Pouya Hamedi Master's Dissertation Reflection Paper by Pooya Hamedi

“White Spots”

Alternative Ways of Urban Development In Goose Island, Chicago

Pouya Hamedi International Master of Science in Architecture KU Leuven, Faculty of Architecture

“White Spots”

Alternative Ways of Urban Development In Goose Island, Chicago

Promoter: Martine De Maeseneer

Pouya Hamedi r0774764 Master’s Dissertation Studio: Chicago, My Kind of Town International Master of Science in Architecture KU Leuven, Faculty of Architecture, Campus Sint-Lucas Ghent Academic Year 2020/2021

Abstract

As cities become richer and the wealthier population move in, the demand for “statement-making” property rises; in all sectors. The truth is that societies are becoming financially polarized as a decreasing number of individuals hold a growing amount of wealth, while the rest suffer the consequences. In major cities, this trend leads to a significant increase in the land price, specifically in the more popular regions. As a result, vulnerable groups are pushed out while their neighborhoods undergo reconstruction to become more appealing for the more “welloff”. In this case, Chicago is the city where its professional trend has changed dramatically during the past decades and currently, is facing the threat of losing its middle class altogether. As a side effect, creative individuals, entrepreneurs, and artists who have not yet (and might never) established a brand out of their name, are forced to leave the city. What disappears with them though, is the soul and appeal they once contributed to the city which made it attractive in the first place. This dissertation goes over possible solutions and scenarios to prevent such damage. Mainly, how including “white spots” as a third zone could act as a solution for this issue and provide an opportunity for those groups, as they have in the past and keep doing so today. A key source of inspiration was the philosophy of “De Stad als Casco” or “City as a shell”, which was introduced in the 1990s in Amsterdam, as this trend was taking the popularity of the city away. Later on, this method was successfully tested in The shipyard of Amsterdam, better known as NDSM; where bottom-up management combined with co-ownership of space led to creating Europe’s largest self-managed creative community, converting an abandoned shipyard in danger of destruction to one of the most attractive hotspots in the world. Using the same idea along with inspirations from NDSM and similar projects as a blueprint, I explore similar opportunities in Goose Island and some of its post-industrial buildings as test sites for this alternative way of urban development.

Acknowledgments

I would like to appreciate the efforts of everyone who helped me during my Master’s study and this thesis. Most of all, I am deeply thankful for the unconditional love and support of my parents, who have continuously devoted their time and attention to me. It is their efforts and endless encouragements that have backed me during all my endeavors. Furthermore, I am truly grateful for all the help and advice I got from Prof. Martine De Maeseneer who wasn’t only a promoter, but a colleague and a friend. This dissertation wouldn’t have existed if it wasn’t for her suggestions and aid. Pouya Hamedi

Contents

Chapter I: Chicago 11 Introduction Demographics Post Industrial Chicago Polarizing Chicago.

Chapter II: Goose Island 21 History Land Use Changes Over Time Character Buildings.

Chapter III: White Spots 31 Introduction What is Happening? The Urban Take Over De-urbanization White Spots NDSM and similar projects

Chapter IV: Design 63 Locations 1315 North Branch 1001 North Branch

Bibliography 111

“The grid system is an aid, not a guarantee. It permits a number of possible uses and each designer can look for a solution appropriate to his personal style. But one must learn how to use the grid; it is an art that requires practice.” - Josef Muller-Brockmann

Chapter I : Chicago Introduction.............................................................. Demographics........................................................ Post Industrial Chicago................................... Polarizing Chicago...............................................

