Urban spaces contain layers of development in a city’s quest for evolution and expansion, however, perceived triumphs of development such as highways have created downfalls in cities’ structures and history. Highway systems are an infrastructure that threads cities and states in an accessible line of transportation. Suburban communities have gained direct access to cities at the cost of urban communities being severed from the urban core. While interstates are integral to the vitality of a city’s success, there are opportunities to reevaluate the form of interstates to minimize the divide created by their location and structure. One of these opportunities is to utilize interstate capping, building over interstates in order to expand the development potential of cities and help to positively affect these severed communities. In the process of investigating highway capping, the West End of Cincinnati will be analyzed in order to find opportune locations existing in the layout of I-75 and I-71 to be able to locate caps that would have the most impact. Along with analyzing this portion of the city, it is important to analyze the history of the neighborhood and its history of being undervalued by local government and city planners. Through this experiment, there is an opportunity to bring a positive effect to the West End community and help to mend the residual disappointment leaders and planners have inflicted on the community. Evaluating the current infrastructure can also allow for Downtown to expand, breaking through the current gridlock confines. With the proposed design, highway capping can create positive, sustainable, public spaces that can rebuild areas of neighborhoods that have been lost due to the creation of the highway and allow for city centers to expand.
Stephanie Cieslak
PHASE 1 | Residential Cap 47 acres total | 6 acres reclaimed
PHASE 2 | Recreational Cap 28 acres total | 6 acres reclaimed
MASTER PLAN
PHASE 3 | Commercial Cap 18 acres total | 18 acres reclaimed
PHASE 4 | Park Cap 7 acres total | 7 acres reclaimed
