m a e r d s a c i r e Am uilt
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Elise Skulte Design Thinking Fall 2019 Instructor: Don Koster Faculty Assistant: Hallie Nolan
Premise The American Dream was first coined in 1931, but the dream today has become more complex than ever. A good education, at all levels, is more expensive than ever. Jobs with good benefits are far too few to come by. The health care system is in disarray. Housing prices are inflated to the point where people must live far outside from most cities to even afford shelter. In short, the American Dream is broken. Site The American Dream largely affects the middle class in the United States. The middle class has been advertised the American Dream of a home in the suburbs since the 1950s. Shops were set up along suburbs by rail all over the county. Small towns thrived because of the trains that ran through their towns. Many local stores would be near those stations where goods were purchased by natives and travelers to the towns. Over the years these business hubs have disappeared as more big-box grocery and retail stores appeared. One town that was affected by this situation is Wentzville, MO. Wentzville is a town in the Western portion of St. Charles County, Missouri. The population has increased by 41.6% in the past 8 years and is projected to continue growing, creating a need for more housing in the community. Program The program consists of housing and a small business incubator. There will be resources to provide small-town economic resilience and help the residences of Wentzville start-up businesses to increase jobs and wealth in the area so that if the General Motors car manufacturing plant ever shuts down there will still be a variety of jobs in the community to keep the economy growing. Overall, small businesses (less than 500 employees) have generated 65% of the new jobs since 1995, and people need support if they want to make their dreams happen.ยน The center for the American Dream will also have a wood-shop to bring back craftsmanship to the area, a culinary studio to take advantage of the local agriculture, a buy local store, and daycare.
A map in shamble's, A dream in need...
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Flag, by Jasper Johns, makes the viewer think twice about the iconic recognizable version of America that is commonly thought of. This map is more ambiguous and in being so, forces the viewer to study the map more. In this book, the idea of the American Dream will be studied as if it were a map in shambles. Throughout the book depictions of iconic America will be displayed by other pop artists. These artists’ interpretations and analysis of the American Dream are still very relevant to American society today. Artwork: Johns, Jasper. Map. 1961, MoMA, Paris. Photograph: Elise Skulte, January. 2018. 7
Artwork: Johns, Jasper. Flag. 1955, MoMA, Paris. 8
table of contents: 1. Introduction to the American Dream 2. The Challenges of the Dream 3. What is at Stake
(10-15)
(16-33)
(34-39)
4. Case Studies with Similar Dream Aspirations (40-51) 5. A Warning From Our Neighbor (52-59) 6. Site (60-85) 7. Program (86-93) 8. Possibilities (94 -103) 9. Other Earlier Possibilities Studied (104 - 111)
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traces of the forgotten...
Arman saw found objects as traces left behind by the consumer society. He saw them as cycles of production, consumption, and destruction. A viewer today could also see these as traces left behind by the working class a group of whom people have forgotten about. Artwork: Arman. Undivided Attention,1978 St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis. Photograph: Elise Skulte, August, 2019. 10
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E H T O T n o i t c u Introd M A E R D N A C I R E AM
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In 1931, James Truslow Adams wrote, “the American Dream is a dream of a land in which life should be better and richer for everyone.” He continues by explaining that life should be better for everyone regardless of one’s social status, race, and gender. The American Dream is a belief that anyone with ambition and drive can move toward a higher social class. Though over the past 40 years, this dream has been disrupted by disparities in education, fair wages, ability to own a home, and mobility. For the American Dream today to truly become possible for everyone we must examine and improve some of the current policies, patterns, and the built environment.
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1776 The year America was founded
Everyone came to America to have their own land and gain religious freedoms.
1930 The term “The American Dream” was coined in 1931 by James Truslow Adams because of the Great Depression and Adam’s book called “The Epic of America” where he wrote about an American Dream with the Definition that “Life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement regardless of social class or circumstances of birth.” The dream at this time was to rise in social order. Everyone wanted to attain the fullest status they could achieve.
1950 The dream in the 50’s included a well-paying and stable job, a house in the suburbs, a family with two or three children, a new car in the garage, and a two-week summer vacation. Such images were broadcast weekly into America’s living rooms through radio and television programs .
1960 After WWII, the American Dream was about freedom and Equality, not materials or wealth. Dr. Martin Luther King’s I
1970 / 1980 The American Dream was in every advertisement. This is when the American dream became about owning things again. All about the buying of a house and the single nuclear family in the suburbs. The show “Mad Men” is a good example of this.
have a dream speech on August 28th, 1963 was rooted in the American Dream. he encouraged Americans to fight for the possession of four essential freedoms: Freedom of speech, religion, freedom from want, and freedom from fear. People then could feed their families, keep them safe, worship as they pleased, and say how they felt.
1990 The dream here was about owning the newest technology. The dream shifted to owning the newest tech and having that tech everywhere. Everyone wanted their own personal computers, phones, and TV's. This is when having a TV in every room became a common desire.
2000 With the economy crashing, the dream shifted toward having financial security.
2019 / Today The American Dream is more complex than ever. it was Lead by the fall of the Housing market, and wanting to have a similar quality of life or better than the one their parents had. Technology has made most people on call constantly. The Dream shifted to focus on innovation, inclusion, and opportunity. “Silicon Valley, current representation of the American Dream.” Alvin Garcia at Fueled says, “the Dream aspires to use technology to solve the problems of today and keep things moving forward. “ “Today, the American Dream continues to place a heavy emphasis upon economic prosperity and financial security, along with other ambitions as well—finding and pursuing a rewarding career, leading a healthy and
personally fulfilling life, and being able to retire in comfort. “ 2
Noland’s work deals with consumer waste and political symbolism, representing a very harsh corner of the American Dream. Today many Americans struggle with convenience and being environmentally conscious. Artwork: Noland, Cady. Misc. Spill. 1990, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles. Photograph: Elise Skulte, October. 2019. 16
F O s e g n e l l a h c The . . . M A E R D N A C I R E M A E H T
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I. education In Ben Hecht’s book, “Reclaiming the American Dream” his research shows that in the 1970’s only 28 percent of jobs required more than a high school education, while it is estimated that by the year 2050, 65 percent of jobs will require education beyond high school. Today the education system is so expensive than many low-income students are too afraid and not encouraged to go to college. One reason they are discouraged by advisors is because about 40 percent of current college attendees fail to get a degree and are left with massive debt from the rising tuition rates. Many people without a college degree then cannot get a job with good benefits or with the opportunities to help them continue their education. This makes it so those without the best education opportunities cannot succeed in today’s America as easily as 50 years ago.
