MArch 2013 - Thesis by Jeffrey Bento

Transgressive Walkways in the Sky:

Creating a New Perspective through Engagement and Connectivity

Jeffrey Bento MArch 2013: Thesis Studio Professor Dan Hisel Wentworth Institute of Technology

Acknowledgements I would like to take this opportunity to thank my primary advisor, Dan Hisel, as well as my Thesis Prep I and II advisors, Ian Baldwin and Ann Pitt.

Without their continuous support and guidance

throughout both semesters, I would not be at this point today. I would also like to thank my family, especially my mother and father, who have continuously supported me throughout my time at college, as well as my friends, because their passion and tremendous work ethic has continued to inspire me with my own work.

Table of Contents Abstract....................................................................................3

Research

Design Project Museum Pathways Map..........................................................56

Inspiration................................................................................4

Immediate Site Plan...............................................................57

Research Essay.........................................................................7

Intrusion into the Flatiron......................................................58

Hypothesis..............................................................................17

Amphitheater: Reversal of Urban Performance.......................60

Collage Studies.......................................................................18

Connection to Underground Movement.................................62

Existing Skywalk Analysis.......................................................20

Met Life Unwrapped...............................................................64

Abstract Model Exploration....................................................23

Conclusion....................................................................66

Program Exploration...............................................................27

Bibliography.................................................................67

Program Narrative..................................................................29 Site Investigation.....................................................................31 Site Analysis............................................................................33 Design Probe...........................................................................35

Design Approach Thesis Statement...................................................................38 Conceptual Pathways Model...................................................39 Conceptual Perspectives........................................................40 Program Overlays...................................................................43 Progression through Movement Layers..................................45 Walkway Scenarios.................................................................46 Site Diagrams.........................................................................49 2

Abstract Layering of pedestrian movement within dense urban settings has always been an important challenge for urban planners in many densely populated cities around the world.

Many highly dense

cities, such as Hong Kong, have built skywalk systems that allow pedestrians to navigate through the city without the need to ever step foot on the ground level. Subway systems have also proven to be a viable source of transportation for getting from one part of a city to the next. These types of movement systems have proven to be successful in transporting people from point A to point B; however, these systems should go beyond this specific purpose, and become more integrated and connected with one another in order to enhance the overall experience of the city. These movement systems have the potential to provide new views to areas of the city and expose new activities within the city which one wouldnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t normally have the opportunity to experience walking on the ground level.

Inspiration Harvey Wiley Corbett One of my major inspirations for my investigation about this idea of a multi-level city was Harvey Wiley Corbett. Corbett was an architect/artist who in the 1920â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s created a number of illustrations demonstrating what he thought the future of Manhattan would look like due to the continuing growth in population. Since the population of American cities would continue to increase, that would inevitably result in pedestrian congestion on the street level. Therefore, he felt that multiple layers of movement would have to be designed and built in order to alleviate this density on the ground level. Even though a lot of his illustrations seemed very radical and outrageous, he came up with a systematic order with these movement layers. The bottom layer below ground would be designated strictly for subway lines, the street level would be for automobiles, and the elevated systems would be for pedestrian movement.

Inspiration Trip to Hong Kong Another one of my major inspirations for skywalks was my trip to Hong Kong. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel to Hong Kong for my studio during the fall semester and was able to experience how the city operated with this skywalk system in place. It was very interesting to see how pedestrians would use this system to travel to certain parts of the city, without ever having the need to reach the street level. It was also interesting to see how this elevated walkway system would respond to specific site conditions throughout the city. For example, one part of the skywalk system contained a pedestrian escalator that would move pedestrians up a hill instead of having to climb up the hill on the ground level.

Research Essay

With the population of dense urban cities continuing to

increase at an enormous rate, cities are being forced to constantly adapt. What happens when cities become so densely populated that the street level becomes overly congested with people, leaving little or no room to maneuver or navigate? As density in cities increase, strategies to alleviate pedestrian congestion occurring at the ground level must be employed. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand how pedestrian movement operates within dense urban cities, because a city can only succeed, both economically and socially, if pedestrians are able to easily and comfortably navigate through all parts of the city. Most densely populated cities around the world have underground subway systems that are used to transport pedestrians

Boston Green Line Street Car (Photo Credit: francoissoulignac.com)

to different parts of the city without interfering with the street level activity on the ground level. As Brian Cudahy states, subways have

to circulate by foot or automobile. Some subway systems, most

become “an urban railway of almost unfathomable dimensions.”

notably the subways of New York, have become “intimately woven

Subway systems not only provide convenience for pedestrians to

into the fabric and identity of the city.”2

transport from one part of the city to the next, but they also help

Although subway systems reach out to all parts of the city

to alleviate traffic congestion that would occur at the street level.

and provide linkage and connectivity with various areas, they often

Imagine if subway systems were never erected in some of the densest

seem detached from the actual city itself, since they are more than

cities around the world? One would have to wonder if cities would

often placed deep underground in tunnels. One could literally travel

even be able to operate, since it would be an absolute nightmare

from one side of the city to the other without even knowing what’s in

1 Cudahy, Brian J. Under the sidewalks of New York: the story of the greatest subway system in the world. S. Greene Press, 1988. XV.

