Lucia del Pilar Peña-Banda
University of Massachusetts - Amherst Landscape Architecture and Sustainable Community Development
Selected Works
2019-2023
I have recently completed my undergraduate education in Landscape Architecture and Sustainable Community Development at the University of Massachusetts - Amherst. Growing up in a bordertown in Mexico, I was always surrounded by vibrant and dynamic landscapes. Focusing on climate change and green infrastructure has given me a comprehensive understanding of the challenges that urban and ecological spaces face in the short and long-term future. I have a strong background in leadership and have delivered projects that balance the needs of the environment and the community. As a highly motivated and resourceful designer, I am eager to work in a creative environment in which my problem-solving and design skills are constantly evolving.
Lucia del Pilar Peña-Banda
ldpena@umass.edu
www.linkedin.com/in/lucía-peñabanda
Contents
Drops and Dilemmas: Tracing Water Demand and Vulnerability in Ciudad Juarez
Ciudad Juarez, Mexico.
Cada Gota Cuenta! - La Linea Morada
SPACE AND TIME: Multidimensional Designs for a Community
Reconnecting Art and Agriculture on Stockbridge Road
Light Vandalism, Architecture and Violence
Springfield, Massachusetts.
Amherst, Massachusetts.
UMass Amherst Fine Arts Center. ...
DROPS AND DILEMMAS
Water resource management plays a vital role in sustaining the growth, development, and well-being of communities worldwide, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, is no exception. As one of the largest cities in the country, situated in the Chihuahuan Desert and bordering the United States, Ciudad Juarez faces unique challenges in ensuring access to a reliable and sustainable water supply.
TRACING WATER DEMAND AND VULNERABILITY
The management of water resources in Ciudad Juarez is influenced by the hydrological dynamics of the Rio Bravo watershed.
The availability of water supply depends on the upstream flow and contributions from tributaries, as well as the natural variability of precipitation in the surrounding region.
As water flows downstream, it is shared between different jurisdictions, and agreements between Mexico and the United States govern its distribution and use.
GALLONS PER DAY
The Rio Bravo river watershed faces challenges related to water scarcity, increasing demands, and environmental concerns. The water resources within the watershed are shared by numerous communities,
1
U.S.-MEXICO BORDER
2 3
35-50 51-75 75-100
URBAN FRAME AND FOOTPRINT STREAMS AND ARROYO SYSTEMS WATER DEMAND HEAT MAP
MAPPING PROCESS
2 3 STATE AND MUNICIPAL BUILDINGS. HOTELS AND SOCIAL EVENT SPACES. FACTORIES, ASSEMBLY PLANTS AND GAS SERVICES.
INTERACTIVE GOOGLE EARTH MAP PREPARED FOR THE WATER AND SANITATION BOARD MEETING.
CATEGORIES INCLUDE: SHOPPING MALLS, FACTORIES, GAS STATIONS, CAR WASHES, DELIVERY SERVICES, RESIDENTIAL AREAS AND MORE.
1
Data Collection and Preparation: Water usage records, population data, land use data, and infrastructure information.
Spatial Analysis:
Performed spatial analysis operations using GIS software to calculate water demand.
Proximity Analysis: Identified areas of high demand based on their proximity to specific features (e.g., commercial areas, industries, or highdensity residential areas).
Density Analysis: Determined water demand density by aggregating population or land use data within defined geographic units (e.g., grid cells).
Network Analysis: Considered the connectivity of the water distribution network to estimate demand along pipes or specific service areas.
Heat Map Visualization: Generated a heat map representation based on the calculated water demand values.
TREES THAT PROVIDE SHADE AND TEMPERATURE COOLING TRASH AND SEDIMENT COLLECTION
EXISTING GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
EXISTING CONDITIONS
VEGETATED FLOOD ZONE
RUBBLE
LANDFILL VULNERABLE TO LANDSLIDES AND FLOODING
CERRO BOLA
SPACE AND TIME: Multidimensional Designs for a Community
The concept of our design analyzes the intersection of space and time in the landscape. Our design thinking considers all aspects of the physical environment as space. The mill, parking lots, vacant spaces, sidewalks, and even trees are opportunities to be developed within our design. These spaces are occupied and altered at different times of the year, day, and at different stages of our lifetime.
Our goal is to create memorable and functional spaces that can be stewarded by the citizens of Indian Orchard. Through a sustainable design approach, the aim of this proposal is to enhance the existing landscape in a non-invasive manner. By re-evaluating the aspects of space and time, history, economic development, people, events, culture, and the environment can be weaved into the urban renewal proposal.
MASTER PLAN
considers all mill, parkare opporproposal is toenvironment
OBJECTIVES
2 Indian
LEGEND 0 40 80 160 WORCESTER STREET MAIN STREET CENTRE STREET FRONT STREET OAK STREET MYRTLE STREET PINEVALE STREET CEDAR STREET OXONM STREET HEALY STREET WATER STREET 4 5 3 10 8 7 11 6 1 2 9 CHICOPEE RIVER MAIN STREET PARKING A B C A B FRONTST 1 . Oak Street
. Waterfront
. Mainstreet
.
Orchard
Community Garden 2
Skate Park 3
Outdoor Dining 4
Greenway Corridor 5 . Kayak Rental 6 . Greenway Free Parking Lot
7 . Chicopee River Viewing Docks
8 . Water Street Pedestrian Grove
9
. Indian Orchard Communtiy center
.
