portfolio Urban Planning 2014-17 Hung Truong
Content Mental Mapping
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THE PAD: Preston Alley District
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Marina Gateway
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Rain Garden + Drywell
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Belmont Neighborhood ReDesign
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Pocahontas Island
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Mapping the Mekong Delta
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ONLY THROUGH MAPPING SEEMINGLY COMMON ROUTINES AND UNRELATED LANDMARKS ENCOUNTERED ON A DAILY BASIS CAN WE IDENTIFY HOW WE AS PEOPLE FIT INTO THE GREATER WHOLE OF THE COMMUNITY.
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he goal of the assignment was to identify the paths, nodes, districts and landmarks that I encounter throughout UVA. I identified paths that I usually take in my weekly routine which consisted of activities like running and grocery shopping. Working with Adobe Illustrator, I learned how to apply different lines, shapes, and styles to highlight various urban elements in the mental map. The exercise also helped me gain an appreciation for mapping. I came to understand it as a tool for simplifying and visualizing the interactions that people have with the physical landscape. After completing such a map, one can step back and get a sense of how their lives fit into the greater community.
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LEFT | Mental Map illustrating what I identify as edges, districts, landmarks, nodes and paths
BOTTOM |
Image from Getty Images | Shutterstock
Symbols used to represent different nodes and landmarks within the map
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THE SITE OFF OF PRESTON AVENUE HAS IMMENSE POTENTIAL NOT ONLY AS A COMMUNITY CONNECTOR BUT ALSO AS A MIXING BOWL FOR UVA AND CHARLOTTESVILLE RESIDENTS ALIKE. ABOVE | Current Site Conditions
LEFT | Perspective featuring proposed development
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PRESTON ALLEY
Photographic Image from Getty Images | Shutterstock
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DISTRICT
he PAD or Preston Alley District was a redevelopment project conceived for an existing shopping center located off of Preston Avenue. The site holds potential as a connector for existing hubs in Charlottesville: UVA, Barracks Shopping Center, and the Downtown Mall. The project progressed in multiple stages. Before any reimagining was done, a thorough site analysis was conducted. Afterwards, design solutions were suggested based on case studies fromothershoppingcentersthathavesuccessfully integrated their commercial and residential zones. The product from all of this research and design is the PAD or Preston Alley District.
ABOVE | Ananlyitcal Diagram showing the Preston Avenue corridor as well as some essential nodes
LEFT | Parcel Map highlighting the location of the site
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ABOVE | Model detailing the pre-exiting conditions of the site
RIGHT | Tree and Park Diagram analyzing existing greenery
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he central element of this design is the green median that runs down the middle of the PAD. This median serves a variety of purposes from a public park space to a parking spot to a stormwater management device. Two multimodallaneshavebeenaddedtofaciliteaccesstothe PAD and the community beyond. Along with the wide side walk, this design brings the site back to the pedestrian realm. With commercial shopping outletscreatedfromsegmentinganddensifyingthe large, unwelcoming warehouse shops, an outdoor restaurant, a botanical garden cafe, a public park, and a recreational center, the PAD could serve as a mixing bowl for the local neighborhood as well as the greater charlottesville community.
ABOVE | Model of the PAD concept
BOTTOM | Section of proposed plan
PA D R E S T O N
L L E Y
I S T R I C T
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LEFT | Preliminary diagram of the site along with respective measurements sdasdasdasdasdasd
Marina Gateway ABOVE | Portions of the site are divided into manageable phases for the project
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FAR LEFT | Intial outline of the circular plaza
Addition of porous asphalt material, greenery, and geometric pedestal centerpiece.
Photographic Image from Getty Images | Shutterstock
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he project called for refurbishing certain parts of Waterfront Park to create an entrance way to the City Marina. A colleague and I were responsible for designing a multi-stage plan that would increase the attractiveness of the area. In addition, we had to focus on mitigating stormwater runoff and creating wayfiding signage. After many site visits, research, and GIS diagramming, we developed our design suggestions. There were two objects in the existing area that were quite noticeable to passerbys. One was a giant anchor monument resting on stone dust in Zone B and an old wooden
signage kiosk located the center of the site. The anchor was kept beacuse it served an aesthetic value. However the old kiosk was to be removed and replaced with wayfinding signage located further down the path. The decision to replace existing stone dust material with grass in both Zones A and B was crucial for the prevention of run off. The final phase called for a circular connection to be formed from brick pavers that would connect the preexisting zones with the entrance to the City Marina. A central pedestal will also be built at the center of the plaza with similar brick material to the outline.
Inspiration for pedestal centerpiece
RIGHT | Inspiration for circular brickpaver border outlining walking path.