2 Cudahy, Brian. XV

Research Essay the ground. In addition to subway systems, most cities have also started to construct skywalks, as Sancia Wai-San Wan defines as “a network of elevated interconnecting pedestrian walkways comprising covered or uncovered bridges over streets, as well as above-grade corridors within buildings and various activity hubs.”3 Hong Kong is a great example of a highly dense urban city that has implemented skywalk systems in attempt to alleviate the pedestrian congestion on the street level. In The Sustainable City IV: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, J. Rotmeyer explains how skywalks in Hong Kong are successful: “pedestrian density is high enough in Hong Kong to support multiple layers of parallel Hong Kong Mid-Level Escalators (Photo Credit: kellyansapansa)

pedestrian movement directly associated with economic activities.”4 Skywalks have not only helped alleviate the density, but they also

the area between. One would have to argue if this is a viable way to

help to bridge buildings together, allowing pedestrians to stay

experience the city, traveling in dark tunnels underground that are

elevated above the ground and separated from vehicular traffic,

detached from the activity above. However, there are some subway

without the need to ever step foot on the ground level.

systems that start to travel out from under the ground. Boston is a

Robertson makes a valid point, in which he states that “by placing

great example of a subway system that runs both under the ground

pedestrians on a higher level than automobiles, skywalks permit

and above the ground. These types of systems where the railway

people to walk through much of the downtown without worrying

Kent

starts to weave vertically in and out of the ground has tremendous potential to become integrated and connected with the other layers of movement above the ground level, rather than hidden away under

3 Wai-San Wan, Sancia. “The Role of the Skywalk System in the Development of Hong Kong’s Central Business District.” (California, 2007) 2. 4 Rotmeyer, J. “Can elevated pedestrian walkways be sustainable?,” in The Sustainable City IV: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, ed. U. Mander, C. A. Brebbia and E. Tiezzi (Great Britain: WIT Press, 2006), 293.

Research Essay

Research Essay about motor vehicles.”5 This idea of separating automobile and

to alleviate pedestrian density. Mumbai is another example of a city

pedestrian movement has been viewed by many as an effective

that had to turn to the skywalks to save their pedestrian congestion

approach for safe and comfortable navigation within cities.

issues. Eric Bellman states in his article Packed Streets Have a City

Although separating automobiles and pedestrians may

of Walkers Looking Skyward for Answers that Mumbai plans to build

provide comfort and convenience, is this a viable strategy for cities

more than 50 skywalks that will “sprout from train stations across

to implement? Should these layers of movement really be separated

the city and snake over the traffic for up to two miles to create a

from one another? One disadvantage that could occur seems to

pedestrian express lane.”7 Skywalks seem to be both an effective

be that this could result in reduced property value at the ground

and efficient way of addressing pedestrian congestion. They are

level.6 However, skywalks have allowed for certain businesses to

“quick to build, relatively inexpensive and only require land the city

thrive above the ground level, since they allow for many buildings

already controls.”8

to become linked with one another. Therefore, is there a way to

Although skywalks have proved successful in highly dense

implement an elevated walkway system without entirely killing the

cities such as Hong Kong and Mumbai, they have not been as

street life? Is there a way to keep a steady balance of pedestrian flow

successful in American cities where the population is not nearly as

on the ground level and elevated system without entirely separating

dense. In fact, the main purpose of the construction of skywalks in

automobile and pedestrian traffic? One would speculate whether

American cities was not for density-related purposes, but rather to

more connections between the two layers of movement would help

“protect people from the frigid winters.”9 Minneapolis, in particular,

to assist this issue. Having more areas of accessibility between the

is an example of a city that has used pedestrian bridges to protect

skywalk and street level would almost help to dilute this separation.

people from the cold. This endless interiority of travel within the

Hong Kong is not the only city that used the skywalk system

skywalk system may provide both safety and comfort for pedestrians;

5 Robertson, Kent A. “Pedestrianization strategies for downtown planners: skywalks versus pedestrian malls.” Journal of the American Planning Association. 365. 6 Woo, Patricia. “Skywalks in Hong Kong and their Consequences on Urban Communities.” Place Management & Branding (Feb 2012). <http://blog.inpolis. com/2012/07/02/guest-article-skywalks-in-hong-kong-and-their-consequences-onurban-communities/>

7 Bellman, Eric. “Packed Streets Have a City of Walkers Looking Skyward for Answers.” The Wall Street Journal. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB100014240527487038370045 75013193075912272.html> 8 Bellman, Eric. “Packed Streets Have a City of Walkers Looking Skyward for Answers.” 9 Robertson, 363.

Research Essay active cities that people now expect.”12 This posses the question of whether elevated movement systems should be discouraged for urban environments that may not have the density to sustain a balance between elevated pedestrian movement and vibrant street level activity. Elevated walkways encourage pedestrians to stay off the street, as it provides convenience for transportation to and from a specific destination without the need to constantly stop at traffic lights or crosswalks. It seems as though skywalks have become such a convenience that pedestrians are not only using them during the winter to keep inside from the cold temperatures, but studies have also shown that Skywalk in Mumbai (Photo Credit: Michael Rubenstein, Wall Street Journal)

they are using them throughout the entire year. According to Kent Robertson, “even on a day with a pleasant 80-degree temperature, 71.5 percent of downtown pedestrians said they preferred using the

however, it is inevitably killing the pedestrian activity off the street, leaving the “street level as forgotten territory,”10 which will result in “the ‘dullification’ of downtowns.”11

skywalk rather than the street-level sidewalk.”13 In other American cities, planners went as far as to take down some of the pedestrian bridges in the downtown areas in attempt

In Steve Berg’s article from the MinnPost, he states that

recapture the thriving street life. In Patricia Woo’s article Skywalks

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak noted “while skywalks probably saved

in Hong Kong and the Consequences on Urban Communities, Woo

downtown in the 1960s and 70s by offering a comfortable alternative

states that “Cincinnati had 22 of its skywalk bridges around Fountain

to suburban office parks, they don’t fit the formula for vibrant, 10 Rotmeyer, 297. 11 Robertson, 362.