Introduction

Edison Park Forest Glen Norwood North Park Park Jefferson Park

Irving Park North

Lake View

Center

Avondale

East West Garfield Garfield Park Park

Near West Side

North Lawndale

Mckinley Park

Brighton Park Archer

Heights

Chicago Lawn

Near South Side

Douglas Oakland

Bo Gra ule nd va rd

Kenwood

Woodlawn South Shore

Greater Grand Crossing

Auburn Gresham

Chatham

Avalon Park

Pul lma n South Deering

Riverdale

www.robparal.com Chicago Community Areas

Roseland

Morgan Park West Pullman

Source: https://robparal.com/

South Chicago

Calumet Heights

ide

Beverly

rns

Washington Heights

Mount Greenwood

Hyde Park

Washington Park

ood

Ashburn

wo o Engle

West Lawn

New City

nglew

Clearing

Gage Park

tE Wes

West Elsdon

Loop

Lower West Side Bridgeport

South Lawndale

Garfield Ridge

Near North Side

West Town

Humboldt Park

Austin

Lincoln Park

Logan Square

East S id

Belmont Cragin

sa rmo He

Montclare

Portage Park

Armour Square

Dunning

Edgewater

Lincoln Square Albany Park Uptown

Fuller Park

O'Hare

Rogers Park

West Ridge

Hegewisch

Chicago, officially the City of Chicago, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the third most populous city in the United States, following New York and Los Angeles. With an estimated population of 2,693,976 in 2019, it is also the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the fifth most populous city in North America. Located on the shores of freshwater Lake Michigan, Chicago was incorporated as a city in 1837 near a portage between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River watershed and grew rapidly in the mid19th century. After the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which destroyed several square miles and left more than 100,000 homeless, the city was rebuilt. The construction boom accelerated population growth throughout the following decades, and by 1900, less than 30 years after the great fire, Chicago was the fifth-largest city in the world. Chicago made noted contributions to urban planning and zoning standards, including new construction styles (including the Chicago School of architecture), the development of the City Beautiful Movement, and the steel-framed skyscraper. Chicago is an international hub for finance, culture, commerce, industry, education, technology, telecommunications, and transportation. It is the site of the creation of the first standardized futures contracts, issued by the Chicago Board of Trade, which today is part of the largest and most diverse derivatives market in the world, generating 20% of all volume in commodities and financial futures alone.

https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Chicago

Source: Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes: Studies from India, China, and the United States, p.278

Evolution of land use, Chicago region

Demograhics

The annual household demographic of Chicago shows how wealth is mostly concentrated in the center of the city or far suburbs. Meanwhile, people with fewer earnings have moved from more centric, expensive areas to the edges.

http://www.radicalcartography.net/index. html?chicagodots

While most high-income households live either in the center or suburbs, the racial/ethnic demographic of Chicago shows how the areas with richer residents are less diversified.

http://www.radicalcartography.net/index. html?chicagodots

Post Industrial Chicago

Industrial Corridor System

Most of the City’s industrial corridor policies date to the early 1990s when the City started to identify formal boundaries around critical industrial areas as a planning and development tool that recognized the importance of manufacturing and related sub-sectors as part of a diversified economy. Today, the City’s 26 formal industrial corridors range in size from 70 to 3,500 acres Containing about 12 percent of all city land, they provide secure and predictable work environments for manufacturing and related uses. Among the key industrial corridor provisions is a requirement for the Chicago Plan Commission to review any zoning change that departs from a Manufacturing (M) use, along with standard City Council review. The City refined the M zoning district designation starting in 1988 with the advent of the Planned Manufacturing District (PMD) designation, which was created by the City Council and applied to portions of select corridors possessing heavy industrial uses. PMDs can be a tool, where appropriate, to foster the city’s industrial base.

Source: Mayor Emanuel’s industrial corridor modernization - North Branch Framework

Their purpose is to maintain the City’s diversified economy and encourage industrial investment, modernization, and expansion by providing for stable and predictable industrial environments that preclude residential and certain commercial uses that may hinder the long-term viability of local companies. Overall, the PMD remains an important tool whose impact should continue to be considered, reviewed, and evaluated in each industrial corridor.

Source: Mayor Emanuel’s industrial corridor modernization - North Branch Framework

Polarizing Chicago

Chicago’s middle class, the backbone of the city is disappearing at an increasing rate, causing the city to become more polarized. But what defines the middle class? There are lots of ways to define the “middle class.” Here’s how Voorhees Center/ UIC researchers defined middle-income earners: Using U.S.Census data, they calculated the average per capita income across the entire Chicago metropolitan region for each year of the U.S. Census, beginning in 1970. A city census tract was considered “middle income” if its average per capita income fell between 80 and 120 percent of the metro-wide average for that year.

https://www.wbez.org/ stories/the-middle-classis-shrinking-everywhere-inchicago-its-almost-gone/ e63cb407-5d1e-41b1-9124a717d4fb1b0b

Chicago has long been defined by its stubborn racial segregation, but income segregation is “more extreme now” than in the past. Many of the neighborhoods that were middle income in 1970 are now lower income. Just 8 percent of Chicago’s census tracts were considered high or very high income in 1970. Today, more than one-fifth of the city’s census tracts are higher income.

Credit: Paula Friedrich/ WBEZ https://www.wbez.org/ stories/the-middle-classis-shrinking-everywhere-inchicago-its-almost-gone/ e63cb407-5d1e-41b1-9124a717d4fb1b0b

Chicago is becoming more polarized In 1970, 50 percent of Chicago’s census tracts were considered “middle income.” Today, that has shrunk to 16 percent. Areas of both higher and lower incomes have grown.

