entrepreneurs that have new and innova ve ideas that can bring promise to the community. The combina on of incubators and business centers look to cater to the rise of the need for new businesses within communi es that are losing ground at the local business level and look to bring back young people with fresh business ideas. The idea of the incubator is a type of economic development facility that combines features of entrepreneurship, business facilita on, and real estate development (Ndabeni, 2008, p.259). These incubators give a place for where young startups and businesses can come to be aided in their businesses. The incubators can help products and businesses go from concept to product launch. The business center is a place where mul ple firms work in the same facility sharing spaces. These centers create a network that can become a vital instrument in developing rela onships with poten al clients, partners and compe tors. The business center provides spaces for these startups to grow and flourish at a minimal risk in a collabora ve environment. The ability of the business center to remain a flexible space, allows for mul ple uses to inhabit the same space con nuously with minimal change to the environment. This creates a single point from which businesses can come, develop, grow and repopulate abandoned business fronts within the community. The concept of combining the incubator with the business center would create a place within Downtown Fort Wayne where new entrepreneurs could come to work at a minimal cost. One major issue that plagues startups is the capital needed to create a place of work. Many begin in their homes, slowly gaining capital and slowly growing into dierent spaces. 10
LARGE DEVELOPER REVITALIZATION The idea of revitaliza on has taken mul ple paths through the years. The most common style of revitaliza on is through real estate developers. The large development groups look to buy up as much real estate as possible and turn it around for a profit. The development style has seen some success, but has been met with a large counter approach from community groups, community ini a ves and no profit associa ons. The large development groups have been responsible for some of the large empty projects in downtown communi es. Back in the 1960’s and 70’s, Constant Niewenhuys proposed the project ‘New Babylon.’ New Babylon is a new concept of the city that rejects capitalism and looks to create moments within the city. The Large Development and the New Babylon new city look to be at ends with each other. The large developer approach has plagued the ci es with failed project a er failed project. They look for a universal approach that can be applied from city to city without paying a en on to the culture and workings of the community. These developments look to quickly turn a profit and move from project to project. Not only do communi es suffer from this idea of developing with no regard to scale, but the city suffers as well. The city municipali es sink money into these projects with op mism for a be er tomorrow, but find only disappointment and wasted resources as these projects sit empty and cost tax payer’s money as they inherit the burden of the expenses the city put forth on the project. The developer approach has the inten on of providing framework for businesses to come into the city and establish a foothold within the community. The issue then arises that the cost of these spaces only allow for na onal chains to gain another spot within the city. They focus on a cost and scale that pushes out local businesses and is not conducive for a culture based on local entrepreneurs and new startup projects. The development projects look to also add a layer of residen al within the downtown communi es. These residen al sec ons tend to ignore the target demographics that want to move into the downtown neighborhoods. These high costs of living push out the young entrepreneurs that want to move into the inherent culture of downtown communi es and be able to work and live. The New Babylon An -Capital city looks to redefine the city. It challenges the conven onal norm of the city. The idea is not create a central city, but to create a global city designed around experiences. The idea is to create a global city that creates a sense of connectedness. The city would be a collec on of structures the size of ci es that would be interconnected with other large mega-structure. New Babylon would be inhabited 11
by a group of nomads known as the homo ludens. This group of people would be able to wander from city to city in search of new sensa ons. All purpose of work and civic responsibility will be abandoned. With the abandoning of conven onal norms within the city, the homo luden will be able to apply himself to exploring his own crea on. The homo luden will be free to have an uninterrupted process of crea on and re-crea on. The freedom of the New Babylon society allows for a sense of progression and crea ve innova on that is counter to a typical development process. While Developers are concerned with turning a profit by transforming real estate, the homo ludens look to seek a life of freedom where they are le to their own devices. They are allowed to pursue their own projects in an environment that is conducive to innova on, inven on and collabora on.
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US-287
I-2 5
BASEBALL STADIUM REVITALIZATION
DOWNTOWN DENVER
US-40
COORS FIELD
DENVER, CO
LE
LAKE ERIE
C WN
ND
LA
VE
TO
WN
DO
I-9
0
CUYAHOGA RIVER
I-77
PROGRESSIVE (JACOB’S) FIELD
CLEVELAND, OH
DOWNTOWN WASHINGTON, D.C.
I-395
I-66
I-395
AC M TO PO
I-695
ER
R
VE
RI
NATIONALS PARK
13
WASHINGTON, D.C.