12 Berg, Steve.“Videos Explore Life in Twin Cities’ Skyways,” MinnPost. <http://www. minnpost.com/cityscape/2011/04/videos-explore-life-twin-cities-skyways> 13 Robertson, 363.

Research Essay

idea of the skywalks, according to a face-to-face survey conducted by Patricia Woo.

Aside from the obvious reasons of skywalks

providing efficient and convenient navigation through the city, most see skywalks as highly beneficial in terms of health, as it seems to influence an “increase in the amount of walking in daily life.”15 Also, skywalks also help to decrease the use of automobiles within the city, resulting in less traffic congestion on the streets. It’s interesting to see how much skywalks are loved in certain areas of the world, yet strongly disliked by others. As mentioned earlier, a big reason as to why skywalks are successful in some cities around the world is because they have a high enough density Pedestrian Bridge in Minneapolis (Photo Credit: rgbstock.com)

that they are able to keep an even balance between pedestrians circulating on both the elevated walkways and the ground level.

Square torn down.”14 This stresses the importance of being able

Many people in American cities strongly dislike this system because

to find a balance with street level activity and elevated pedestrian

the density in these cities are not nearly as high, and therefore, it

movement. Skywalk systems may be convenient in providing direct

is killing the street life of the downtown areas since everyone is

circulation to certain parts of a city, but they should also provide

staying inside the elevated system. One shouldn’t totally blame the

connections to the ground level so it is not entirely turning it’s back

lack of density for the skywalk system’s lack of success in American

on the street, which is happening in a lot of American cities who use

cities, since it may actually be the actual design and planning of

the skywalk system.

these systems that could be leading to their failures. Unlike Hong

Interestingly, most citizens in Hong Kong seem to enjoy the

Kong where there is much variation in what the skywalks can do, the

14 Woo, Patricia. “Skywalks in Hong Kong and their Consequences on Urban Communities.”

15 Woo, Patricia. “Skywalks in Hong Kong and their Consequences on Urban Communities”

Research Essay skywalks in cities such as Minneapolis are just typically bridges that

The main streets are typically the busiest streets, both in terms of

link specific buildings to one another. They are also enclosed, which

automobile and pedestrian traffic. Therefore, those streets should

further demonstrates this idea of being detachment from the city.

be given the most space for smooth traffic flow, and should be easily

If the system could vary and become more than just bridges linking

accessible from the lesser important streets.

buildings together, they wouldn’t cause the demise of the street life.

In urban cities, the streets usually provide the life of the city.

Perhaps there could be places where the system becomes more

Not only are they used for automobiles to drive and transport for one

open to the surrounding context rather than just entirely enclosed,

place to another, or for pedestrians to walk along the sidewalks, but

and perhaps there could be more connections made to the ground

they also contain much social activity, such as outdoor restaurant

level so the two layers could exchange and be more accessible to

seating areas, or shopping stalls. In Cities for People, Jan Gehl

one another.

stresses the importance of the quality of city space, as allowing

Urban movement, whether it is vehicular or pedestrian, may

more space will provide more opportunities for cultural and social

be the greatest determining factor for how an urban environment is

interaction.17 Not only can sidewalks or spaces along the streets

organized and planned out. Without efficient means of movement,

provide pedestrian traffic, but they can also become the stage

a city wouldn’t be able to succeed, both economically and socially.

for cultural activities and events. Therefore, planners should not

Therefore, it’s crucial to understand how urban movement works,

turn their back on the street level activity when planning elevated

and how a city should be configured in order to encourage the

pedestrian movement, since the streets provide the culture of the

most efficient forms of movement.

city.

In Natural movement: or,

configuration and attraction in urban pedestrian movement, Bill

Hiller stresses the importance of “spatial hierarchy” in urban grids,

Measures for Improving Urban Environments, Wiedenhoeft explains

and that “different kinds of configurational priority are assumed to

how the urban planning of cities have become more focused on

be associated with different degrees of functional importance.”16

accommodating for automobile traffic rather than the actual people

16 Hillier, Bill. “Natural Movement: or, configuration and attraction in urban pedestrian movement.” Environment & Planning B. 30.

In Ronald Wiedenhoeft’s Cities for People: Practical

who inhabit the city, going as far to say that “the degree to which 17 Gehl, Jan. Cities for People. Washington, D.C: Island Press, 2010. 22.

Research Essay our urban environments have been transformed to accommodate

behavior and the ways in which cities operate.”20 Throughout Gehl’s

automobiles is appalling.”18 It’s rather interesting that Wiedenhoeft

book, Gehl explains the importance of urban planning, and that the

makes this claim, since Kent Robertson states in his article that

“greater focus on the needs of people who use cities must be a key

“the creation of attractively designed and well-used public spaces

goal for the future.”21

is a common goal of most downtown plans.”19

According to Gehl, “the seats with the best view of city life

However, Wiedenhoeft’s statement about the shift of focus

are used far more frequently than those that do not offer a view

of urban planning to the automobile couldn’t be more apparent

of other people..”22 This approach of creating more space along

in many urban cities. A major purpose for the implementation of

sidewalks to encourage community interactions could also be

skywalks in most cities was to create the separation of pedestrians

executed to the elevated movement. As opposed to only having

from vehicular traffic. However, this idea suggests that automobiles

a pedestrian corridor strictly for movement, extending the space

take precedence over the pedestrians. Since when do automobiles

along the sides of the skywalk could potentially bring the life of the

have control over the ground level? As has been stated, the street

street to the upper tier. More space could offer the possibility of

life and activity is what encourages cultural interactions and

outdoor seating and other forms of community activity. It seems as

represents the rich, urban experience of cities. The planning for

though the skywalks in Hong Kong are designed with the purpose

pedestrians should be just as, if not, more important than that of

of providing constant transience, with little or not room to stop and

automobiles, especially when taking into account the second tier of

engage with the surrounding context.

movement.