Macroeconomic Trends Shape Chicago

Economists say the disappearance of Chicago’s middle class is a reflection of macroeconomic forces and a shift away from manufacturing jobs to a service economy. Rick Mattoon, a senior economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago believes In U.S. cities over the past several decades, “the jobs that were added tended to be at the very high end or at the very low end. “ Based on his research, Chicago has a high share of college-educated workers that are “higher than the share that’s in the suburbs at this point, which is a historic flip. ” Also highly educated, highly paid workers — attracted in recent years to urban centers — tend to demand a lot of services. For example retail, restaurants, hotels, and entertainment. Therefore creating a big demand for entry-level workers. As a result, the middle-class manufacturing jobs that used to be heavily concentrated in places like Chicago are being left out of this dynamic. Rakesh Kochhar, an economist at the Pew Research Center affirms that this is indeed a “process of economic polarization.” He’s documented what he calls a “slow but steady” decline in the percentage of middle-income households nationally. In 1970, 61 percent of Americans belonged to the middle class, states Kochhar, “a clear majority.” Using Pew’s methodology, that figure now hovers around 50 percent nationally. Based on his research, the shrinking of the middle class is directly tied to jobs and wages in the country. “There are more people at opposite ends of the income distribution—more at the low end, more at the high end, and fewer in the middle.”

https://www.wbez.org/ stories/the-middle-classis-shrinking-everywhere-inchicago-its-almost-gone/ e63cb407-5d1e-41b19124-a717d4fb1b0b

https://voorheescenter.wordpress. com/2018/06/06/who-canlive-in-chicago-part-i/

Average Individual Income City of Chicago, Relative to Seven country metro area

Chapter II : Goose Island History............................................................................ Land Use Changes Over Time................... Character Buildings...........................................

History

Creating the Ogden Canal

Goose Island’s story begins in the 1850s, when William Ogden, Chicago’s first mayor, spearheaded an effort to improve the navigability of the Chicago River’s north branch. A canal, known as the North Branch Canal or Ogden’s Canal, was dug from Chicago Avenue to North Avenue to circumvent the bend in the river and create more waterway frontage for industrial use.

Source: https://www. architecture.org/news/ retrofitting-buildings/gooseislands-industrial-past-andtech-future/

Around the same time, Chicago emerged as the most important railroad center in the country. By the late 19th Century, railroad tracks radiated from Chicago in more directions than any other city. Industrial development boomed on Goose Island because of the city’s network of rail lines and canals.

Industrial Boom

The same advantages that made Chicago a hub for grain and livestock industries also made the city a major furniture manufacturing and warehousing center. Wholesalers like Marshall Field and mail-order retailers like Montgomery Ward saw the benefit of using the network of railroads that brought grain and livestock into the city for processing as a distribution system. These rail lines delivered finished goods cheaply and efficiently to far-flung farming communities.

Source: https://www. architecture.org/news/ retrofitting-buildings/gooseislands-industrial-past-andtech-future/

The extensive railroad network also provided access to lumber for furniture production, and the city’s German and Scandinavian immigrants provided a ready pool of skilled labor. As furniture manufacturing sprung up along the Chicago River, so did the number of furniture wholesalers that served as the critical link between manufacturers and consumers. By 1926, Chicago was home to 255 furniture wholesalers with sales totaling more than $58 million.

The Decline

The Great Depression halted the seemingly relentless expansion of Chicago’s manufacturing and wholesale operations. Though many companies closed their doors, Goose Island continued to be an important industrial center on Chicago’s north side through the 1970s. In the early 1930s, the city began construction of a viaduct that would extend Ogden Avenue across Goose Island. Planners speculated that connecting the Island to the city’s limited-access highway system could help stimulate industrial development. Despite this effort, Goose Island’s industries continued to decline as manufacturers and wholesalers left the city. Today, only a handful of the 20th-century industrial buildings remain. Much of the historic industrial built environment, including the viaduct, has been demolished over the past 30 years.

Aerial view of Goose Island looking South, Circa 1960

Source: https://www. architecture.org/news/ retrofitting-buildings/ goose-islands-industrialpast-and-tech-future/

Land Use Changes Over Time In North Branch and Goose Island

The pattern of land use in Goose Island over the last 40 years shows how it has transitioned from a light industry platform to a mix of residential, commercial retail, and offices as well as a diversified array of other uses. This pattern shows the potential of the area to host various users with completely different needs.