TIA
OS AC AN
RIV
One of the approaches that city municipali es look to use is revitaliza on through a downtown baseball stadium. This approach has been referred to as the silver bullet approach. The goal is create a des na on within the downtown community that will a ract people from outside the downtown community back to the neighborhoods. The stadium creates a minimum of 61 events a year that a ract people to the area around the stadium. The hope with the downtown stadium is that businesses will begin to emerge around the stadium and create capital des na ons where people can invest money back into these neighborhoods. The stadium approach fails on a couple dierent levels. The stadium only a racts people to the stadium for the events, and then people turn around and leave the city. It only keeps them within the community for a li le while. The local businesses that emerge around the stadium may be small anchor points within the community, but the businesses are usually owned by people outside of the downtown neighborhoods. So while business may flourish around the stadium, many of the downtown stadiums fail to give back to the communi es around them and become the lone beacon within the community, and fail to address the culture of the community for which they are located.
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DEVELOPER REVITALIZATION
I-5 5
I-5
DOWNTOWN SAN DIEGO
I-5
VANTAGE POINTE
SAN DIEGO, CA
I-290
DOWNTOWN WORCESTER
CITYSQUARE
WORCESTER, MA
DOWNTOWN FORT WAYNE
NEW DOWNTOWN DEVELOPMENT (conceptual rendering) FORT WAYNE, IN
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The projects on the le are couple of examples of failed projects and the impact that developer revitaliza on have on the community. These projects forget to address scale of the context, demand for typologies within the city, and a failure to address culture within the community. The project in San Diego was a condominium project with commercial on the lower levels. The project failed to sell condominiums and were forced to be rented out. The commercial proper es sit empty as the cost is too high and the local residents feel that scale of the building is not propor onate to the community. The project in Worcester is failed downtown mall. The developers thought the mall that cut o a main circulatory artery in the city sat empty while community members were disinterested with the downtown mall. The site has recently been bulldozed and a new mixed use business center that looks to revitalize the city through business centers and revamping cultural centers. The Fort Wayne project is a new development underway in downtown Fort Wayne. The project looks to bring two major firms into the city and anchor the project. The project will become a center of commercial and residen al proper es. The residen al proper es look be upscale proper es that could poten ally sit empty. Fort Wayne had an issue previously with a new condominium project that sat empty for years next to the downtown baseball stadium as the project could not pull investors or residents to invest in the project. These projects are a just a couple examples of the large development failure and possible failure.
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ALTERNATIVE REVITALIZATION In contrast to the large development group, an emergence of community based revitaliza on has started to become more prevalent within communi es. While this concept is not new, the indierence that people feel towards the large developments and their impact has brought these projects into the mainstream. These methods are a collec on of nonprofits, ini a ves, and developers that focus on a community first aspect for revitaliza on. These groups look to begin to approach the idea of focusing on a local business and entrepreneurial environment. These groups celebrate the local community, local cra and their impact within the community. The groups range from a developer who looks to a ract young talent to his community, to groups that look to turn the city into a 24 hour city where people work, live and play in downtown. There is the group that looks to change the environment of their community a er a tragic incident impacted the community. The groups also are made up of a couple developers that take a community first approach to development. The alterna ve revitaliza on is a stark contrast to the developer revitaliza on. These groups started as a movement by the people for the people and look to empower the local community and the downtown neighborhoods.