A major part of the urban experience is the street life,

Jan Gehl makes the argument that the way in which cities

as that is how most cities gain their cultural identity. New York

and spaces are planned and designed will directly influence the

City is known for the many food vendors that are parked along the

way humans engage and interact within those spaces of the city.

sidewalks of major streets. Hong Kong is known for the numerous

Gehl claims that “urban structures and planning influence human

street markets throughout the city, with many stalls outlining many of

18 Wiedenhoeft, Ronald. Cities for People: Practical Measures for Improving Urban Environments. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1981. 19 Robertson, 363.

20 Gehl, 9. 21 Gehl, 6. 22 Gehl, 25.

Research Essay

relationship between built and unbuilt, density and openness.”23 It’s interesting to compare the High Line to existing skywalks used in cities. Both programs are elevated planes of movement, yet one is designed with the purpose of experiencing the city from a different perspective other than ground level, while the other is designed specifically to transport pedestrians from point A to point B. According to Earon, the High Line “allows inhabitants and visitors to wander, to get lost, to discover, and to be surprised.”24 Comparing the High Line to skywalks, especially Hong Kong, is not necessarily like comparing apples and oranges. Yes, they are both elevated planes of movement, but they also do very similar moves, The High Line in New York (Photo Credit: Nando, Flickr)

such as weave in and around buildings, through buildings, and offer the experience of the city from a literally a different perspective. The difference is; however, that the skywalks are designed specifically for circulation, with the long, narrow pedestrian corridors suggesting

the streets, as well as many outdoor food venues and cafes, displaying

constant movement with little or no opportunity to stop and engage the

this idea of constant cultural interaction wherever you walk.

surrounding urban context.

In cities such as New York City and Paris, the idea of the elevated

This brings up a unique opportunity; perhaps incorporating

park seems to be thriving. The High Line in New York City is an elevated

landscape into a skywalk and how that may influence the way pedestrians

park created from an elevated abandoned railroad structure. In Ofri

use the skywalks. Could pedestrians be more inclined to engage and

Earon’s article Condensed Urban Landscape, Earon describes the High Line as a “linear collage [that] allows landscape to cross through urbanity. It cuts through buildings and introduces alternative types of

23 Earon, Ofri. “Condensed landscape experience,” International Conference on Architectural Research, 2010. <http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/ pdf/aiab087212.pdf> 24 Earon, Ofri. “Condensed landscape experience.”

Research Essay interact with the environment if landscape was incorporated into the

designed in dense urban environments in order to enhance the overall

elevated pedestrian bridges?

experience of the city. Skywalks provide the unique opportunity to offer

In order to bring the street life on the ground level to the

different views of an area, and to create an entirely different perspective

elevated pedestrian walkways in attempt to enhance the urban

of the city. This opportunity should be taken advantage of and rather

experience, one needs to first understand how streets are successful

than just the skywalk becoming a means of circulation, it can become

in terms of promoting cultural interaction, which exemplifies the urban

a piece of architecture and become a part of the identity of a city, the

experience. Numerous authors have mentioned different strategies,

same way the subway system in New York and skywalks in Hong Kong

and it’s important to take these ideas and be able to incorporate

have started to become part of those cities’ identity. Program could

them into the design of skywalks and other second level movement

start to become implemented within these movement systems, where

systems. Just like on the ground level, sidewalks shouldn’t just be a

people could start to stop and engage within the surrounding context

place for pedestrians to circulate within a city, but places where they

rather than just rushing to get to their desired destination.

can have cultural interactions and opportunities to engage with their surrounding context. Same idea should hold true for skywalks, as they shouldn’t just be paths and bridges to move people just point A to point B, but they should be much more than that. Therefore, perhaps skywalks shouldn’t be viewed as only elevated paths of movement, but rather elevated planes of cultural and community activity. If skywalks and other tiers of pedestrian movement are going to continue to be implemented in the future in order to alleviate pedestrian congestion off the ground, then they should be designed in a way to enhance the urban experience, and not be spatially and experimentally disconnected from it. Layers of urban movement should be carefully planned and 16

Hypothesis

My thesis will focus on taking these layers of urban movement, such as the street, skywalks, and subway systems, and start to integrate

them with one another to order to enhance the experience of the city. These layers of movement already succeed in transporting people to and from specific points within a city; however, they should be much more than just a means of circulation. These planes of movement should also be planes in which one can visually, as well as experientially, connect with the surrounding context.

Skywalks provide convenience in terms of moving pedestrians to and from specific destinations within dense urban environments, as

well as alleviating pedestrian congestion on the ground level; however, they also provide the unique opportunity to offer views to various areas of a city in which one could not get on the ground level. They can provide an entirely new perspective to the city, enhancing the overall experience.

Also, I find it extremely important to establish connections between all the layers of movement, as accessibility to and from these layers

is crucial to keep a healthy balance of density to each layer. Therefore, I would like to also be able to design these vertical connections between each layer, down from the subway system all the way to the ground level, as well as the elevated movement system.

Collage Studies

This collage above represents the idea of an evolving city-scape, and how the implementation of skywalk systems in cities could change the way cities would look. For example, this collage shows how the subway system might penetrate up through the ground layer and how the skywalk system might penetrate down through the ground layer to reach the subway system, in order to create a more connected city.

Collage Studies This particular collage on the right represents the idea of the skywalk system being disconnected, both physically and socially, from the street life below.

Although skywalks provide efficient

circulation for pedestrians in a dense urban environment, they can also create a spatial and experiential disconnection from the city.