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issues with the education system Illustrated Tuition costs... have increased 344% since 1980.
1980 average tuition cost for public universities in 1980 = $2,119
2017
2019
average tuition cost for public universities in 2017 = $9,411
40% of college attendees are failing to get a degree, driving them into debt with no way to pay it off.
1970 28% of jobs required more than a high school education
2050 65% of jobs required more than a high school education
As time moves on less and less jobs are becoming avaliable for people who do not have a college degree.
degree type and typical program length
Additional money earned over a lifetime with years of education on average Associates (2 years) Bachelors (4 years) Masters (6 years) Doctorate (8 years)
$$ $$$$ $$$$$$ $$$$$$$$ $ = $250,000 added to life long earnings
II. Jobs A major problem with income is that many institutions and people within communities are not purchasing products locally, but are deciding to purchase from larger corporations with products at a lower price (often lesser quality as well) that are not produced in the area. This has been causing small businesses to close their doors all over the United States, and has scared many people from wanting to create new companies. In 2008, the United States reported that there were more business deaths than business growths for the first time in forty years.³ Another very common problem in our society today is that workers’ rights have regressed, and labor unions have lost power over the years. The United Automobile workers Union and GM is a good example of the problems we are currently facing. Many of the jobs that people have are getting no benefits and there are not enough good jobs with benefits for people with low skill sets to go around. In September 2019, Amazon joined the growing number of companies to disregard worker’s rights when they decided that all Whole Foods Workers who work less than 20 hours a week will no longer receive workers benefits. This new policy will leave about 2,000 employees without benefits.
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Issues with the jobs and income & Illustrated Typical map of goods imported for many american cities
an ideal import map for american cities to have economic success
= where many current imports are coming from to st. Louis = where goods should and could come from to st. louis and the rest of the united states to achieve economic success
the american dream is broken... Success in America is like musical Chairs. 10 people play a game of musical chairs, but there are only 7 chairs, so 3 people lose the game. The chairs represent jobs of good opportunity. The most educated and the people with the most advantage often get the chairs with stable jobs, while the rest are left with jobs that require low skill. This analogy is often worse in inner cities and rural areas where there are often not enough jobs for those who need opportunities.
musical chairs of opportunity Winners musical chairs of opportunity losers
tHERE NEEEDS TO BE ENOUGH CHAIRs OF OPPORTUNITY (jobs) TO HAVE NO LOSERS.... “A number of factors have been suggested to account for the loss of such jobs, including globalization and outsourcing, increased international competition, technological change that benefits highly educated workers, corporate restructuring, the decline of unions and worker power, expansion of the service sector, and the weakening of government intervention in the labor market.� 4
musical chairs losers often take unstable jobs with low pay, unstable hours, and no benefits
1973
one janitor with benefits working full time
tHIS PERSON HAS A BETTER CHANCE OF SUPPORTING A FAMILY, AND GIVING THEIR CHILDREN A BETTER OPPORTUNITY TO GET A CHAIR.
today
two janitors with no benefits Working part time “1/3 OF ALL AMERICAN JOBS ARE LOW PAYING AND LACK BENEFITS.” 5 In 1973, the median wage was $51,670, and by 2012 it was $49,398. IN 2012, 8 MILLION AMERICANS WORKED PART TIME BECAUSE THEY COULD NOT FIND FULL TIME WORK. (US Bureau of the Census, 2013).
tODAY WORKER AND UNION POWER IS WORSE THAN THEY HAVE BEEN IN YEARS.
gOAL OF MANY COMPANIES TODAY: tO kiLL FULL TIME WORK! wITH KILLING FULL TIME WORK THEY DO NOT HAVE TO PAY BENEFITS AND THEY CAN SAVE MONEY $$$$.
III. ACCESS Mobility can be a problem with physically getting employees to where the jobs are located, or it can be a digital problem with some Americans not having free access to internet. Nationally, job growth is happening in the suburbs, especially for lower income jobs that require less skill level. The problem is that most low-income workers still live in the central area of cities. The travel distances and costs for those with low incomes are higher than those with high incomes. Furthermore, job accessibility for people of low income has dropped with most suburbs not having transportation and a car being the only convenient way to get around, but cars cost an average of $9000 a year. That can be “25 to 45 percent of an income for a person with low-earnings.â€?â ś
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Mi ss is si pp
Pike
i Ri ve r
Lincoln Illinois
St. Charles
Warren
St. Louis City St. Louis County
Franklin Jefferson
Washington St. Francolis
St. Genevieve
ORANGE SHOWS LOW INCOME JOBS MOVING FROM THE CITY TO THE COUNTy, THOUGH A LARGE LOW INCOME POPULATION STILL LIVES IN THE CITY.
IV. health care Life expectancy at birth in the U.S. is lower than comparable countries by 3 years going from an average life expectancy of 82 to 79. The United States currently has the highest rates of chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, heart disease, and arthritis. 87 percent of adults in the U.S. reported at least one chronic illness, and 68 percent reported having two or more chronic illnesses. A survey by the Common Wealth Fund of people from around the ages 45 to 65 in 11 countries finds that U.S. adults are sicker than their counterparts abroad, as well as the most likely to have problems paying their medical bills and getting needed healthcare. It also found that 11 percent of American’s reported difficulty paying their medical bills, while only 1 percent of people in Norway and Sweden reported the same. The cost of employer insurance is a growing burden for middle-income families in the United States, and a continuous worsening problem for low income families. U.S. adults also reported difficulty getting care in a timely fashion. On average, U.S. adults typically must wait a minimum of 48 hours to around 10 days for treatment. Consequently, many more people are using emergency departments for issues that a primary care physician could treat, and the emergency room bills are generally much higher than alternative treatment facilities.⠡
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three of infinite examples of someone that could go into debt because of medical bills
falls down stairs
gets the flu, a cold, strep throat, or another common illness.
can not work
goes to the hospital Because they cannot get into another docter in a timely manner
income decreases form loss of work, (espically when employer does not provide benifits)
has a chronic illness
USA reportedly the country with the most chronic illnesses
debt increases from medical bills
V. housing and HOmeOWNERSHIP Many can agree that “owning a home is the ultimate manifestation of the American Dream.”⁸ The 2016 census shows that home ownership is 72 percent for whites, 47 percent for Hispanics, and 41 percent for blacks.⁹ If more minorities owned homes, then these wealth gaps would shrink. As owning a home is a prominent driver of wealth in the United States economy as it allows, and in a way, forces Americans to have a savings. Homeownership is notably one of the largest reasons for the racial wealth gap in the United States. People of color were refused loans for decades because the areas they wanted to live were considered high risk with a high minority population. When these same people tried to move into white neighborhoods in the 1930s, they were not allowed due to restrictive covenants. This all changed with the Fair Housing Act of 1968, but the effects of it are still felt today. This causes a blip in the 1960’s version of the American Dream that worked so hard for equality, and shows the negative effects of wealth built generationally and not equally for everyone. It was based on how much money they had growing up. It has sadly allowed some groups of people to have a much easier time achieving the American Dream than others.