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Founder: Tony Hsieh Development Group Downtown Project is a Group in Las Vegas, NV led by Zappos founder, Tony Hsieh. The group looks to create the most community-focused large city in the world through inspiring and empowering people to follow their passions to create a vibrant, connected urban core. DOWNTOWN PROJECT aims to: • Bring together communi es of passion • Add density of ground level ac vi es, spaces, and businesses • Create the coworking capital of the world. • Create the shipping container capital of the world. These are the goals laid out by the DOWNTOWN PROJECT. The group has invested in these goals by focusing on the aspira ons of the community through: • Arts, Music & Culture • Community and Coworking • Educa on and Entrepreneurship. • Technology DOWNTOWN PROJECT has taken on a series of innova ve prac ces. The first being their entrepreneurship recruitment plan. They have a list of criteria which must be met in order to achieve investment from the group. One of the criteria that must be met is “What makes your business unique or the best at what you do?” The next being the Crash Pad. The crash pad is a series of apartments that allows for the DOWNTOWN PROJECT to bring people to Las Vegas during the recruitment. The pads allow people to come and experience Downtown Las Vegas for free. The Last of the innova ve processes consist of u lizing repurposed shipping containers to create spaces for entrepreneurs to follow their passions. 18
MAIN X24 Founder: CreateHere CreateHere was a 5 year non-profit Ini a ve. MAIN X24 is currently owned and organized by residents, merchants and friends of the Southside Community in Cha anooga, TN. MAIN X24 was an ini a ve first organized by CreateHere as 24 hour fes val along Main Street in the southside community of Cha anooga, TN. The goals of the project are: • Make Cha anooga, TN a 24 hour city • Showcase the burgeoning Southside Community as a thriving main street • Celebrate local businesses, ar sts, and residents The MAIN x24 is a once a year event that has been held since 2007 in December. The day is a 24 fes val that has the dream of making the city become a 24 hour city. The fes val entails parades, music, poetry readings and cook-offs. The group has partnered with the local paper to hold a photography compe on. The idea behind this is to ensure a thriving and connected local community. The project goes beyond just the one day event and beyond just Cha anooga. It looks to help other communi es push for the same connectedness in their communi es. The group has a link in their website for other community groups who want to implement this type of event and ini a ve in their own city. The ‘how to guide’ takes you to their Facebook page which tells more about the group and shows all of the social media aspect that the group has drawn. 19
5M Project Founder: Forest City 5M Project is a mixed-use development led by Forest City. Forest city is a na onal urban development group. The 5M project gets its name from its loca on in the San Francisco area. It is located between in the blocks between 5th and Mission in downtown. The goal behind 5M Project is: • A collabora on of local partners that look to invest in o Community development and local business o Support local ar sts and youth of the surrounding community o Tech startups that bring fresh and innova ve ideas to the bay area o Manufacturing and crea on of new jobs in the industry o As well as the growing mobile food industry. • Mixed use development that connects local community and builds on the vibrancy already present through the ac vated open spaces, streets and alleys • Crea ng new forms of Urban density o It looks to combine a variety of building types with flexible spaces to accommodate a variety of users o Dynamic streets that promote movement between indoor and outdoor spaces • Crea ng an environment that is built for everyday interac ons and a place for sharing new experiences and crea ve ideas The new development project looks to expand on the growing environment that is already present. The 5M project began with the reuse of underdeveloped proper es in the bay area. It is crea ng a space that blends innova ve business ideas and community center. They provide events for the local community as well as give a space where new upcoming entrepreneurs can find the support and tools necessary for launching into a thriving local market. The development aspect of the project led by Forest City looks to expand upon the present atmosphere and provide a space that looks to invest in local economies, ground place, an anchor tenant, the physical environment as well as experiences within the community. 20
University City District Founder : Penn, Drexel University, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia The University City District (UCD) was founded out of a need for security. The members of the group combined together a er the tragic death of a graduate student as well as other major crimes in the area in the Philadelphia neighborhood surrounding Penn. The idea behind the project was to improve the neighborhood by addressing security and a healthier place. The groups formed a non-profit to that acts like a business improvement district. Since UCD does not own any property, they u lize vacant spaces to turn them into vibrant spaces. This leads to an effect where private property owners see the benefit of energizing previously underused spaces and look to invest into these spaces. The four main goals UCD outlines are: • Serving our Community • Connec ng opportuni es • Having fun • Shaping public space The group works for the neighborhood, providing a space that once felt unsafe into a safe and healthy community. They look to connect businesses and workers together as well as empower the youth of the community. They have helped the youth of the neighborhoods find internships with major area employers and connect youth with training and programs that show the importance of the connec on between educa on and success. The UCD also provides programs and events for the community. The events look to showcase businesses, art, parks and the public spaces the neighborhood has to offer. Some of the events include a summer movie series, farmers market, City Dining Day, and Cra Market. Their last point is reac va ng once vacant spaces within the city. 21
