NENHA YOUNG
PLANNING + DESIGN PORTFOLIO 2014.
Hello. My name is Nenha (NEE-nuh) Young. This portfolio is a reflection of projects I worked on and produced from my undergraduate studies until present time. Each project had social and structural challenge which revealed the relationship between policy + design . These projects demonstrate my ability to assess and tangibly propose potential solutions to complex issues. They illustrate my capacity to understand how policy + design must inform one another, to more effectively impact the built environment and the people within it .
2
1. Newark, New Jersey 2. Seneca Falls, New York 3. Cosmo City, South Africa 4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
3
1. Newark, New Jersey Lower Broadway Riverfront Park Newark, New Jersey is located west of New York City and Jersey City, New Jersey. These two world-class cities have successfully developed their riverfronts into multimillion dollar communities. Newark is taking a different approach. Through the Office of Planning and Community Development for the City of Newark, the riverfronts are being preserved for public use. The Newark neighborhood, the Ironbound, has succesfully developed their riverfront into a series of parks and recreational sports facilities. As a result, every neighborhood along the Passaic River in Newark wants a riverfront park. For example, the following is an expert from the proposal I created for the The Lower Broadway neighborhood’s riverfront park.
4
Newark
Jersey City
New York
This is private property. Once a factory that employed many of the residents in the neighborhood. The factory was demolished in the late 1980s. At this point the deed was modified to include a set-aside for public use along the riverfront. The easement is outlined in white.
This is public property. It is approximately 40 feet wide and 150 feet long.
The community identified several improvements for this property:
Lower Broadway
++ ++ ++ ++ ++ ++
Walking track Seating Native plants Water features (ie. water fountain) Public art/sculptures Sustainable materials
5
Vegetation Wall
The vegetation wall will divide the public and private spaces on the property as well as break up the overall conrete landscape with a natural feature. Handrails
The handrails will serve as a barrier between the walkway and the wetland feature. Pervious Pavement
The pervious pavement walkway is a sustainable feature that will be low maintenance and will lesson the ecologcial impact of the site. Wooden Benches
The wooden benches will provide much needed seating within the park. It will encourage public use and leisure activities. Wetlands
The wetlands are designed to assist with storm water runoff. Also, in the event of the river overflowing into the street it will serve as a barrier. Trees
The trees will provide shade and more natural elements to the widely impervious environment of the community.
6
Existing conditions
Proposed design
7
2. Seneca Falls, New York The Loom Seneca Falls, New York was once a small thriving metropolis. It was a stop on the underground railroad and the location of the first Convention for Women’s Rights. A public art instillation is proposed to help generate tourism and highlight the towns greatest feature, the Cayuga Seneca Canal. As the “Gateway of the Finger Lakess”, ships once sailed the canal and served the various factories within the town, including a cotton mill. A loom was designed with the inspiration of past trades one found within the community and connected the towns past, present, and future. This design was inspired by the project entitled, “The Gates” by Christo and Jeanne-Claude. “The Gates” further delineated the walking path throughout Central Park in New York City using brightly orange colored archways and billowy cloth. Like the design, “The Loom” guides spectators on a path along the canal with bright red cord suspended across the waters on tall metal structures and can be experienced from the ground and by water.
8
CONNEC+ING PAST + PRESENT + FUTURE
THE RED CABLE INSTILLATION DELINEATES A REFLECTIVE PATH OF LAND AND INDUSTRIES THAT ONCE EXISTED IN THE WATERS OF THE SENECA RIVER AND SUGGEST POSSIBLE USES SUCH AS A TOURIST ATTRACTION FOR A POST INDUSTRIAL AMERICAN CITY LACKING INDUSTRY
Seneca-Cayuga Canal located in Seneca Falls, New York was once known as contributor to “a water route to national unity and world trade” in conjunction with the Eire Canal. The “Flats”
Seneca-Cayuga Canal (Water)
LAKE ONTARIO SENECA FALLS
ATLANTIC OCEAN
CIRCA 1886
CIRCA 2010
These factories were extremely successful and profitable for the town of Seneca Falls, however, the end of the industrial era in the United States resulted in the closing of the facotries, factories which subequently lead to the contstruction of the man-made Van Cleff Lake and the destruction of the ‘flats’. Currently there is no evidence of the thriving and prosperous Seneca Falls that once exited on the American landscape.
Bellow are images of the loom I constructed to derive the concept.