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issues with housing and homeownership illustrated = Percentage home owned by blacks = Percentage home owned by Whites = home owned by hispanics
= home owned by others
= neighborhood segregation ordinances common untill the
fair housing act passed in 1968
= typical american route to work
VI. Ecology The old ideal of the surburban dream and living in the single family home out in the suburbs that was thought of the ideal way of living in the 1950’s is out of date. Familial wealth is shrinking and serious environmental concerns have surfaced over the years. The average person in the St. Louis region spends around 24 minutes getting to work by car. In 2018, renewable energy sources only accounted for 11 percent of toal U.S. energy consumption, meaning 89% of the U.S. energy used is non-renewable. In Europe, vehicle use in communities is generally about 30% to 48% of all trips, while in the United States auto use in communities averages to around 86% of all trips. The way we get around and the places we decide to live cause us to use a lot more resources. The number of trips the average person takes per day is also on the rise as suburbs become more spread out in planning. Surburan sprawl has caused Americans to live as far out into surban communities as they can stand to travel to work in the morning. If Americans lived closer to where they work, this could greatly help in decreasing worrisome climate conditions.
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the average person in the United States spends around 26 minutes traveling to work everyday
the average person in the St. Louis area spends around 24 minutes traveling to work everyday, and around 82 percent of people drive alone.
o t n w o d s l i o b t i t a Wh chapter 1: conclusion People have always needed shelter. Americans have wanted to own their own home since we were told by advertising agencies that we needed a home with an apple tree and a picket fence in the suburbs. Americans still want to own their own shelter today, but it does not necessarily need to be the usonian single family home. It can be a town home, condo, or tiny house, but it needs to have the ability to help the owner increase wealth through ownership and help Americans reach their individual and shared dreams. Housing will be one of the main focuses of the project to help Americans reach their dreams. The other challenges of the dream will be addressed in the site and program as well. Another large boiling point is to increase the number of good jobs that can be attainable to anyone from any background.
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Without a job you have no money to purchase a home. Without a car your job opportunites are limited to the home you live in. Child education opportunites are also based on home location.
People with the ability to walk, run, or bike to work can often get healthier over time.
If no jobs are in your area and you can not afford a car or transportation to get to a location with jobs, you will not have a job.
If you do not own a home in the best area, you or someone you know has to have a car to be able to drive your children to school.
If you do not have a job with healthcare benifits, when you get hurt you could go into debt, and later, poverty.
Without a job you cannot afford private schooling, and without a good education you are less likely to get a job.
Photo: Strongtowns.org “A Suburban Experiment” 34
m a e r d n a c i r t e a m s A i e e with Thsuburban spac , n e k o r b stake
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Suburban space is at stake and in Danger! “A suburban home was once a cornerstone of the American Dream; now, sprawl has become a factor holding back Americans’ ability to move up the economic ladder.” -(“The New Suburban Crisis”, Richard Florida May 2, 2017)
What happens if we do not take care of space we are already using and decide to keep building further out?
Wentzville, MO
The Suburbs are not going anywhere because many Americans enjoy living in them. suburban growth is out of sync with the demands of the economy, and the single family home in the Suburbs is no longer the idolization of the American Dream. The suburbs used to be the most desirable place to live for those wanting to achieve the American Dream from the 1950’s to the 1990’s. Suburbanization in the United States was the near perfect complement to the American industrial economy that many small towns and suburbs were built to support. Today these suburban spaces are starting to fail because of poor construction and the hasty installation of infrastructure. Many suburban spaces are visibly starting to crumble. Many members of the privileged elite are returning to urban cores. Today one in four American Suburbanites are near poverty level. More people in the United States live in suburbs rather than metropolitan areas and currently the poverty rate of suburbs is growing much faster than in inner cities.
cities
forgotten suburbs Space thrown to the side
cheap land people are able to build on
Will current suburbs soon be the new trash of space?
Kinlock, MO
“Between 2000 and 2013, the number of people living below the poverty line in major American metropolitan cities increased by 29 percent, while during that same period, the ranks of the suburban poor grew by 66 percent.” - City Lab Even if all of American suburbs are not necessarily poor, they have more debt than ever. Extremely high college loan debts and housing prices have suspended people from being able purchase a home or have children and achieve one aspect of their American Dream. “Suburban sprawl is extremely costly to the economy broadly. Infrastructure and vital services such as water and energy can be 2.5 times more expensive to deliver in the suburbs than in compact urban centers. In total, sprawl costs the U.S. economy roughly $600 billion a year in direct costs related to inefficient land usage and car dependency, and another $400 billion in indirect costs from traffic congestion, pollution, and the like, according to a 2015 study from the London School of Economics. The total bill: a whopping $1 trillion a year.” – City Lab It has always been cheaper to build on a wide-open plot of land where nothing else resides. Today we keep building farther and farther, bypassing suburban areas that are already built and need upkeeping. In Jane Jacobs’ Death and Life of American Cities, she explains how cities need a variety of building typologies of different ages and styles to achieve success over an extended period of time and not die out. This same idea can be applied to the suburbs that are currently being pushed to the side or literally skipped over.
no longer the summation of the dream for all Ladue, MO 38
the american dream today To0 much of wealth in America has been focused on creating mega-sized homes with large garages. It has been focused less on creating infrastructure, knowledge, and technology that will last and support communities and homes for future generations. In today’s American Dream, some of the things that people can hope for is to not constantly live with massive amounts of debt, to have a stable job with good benefits, to have a stable roof over their head, and to build real connections with people.
A Dream
All over Los Angeles is work by graffiti artists. This painting is set along the edge of Beverly Hills. It is as old and faded as national pride is on the East coast. Artwork: Unknown artist. Street Art FLAG. Los Angeles. Photograph: Elise Skulte, October. 2019. 40
case stud i dream as es with pirations
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baugruppen/Building groups are reinventing space density! shared playroom space other shared space possibilities
park
workout and sauna space
current american single family housing model
baugruppen housing model
Baugruppe, German for “building groups,� are reinventing how people in Germany are living today. Groups of people are getting together to purchase land and are having architects design them high quality living spaces coupled with common spaces such as rooftop terraces, multi-purpose rooms, playrooms, guest rooms, and even saunas to help bring people together. The possibilities of programs in each building group are endless and totally up to the people that live in these complexes, but all possibilities can bring a community together. These groups are often of higher design quality to traditional family housing, are more cost effective, and they are leading housing efforts in environmental sustainability with passive design methods and timber construction. These building groups are usually paired with outdoor park space as well.