3CDC Founder: Former Mayor Charlie Luken and members of Cincinna Corporate Community Non-profit Corpora on The Cincinna Center City Development Corp (3CDC) was founded in 2003 by former mayor as well as the corporate community of Cincinna . The group looks to strengthen the core assets of downtown by revitalizing and connec ng the Fountain Square District, the Central Business District and Over-the-Rhine (OTR). The goals of 3CDC are: • Create great civic spaces • Create high density/mixed-use development • Preserve historic structures and improve streetscapes • Create diverse, mixed-income neighborhoods supported by local business The goal of the group was to iden fy distressed areas and how to improve it. They iden fied the OTR area as a major distressed community a poverty rate of 58% despite being located between two of the most successful districts of the city. The group purchased numerous vacant buildings, homes and lots. They began to renovate the historic buildings into new homes, condominiums, apartments, and commercial spaces. The project brought new jobs to the community, a successful art community with a focus back on the community which was led by 3CDC. The success of the OTR project is a major success as currently 100% of the completed units are sold and 99% of the completed commercial space is leased. The project has transformed a high crime rate community into one of the most successful areas in the Cincinna area where people are wan ng to live, work and play. 22
Project for Public Spaces Founder: Fred Kent Non-profit planning, designing, and educa onal organiza on Project for Public Spaces (PPS) is a non-profit organiza on, founded in 1975, that seeks to helping people create and sustain public spaces that build stronger communi es. They u lize an approach called Placemaking that helps ci zens transform spaces into vital places that Highlight local assets, spur rejuvena on and serve common needs. The group has worked on projects in over 3000 communi es in 43 different countries and all 50 states. The group partners with private and public organiza ons, municipal agencies, business improvement districts, neighborhood associa ons and other civic groups to help foster successful spaces. The main focus has switched to training individuals in their Placemaking approach to help them ac vate their own communi es. PPS’s agenda consists of: • Place governance • Place capital • Healthy communi es • Building communi es through transporta on • Architecture of place • Entrepreneurial places: Markets, Main Streets, and Beyond • Crea ng Mul -Use Public Des na ons The agendas look to break the barrier between governance and development. Groups need to include all voices in the ma er rather than exclude. PPS looks to show how successful placemaking efforts a ract support from sources that are a racted to success and can create new opportuni es and investments back into the community. They look to create healthy communi es by crea ng a place that promotes ac vity. Crea ng communi es that are walkable or bikable are the desired outcomes. Another part of the agenda is reintegra ng public transporta on back into the design of the community. Architecture of place looks to bring back the connec on to the ground floor. By doing away with blank facades, people can begin to reconnect with the ground plane through storefronts and cafes that are more invi ng than harsh walls. PPS looks to invest back into local entrepreneurial realm. A movement that reflects back to the ‘mom and pop’ shops that were so prominent in the first half of the 20th century. 23
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ANALYZING THE CITY
FORT WAYNE, IN
25
CITY OF FORT WAYNE MAKE-UP
DOWNTOWN RESIDENTIAL INDUSTRY COMMERCIAL HIGHER EDUCATION FARMLAND AIRPORTS HOSPITALS NEW HAVEN, IN MAJOR INTERSTATE/HIGHWAY
The zoomed out map of Fort Wayne shows a general makeup of the city and the surrounding context. The map gives an insight into how the city is arranged and the rela onship of the all of the major components to the downtown community in the center.
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DOWNTOWN FORT WAYNE DEMOGRAPHICS
For popula on 25 years and over in 46802: High school or higher: 74.9% Bachelor’s degree or higher: 17.3% Graduate or professional degree: 4.8% Unemployed: 18.0% Mean travel me to work (commute): 17.2 minutes The stats of the downtown Fort Wayne community show a neighborhood that appears to be a working class neighborhood. The idea of the project is retain individuals between 24-35 that bring innova on and new business ideas to the community. While these stats may not reflect that premise, they do show a poten al lack of educa on that could hinder the growth of new businesses as well innova ve ideas in tech, industry, entrepreneurship. The mean travel me to work also shows that many of the residents within the downtown district are not necessarily working within the downtown community. This assump on can be inferred with the idea that a local commute within your neighborhood would be much shorter.
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15-35 35-50 >50
MEDIAN AGE POPULATION BY CITY BLOCK
0-30% 30%-50% 50%-70% 70%-100%
WHITE POPULATION PER CITY BLOCK
0-30% 30%-50% 50%-70% 70%-100%
BLACK POPULATION PER CITY BLOCK
<8,000 8,000-14,000 14,000-20,000 >20,000
POPULATION DENSITY
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MAJOR BUILDINGS PARKING LOTS PARKS/GREEN SPACE PARKVIEW FIELD HOSPITAL INDUSTRY RESIDENTIAL SCHOOLS HIGHER EDUCATION MUSEUMS THEATRES RESTAURANT/BARS RAIL LINES MAJOR ROADS US-27 BIKE LANES
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FORT WAYNE, IN
The city of Fort Wayne was chosen for the recent energy of revitaliza on that started with the crea on of a downtown stadium. The city used the baseball stadium as the anchor point for which to grow and expand upon. The city was evaluated from a zoomed out percep on of the city and it’s makeup. The city was evaluated based on the anchor points of the city in rela on to the downtown community. The zoomed out map shows a sprawling community that lacks a central core, but shows a collec on of parts with no rela on to each other or density. The map shows a collec on of parts and centers that lack any rela on to each other. Upon zooming into the downtown community, the parts that made up the overall city map begin to be analyzed at a localized level. The downtown Fort Wayne community was analyzed for all of the compenents that make up the community. Upon examining the components, the downtown community is localized reflec on of the overall city map. The demographics of the community show a shocking revla on that many of the residents that live on the periphery of the downtown community, do not even work within the city. They work on the outskirts or in the sca ered industrial centers. Upon examing the various components of the city, an emerging pa ern begins to arise. By crea ng layers of components and overlaying them, one of the largest layers is that of the parking lot. The city is a field of parking with a rac ons an centers located around them. The parking lots become virtual vacant lots majority of the me. As people flee into the city for their 9-5 jobs, the lots sit empty and become places of inac vity. The ‘vacant’ lot phenoma becomes something that needs addressed. The approach of leveling the parking lot could be an approach to redensifying the city, but then the need for addi onal parking would begin to arise. The next step would be a raised approach that would meet the parking lot in a lightweight solu on with minimal impact on the lot and allow for the parking lot to be unnaffected. The diagrams and project layout in the following pages will begin to explore this idea of a raised structure that begins to lightly touch down on the lot.