The design is comprised of a series os simple metal structures, which abstractly exposes the remains of the mills
The instillation begings at the remains of the last knitting mill and ends at the locks which is located east of Van Cleff Lake
The project is intended for general public use. Current uses for the Seneca River/Van Cleff Lake include but are not limted to: * Sailing *Canoing/Kayaking *Boat Riding The path created by the instillation simply suggest an intended use, however, the instillation can be reappropriate for any use
The project denotes the past, aligns the present, and celebrates the future for Seneca Falls that may result beacuse of the design implications of the instillation
9
Rendering of installation from ariel view of the Seneca-Cayuga Canal 10
“The Gates�
Renderings of proposed installation
11
3. Cosmo City, South Africa Jardin Crech Cornell University Sustainable Design (CUSD) in partnership with Educate Africa, designed and built a daycare center for children in Cosmo City, South Africa. The design name literally means Garden School. Bringing nature into the learning environment, my design concept included vegetation that grew through the rammed earth walls and a tree located in the central courtyard. The design attempts to weave the following programmatic elements: classrooms, an office, kitchen, and an enclosed play space.
12
Cosmo City
Logo
Model Images
Diagrammatic Plan 13
Elevation
Wall section Diagrammatic Section 14
Rendering of interior courtyard
Rendering of classroom
Rendering of exterior 15
4. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Larimer Avenue Greenway Frankstown Avenue Complete Street Larimer is a neighborhood in the East End of the City of Pittsburgh. It was originally settled by European immigrants in the early half of the 19th century. The community was filled with brick single family homes, businessess, and a commercial corridor along Larimer Avenue and Frankstown Avenue. As a result of urban renewal, the businesses along Larimer Avenue and Frankstown Avenue closed as the original settlers migrated out of the city and into the suburbs. After 30 years of neglect, in 2008 125 residens, business owners, and community organizations gathered to create the Larimer Vision Plan. This plan outlined the challenges and opportunities the community faced in rebuilding an improved Larimer. The following designs are based on the community’s desires to integrate sustainable practices. I investigated turning Larimer Avenue into a greenway and Frankstown Avenue into a complete street.
16
HIGHLAND PARK
LINCOLN - LEMINGTON - BELMAR
LARIMER
Pittsburgh
EAST LIBERTY
HOMEWOOD
SHADYSIDE
LARIMER AVENUE BRIDGE
FAIRFIELD
TARGET
Existing Conditions of Larimer Avenue
LIBERTY GARDEN
FRANKSTOWN AVENUE
A greenway and complete street are components of smarth growth policies -- infrastructure design approaches to create and maintain great neighborhoods. A greenway is a corridor where vegetation is encouraged which is manages for public recreation and slow travel. A complete street is designed to enable safe access and a better network for drives, transit users, pedestrians, and cyclist. Above are examples of greenways and complete street concepts and practices. Below are diagrams illustrating how Larimer Avenue can become a greenway . These designs include the following features: delineated sidewalks, street trees, bicycle paths, street lights, wayfinding tools, and street medianes. The benefits of complete streets include: safety, health, public tranportation, economic revitalization, and livability. Beneficiaries of complete streets include: everyone! 17
Existing Conditions of Larimer Avenue Currenlty, the street surfaces and sidewalks along Larimer Avenue are poorly maintained. The little landscaping that exist along the right of way is overgrown due to neglegence. To achieve the greenway I propose widening the road. This would require utilizing the overgrown properties (which are city owned) along the avenue. There are two ways in which this can be achieved: an easement or subdivision. Easement Option An easement and more sepcifically, a conservation easement is the right to cross or otherwise use another’s property to manage and conserve natural resources. Property ownershi p does not change however a non-profit stewardship entity can improve and manage the land. Subdivison Option A subdivision can be used to create a new parcel, owned by the community, non-profit, or the city government. Property size is reduced by the amount of the greenway. Property taxes will be reduced as a result of the parcel size reduction. Next page Currently, Frankstown Avenue is suited well for cars. The right of way is very wide and cars often park on the sidewalks. The street lacks accessibility to all pedestrians on the sidewalk and cyclist on the road. It also lacks landscaping and other features that would make it inviting and appealing. The street has great potential to become a complete street. I have illustrated exisitng conditions and two various of complete street proposals. 18
Existing Conditions - Frankstown Avenue
Proposal 1
Proposal 2
Before
Before
After
After
19
[It] is not about the world of design, its about the design of the world -- Bruce Mau. Thank you.
Nenha Young nenhayoung@gmail.com 201.220.7863