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Photo: Andrea Kroth, “Permeable solitary blocks through to the River Spree create public access at Spreefeld” 2019.
coworking spaces are expanding ideas of workplace! WEWORK WEWORK is a membership based company that has created beautiful shared office spaces all over the world. There are currently 287 with about one third of those spaces in the United States. These shared office spaces are a more cost-effective alternative for people. Their multiple locations are great for youtubers, bloggers, and business people who must travel a lot. If this model was adapted for suburban towns, and not only big cities, it could have interesting results.
TECHSHOP Similar to WEWORK, TECHSHOP is was also a member-based work space, but different from WEWORK, it was filled with workshops and fabrication studios. In 2017, they have 10 locations in the United States. They would offer training on tools and special interest classes. Eventually, TECHSHOP as a unit closed, but some of the individual units stayed open and operated individually. This may be because people who build things are people who usually do not travel, but they will to sell the things they make if they do not do that online. One of the individual TECHSHOPS that stayed open is now called MAKER NEXUS and is in the San Francisco Bay Area, operating out of Sunnyvale, California. A similar space in St. Louis would be MADE.
WEWORK Maker Nexus
Anchor institutions are and can Promote the community! Using anchor companies to take full advantage of place helps promote change for the better from within the area. Universities and hospitals are examples of anchor institutions. Large companies could also be considered anchor institutions if they really are anchored into the city fabric, have no plan to leave, and continue to be relevant.š²
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case studies that are or can help people achieve the dream CASE (CHicago Anchors for a strong Economy) An initiative of world business Chicago direct issue addressed: JOBS and income
“Case acts as a catalyst to create inclusive economic growth by leveraging the buying power of anchor institutions, such as hospitals and universities, to collectively impact Chicagoland neighborhoods” (chicagoanchors.com).CASE was started at the University of Chicago when the school started to purchase all of their goods from local busninesses in the South Side in Chicago and create jobs in their surrounding community. “Today CASE has assisted 275 companies and is responsible for the creation of 180 jobs and over 50 million in revenue to small businesses through anchor contacts” (page 86).
University of Pennsylvania
and the sBDC (Small Business development center) direct issue addressed: JOBS and income Today the University of Pennsylvania is a national leader in leveraging procurement channels to support local businesses. They partnered with the Pennsylvania Minority Business Center, Enterprise Center, and the Wharton Small Business development center to field a diverse poll of businesses. Today $122 million of the University of Pennsylvania’s spending goes to local businesses in historically underinvested areas of West Philadelphia, near the University of Pennsylvania Campus (page 85).
A company town with A unique outcome... columbus, INdiana Saarinen’s church all but sparked a local design revolution that took off in 1954 when J. Irwin Miller, a third-generation executive of Cummins Engine Company, began the Cummins Foundation Architecture Program to bring great architecture to the city, which faced growing need as the post-war baby boom expanded the local population. “These two remarkable facts are directly related, but Columbus, population 32,000, would never have become a living museum of postwar American architecture were it not also for J. Irwin Miller, a native son who helped to build the Cummins Engine Co. into a national giant in the diesel engine and parts business and who, three decades ago, had the vision to include quality architecture in his definition of quality of life, Columbus-style.”¹¹ This idea to incorporate design with the infrastructure needed to support the work force of the company town is what has made Columbus Indiana more than a typical suburb. It utilizes suburban space well enough to make it a place people not only want to live, but also want to visit.
Possibly the first company town.... pullman, chicago Pullman, Chicago is arguably the first company town. Its laborers worked at the Pullman Palace Car Company Factory to make railroad cars and they lived in the town. George Pullman built the town and the railroad car company. The problem with the town was that rent for housing kept going up, while the workers’ wages stayed the same. In 1893, the demand for railroad cars was low, and the workers wages were low as well. Pullman workers knew that if they had any chance of being able to afford to live in the town they had to go on strike. The strike lasted for 2 months and the US government had to intervene to end the strike. They ruled that the aesthetic of the town did not justify the high rent for workers who had no other choice but to live there. This ruling could have impacts on towns where companies do not give a lot of money to today. In the 1950s, many jobs in the city were lost and people began to move farther out into the suburbs. In 1960, the town of Pullman was facing demolition. Citizens of Pullman saw the uniqueness in the architecture and character of the town and lobbied that the town must not be demolished, and it was not. In 2015, the town was designated as the Pullman National Historic Monument under President Barack Obama. The town is now a very gentrified place and is in a transitional stage where many technology companies look to create their company headquarters and have their employees live in the area. Thanks to the architecture designed by Pullman’s architect, Solon Spencer Beman, the company town was designated as land worth saving and having around for generations. For current small towns in America to have longevity as Pullman Chicago has had, they need to be invested architecturally, and actively make use of underutilized suburban space.¹⁰
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M O R F N G I S G N I N R A WA R O B H G I E OUR N
Like small town America, Campbell’s Soup promotes happy American Family Values. Families aspired to be like the families in the Campbell Soup advertisements, but in reality no family is as perfect as a nearly uniform mass produced good. Artwork: Warhol, Andy. Campbell’s Soup Company 1990, MoMa, Paris. Photograph: Elise Skulte, January, 2018. 52
zooming into place ST. LOUIS COUNTY
Fenton is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, and a suburb of St. Louis. The population was 4,022 at the 2010 census. Fenton has been inhabited for over 900 years. The earliest signs of civilization were from the two Indian burial mounds that were tragically demolished in 2001 for a Wal-Mart. The town was considered a company town due to the automobile and indutrial factories that used to be in the area as well as all the money Chrysler used to put into the town.