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REALIZING THE ‘VACANT’ LOT RETHINKING THE PARKING LOT
The diagrams below begin to lay the founda on work for how to rethink the parking lot. They begin to look how the project can begin to be li ed above the parking lot. The map of the city begins to iden fy parking lots at the center of des na ons with the downtown neighborhood that can be ac vated by the project. The diagrams and renders are an early explora on that begin to lay out certain criteria that will begin to inform design decisions.
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PRECEDENTS One of the decisions that was made from the explora ons of the project is the need for temporality and lightness of construc on. The project must challenge the conven on of what a building is, and push the limits of materials not typically relied on for construc on. The project also looks to explore the need for redefining space that is not u lized and give it a new sense of purpose. The precedents on the following pages all represent an idea of temporality, lightness and minimal structure that can be applied to the Alterna ve Startup project. These projects build upon the founda on set upon by the parking lot diagrams and give a sense of validity to the design solu on that has been achieved in the following pages.
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SCHAUSTELLE
J. MAYER H. ARCHITECTS
Pinakothek der Moderne, Munich, Germany
Schaustelle is an installa on by J. Mayer H. Architects in Germany. The project was originally designed to be a temporary exhbi on space while the museum underwent rennova ons. The scaffolding was chosen to be a reflec on of the construc on occuring at the musuem and for it tempary feel. The scaffoling provides a modular system that is structural and has an ease of construc on. This project was chosen to show that the use of scaffolding can become an appropriate structural material to u lize for a temporary project that could have the ponten al to be permanent. The modular components of the project begin to inform other decisions that were made in later stages of the design project.
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PARTY WALL CODA
MoMA PS1, NEW YORK
Party Wall is a temporary installa on at MoMA PS1 in New York. The project is part of their young architects design build compe on. The Party wall for this project was an explora on of minimal structure construc on that could begin to inform decisions of both por ons of the overall project. The minimal dimensions of the steel and the spans they can achieve inform a small por on of the project. The project was also studied for its rapid construc on as that is a key factor in the Alterna ve Startup project.
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WENDY HWKN
MoMA PS1, NEW YORK
Wendy was an installa on project at MoMA PS1 in New York. The Wendy Project, like the Schaustelle project, makes use of scaffolding for its main structural components. This project was chosen because of the various controlled outcomes within the overall structure. The fabric going into different direc ons and points begin to inform decisions made about the program spaces within the Alterna ve Project. This project is the essence of temporariness, as the project has been assembled and disassembled in various loca ons. The scaffolding provides the framework, but allows for various interac ons and moments to occur within.
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BILLBOARD HOUSE JULIO GĂ&#x201C;MEZ TREVILLA MEXICO CITY, MEXICO
The Billboard House by Julio Gomez Trevilla addresses the need for a project in an underu lized space. The House was constructed on the back of a billboard in Mexico City. The bilboard has become a place for ar sts to paint murals. The house becomes a space for the ar st to inhabit during while they are working. The project makes use of minimal structure and simple construc on. the project inhabits a space that many would just disqualify as an useable space. This project relates to the use of green space in parking lots that are not serving any purpose other than to be there. This space can be repurposed and given a use that gives an overall sense of purpose.
