ted. This network supports recreational, educational and cultural activities and becomes the organizer of e of neighborhoods growing along the riverfront. Combining Architecture and Landscape Urbanism has eveloping new methods that allow visual and physical connections to the water while protecting the city By re-thinking flooding infrastructures as multi-functional systems that encourage the inhabitation of e, people will be able to re-connect with the environment and learn from it.
AND 2050 THE ROJECTED TO ILLION, AND LL OCCUR IIN ELOPED COUN-
PROTECTIVE
DEMAND FOR BASIC
ZONE
SERVICES
WATER INFRASTRU-
NEED FOR
TURE
WATER
FLOODING
RIVER
WATER RUNOFF
ACADEMIC THESIS CITY AS A BALOON
THIS MEANS THAT CITIES ARE GOING TO GROW MORE
RE-THINKING THE GREEN BELT: SUSTAINABILITY AND DEVELOPMENT IN GROWING CITIES how do cities grow?
Internal Pressure (Development)
External Pressure (Green Belt)
External Pressure (Green Belt)
Internal Pressure (Development)
Internal Pressure (Development)
External Pressure (Green Belt) gets bigger
what is the impact of the Green Belt on Development?
what is the impact of Development on the Green Belt?
Location: Santa Cruz, Bolivia RIVER +
GREEN BELT
+ CITY
INFRASTRUCTURE
GREEN BELT
RIVER
The river, the Green Belt and the city don’t interact in a physical or spatial manner. Instead, they are presented as different layers of space and material that are located next to each other. How can we integrate them spatially to create a physical experience on the River Edge?
The incorporation of Green Belts as an urban tool has helped stop sprawl and protect farmland around cities. But what happens when the pressure for growth is so big that it surpasses the boundaries of the Green Belt? In Santa Cruz, PATTERNS AND LAND ORGANIZATION Bolivia, development pressures have resulted in expansion of the city beyond the Green Zone, with a second city center developing on the city’s hinterlands. New transit lanes that connect both sides of the city have become the gates for illegal settlements, which have caused major deforestation and land degradation, challenging the Green Zone’s original function: to protect the city from flooding. This project explores how the inhabitation of flooding infrastructures can help reconnect the city with the waterfront by creating a series of public nodes that program the city’s largest green zone. Studying the intersections between engineering and architecture has been a great tool in order to understand current flooding infrastructures and be able to re-design them. Also, combining Architecture and Landscape Urbanism has been key in developing new methods that allow visual and physical connections to the water while protecting the city from flooding. By re-thinking flooding infrastructures as multi-functional systems that encourage the inhabitation of the water edge, people will be able to re-connect with the environment and learn from it. Series of Pattern Studies that explore the interaction between: water
infrastructure
programmed green spaces
natural green spaces
Pattern 1 The pattern continues the current proportions of the blocks in the urban fabric, creating a density towards the river edge. Both architectural infrastructure and programmed green spaces are altered with natural green spaces and start to frame them. This creates a natural green space zone in the middle that allows the continuous interaction with the natural landscape.
Pattern 2 The pattern inverts the current structure of the city and uses programmed green spaces as the blocks. Infrastructure continues the streets’ proportions and direction. The infrastructure is seen as series of inhabitable walls that interact directly with the programmed green spaces, creating a promenade towards the river while serving as
Pattern 3 The pattern continues the density of the city into the flood plane and uses the second flood barrier (dike) as a public urban space. Instead of breaking the access to the green zone, the dike becomes the entry point, which welcomes people to a series of programmed and unprogrammed green spaces that create a promenade to the river edge.
Pattern 4 This pattern also continues the current proportions of the blocks in the urban fabric, creating a density towards the river edge. Both architectural infrastructure and programmed green spaces are altered in order to create density towars the River edge. Programmed green is puhed to the middle zone in ordet o allow a continuours promenade to the water.
Pattern 5 The pattern inverts the current structure of the city and uses programmed green spaces as the blocks. Infrastructure frames the programmed green spaces and creates series of
Pattern 6 The pattern continues the current proportions of the blocks in the urban fabric, creating a linear axis towards the river edge.
Green Belt 1. Current Condition: Dike divides the Green Belt and the city. It blocks the access to the river edge. Green Areas
River Deforestation Future extension of roads into the hinterlands 2. The Re-interpretation of the dike as a void would activate the Green Belt’s edge to the city and would allow the inhabitation of it. Proposed public nodes
Flooding infrastructures Olimpic Villa and Soccer Club Commercial Avenue Cultural/ Main Square 3. The Surface of the dike is treated as a public staircase that allow the access to the Green Belt and act as an outdoor theater that overlooks the city and the river.
Main Educational Facilities Site
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663 4. Introduction of stairs on the river edge allow direct contact with the water
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
Expansion of Educational Facilities
1
3
2
The Site chosen is where the next bridge that connects the city center and the new developments on the city’s hinterlands will be built. This project proposes to expand the educational axis into the site and use it as an opportunity to inhabit the Green Belt and re-establish the dialogue between the city and the river. The program proposed is an Arts and Crafts Center. The Educational program not only relates to the existing surroundings but also refers to the seasonal changes and the differences in water levels. During the dry season (fall, spring and winter) the project will function as an arts and crafts institute and during the flood season (summer) the educational facilities will remain unoccupied and will welcome the flood, allowing people to occupy only the permanent program (library, auditorium and permanent exhibition spaces) . After the flood is gone, the remaining earth and clay will be cleaned out of interiors spaces and used as materials for pottery.
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
1. Private University
2. Public University
3. Municipal Library
Re-connect the City with the River
- 4.70
+1.30
- 2.70
0.00
!
+3.00
0.00
Current Condition doesn’t allow the access to the River Edge
150
15
350
(Changes)
(Changes)
(Changes)
tion
Proposed condition uses the flooding infrastructure as a catalyst between the city and the river Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
+3.00
8 30
40
Site Plan
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
Flooding infrastructure’s module during dry season
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
Flooding infrastructure’s module during flood
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
Exhibition spaces during the dry season
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
Exhibition spaces during flood
Maria Saavedra misaaved@syr.edu (315)-708-3663
For more information contact:
Maria I. Saavedra
319, Euclid Ave. Apt 2E Syracuse, NY 13210 (315)-708-3663 misaaved@syr.edu