FENTON, MISSOURI
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fenton logistical park old chrysler plant Chrysler once operated two plants out of Fenton, Missouri, called the St. Louis plants. St. Louis South, opened in 1959, made cars and minivans; the St. Louis North, opened in 1966, made trucks; and both closed within a similar span of time. with the St. Louis South plant shutting down on October 31, 2008, and the North plant closing on July 10, 2009.The St. Louis plant was closed on October 31, 2008, leaving Windsor the sole minivan plant (as it had been in 1984). The failure of the Chrysler Pacifica to gain traction, coupled with customers’ rejection of the 2008 minivans, sealed St. Louis’ fate. The property was sold and the plant torn down. As seen in the map the major high ways and railways (both in red) extend primarily to the Chrysler plant, as this was the most important industry in the town for a long time. When the plant closed, the town population decreased by almost 10 percent over the following 10 years. It is just now that more companies are moving into the plant that was rebranded into the Fenton Logistical Park.¹³
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Fenton Logistical Park (Old Chrysler plant)
S O L
D E T
tHE chrysler plant
C
Ultimately, with Fenton’s population decreasing, and not enough jobs sustaining a thriving community around the area after the plant closed, there is no way to justify building in a place that is already dead. If measures were set up before the plant closure then, maybe this would be a different story and the Fenton chapter would not be closing.
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Photograph: Dawn, Majors. Chrysler Plant Fenton, 2018
r o f s i u o L . t s n i site m a r g o r p d e t s e sugg
Wentzville is a mirror to Fenton, besides for the fact that the soup has just not expired yet. Artwork: Warhol, Andy. Cambell’s Soup Company 1990, MoMa, Paris. Photograph: Elise Skulte, January, 2018. 60
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why wentzville? In terms of events related to the American Dream, issues dealing with workers rights are very important. As discussed earlier, in order to live the modern American Dream, a person needs a good job with benefits. The General Motors workers strike of 2019 brought to light some of the issues workers are facing today. Wentzville has always been a factory town, since it was first established a tobacco factory set up shop. The closing of the tobacco factory, and the longevity of the town to withstand the blow is important. If the General Motors factory disappeared like the tobacco factory did, it is untold if the town could withstand a large job disruption in the modern day American economy. A new system is needed here to make sure that Wentzville does not share the same fate as Fenton. Unlike Fenton, Wentzville has been increasing in population over the years (41.6 percent in the past 8) and it is predicted to increase even more, making it the perfect place to create something new that will keep the economy going even after cars are as out of style as tobacco.
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uaw (uNITED aUTOMOBILE WORKERS) NATION WIDE STRIKE WHY DID IT HAPPEN? The strike began on September 16th, 2019 with the UAW negotiators seeking higher pay for workers, better job security, protection of benefits, and a larger share of profit. The strike cost GM about 2 million dollars and lasted 40 days. It was the longest nationwide strike since 1970 against a Detriot automaker. The workers needed the strike to be over at that point as much as the company did, considering the strike salary was not enough to pay some of their bills.
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uNITED aUTO wORKERS UNION HALL (2.2 MILE DRIVE TO gM) (gm) GENERAL MOTORS WENZTVILLE ASSEMBLY CENTER
RAIL INBETWEEN THE UNION HALL AND THE FACTORY
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The strike is over and wentzville moves forward. Wentzille continues to prevail as the strike comes to an end, and the town sighs in relief. Approximately 4,500 people work at the GM plant in Wentzville and some of those employees could start working again on Saturday October 26th. Members of the United Auto Workers Union (Local Union 2250) in Wentzville approved the deal by a margin of 64% to 36%. While some have mixed feelings about the contract, many seem to be ready to get back to work. Matt Bergman has worked at the Wentzville GM plant for more than four years. He’s happy that the strike is over. Local Union President Glenn Kage supports the deal, saying it gives raises and bonuses, including an $11,000 bonus for each UAW worker nationwide. Kage says the strike ending also means GM’s $1.5 billion investment in the Wentzville plant can move forward. That money will be used for a new paint shop and upgrades to the body shop. This also secures jobs in the area for the future.¹⁴
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general Wentzville data Population
35,768 +40.9% since 2010
Unemployment Rate 2.6%
Median Income $72,095
Median Home Price $243,800
Median Age 33.2
Family Households 72.67%
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The closest housing to the GM plant is a the Hidden Valley apartment complex. It is a 41 minute walk and 2 miles away. The photo to the right shows one of the streets of the complex where the apartments look more like single family homes in a duplex style. At the center of the complex, there is a playground that many kids play at. This complex is about another 2 miles from the schools and shopping centers. The other neighborhoods are primarily located more around the schools, shopping centers, and away from the GM Assembly Center.
14
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zooming into place ST. charels COUNTY
Wentzville, MISSOURI Wentzille was founded in 1855 as a suburb of St. Louis, located in the North-western portion of St.Charles County, Missouri. In 2010 the city had a population of 29,070.
In 2018, the city was estimated to have a population was at 41,164, making it one of the larger and fastest growing cities in the state of Missouri.ยนโ ต
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RECREATION CENTER
One of the many places that serves those who live in the town.
HOLT HIGH SCHOOL
High school and middle school are both next to each other.
uaw LOC
(United Automob Workers Union H
SUPERMARKET PLAZA
Large shopping area with all the grocery and retail stores.
DOW HOUSING NEAR SCHOOL
Res tha wen wou any
CAL 2250
Wentzville, MISSOURI
HIDDEN VALLEY HOUSING COMPLEX
One of the housing communities in the area that GM employees can live in.
LEAR CORPORATION
This is just one of the many companies that work in conjuction to support the GM plant. The Lear Corporation manufactures automobile seating and electrical systems.
gm - GENERAL MOTORS
Large automobile factory that employs over 4,000 people in the community.
d bile s) Hall
WNTOWN RESTURAUNT AREA
sturaunt and downtown area at was hurt when the UAW nt on strike and people uld not take lunches ymore.
HOUSING NEAR PLANT 2 Another neighborhood near the UAW and the General Motors plant.
DOWNTOWN WENTZVILLE MAP SCALE: 600 FT = 1 IN
Vacant land redevelopmen pointed out revitalizati study that c be turned in more of a pu park.
HOLT HIGH SCHOOL
MIDDLE SCHOOL
S PARK FIRMAN L AL (BASEB ) D L E FI
for nt in the ion could nto ublic
light blue = Itersection undergoing pedestrian revitalization in the downtown area starting late 2020.
US-61
Vacant land pointed out for redevelopment for the Wentzville revitalization project. Current plan is to turn it into an ambulance station.
UAW UNion HAll
.
lvd ce B
ar E Pe
RAIL
St. len E Al t. in S E Ma
Site Selected 101 E Main St.
Currently an underutilized parking lot.
Old Wenzville Tobacco Factory Site now a parking lot. Vacant land on the edge of the historic Main St. Business area.