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PROGRAMMING THE CENTER The downtown center will have to be able to accommodate mul ple needs of the residents. The center has to have the ability to adapt over me while maintaining some permanent programs that will remain. These core program areas should meet the needs of the typical resident at any one given me. While the diagram to the right is not completely exhaus ve, it is a first pass at what key themes rise out of mul ple users that can be repeated and programmed into the building. These needs exclude typical programming you would find in a large building, i.e. restrooms.
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ARCHITECTURE
ART
RESTAURANT
DESIGN BUILD
FABRICATION SHOP
TECH STARTUP
Gallery Storespace Office Workshop Receiving Security Room Shipping Storage Dining Storefront Cash Storage Supply Storage Machine Shop Wood Shop Metal Shop Kitchen Cold Storage Dry Storage Record Storage Model Building Print Shop Seating Stage Outdoor Seating Sleeping Quarters Relation to Street Dock Space Backstage Area Private Area Relation to Pedestrian Prepartation Area Conference Room
GROCERY
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CLUB
THEATRE
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LOCAL ECONOMIES MAKING TECH ENTREPRENEURSHIP SOCIAL CHANGE ART FOOD
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT WORKSHOPS KITCHENS EVENT SPACES RANGE OF OFFICES MOBILE RESTAURANTS CLASSROOMS CAFES ART GALLERIES
EXPERIENCES
LOCAL ECONOMIES
URBAN ECOSYSTEM
PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
EXPERIENCES THEATRE MUSIC LECTURES CLASSES BUSINESS INCUBATOR PROGRAMS BUILD, TINKER, MAKE EAT NETWORK SOCIALIZE PUBLIC ART FESTIVALS
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URBAN ECOSYSTEM LOCAL CONTEXT DIVERSITY FLEXIBILITY OPENNESS DENSITY
LOCAL CONTEXT -POPULATION -EXISTING LANDSCAPE -CURRENT CITY ATMOSPHERE -SURROUNDING CONTEXT -HISTORICAL CONTEXT -COMMUNITY IMPRESSION
DIVERSITY -ECLECTIC MIX OF USES -LIVE, WORK, AND PLAY -EMBACE THE DIFFERENCE IN USE -DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIS = DIFFERENT OUTCOMS -VARIETY OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR SUCCESS
URBAN ECOSYSTEM FLEXIBILITY
LOCAL CONTEXT DIVERSITY FLEXIBILITY OPENNESS DENSITY
-ABILITY TO ADAPT -REUSE OF EXISTING CONDITIONS -ABILITY TO ADAPT WITH FLUCTUATIONS IN ECONOMY, URBAN LANDSCAPE AND USERS -BUILD IN A WAY TO MEET NOT ONLY CURRENT -USER BUT FUTURE USERS AS WELL
OPENNESS UTILIZE OPEN SPACES FOR EVENTS -ALLOW FOR SPACE TO BE ACTIVATED BY USERS -MINIMIZE DEAD FACADES -WHILE DENSIFYING, MAINTAIN SENSE OF OPENNESS IN FACADES AND PUBLIC SPACES
DENSITY -WORK, LIVE, PLAY -MIXING MULTIPLE USES WITHIN SAME CONTEXT -MINIMIZE WASTED SPACE POPULATE SPACE WITH COMMERCIAL, INDUSTRY AND RESIDENTS
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ALTERNATIVE STARTUP FOR THE CITY
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The Alterna ve startup is a two fold project is a new way of thinking about urban revitaliza on. As young entrepreneurs come out of school and wish to engage the downtown communi es with their new business ideas, they lack the means to aďŹ&#x20AC;ord spaces within the area. The need for a temporary space that can be quickly assembled and u lized for a small startup space begins to emerge. As the the explora ons before have begun to explore, the u liza on of the parking lot begins to arise. These spaces sit empty most of the me and are generally inac ve spaces. By erec ng the project above the parking lots, you begin to give a new sense of purpose to these â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;vacantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; lots and bring a new form of energy to these places. The Alterna ve Startup looks to address this issue at two scales. The first scale is a temporary structure that allows for a community of entrepreneurs, ar sts and business people to begin to grow and establish themselves. The second part is addressing the need for a larger structure that s ll holds the energy and temporariness as the small scale poject. The larger scale begins to take the family of smaller pods and insert them into a larger structure that can grown and has the ability to create a community gardenesque environment of startup companies.
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THE STORY BEGINS...
