TRUMP TOWER
Above Rendering , Artist Studio Space
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Lower Manhattan, New York Taking Buidings Down, Storefront for Art and Architecture
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“Have no fear of change as such and, on the other hand, no liking for it merely for its own sake”.
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- Robert Moses
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Site Former location of the Proposed Lower Manhattan Expressway
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OM(b)EX is a proposal that seeks to understand the growing phenomina and necesity of bicycles as a means of mass public transit in urban areas. Through a layered system of data gathering, mapping and urban excevation, the project proposes an aggressive architectural solution to New York's crowded and often dangerous cycleways. An elevated artery of didicated bike travel pierces the dense urban fabric of lower manhattan, weaving together an existing patchwork of bike-ways and commuter corridors. Contemporary notions of ownership, public-right-ofway and urban life are deployed to revisit a historically contentous philosophy of urban development, the figurehead of which - Robert Moses - becomes the symbol for an unapologetic push to connect and enrich a thriving culture of bicycle peddling commuters.
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cyclists
pedestrians
cars, trucks and busses
light commuter rail
heavy commuter rail
Concept Diagram Remove Rapid Bicycle Transit form the Vehicle and Pedestrian Rhealm
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Robert Moses, 1966 Proposal for the Lower Manhattan Expressway (LOMEX)
Although hotly contested and ultimately defeated, the plan to link the greater New York metropolitan area together via a state of the art highway system was concieved of wtih good intentions. It's goals to aleviate congestion, improve public safety and provide a reliable, efficient link between boroughs and the grater metropolitan area were eclipsed by the proposals bombastic means of execution. Public perception of the proposal ultimately deteriorated under the scruteny of Community Advocates like Jane Jacobs condemning the plan as a heavy handed, short sighted, solution that would ultimately cause more harm to the city of New York than good.
Proposed Intervention, 2016 Proposal for the Lower Manhattan [Bicycle] Expressway (LOMbEX)
IT'S HARD NOT TO ADMIRE THE AMBITION OF THE LOMEX PROPOSAL. IT IS UNAPOLOGETIC IN IT'S PERSUIT TO BRING EFFICIENT AUTOMOBILE TRAVEL TO MANHATTAN - AT WHATEVER COST...
“The route of the proposed expressway passes through a deteriorating area with low property values due in considerable part to heavy traffic that now clogs the surface streets. Construction of the expressway will relieve traffic on these streets and allow this locality to develop in a normal manner that will encourage improved housing, increased business activity, higher property values, a general rise in the prosperity of the area, and an increase in real estate tax revenues.� Public Works: A Dangerous Trade, Robert Moses
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NUMBERS WHAT DO WE WANT?
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Growth in cycling Taking a bite out of the transit pie In the era of Moses, the automobile seemed poised to dominate as the public's perferred means of travel in the 20th century and it makes sense that as a city planner, one would seek to accomodate this exciting new ammenity at whatever cost. 50 years later we are seeing a new "preferred means of travel" emerging. Bicycling as a promary means of transportation is on the rise not just in New York but around the world. The reasons for this are many and varried but the reality is evident - lots of people are choosing to bike. In our "post-carbon" society this is a great thing. People choosing to bike rather than drive is not only polar bear fiendly but by taking commuters out of cars and putting them on the streets, biking cultivates a particular flavor of urbanism - the favorite of one Jane jacobs. The problem: New York's transit infrastructure is struggling to keep up witht the growing number of cyclists sharing it's congested roads.
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New York isn't the only city experiencing a bike boom in fact by many metrics New York is LAGGING in it's development and acomodation of bicycle users. Per the charts to the left it is aparent that if New York is going to keep pace with the world's major metropolitan meccas, it is going to need a Moses-like approach to expanding it's bicycle infrastructure.