I-70
SITE SELECTION IN WENTZVILLE ON MAIN STREET Choosing to build downtown Main St. over building near the plant was an easy decision, as this program is being created to make small business owners stronger and not titians of industry. This program is intended to last after the GM factory is gone, and the downtown is thriving again. Main St. in small town American cities is traditionally the street of businesses, banks, shops, and more. Main St. in Wentzville is the center for the historic business district. Businesses cap one side of Main street, while the other is capped by the rail road that was built into the fabric of the town. Before the highway, Wentzville’s Main St. was alive with consumers, visitors, and home owners. Now that business belongs to the Walmart, Jack in the Box, and other chain stores and restaurants about a mile and a half away from the historic downtown Main Street.
T. E MAIN S
HISTORIC BUSINESS AND INDUSTRIAL AREA PRIMARILY ON MAIN ST.
HISTORIC RAILROAD RUNS THROUGH TOWN AND IS NOW PRIMARILY USED FOR FREIGHT.
HISTORIC HOUSING ON ALLEN ST. NOW ADAPTED TO BUSINESSES
E ALL EN
ST.
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site information expanded in elevatioN/PLAN COLLAGE 101 E Main St. is the site selected. The site is currently an under utilized and unnecessary parking lot. Part of the reason for this location selection is its relationship between typical housing in the area and the historic downtown.
site
housing This housing has never been particularly beautiful or well designed, but seems to be the standard for American living. With the new program, the view of this American Dream is challenged.
RESIDENTIAL
downtown wentzville
BUSINESS
Locally owned small businesses can be a strength for any community. Sadly, over the past 100 years many of these businesses have dissipated due to franchised restaurants and big box grocery markets. This project will aim to help the small businesses owners succeed, bring small downtowns back to a popular place to a be, and keep a variety of jobs in the area in order to be trend proof.
historic businesses
The rail road used to be the pride and joy of the town. Now its nothing but a tourism scheme and a nostalgic memory.
railroad
RESIDENTIAL
AGRICULTURE AREA
101 E. Main Street site plan and surrounding context Main Street, nearly every small town in America has one. Whether it is called Main Street or not, this is the street with all the business, all the jobs, and the area for opportunity. Wentzville’s Main street has historic businesses to one side and the historic railroad to the other. It is the heart of the downtown, and it holds the hearts of the people who want to see the area thriving as it once did many years ago. The Wentzville Tobacco Company Factory was a historic tobacco factory located in Wentzville, Missouri. It was built in 1885, and is a 2 1/2-story, three bays by six bays brick building with timber framing. Despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990, the historic building was demolished in 2002 and replaced with a parking lot. A gravestone for the building was placed next to the parking lot on the site of the former building. It is located on the bottom left corner of the plan to the right and is noted by a blue dashed line. Originally the site to Rebuild the American Dream was going to be on the tobacco factory site, but the site was too small for the program. The site will also be better incorporated into downtown by being on Main Street. Though by placing the program near the old site, we are bringing the jobs that were lost back to the downtown area. 82
downtown site plan of wentzville, mo
site plan: 1’’ = 120’ 0’’
n
A closer look at site selection historic train replica The railroad plays a major role in the history of Wentzville. In 1855, William M. Allen donated land to establish the community. Allen laid out the town plan and established a train station to bring people to the area. In 1857, the first train arrived in Wentzville. The railroad line was built under the direction of Erasmus L. Wentz. Between 1850 and 1880, downtown Wentzville was home to one of the largest tobacco factories in the nation. The factory was a national historic landmark until it was torn down for a parking lot. Even though the railroad does not allow public transportation on it through Wentzville anymore and it is just used for freight, it still provides a rich character to the community and serves as a historic emblem of the downtown that should be remembered.
parking lot site for redevelopment
The original idea of placing the site to rebuild the American Dream downtown came from the story of the Wentzville Tobacco factory disappearing due to decrease in popularity and turning into a parking lot. This same thing could happen again with the General Motors car company as cars start to become less popular among new generations. The idea of rebuilding the American Dream downtown and rebuilding the area can bring back the jobs that were once held in this area again. This site is just a couple blocks up from the tobacco factory site, better utilizes the main street, and eliminates some of the unnecessary parking spots, as it is not hard to find a place to park
storage units to be removed to add to site square footage The storage units in the downtown area do not add anything architecturally or historically significant and can be removed / relocated if they need to be in order to make more room for the prescribed program.
site plan for program
site plan: 1’’ = 40’ 0’’
n
Pop artist Tom Wesselmann’s mixed media work, Still Life No. 24 affirms the American dream and the prosperity of the 1960’s middle class. Some of these values have stuck around today and luckily some have changed. Artwork: Wesselman, Tom. Still Life No. 24, 1962 1962, Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City. Photograph: Elise Skulte, March, 2019. 86
o t m a r g o r p e l m a e r possib d n a c i r e m a e h t rebuild
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Program synopsis Main program typologies put together to achieve the American Dream: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
Co-Working Innovation Hub Woodshop Culinary Test Kitchen Buy Local Store Daycare Housing
Synopsis explaination: The program will be a small-town innovation hub to promote brining small business owners back to the area and bring a strength to the community. I will be using the resource of place to utilize suburban space and bring small town jobs back. The hub will have a small business owner development teaching center, woodshop, makerspace, culinary test kitchen, small town convenience store to purchase goods made in the center, daycare center, and housing to accommodate those moving to the area. The woodshop will help make it affordable for parents and grandparents to come and teach younger generations how to use and make furniture out of power tools that not everyone may own. This will encourage the community to purchase items built by their neighbors and not by the big box stores that have taken over the retail market of the town. The culinary test kitchen will allow culinary experts in the area to try out new recipes that could be sold to larger markets. The convenience store will help make this a reality to sell the products to the town. The small business center can help small business owners with accounting and marketing to get their businesses off the ground. It may even be able to help the owners connect with mobile applications and create websites to sell their products statewide or nationally. The housing being a part of this center, will help bring the American dream full circle, as we have established home ownership is a larger part of the dream. People will want to live here so that they can spend less time commuting to work and more time creating things they love. The housing will also be a more environmentally conscious solution that will save each family money on utilities so that they can take their families on vacations and travel more. 88
example of how the program works Then they go to work to make which ever product they can that is superior to current market solutions.
person wants to make a good to sell
Example goods could include but are not limited to: funiture made in the woodshop by hand and with care, corn salsa made from local argricultural products, or dog food made by the dog lover who wants the best for their pets.
first they drop their child off at daycare
next they use the small business resource center on the 2nd floor and speculate the economic feasability of their product.
They can also ake advantage of technology resources and come up with ways to sell their product to a larger market.