10
Indian Orchard Mills
11 . Greenway Plaza
SECTION A
Grow IO's purpose is to bring the community together in an effort to ensure a a good quality of life. Its two main areas of focus are food and wellness. They create collective strategies to grow, prepare, preserve, enjoy and have access to fresh, healthy, local, organic food.
SECTION B
INDIAN ORCHARD COMMUNITY GARDEN
SIDEWALK
BIKELANE
BIKELANE
GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE
SECTION C - GREENWAY CORRIDOR
OUTDOOR EXERCISE EQUIPMENT
WALKING TRAILS
BIKELANE
CHICOPEE RIVER VIEWING DOCKS
Reconnecting Art and Agriculture
STOCKBRIDGE ROAD
BUILDING AND ROAD FOOTPRINT DURFEE CONSERVATORY UNIVERSITY CLUB
1870 CAMPUS MAP 1911 CAMPUS MAP
GEORGIAN REVIVAL ARCHITECTURE
FRANKLIN DINING COMMONS
DESIGN AND STUDIO ARTS BUILDINGS
UMASS Historic Building Survey Figure A-3 Manning's 1911 Campus Map UMASS Historic Building Survey Figure A-1 1870 Existing Conditions Map
BUILDING MORPHOLOGY
I I II II MOVEMENT SITE ANALYSIS I I II II II III
MOVEMENT MORPHOLOGY URBAN FRAME HIGH MEDIUM LOW ART, DESIGN, TECHNOLOGY SCIENCE, HORTICULTURE HISTORIC VALUE MAIN CORRIDORS PEDESTRIAN CIRCULATION VEHICULAR WAYS I I II II II II III III III I
URBAN FRAME
0 40’ 80’ 120’ 1 40’ N A B C THE CAMPUS QUAD
FRANKLIN DINING COMMONS
STUDIO ARTS BUILDING
NORTH PLEASANT STREET
CLARK HALL
JOHN W. OLVER DESIGN BUILDING
INFIRMARY WAY
FERNALD HALL
SECTION C
SECTION A SECTION B
LIGHT VANDALISM
Throughout my life, a thin socially constructed line dividing nations has also divided my personal identity. I have lived in a constant duality: two countries, two languages, and two distinct cultures. In Spanish, there is a saying that goes, “I am neither from here nor there,” meaning that my identity is in limbo, where my belonging and identity are uncertain. I am the product of two different communities, resulting in simultaneous feelings of belonging and alienation in both spaces. I grew up in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, a city in Mexico that borders Texas.
With this analysis, I want to examine borders, boundaries, and walls. These are physical elements that are part of the architecture in our everyday environment and play a crucial role in the experience of living on the border and the humanity of immigrants. These structures not only represent geographical divisions but also symbolically come to life and affect the experience of those who cross these boundaries.
This work was a final project for Spanish321 - Architecture and Violence, a course taught at Amherst College. These visuals were projected on the facade of the Fine Arts Center of the UMass-Amherst campus ...really late at night.
DONDE ESTA LA LUZ?
5.14.2023
5.14.2023
PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACT: PHYSICAL IMPLICATIONS:
In architecture, walls are used as physical barriers to create divisions in space. On the border, the wall is responsible for blocking, containing, and further hindering the passage of immigrants. In the case of the Mexican-American border, the wall comes to life. It is a tall, extensive structure designed to prevent or restrict unauthorized crossing. Its presence imposes a tangible limitation and represents an architectural barrier in the journey of immigrants to a new country.
Borders and walls have a strong psychological impact on people who interact with them on a daily basis. Facing a structure like the border wall represents a division between their place of origin and their destination. It is an additional obstacle they have to deal with, generating feelings of anxiety, fear, and vulnerability. Walls can convey a message of exclusion and rejection, affecting selfesteem and intimidating human beings. To overcome physical barriers, immigrants often face unimaginable dangers and risks. When attempting to cross these borders and walls, they may encounter the harshness of the terrain such as deserts or rivers, as well as the cruelty of fellow human beings, putting their safety and lives at risk.
DONDE ESTA LA LUZ?
NECROPOLITICS
It refers to the exercise of power and control over populations through the manipulation and regulation of death. It involves the systematic production and management of death, deciding who can live and who must die, and how certain lives are deemed disposable or expendable.
When examining the concept of necropolitics in relation to immigration and the US-Mexico border, several key points emerge. Firstly, the border itself acts as a site of necropolitical power. It is a physical manifestation of control, where lives are regulated and restricted.
Furthermore, necropolitics is evident in the policies and practices surrounding immigration enforcement. Detention centers, often overcrowded and lacking basic necessities, subject migrants to inhumane conditions and neglect. The separation of families, the denial of asylum seekers, and the criminalization of migrants are all forms of necropolitical control, where certain lives are devalued and subjected to harm.
The constant fear, anxiety, and uncertainty experienced by migrants due to the threat of deportation and marginalization further exemplify the workings of necropolitics. By subjecting immigrants to a state of precarity and denying them basic human rights, necropolitical power is exerted, reinforcing social hierarchies and perpetuating systems of oppression. 5.14.2023
RASTROS
5.14.2023
TE BUSCO Y NO TE ENCUENTRO