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Brooklyn (+410%)
Trends in Commuter Cycling Relative to 1990 Levels: NYC DOT Screenline Counts vs. Census and ACS Data
All Areas (+253%) Manhattan (+142%)
Statista Source: metrobike.net
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Dec 2007
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BIKE SHARES AS AN INDICATOR OF GLOBAL TRENDS
2008
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Europe
Dec 2012
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Asia North America
35 Development of Bike Sharing Services Per Continent Statista Source: metrobike.net
550 500 450 400 350 300 250 200 150 100 50 0
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Number of bike sharing services worldwide Statista Source: metrobike.net
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PRECEDENTS I just nocked a cyclist off his bike with my wing mirror I was driving like 10mph I didn’t stop because he got up??
DOES IT WORK?
CYCLE SUPERHIGHWAY The city is currently poised to spend ÂŁ900 million ($1.4 billion) on one of Europe's most ambitious bicycle path infrastructure projects. Called the East-West Cycle Superhighway, the separated bicycle path would connect Acton in West London with Barking in the east -- a journey of more than 18 miles. "Bikes already make up 24 per cent of all rush-hour traffic in central London - hundreds of thousands of journeys every day that would otherwise be made by car or public transport," said London mayor Boris Johnson. "Because this isn't just about cyclists. Getting more people on to their bikes will reduce pressure on the road, bus and rail networks, cut pollution, and improve life for everyone, whether or not they cycle themselves." Other plans for London include a SkyCycle pathway -- designed by the famous architecture firm Norman Foster -- of 220km of bike paths suspended above railway lines and one proposal for a floating bike path that would be anchored to riverbed along the Thames.
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One of London's more ambitious proposals, the Norman-Fioster-designed elevated bike paths would use existing rail routes to shoot cyclists around the congested city. The design would comprise part of a total 221 km of bike paths on 10 routes, accomodating 12,000 cyclists per hour.
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The Hovenring in the Netherlands is a suspended bicycle path roundabout near Eindhoven. The city council ther decided it wanted a piece of infrastructure that would not only sperate bicycles and traffic, but would become an eyecatching touist attraction as well.
Amazing cycle super highways making bikes the transport of the future Peter Shadbolt, for CNN
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TO THE CLOUD!
CitiBike
NYPD
WHERE DO WE WANT IT So we want a bike superhighway just like London... we're pretty sure that's what we want
etc... Data-mining
BIG DATA*
*numbers and nerd stuff This was Robert Moses's main problem: where do we put this tramsportation artery of the future? Unfortunately his answer was "on top of the poor people" [something like that] Fortunately, in the 20th century WE don't have to make hard decisions like this by ourselves, we have bid data to make them for us. By tapping into the existing databases of tracking data that already exist we can see exactly where new yorkers are aready biking. It stands to reason that the heavy lines on the heat map to the right are a good indicator of where demand for a elevated bike-way would be the highest.
but privacy! Corporate Tracking Devices
Heat Maps...
are generated from Strava user data. showing exact routes
most used by cyclists
HEAVE USE IF YOU BUILID IT THEY WILL COME Just by having cell phone and commuting to work everyday, New Yorkers are alread voting on where they want their new Bike-Highway! This is great, now insead of blaming Robert Moses or Bill de Blasio, or whomever, we can blame eachother! We can blame every single other person with a cell phone.
New York City, NY
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Philadelphia, PA
Above Cyclist Heat Maps form Strava
Chicago, IL
Los Angeles, CA
DANGER Just had a full on barney with a cyclist he started banging on my roof so I purposely run him over LOL see yaaaaa
DATA -DRIVEN DEMOLITION Growth in cycling Taking a bite out of the transit pie
Biking is a dangerous activity. Biking in New York City during peak commuter times is wrekless. To the right, a series of maps begins to illustrate the specific risks involved in peddling around NYC. Databses form the NYPD, CitiBike, and Insurance companies illustrate areas of increased cyclist related danger. Cyclist-Cab collisions, Cyclist-Pedestrian collisions, Cyclist-Car collisions, Cyclist-Cyclist collisions - while all of these are more likly in Manhattan overall, they also seem to be more likly in a number of specific locations within the city.
More Maps...