This then puts more money and a variety of job options in the community that can lead to job stability for years and recessions to come.
The same person can also increase their income by living in a more sustainable housing option near their work.
All of this allowing people to do the things they love like traveling and going on vacations with the family.
Program size requirements Type of Space
Needed Square Footage
Coworking (business area) Daycare interior (26 kids) Park Exterior Space for Daycare Wood-shop and Maker-space Local Store Culinary Studio and teaching space Housing (22 homes) (With Average home size of 2,426 ft2) Underground parking
TOTAL square footage needed for program
28,597 8,379 9,005 4,335 9,000 2,833 52,748 23,103
138,000
floor 0 - basement
Underground parking
Needed Square footage = 23,103 ft 2 The underground parking garage must be built deep enough to be able to be redesigned for other functions if cars continue to lose popularity. For now the parking garage will serve those who live in the complex and need a car, and those visiting. Owning a car is still a part of many Americans’ dreams.
floor 1- street level
Daycare interior space
Needed Square footage = 8,376 ft2 (For about 26 kids) As education from the ground up is a large part of the American Dream, a daycare needed to be included. The daycare is beneficial for the adults who need someone to watch their kids and for the kids to get a head start.
Daycare exterior space
Needed Square footage = 9,005 ft2 Exterior space is just as important for childhood development as interior space. Kids need equal space to play outdoors as they have indoors. They may even need more.
floor 1- street level
Culinary studio space
Needed Square footage = 2,833 ft2 With the large agricultural presence in the area, the asset of place can be utilized better. The culinary studio will allow local chefs to try out recipes to sell to a larger market.
Wood-shop and maker-space Needed Square footage = 4,335 ft 2
Not everyone has the ability to own power tools, but anyone can pass down knowledge. With this workshop space, families can learn tools together and build their own furniture or sell it. This will bring craftsmanship back to the area instead of having everyone purchase furniture from the big box stores.
Support local store
Needed Square footage = 9,000 ft 2
Floor 2
At this store the goods produced at the culinary studio space and the wood-shop/maker-space can be sold. Profits will go directly to the small business owners in the community and lift the economy in the area.
Lobby area and circulation Needed Square footage = 2,219 ft 2
The coworking small business office space on the second floor still needs a small space below for circulation and visitors to enter from a pleasant street entrance.
Coworking space
Needed Square footage = 28,597 ft 2
Floor 3
Looking at the T-Rex center in downtown St. Louis helped determine the square footage needed for this type of work space. This will take the entire second floor of the front of the building program and can include but is not limited to: office spaces, conference rooms, and collaboration rooms. This space can support those business owners who want to sell their goods on the internet, or those who have a technologically focused idea.
Housing
Needed Square footage = 52,748 ft 2 (2,426 Ft 2 for each 26 homes) As discussed in early chapters, housing is one of the most important items in the American Dream. We all need shelter of some sort, and if we can build wealth through ownership that is all the better.
Floor 1 - 4
Why would anyone live here and not in a single family home you may ask? Well they can still own these homes, and by owning these they will be saving money. The idea with building together is to share resources and energy; therefore, saving money so that people can take their kids on vacations and have more experiences rather than things. As time goes on, many Americans’ dreams have shifted to experiences rather than consumerism.
section through 101 E. Main St. Along Main Street, most of the historic buildings are 1 to 2 stories tall. The proposed mixed-use program is 3 stories tall in the front, and 4 stories tall in the back. The 3 stories in the front allows for the building to be taller than most buildings, but not dwarf them. The back of the program can be 4 stories as it will not disrupt the historic façade as much as the Main Street side will. In between the housing portion and business portion, is a connecting bridge with an area for play between the 2 buildings for the daycare.
housing
Site and Program Massing
housing co-working / small business center help workspaces + shop + day care
underground parking
site section with proposed program scale: 1’0’’ = 1/64”
E. Allen St.
E. Main St.
Section Cut -
Possibilities The possibility of having a multi-use workshop, innovation center, culinary studio, buy local store, daycare, and grouped housing in the small town of Wentzville will fit well on the edge of downtown Main Street. This program could support those wanting to meet the current aspiration of many United States Citizen’s American Dream. As stated earlier, the suburbs are not going anywhere because many Americans enjoy living in them. Suburban growth is out of sync with the demands of the economy, and the suburbs are no longer the idolization of the American Dream. Too much of current suburban Americans’ wealth has been focused on creating mega-sized homes with large garages and less on creating infrastructure, knowledge, and technology that will last and support these homes for future generations. In today’s American Dream, some of the things that people can hope for is to not constantly live with massive amounts of debt, to have a stable job with good benefits, and to have a stable roof over their head.
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With this program, small business owners will be incorporated back into the fabric of community as profitable businesses, and when their businesses become successful, they have the opportunity to expand into some of the infill sites that were pointed out in the recent Wentzville Downtown revitalization study. With this investment into the city, small town America will start to become more than forgotten space between the city and open fields. If this program works in Wentzville, it can then be applied to any number of suburban cities in the United States.
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program axonometric Level 3-4 (plus back tower) = Housing Level 2 =
Co-Working / small business space
Level 1 = Work spaces, Daycare, and local store (Note: Form is subject to change, but program elements remain the same)
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97
Program axonometric of downtown after American dream Living and innovation center attracts / develops other businesses Example of what downtown mainstreet in Wentzville could look like after businesses start to need more space, or other businesses move to the area to support those working at the American Dream Living and Innovation Center.
person 2 expands dog food business
person 1 fills need for more restaurants due to increase in downtown population
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person 3 expands toy company
person 4 expands salsa company
person 5 expands furniture company et
n
i Ma
e tr
S
99
HOUSING
WALKING BR
COLLAGE O HOUSING A 100
COWORKING SPACE
RIDGE CONNECTION
DAYCARE TOWARDS PARK SHOWN HERE. MAKER SHOP, CULINARY STUDIO, AND BUY LOCAL STORE ORIENTATED TO MAIN ST. OPPOSITE OF DAYCARE.
OF PARK IN BETWEEN AND CO WORKING SPACE 101
THE COMPLEX FOR THE AMERICAN DREAM HAS THE ABILITY TO BE DUPLICATED AND ADAPTED ALL OVER THE UNITED STATES. Wentzville can serve as a prototype to the rest of the suburbs in the United States to see how the program to support the American Dream works in this applied context. The goal is for this prototype to be replicated and adapted all over the nation and take advantage of suburban space that is underutilized today. With being adapted to each area, America will rebuild its suburban spaces stronger than they were originally built in the first place. More middle-class families will have jobs they are proud of, the nation will be more environmentally conscious, and the American economy can improve as a whole.