This particular diagram on the right demonstrates the idea of separating vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This sketch was taken in Hong Kong, and shows an area where there are no sidewalks on the ground for pedestrians to walk. Therefore, pedestrians are forced to use the skywalk in order to walk through that area.

Existing Skywalk Analysis This particular skywalk condition is located in Copley Square in Boston, Massachusetts, and is an example of a skywalk used as a pedestrian bridge to transport pedestrians from one building to another without having to go through the trouble of crossing the the busy street and dealing with traffic. The bridge also provides a direct route to the other building, since if one was walking on the ground level, they would have to cross two streets in order to reach the other building.

Copley Square Pedestrian Bridge

Site Model

Existing Skywalk Analysis This particular skywalk condition is located in Hong Kong, China. The site is located along the abandoned Central Market building, which was actually the site that we designed in for our studio project this past semester. This particular skywalk actually penetrates through the abandoned building, and is virtually a tunnel which prevents pedestrians from being able to access the rest of the building. This skywalk is constantly full of pedestrian traffic, as the mid-level escalators are located on the other side of the building.

Hong Kong Central Market

Site Model

Existing Skywalk Analysis This particular skywalk condition is also located in Hong Kong, China. The site is not too far from the abandoned Central Market building, which was the site I explored for the previous skywalk condition. This is an example of a skywalk used to transport pedestrians up a hill, as it contains an escalator system that runs throughout the day. This type of system provides both convenience and comfort since otherwise pedestrians would have to travel up the hill on their own.

Mid-Level Pedestrian Escalator

Site Model

Abstract Model Exploration This particular exploration dealt with the use of elevated movement, as well as underground movement systems, which are demonstrated through the use of white string and wooden dowels. The white string weaves freely around the vertical members of the model, representing how raised movement could flow freely and create a different experience of a dense urban area. The wooden dowels are shown piercing through the base, demonstrating how underground movement systems could perhaps start to become more integrated with the other systems above the ground level.

Explorative Study Model 1

Abstract Model Exploration This particular exploration dealt with not only the elevated and underground movement systems, but also took into account the use of topography, and how that might influence the way in which these movement systems could interact with the setting they are situated in. Also, the ground level is shown to have a strict grid system, representing the street pattern found in many dense urban environments and how these systems, particular the elevated system, could break this strict pattern and move freely about it.

Explorative Study Model 2

Abstract Model Exploration This particular iteration demonstrates a more in depth exploration of the play with topography, and how the topography could start to become elevated and actually have a life of itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s own, weave and flowing in between these vertical members of the environment. Also, the topography could start to become a part of the elevated system, and actually create space underneath it, where the ground level almost starts to become blurred by this integration between these movement systems and the actual land.

Explorative Study Model 3

Abstract Model Exploration This final iteration involved a jump in scale, and tried to combine all the ideas which were implemented during the previous model explorations. The underground system is shown carving through the model beneath the ground level, and is also shown connected to the upper movement systems above the ground level. The string is connecting to different areas of the model, but is also tied to wooden dowels, which would represent this vertical connection between all the movement layers in the model.

Explorative Study Model 4

Program Exploration The programmatic ideas that I had for my design had to do with this idea of bringing the street level activity to the other layers of movement within the city. When creating an upper level movement system, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s crucial to not leave the idea of the street behind as forgotten territory, since it is where much of the cultural interaction takes place. Here are the four main types of program that I want to bring to the other layers of urban movement:

Circulation: The movement system should provide paths for efficient mobility to navigate to and from specific destinations within the dense urban environment.

Retail: Shopping malls and other forms of retail outlets could encourage more people to use the upper level system while providing a similar experience that one would get on the street, so itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not strictly a system to move pedestrians, but a system to encourage interaction.

Park/Green Space: Small areas scattered about elevated system that could take the idea of the park on the ground level and bring it to the upper level. This would provide pedestrians relaxation while being able to engage with the context of the surrounding environment.

Food: Cafes and small eating venues will also help to bring the street life experience to the upper level movement system, while providing outdoor seating areas to encourage cultural interactions.

Program Exploration

Program Narrative Arriving at a specific, yet unfamiliar destination, I step out of the

However, I finally see an opening to the street level, an access to

subway surrounded by crowds of people.

Overwhelmed in this

life and opportunity. I step onto the escalator, patiently waiting my

tunnel deep under the ground and one step away from suffering

arrival to the street. As the slope starts to level out, an abundance

from claustrophobia, I search for an escape to the world above me.

of noise greets me at the gate as the city life is finally upon me.

I can hardly see where Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m walking, as crowds of people obstruct the view in front of me.

Subway Tunnel

Access to Street

Program Narrative The atmosphere is unreal, cars rushing by, buses honking their

I then make my way to the upper level, in hopes of reaching my

horns, people swarming the sidewalks, and birds flying mysteriously

destination at a more efficient pace. I reach the top, and experience

low overhead. As I walk, their is activity at literally every corner,

the city in a much different way than what Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m used to. I feel as

making it impossible for one to capture everything moment.

though I have no restrictions, and am able to see different parts of the city that I was unable to see before. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s the same place, yet a new adventure.

Street Level

Elevated Walkway

Site Investigation

Manhattan, New York

Immediate Site - Flatiron District

Site Investigation This particular site is located in the lower part of Manhattan, New York, and although there is no set boundary to this site, it revolves around Madison Square park, which is located directly in the center. This are of Manhattan contains a strict street pattern grid that shapes the site into modular rectangular blocks. Cutting through this strict grid pattern is Broadway, which slices through the blocks and creates an area of high interaction along the intersection of Broadway and 5th Avenue, adjacent to Madison Square Park. The site seems to densely populated, as there are five subway stations in the area and three subway lines running underground through the site, allowing for the opportunity to create connections from the subway to the ground level and to the possible skywalk intervention.