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Rain Garden
+ Drywell Design ABOVE | Image of existing pre conditions of the site
LEFT | Diagram detailing the layers of the proposed rain garden
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Analytical diagram of a rain garden illustrating the absorption rate of each section
ABOVE | Section depicting parts that make up a basic rain garden
LEFT | Specific parts and function of a working dry well system
UTILIZING A BMP RAIN GARDEN DESIGN WILL NOT ONLY PROVIDE STORM WATER MITIGATION BENEFITS BUT WILL ALSO CREATE AN AESTHETICALLY PLEASANT ASSET FOR THE COMMUNITY.
Photographic Image from Getty Images | Shutterstock
he design behind the rain garden was to solve a flooding problem located next to a major pedestrian park entrance. I conducted research into the functions of a rain garden addressing questions such as: how one is constructed, what are the necessary parts, what is the ratio of size to rate of water absorption? A basic rain garden using Best Management Practices (BMPs) consists of several decending gradients that would contain different fill material and plant species. Each level would act as progressive filtration stages, working together like artificial wetlands to absorb pollutants and other toxins from stormwater. Water will subsequently drain into a pourous tube at the bottom of the rain garden and empty out into a dry well container filled with filtration stones. Multiple gallons of water could be stored in this dry well to be gradually filtered out to the surrounding soil base. If it had been constructed, such a rain garden would have significantly mitigated pooling of the stormwater in front of the entrance to Harborside Park. As one can imagine, the presence of different species of flora and fauna would also have provided a pleasant aesthetic feature to the park entrance.
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B LEFT | Composite Image of the final design
RIGHT | Layers (block, figure/ground, and green amenities) that make up the final composite.
elmont is a neighborhood within the City of Charlottesville that contains remnants of the city's industrial past with large, single story-warehouses once operating factories and a grided street network carving out small, walkable block. In recent years, it has become a commmunity with a wide array of housing types from public housing to single-family homes, to four-story apartment complexes . The diversity of socioeconomic backgrounds within the nieghborhood makes designing for additional commerical businesses and creating greater density different due to the inherent effects of gentrification. Careful precaution must be taken during the planning stage to allow for the growth of comercial development while maintaining the wide range of housing units to meeet growing demands. Such was the program laid out for this third-year final studio project. Through implementing concepts of walkability , street connectivity, and multimodal integration , a full range of transportation options could be achieved within Belmont. The addition of green spaces within and around the commercial center form a ring around the neighborhood, providing nodes that connect planned bike lanes and alley ways. The following design treatment results in a more accessible and attractive neighborhood.
Belmont Neighborhood 15
ReDesign
ABOVE | Street Sections of two main streets in Belmont.
RIGHT | Images depicting important road infrastructure and development of the project site.
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ocahontas island is the first free African American community in the nation . Although it boast a vibrant industrial history, the community of around 90 residents today is a stark contrast from the mixed use trading hub it was before the Great Depression. Located just north of the City of Petersburg, the island is dealing with problems of vacant land and an aging population . Residents want the traditions and history of the island to carry on when they are gone . As part of our cap stone studio, my team designed a three phase approach to revitalizing the community. It involves telling the narrative of the space through interactive signages, readapting old warehouse spaces into a culinary institute, adding a nature trail and designation of an industrial area for a distillery.
Pocahontas Island 16
community revitalization studio
Pocahontas Island: Concept Design
Phase 1: Brainstorming
Major Themes: 1
Roper & Lot Development
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Historic Connections
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Road re-route
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Green connections, trails and parks
Phase 2: Concept Design
Concept 1
Pocahontas 1915
Commercial Residential/Planned
Concept 3
Concept 2 Formal Green Space/Recreation Historic Areas/Connections
Natural Green Space
Mixed-Use
History Trail/Pedestrian Pathways
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Pocahontas 1956
Vacancy Analysis and preliminary concept designs
LEFT | Historial building and parcel analysis Model depicting existing conditions
Pocahontas Today
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Mapping the Mekong Delta
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Images of salinity intrusion from drought destroying once productive farmland within the delta
GIS visualisation of rice and shrimp production in seven regions. 2015.
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he Mekong Delta of southern Vietnam is the main source of agricultural production in the country. It provide a majority of the population with food, water, and a way-of-life. However, the people who depend on it for sustainance also fear its seasonal fluctuations which create destructive floods in the wet season and droughts during the dry season. Farmers are weary of droughts as such incidents often causes the cessation of fresh water flows downstream, resulting in salt water flowing upstream. This 'salinity intrusion' destroys countless hectares of cropland needed for two of Vietnam's staple products: rice and shrimp. This GIS project uses production and drought data from 2015 to model potential impact to agricultural production in seven provinces within the Mekong Delta region in Vietnam.
GIS model depicting potential salinity intrusion incident and its impact on rice and shrimp production.
LEFT | Loss in irrigated area and agricultural output after incident of salinity intrusion.
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Hung Truong HTruong21@gmail.com Cell: (730)-980-5062