As a professional coming out of school, the challenge of where to take new ideas and innova on into the market begins to arise. The downtown community is the hub for community and cultural involvement, but the cost of leasing or owning a space brings an inherent cost that cannot be afforded by a young professional out of school. Upon exploring different ideas temporary spaces and how they one can inhabit these spaces around the community, an idea occurs. Currently there are vast amounts of parking lots located in the middle of highly ac vated spaces. Upon realizing the need to in these centers, the young professional realizes he can purchase a parking spot on a monthly basis. This would be ideal for possibly travelling downtown and working out of a coffee shop, or one can begin to exploit this condi on. The explora on process con nues and the young professional stumbles across a project by San ago Cirugeda. The project was an extension of a personal apartment in Seville, Spain. San ago learned that building codes in Seville allowed him to construct scaffolding on the sidewalk and alley under a couple condi ons. These condi ons were that it did not impede pedestrian traffic and that it had access from the ground level. By obliging to these condi ons, San ago transformed the upper pla orm into habitable space that became an open air pa o for the resident of the apartment. Upon learning upon about this project, the young professional, checked and found that the codes and regula ons apply to the parking lot condi on as long as the scaffolding is anchored and does not impede vehicles. The young professional purchases his parking spot and finds a company that is an expert in scaffolding construc on. They construct a raised pla orm out of scaffolding 49
that the young professional assembles a small enclosed space on top of. He then begins to u lize this space to work from and grow his business all for the cost of a monthly parking space. The young professional then tells his friends about his successful space and also grabs a en on from passerby’s. As other professionals learn about the success of the young professionals space, they become intrigued an interested, they begin to explore the possibility of adding their own startup spaces. The newcomers begin to explore how they can put their structure on the site without having to purchase the parking spot. As they realize that owners of the occupied spaces may change, they begin to work out a deal with the owner of the lot. By submi ng a proposal and drawings to the owner, they begin to explain that their structures will have a minimum impact on the surface of the lot, and would actually create shaded carports for the owners of the spots. Upon seeing the benefit of these structures being erected, the owner works out a deal where the new professionals pay a fee for the spot but have the rights to the ver cal space above the vehicles. As the modules begin to grown, they begin to connect with each other. They can connect via a uniform pla orm height, or begin to experiment with offse ng heights of the pla orms based on the user’s wish. The structures begin to grow by simply adding an addi onal bay, equal to one parking spot, and then erec ng the pla orm between the bays. The popularity of these projects begin to grow to a cri cal mass and can no longer jus fy the crea on of addi onal modules, dras c steps need to be taken to ensure the success of the community... 50
The young professional began to look at Archigramâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Plug-in City. This idea of a large structure where program pods are li ed into place seemed almost a larger scale version of what they were working toward. They already had a structure where pods sat on top of the structure, this idea of plugging in would allow the community to create a structural frame that would allow them to insert their pods and grow both ver cally and horizontally. A er beginning to lay the groundwork for the idea, the young professional went back to his architect friend who he began to work with on the project. They realized while scaďŹ&#x20AC;olding would be a good material to work with, but scaling up the structure might be a be er idea for future expansion. They began to lay out how the project would begin to assemble. The architect emphasized that the need for a central core might be necessary to e all of the spaces together. The young professional being worried about the impact on the lot was assured by the fact that the architect friend had the idea to u lize the green space located in the middle of the parking spaces. This space usually reserved for drainage, was not being used for this purpose as raised concrete curbs would not allow for the water actually be drained in this area. They come with the idea of crea ng a central core that would fit within the steel structure and e the spaces together. The core would consist of all the circula on space and u li es needed for the program spaces. The core would give the impression that the program modules would be exploding out from the core, but would be separate structures ed together through a series of catwalks.
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The structure would be a steel structure that would follow the grid of the parking lot. This grid would set the parameters for the width and length of all of the program spaces. The structure would s ll have a minimal impact at the ground level and not impede upon the parking. The structure would then allow for the infill of program modules from the startup companies as well as restrict access to certain grid sec ons to make room for shared exterior spaces to be developed. The system implemented would create a structure where the project has the ability to grow. The modules could then be put into structure via a crane and would allow for the system to grow and shrink as needed. One of the major factors that begin to arise is how to pay for the parking lot fees as well as upkeep of the facili es. The young professional implements a system that requires all of the inhabitants to pay a monthly fee for the airspace above the parking lot. This fee is derived from a working contract that was created by the inhabitants to ensure the upkeep and lifespan of the project. The fees that are put in place cover the month fees for parking as well as pay for a maintenance company to maintain the property and see to any issues within the facility. The contract that was put in place was to ensure that the project remains a community ran space where the inhabitants look out for each other and work in a collabora ve environment.