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RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA PEORIA, ILLINOIS
OGDEN, UTAH
WESTERNVILLE, OHIO CHAMBERSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA
BEND, OREGON
ATHENS, GEORGIA ABILENE, TEXAS
103
? 104
other Program possibilities Originally, North St. Louis was studied in depth as the disparities in the area are something that should not be ignored. The choice was made to work in the middle class version of America and not low income, as the American Dream has largely been centered on middle class America for many years and a new workforce housing model can be improved since it was last reinvented around the 1950s. Recent troubles with the American Dream for middle class America are also something that not a lot of efforts have been able to rectify as we must reinvent the wheel and not just fix it. In terms of other possibilities in Wentzville itself, site locations near the GM plant for workers housing were considered. Downtown locations, a couple of blocks off of Main Street, where examined due to new development in the area on the Allen Street side, which needs to be developed more. This same type of program to bring adapted in many ways. It’s overall small town American cities that we bring communities closer together, sustainable manner.
communities together can be goal is to simulate the economy in have already sprawled out to, to and to help people live in a more
105
program diagram 106
Another site investigation included a site downtown Wentzville as well, but on the Allen St. side of the rail road. This land is currently vacant and looking for redevelopment, but it is not as attractive as the historic Main St. side. A more traditional style was experimented with.
23,103 sq ft park
123,100 sq ft housing 10,747 sq ft daycare
24,823 co-work and small business center 10,806 park area 2 23,103 underground parking
program - mixed use If in another part of town or in a major metropolitan area, the program could be much more vertical with the square footage being over 50 percent housing. This could even be applied in Wentzville if the population continues to grow and the need for housing become even greater. Often times, high rises like these are situated next to parks as they do not disturb any property owners views, and they provide residences in the building with adequate outdoor space.
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housing
offices
retraining
daycare
outdoor day care space
outdoor public space
redevelopment near plant? An additional site investigation for this program was near the GM plant to be a more direct workers housing for the current population instead of the future population. On average, people will not walk to work if they are more than a 20 minute walk away. The GM plant currently has parking and freight surrounded on all sides for it’s products and 4,000 plus employees. If we can take some of that parking and put it into a multi-story garage, we can then have space for other purposes on the parking lot surface.
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park development GM (general motors) assembly center
housing convienience store
teaching center
parking garage
daycare
end notes 1. “American Dream, Dead or Alive? ”( PBS: Public Broadcasting Service), accessed August 27, 2019, http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/point-taken/american-dream-dead-alive/#explainer. 2. Bennett L. Hecht, Reclaiming the American Dream: Proven Solutions for Creating Economic Opportunity for All (Washington, D.C.: Brookings In stitution Press, 2018), 3. 3. Bennett L. Hecht, Reclaiming the American Dream: Proven Solutions for Creating Economic Opportunity for All (Washington, D.C.: Brookings In stitution Press, 2018), 69. 4. Mark R. Rank, Thomas A. Hirschl, and Kirk A. Foster, Chasing the American Dream: Understanding What Shapes Our Fortunes (New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2016), 70. 5. Ibid, 70. 6. Bennett L. Hecht, Reclaiming the American Dream: Proven Solutions for Creating Economic Opportunity for All (Washington, D.C.: Brookings In stitution Press, 2018), 113. 7. Sara R. Collins and David C. Radley, “The Cost of Employer Insurance Is a Growing Burden for Middle-Income Families: Commonwealth Fund,” Cost of Employer Insurance Growing Burden Middle-Income Families | Commonwealth Fund, December 7, 2018, https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/ issue-briefs/2018/dec/cost-employer-insurance-growing-burden-middle-income-families.
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8. Bennett L. Hecht, Reclaiming the American Dream: Proven Solutions for Creating Economic Opportunity for All (Washington, D.C.: Brookings In stitution Press, 2018), 91. 9. Ibid, 98. 10. Robert Moore (November 20, 2019). 11. Benamin Forgey, “The Making of a Model Community,” The Washington Post (WP Company, October 8, 1986), https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1986/10/08/the-making-of-a-model-community/2c1e8d17-08a9-4bf6-a06f25ff1c82514f/. 12. Bennett L. Hecht, Reclaiming the American Dream: Proven Solutions for Creating Economic Opportunity for All (Washington, D.C.: Brookings In stitution Press, 2018), 81. 13. Jacob Barker, “Once-Bustling Fenton Chrysler Site Showing New Signs of Life as Business Park,” stltoday.com, December 2, 2017, https://www.stltoday.com/business/local/once-bustling-fenton-chrysler-site-showing-new-signsof-life/article_7e7f8f88-3210-5b65-a1bb-e11f91dfc259.html. 14. Kevin S Held, “Wentzville UAW Members Approve New GM Contract,” FOX2now. com, October 25, 2019, https://fox2now.com/2019/10/24/wentzville-uaw-members-approve-new-gm-contract/. 15. David Leonhardt, “Why I’m Rooting for the G.M. Strikers,” The New York Times (The New York Times, September 17, 2019), https://www.nytimes. com/2019/09/17/opinion/gm-uaw-strike.html.
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Artwork: (In the order it is found in the book) 1. Johns, Jasper. Map. 1961, MoMA, Paris. 2. Johns, Jasper. Flag. 1955, MoMA, Paris. 3. Arman. Undivided Attention,1978 St. Louis Art Museum, St. Louis. 4. Noland, Cady. Misc. Spill. 1990, The Geffen Contemporary at MOCA, Los Angeles. 5. Warhol, Andy. Cambell’s Soup Company 1990, MoMa, Paris. 6. Dawn, Majors. Chrysler Plant Fenton, 2018 7. Wesselman, Tom. Still Life No. 24, 1962 Kansas City. 8. Burden, Daniel. Photo-souvenir: Peinture acrylique blanche sur tissu rayé blanc et rouge. 1971
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Initially, a viewer of this work may think that if this work is surrounded by other Pop artists’ works, it could be an American Flag with no stars. In reality it is just a piece of fabric commenting on how galleries can make art be viewed differently. This is similar to how if something is online or in book, we perceive it differently than how it is at face value. Artwork:Burden, Daniel. Photo-souvenir: Peinture acrylique blanche sur tissu rayÊ blanc et rouge. 1971, MOCA, Los Angeles. Photograph: Elise Skulte, October, 2019. 118
The End
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Artwork: Johns, Jasper. Flag. 1955, MoMA, Paris. 120
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A special thanks to those who helped guide me in this process and complete my research.