Madison Square Park

Park Avenue

Site Analysis Street Pattern

Green Space

The streets, with the exception of Broadway, create a strict grid pattern on the site, which organizes the site into modular rectangular blocks.

There is not much green space in the site, except for Madison Square Park, which is located directly in the center of the site and adjacent to where Broadway cuts through 5th Avenue.

Site Analysis Subway Stations and Tunnels

Nodes of High Interaction

There are five subway stations and three tunnels which run through the site. All three tunnels are located directly underneath 6th Avenue, Broadway, and Park Avenue.

The subway stations and intersections of the busier streets of the site provide many places and opportunities for interaction, which are highlighted below.

Design Probe For this design probe, I decided to use the site I had chosen for one of my frames and start to abstract it in a way where I could start to layer a new form of elevated movement, while still connecting back down to the street level and the subway tunnels below. I first cut out a section of the site to show the relationship of the subway tunnels with the buildings on top, as well as the alignment of the street. From there, I added a wooden piece of basswood to represent a type of elevated movement system, and then highlighted the existing subway stations where these could become nodes of interaction, where all three movement layers could start to become connected with one another.

Manhattan, New York

Section Cut through Site

Design Probe

Side View of Model

Plan View of Model

Design Probe For my next model, I decided to pull back and look at the chosen site as a whole. The variation in building heights is represented by the horizontally stacked pieces of chipboard, and the stacked pieces of plexi-glass represents buildings that may become a part of this elevated movement system. The free-flowing string demonstrates how this elevated system could start to break the strict street pattern that occurs on the ground level, and start to break restrictions and create a different experience of the site. The subway tunnels are also shown in the model underneath the sheet of honeycomb, which represents the ground level.

Abstract Site Model

Thesis Statement The integration between a new elevated walkway system with existing layers of urban movement allows one to become more physically and experientially engaged within the surrounding context and performance of a dense urban environment by blurring the boundaries of privacy and exposing various examples of urban activity unable to be seem from the street level.

Conceptual Pathways Model This model demonstrated how the skywalk system would be able to break away from the strict rigidity and pattern of the streets and be able to create shortcuts through the building blocks of the area in an effort to create a new perspective of the area. Different layers of the model represented different ideas such as program spaces, community spaces, circulation, and so on.

Conceptual Perspectives

Park Avenue

Conceptual Perspectives

Fifth Avenue

Conceptual Perspectives

West 22nd Street

Program Overlays

Progression through Movement Layers

These abstract models demonstrates the movement through

all the layers of the city. To be more specific, one gets off the subway to a specific destination in a city, and then moves upward where he or she reaches the street level. Then, from the street level, one could then proceed to move onto the elevated system, where he or she is above the city.

The models try and translate the types of experiences of

this movement. For example, the subway represents an enclosed movement that is detachment from the city, since it is underground. The street level represents a more free movement where pedestrians can circulate in a number of different directions. Then the elevated system represents a somewhat forced movement with exposure to the surrounding context of the city.

Walkway Scenarios

Upper West Side

Districts

Green Spaces Central Park Upper East Side

Midtown West

Central Park

Dewitt Clinton Park

Robert Moses Playground

St. Vartanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Park

Kips Bay Towers

Bryant Park

Chelsea Park

Hudson River Greenway

Madison Square Park

10 Bellevue Park 11 Gramercy 12 Union Square Park 13 Abingdon Square Park 14 Stuyvesant Park

Midtown East

15 Stuyvesant Cove Park

16 Dog Park Washington Square 17 Tompkins Square Park 18 Hamilton Fish Park 19 East River Park 20 Corlears Hook Park

21 Seward Park

22 Sara D. Roosevelt Park 23 Battery Park

Chelsea

24 Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park 25 South Cove Park 26 City Hall Park

27 Columbus Park 28 Nelson A. Rockefeller Park

10 11

Gramercy

12 Greenwich Village

East Village Soho

Tribeca

22 28

Chinatown

Lower Manhattan

Little Italy

Lower East Side

27 26

25 24 23

Subway Stations/Routes 1 1 28 St [F,M] 2 28 St [6] 3 23 St [F,M] 4 23 St [N,R] 5 23 St [6]

2 3

Legend

Subway Routes Subway Stations

Public Spaces 1 Madison Square Park 2 Madison Green Residential Plaza 3 Manhattan Institute Courtyard 4 Manhattan Village Academy Courtyard

5 General Worth Square 6 Friends Quarter Housing Development

1 5

4 Legend Green Space Public Plazas

2 6

Churches 1

1 Marble Collegiate Church 2 The Church of the Transfiguration

3 Gallery Church 4 Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava

5 Epiphany Church 6 Parish of Calvary/St. Georgeâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 7 Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church

Educational Facilities 1 New York College of Health Professions 2 The Manhattan Institute

3 Adelphi University Urban Center 4 Touro College Graduate School of Technology

5 Manhattan Village Academy 6 American Institute of Graphic Arts 7 Princely International University

8 School of the Future 9 Baruch College

4 5

Restaurants/Cafes

1 Bella Napoli 2 The John Dory Oyster Bar 3 Waldy’s Wood Fired Pizza and Penne

4 Olympia Finest

5 New York Burger Co. 6 Benvenuto Cafe Restaurant 7 The Fifth Avenue Epicure

8 La Pizza Fresca Ristorante 9 Ciano 10 Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen 11 La Mar Cebuheria Peruana 12 Park Avenue Bistro

13 Wonderland

14 Chen’s Garden 15 California Kitchen Pizza

Retail 1 Ali Ahmad Wholesale Jewelry 2 Davidâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Bridal 3 Global Shoe Factory 4 Lee and Low Books 5 Avenson Office Furnishings

6 Burlington Coat Factory

7 Specialty Signs 8 Van Alen Books 9 The Home Depot 10 Fed Ex Print and Ship Center 11 Ann Taylor

12 Idlewild Books 13 Express

14 Walgreens

8 7

10 14 11

Museum Pathways Map of Manhattan This map shows how the museum pathways run through this part of Manhattan, and where the two pathways overlap one another

22 23

is where my immediate site is located where more of the detailed design work took place, such as where the pathways intersected 21 12

specific buildings and how the system met the ground level and subway system. The two pathways extend from already existing

pedestrian walkways in Manhattan.