Compiled from a variety of sources, these maps help illuminate the
“problem areas”
Vehicle vs. Bicycle
HEAVY ABUSE By overlaying these collision/injyry/death maps we are able to locate the areas most in need of an intervention - Pockets of increased risk to cyclists.
Taxi vs. Bicycle
. "in 2014, 3,982 bikers were injured on the streets, and 20 were killed -- almost double 2013, when a mere dozen died. Without a protected bike lane network, riders are still in the streets, elbowto-bumper with cars that can crush them at the slightest slip of the steering wheel. Socially, cyclists remain the scourge of New York, hated by pedestrians and drivers alike, even as NYPD crackdowns have racked up bike tickets in record numbers." - Dave Infante, Thrillist.com
the... “Where is it safe to ride my bike map” Misc. Collisions “involving a cyclist”
*Darker color indicates more danger
Bicycle vs. Bicycle!
Above Cyclist Danger Maps from Various Sources
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WE KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE
Definately knockd a cyclist off his bike earlier - I have rightof way he doesn’t even pay road tax! #bloodycyclists
AND WE'RE BRINGING YOU A BIKE SHARE! Google
Unless you live on the Upper West Side.
...Maps...
Probably the best publically available data on bicycling commuting in the city comes form CitiBike. City bike is constantly assessing market data to determine demand and destinations for bikes.
are generated from Strava user data. showing exact routes taken by cyclists
DOES IT WORK?
Yes. Since the launch of New York's bike share program use has been increasing and the program continues to expand. "Advocates of the program also believe that more bikes on the road means safer city streets. City streets with bike lanes have around 40% fewer crashes ending in serious injury or death, according to information provided by the New York City Department of Transportation. This plays well with the city government's initiative Vision Zero, which aims to reduce traffic deaths in New York" - Colin Daileda Mashable.com Where the Upper West
will not
be getting Bike-Shares
dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit dammit come on...
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Think I just hit a cyclist. But I’m late for work so I had to drive off lol
Bike Shares More Frequent +4
Userbase (CitiBike)
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0 Use
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Citations
Fatalities
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Totally Scientific Meathod of GEOGRAPHIC RISK ASSESSMENT vs. PROJECTED USE
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UPPER WEST
elow is the route - unbiasedly planned by data and statistics. Rich, poor, tall short, luxery condo or neighborhood co-op, there is no preference given to which builidngs are going to have holes in them.
THE UPPER EAST
3 LONG ISLAND CITY
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ENOUGH NUMBERS This is a building removal proposal not a diagram party.
UR EYETS KEEP YO TREE E ON TH DSY LA !
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How To: Improve Urban Connectivity Temporary Structures facilitate the boring machineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s passage from one building to another - the structures should be in place no longer than a few days so as not to inconvienence members of the community
Tools! Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a tunneling machine! But weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re using it for buidings! yay!
Building Boar-3000
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Because of the unique l of research was compiled in order demographic, environmental and Barrio. The City of Tucson as w Urban Planning were instrumental 13 and development. Fire insurance
TECHNICAL The Bicycle Expressway Yay The expressway itself is basically a bundle of bike paths sealed in a glass tube. The enclosure varies depending on context offering gradients of environmental exposure and rider exerience.
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EXCEVATED (MACHINE) Because of the unique location of the site, a robust collection of research was compiled in order to accurately represent the cultural, demographic, environmental and aesthetic character of the Tucson Barrio. The City of Tucson as well as the Arizona Department of Urban Planning were instrumental in providing historic data on growth and development. Fire insurance maps, produced in 5 year intervals at the turn of the 19th century clearly showed the gradual decline in neighborhood residency, and later, the vanishing of structures due to lack of upkeep. Photos taken of the area during the early 1900â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s show a dirt road with adobe buildings set just off the street â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a unique strategy
Above On-site sketch, Shops and Homes in the Barrio Right
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BOWREY MONTAGE RENDERING
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MAP
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...A TUNNEL BORING MACHINE
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I LIKE THAT B 21
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