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With the success of the project, the structure had to grow to the peripheries of the parking lot and began to address the sidewalk and street. The community began to ponder how they could address this situa on. Being the ever present entrepreneurs, they created a system of modules that would can lever over the sidewalks and would rent out the spaces for adver sement. These adver sement spaces could be used for local businesses, businesses within the community and for art exhibi on. Feeding oďŹ&#x20AC; another project he saw, the Billboard House, they used the other side of these billboard modules to create more community spaces to be u lized by the inhabitants. The Alterna ve Startup began as an idea from one individual who had the presence of mine to create his own space that challenged the conven onal. He then grew his single space into a community of entrepreneurs working to be er the downtown environment and bring new businesses to reinvigorate the community. The environment created is one of collabora on and people working together to be er themselves and their communi es. The project shows, that the need for a developer is not needed to bring revitaliza on, all you need is a person or a group of people with the idea to produce and make be er to push the forefront of revitaliza on within a community.
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KIT OF PARTS
The main infill components of the structure are a series of pods. The project has become a kit of parts, consis ng of the steel structure and a series of program pods and exterior spaces. Since the idea is to create a system that is completely modular. The idea of a monocoque structure for the program pods was created. These pods could be created out of milled wood with a metal panels rolled over. The abili es of digital fabrica on would make the ability of rolling out surfaces for the metal panels very simple. The idea for the program pods would consist of a base structure that is universal throughout the structure. The inhabitant would then have the choice to add a protrusion onto this base model that would allow them to frame certain views of the city, certain views of their structure, or expand their space as needed by program demands. These protrusions would just be an extension of the base structure and allow for the simple fusion between the core module and the extension. Keeping with the modular system, a series of exterior modules would be created. These spaces could meet the needs of the residents as well as give a define shared spaces within the structure. The spaces could consist of a garden where a startup cafe could grow their own food or a resident could grow their own food. The exterior space could become just a deck for mee ngs, a lecture space of stacked modules that create sea ng or a module for solar collec on that could begin to power one program space or several. The kit of parts allows for project to become very modular and allow for a plug and play system that could begin to grow with the structure and cater to the needs of the many.
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ALLEN COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY
WASHINGTON BLVD
WEBSTER ST
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The plan on the le is just a snapshot of one level of the structure. This provides a snapshot of how the diďŹ&#x20AC;erent program spaces and rela onships amongst the space can begin to be arranged. The plan also shows a glimpse of how vehicles can s ll interact with the structure and s ll be able to park. The sec ons above give a glimpse into the spa al rela onship between the modules and the structure. They give a glimpse into the spa al rela onship between the ground level and the first level of the structure. These sec ons are not exhaus ve of the rela onships that can occur, only a small snapshot into the world of the Alterna ve Startup.
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I would like to take this me to thank everyone that had a part in helping me with this journey. I would like to thank my family for s cking by my side when school required me to sacrifice me with them. I would like to thank Josh Coggeshall for all of his input on this project through the diďŹ&#x20AC;erent itera ons. Lastly, I would like to thank Gernot Riether for being my advisor, believing in this project, and pushing me to the very end.
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REFERENCES Balsas, C. L. (2007). City Centre Revitaliza on in Portugal: A Study of Lisbon and Porto. Journal Of Urban Design, 12(2), 231-259 City Popula on.(2013) Greater Fort Wayne Inc. h p://www.greaterfortwayneinc.com/ community-info/city-popula on-1 Goetz, A. (2013). Suburban Sprawl or Urban Centres: Tensions and Contradic ons of Smart Growth Approaches in Denver, Colorado. Urban Studies (Sage Publica ons, Ltd.), 50(11), 2178-2195 Kinghorn, M. (2012). Indiana’s Popula on Projec ons, 2010 to 2050. Indiana Business Review, 87(1), 1-5 Ndabeni, L. L. (2008). The contribu on of business incubators and technology sta ons to small enterprise development in South Africa. Development Southern Africa, 25(3), 259-268 SMALL BUSINESS, BIG IDEAS. (2013). Canadian Business, 86(7), 57-63. Spithoven, A., & Knockaert, M. (2011). The role of business centres in firms’ networking capabili es and performance. Science & Public Policy (SPP), 38(7), 569-580 Ward, K. (2010). Entrepreneurial Urbanism and Business Improvement Districts in the State of Wisconsin: A Cosmopolitan Cri que. Annals Of The Associa on Of American Geographers, 100(5), 1177-1196 City of Fort Wayne AnnexaƟon History Map[PDF]. (2010) Retrieved December 9, 2013, from http://www.cityoffortwayne.org/images/stories/community_development/ special_projects_gis/docs/annexa on_history_2010.pdf
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