The first pathway (orange)

20 10

extends from the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade, and connects all the

9 17

way to the High Line. The second pathway (red) extends from the

18 8

Hudson River Greenway and connects to the pedestrian walkway along the Queensboro Bridge. The map also shows on the bottom right hand corner all the museum exhibits that are along each

pathway, and the ones that are highlighted are the exhibits that are 4

designed in more detail at a larger scale. The museum exhibits will showcase the real life activity of Manhattan, exposing different areas of privacy that people wouldn’t be able to witness while being

Exploratory Museum Exhibits

Pathway 1: 1 Link to the Promenade 2 3 4 5

stuck on the ground level.

Family Court Unsettled Spring Street Dermatology New York Community Board Eye and Ear Inﬁrmary

6 Stuyvesant: Apartment 306 7 U.S. Post Ofﬁce

8 Met Life Unwrapped 9 Connection to Underground Movement 10 Flatiron Hotel: Corner Suite 11 Fashion Institute of Technology

Pathway 2: 13 Hudson River Runway 14 Metropolitan College of New York 15 Levitation of Washington Square 16 Preschool of America on Display 1

17 Intrusion into the Flatiron 18 Ampitheatre: Reversal of Urban Performance 19 20 21 22 23

New York Life (Insurance) Disruption The Armenian Church Grand Central Interruption High School of Art and Design Bridging to Queensboro Bridge Immediate Site

Immediate Site Plan This site plan shows how the skywalk system is used designed through this area of Manhattan, also known as the Flatiron District. Madison Square Park is located at the center of the site plan, which is where much of the connections to the ground level is made with the skywalk system. This site plan also shows how the system penetrates through specific buildings in the site, and how it wraps around specific building blocks.

Intrusion into the Flatiron The elevated walkway museum penetrates through the historic Flatiron Building to reveal the activity that occurs on the interior. The building has been a top tourist attraction for many years, yet most people do not know how the building is functioned on the inside. The Flatiron is currently home to publishing companies held by Verlagsgruppe Georg von Holtzbrinck of Stuttgart, Germany. The walkway intrudes at an angle, cutting through floor plates to reveal the variation of different activity occurring at multiple levels.

Ampitheatre: Reversal of Urban Performance As a response to the current Madison Square Park as an intermediate escape from the city,â&#x20AC;? the amphitheater will compliment this site condition by allowing for the public to both access the elevated walkway as it dips down to near ground level in the park, as well as utilize it to sit and enjoy the surrounding views that Madison Square Park has to offer. The walkway dips down to the park and widen out and contain pockets of green space and vegetation to carry this park land element onto the system. Also, the structural frames of the walkway will also extend out over the amphitheater seating to structure a trellis system that will act as a shading device and extend the canopies of the trees to create a comforting sand relaxing space beneath.

Connection to Underground Movement The elevated walkway plummets through the ground layer, allowing for direct connection to the existing subway station that is currently underneath Broadway. This connection will help to strengthen the idea of using this elevated movement system as a way to better connect the city and fully engage in all of the different kinds of experiences the site has to offer. Users of the subway will be able to access directly onto the walkway without the need to reach the street level. Similar to the flatiron scheme, the walkway ramps down at an angle and strikes through the ground layer, which will allow people to witness the activity of the train beneath the ground as well as the street level activity above while progressing up or down the walkway.

Met Life Unwrapped

An iconic building in New York City, the Metropolitan Life

North Building was designed by Harvey Wiley Corbett and was initially designed to be a skyscraper. It is currently home to Metropolitan Life Insurance offices. The walkway carves through the facade of the building on the south end at an angle, allowing users of the walkway to view into the open floor plan of the building, and getting a sense of what the atmosphere is like in a corporate office of New York City.

Conclusion After finally completing the thesis project, it was incredible to see the development and process of the thesis throughout the semester. There were plenty of struggles, but I felt that overall my thesis investigation was successful. However, that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t mean that there is no room for improvement. In fact, much could have been improved to make my final design stronger and more credible. For example, one of the major criticisms was that I should have designed in much more detail of how the skywalk could penetrate through buildings, and investigate more of what how people, both users of the skywalk and the people in the exhibits would act in such an environment, and perhaps be able to demonstrate this in my renderings. Also, since I worked at a number of different scales throughout the process, it would have been beneficial to perhaps work at an even larger scale and detail certain connections of the skywalk. For example, how it would be structured to meet the ground, or how it would be structured to an already existing building, and then how might the floor plan have to be rearranged to accommodate for this skywalk, in order to make this thesis more believable. If I could continue working on this, I would produce more drawings and try present this in a way as if this system could actually be built.

Bibliography Rotmeyer, J. “Can elevated pedestrian walkways be sustainable?,” in The Sustainable City IV: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, ed. U. Mander, C. A. Brebbia and E. Tiezzi (Great Britain: WIT Press, 2006), 293-302 In Rotmeyer’s article, “Can elevated pedestrian walkways be sustainable?,” in The Sustainable City IV: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, Rotmeyer addresses the issue of elevated pedestrian walkways, and how elevated walkways in Hong Kong are successful because they help to “facilitate permeability” while “redistributing the density of the ground layer,” (Rotmeyer 293). Rotmeyer supports this idea by further explaining the purpose of skywalks, as well as addressing its historical background, practicality, and impact on the quality of life. Rotmeyer compares the use of skywalks in Hong Kong, an obviously dense urban setting, to American cities, where the population is not nearly as dense. For example, Rotmeyer focuses in on Minneapolis, and explains that the skywalks there are not for the purpose of redistributing the density, but are actually used as a way to keep pedestrians from being exposed to the “extreme cold climate” (Rotmeyer 293). On page 295, Rotmeyer states that “a multi-layered city can be sustainable if each layer maintains itself within a balanced functioned network of movement and activity” (Rotmeyer 295). This particular statement is crucial for my thesis development, as I would want to choose a site that has a layering of density. If I choose an area that is not so dense, the street life may be killed, similar to what is currently taking place in downtown Minneapolis.

Lang, John. Urban Design: The American Experience. Canada: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1994, 196-210. In John Lang’s Urban Design: The American Experience, Lang explains the impact of pedestrian and vehicular movement in the shaping of urban cities in America. Movement within cities may be the most important factor in organizing and planning the layout of a city, as it would be highly difficult to navigate without any streets or pathways to direct traffic. It’s particularly interesting to think about how far the urban landscape has transformed and evolved over time, as Lang explains the evolution of the shape of American cities throughout the reading, specifically, the evolution of pedestrian movement within the city. Nowadays, we are beginning to see, what Lang calls “pedestrian assisters,” in which he defines as “moving sidewalks that move more rapidly” (Lang 202). This idea of “pedestrian assisters” was apparent in my visit to Hong Kong, as there was an escalator system located in a skywalk that transported us up a steep sloped hill. Lang states that “in most cities, the pedestrian movement system moves into the third dimension. 67

The integration of horizontal and vertical paths has been particularly important in those cities with multi-layered pedestrian ways” (Lang 202). In regards to my thesis topic, the idea of shifting from each layer of movement is an important aspect to think about.

Gehl, Jan. Cities for People. Washington, D.C: Island Press, 2010. In Jan Gehl’s Cities for People, Gehl claims that “urban structures and planning influence human behavior and the ways in which cities operate” (Gehl 9). In other words, the way in which cities and spaces are planned and designed will directly influence the way humans engage and interact within those spaces of the city. To help support this claim, Gehl conducted multiple studies of specific urban settings. For example, Gehl focused in on the impact of bicycle traffic in Copenhagen, Denmark, stating that “Copenhagen has been reconstructing its street network” in an effort to “create better and safer conditions for bicycle traffic” (Gehl 11). Gehl claims that these efforts demonstrated “a whole-hearted invitation” for pedestrians to ride their bicycles as an alternative to automobiles (Gehl 11). This reading demonstrates the importance of urban design, as Gehl explains throughout the book, design and planning of an urban setting directly influences human behavior and interaction.

Wiedenhoeft, Ronald. Cities for People: Practical Measures for Improving Urban Environments. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1981. In Ronald Wiedenhoeft’s Cities for People, Wiedenhoeft addresses how some cities have grown “monotonous, ugly, and dangerous,” and dives into the techniques that have been successfully used to “transform cities into far more hospitable places” (Wiedenhoeft 5). Wiedenhoeft supports this through analysis of difficulties and problems that have occurred in existing cities, and then going on to explain strategies that have deemed successful. For example, Wiedenhoeft explains how cities have been more focused on accommodating automobile traffic, rather than the people. He states “the degree to which our urban environments have been transformed to accommodate automobiles is appalling (Wiedenhoeft 14). The book is more of an attempt to elaborate on the implementation of design techniques that should shift the focus from automobile traffic to a city for the people. An example of a strategy that Wiedenhoeft offers would be the concept of a “network of attractive shopping streets created exclusively for pedestrians” (Wiedenhoeft 79). It’s interesting to wonder if such techniques could be implemented within elevated pedestrian walkways, and not just on the street level.

Wai-San Wan, Sancia. “The Role of the Skywalk System in the Development of Hong Kong’s Central Business District.” (California, 2007). Robertson, Kent A. “Pedestrianization strategies for downtown planners: skywalks versus pedestrian malls.” Journal of the American Planning Association. 365. Bellman, Eric. “Packed Streets Have a City of Walkers Looking Skyward for Answers.” The Wall Street Journal. (accessed November 2, 2012) <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703837004575013193075912272.html> Berg, Steve.“Videos Explore Life in Twin Cities’ Skyways,” MinnPost. (accessed October 13, 2012) <http://www.minnpost.com/ cityscape/2011/04/videos-explore-life-twin-cities-skyways> Woo, Patricia. “Skywalks in Hong Kong and their Consequences on Urban Communities.” Place Management & Branding (Feb 2012). <http://blog.inpolis.com/2012/07/02/guest-article-skywalks-in-hong-kong-and-their-consequences-on-urban-communities/> (accessed September 12, 2012) Earon, Ofri. “Condensed landscape experience,” International Conference on Architectural Research, 2010. <http://www.aia.org/ aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab087212.pdf> Hillier, Bill. “Natural Movement: or, configuration and attraction in urban pedestrian movement.” Environment & Planning B. 29-66. Cudahy, Brian J. Under the sidewalks of New York: the story of the greatest subway system in the world. S. Greene Press, 1988.