Source: Mayor Emanuel’s industrial corridor modernization - North Branch Framework

Character Buildings of Goose Island

The North Branch’s distinctive urban character is distinguished by its namesake waterway, which fostered the area’s industrial development and nearby rail and expressway construction. The landscape is punctuated by material silos, large industrial equipment, rail lines, vehicular and railroad bridges and viaducts, sea walls, highway embankments, and many masonry industrial buildings.

Source: Mayor Emanuel’s industrial corridor modernization - North Branch Framework

Approximately 60 buildings, structures, and industrial features throughout the corridor have been identified as having unique historical, architectural, or another impact on the corridor environment. As the area transitions to a more mixed-use employment center, the corridor’s unique physical and natural assets can be integrated into a modern, functional job center.

R2 is an integrated, private equity real estate firm with offices in Chicago, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis. They were founded in 2006 and “develop, operate and invest in real estate assets in high barrier-to-entry markets with favorable supply and demand fundamentals”. Among the 50 buildings that they own in Chicago, Louisville, Milwaukee, and Minneapolis, 4 of them are located on Goose Island and salt district. Two of these buildings have been chosen as test sites which will be explained later on.

Map created by Pouya Hamedi Source: https://www. openstreetmap.org/#map=16/41.9040/-87.6545

Properties owned by R2 group on Goose Island which are considered character buildings

Initial Development Plans Made by Owner

The initial plan (currently in the work) proposed by the company owning these buildings is turning them into high-profile offices. There have been proposals by Gensler and similar architectural firms to renovate the buildings.

Image by R2 Source: https://r2.me/portfolio/1001-north-branch/

They plan to rent the building with prices of over $400/sqm/year, making these buildings only affordable for wealthier companies. Also, the spaces have only been divided into very large surfaces. As a result, even if individuals were able to afford the high rent and compensate by renting a smaller area, the option is taken from them. In the coming chapters, I will go over how and why this trend has become an issue, especially with more popular sites and areas, and then proceed to introduce an alternative.

Image by R2 Source: https://r2.me/ app/uploads/2019/09/ R2_1001_Brochure.pdf

Image by R2 Source: https://r2.me/app/ uploads/2019/09/R2_1315_ SUITE_C_Brochure.pdf

1001 North Branch Development plans made by R2, turning the building into high profile office space

1001 North Branch Existing condition The grid system and special columns are notable

Render created by R2 Source: https://r2.me/ app/uploads/2019/09/ R2_1001_Brochure.pdf

1001 North Branch Inside view of the proposal

Render created by R2 Source: https://r2.me/ app/uploads/2019/09/ R2_1001_Brochure.pdf

1315 North Branch Existing condition 1315 North Branch Development plans made by R2, turning the building into high profile office space

1315 North Branch Existing condition The high ceilings stand out as great potential

Render created by R2 Source: https://r2.me/ app/uploads/2019/09/ R2_1315_SUITE_C_Brochure.pdf

“A city needs air, fun and areas where people get the chance to be creative and develop their own ideas about society.” - Eva De Klerk

Chapter III : White Spots Introduction........................................................................................................... What is Happening?....................................................................................... The Urban Take Over........................................................................................ De-urbanization................................................................................................... White Spots............................................................................................................ NDSM and similar projects.......................................................................

This city is alive (Don’t get too close or she’ll break your heart) This city is alive This city is alive And if you don’t believe it, Inhale and hug her to your chest Feel the reverberations of her Heartbeat in your stomach She’s a pulsing beating quivering thing And with every footstep That echoes through her hollowed alleyways, Cobblestoned hideaways, She learns This city makes no promises And there’s deceit in her mischievous eyes But the pull of her paradise lips to your own is magnetic She slams the strongest men To their knees - Savannah Brown

Introduction

There is a lot of construction happening in the world, especially in big cities like Chicago. Yet, this is not just an American trend, as more and more people around the world are willing to live, work and recreate in the cities, the demand for real estate rises. This trend naturally results in an increase in property prices. For the first time in history, more people are living in the cities and it doesn’t look like this trend would be coming to an end in the foreseeable future. As a city grows, it needs new dwellings, new opportunities for its residents to help keep the city alive and help it reinvent itself. An important question would be: how do our cities want to grow, and who will they host? Should large cities like Chicago only allow corporates and big scale businesses to survive? Or does every city need different groups and talents to stay desirable in the long run? It seems like big developers only look at big cities as a ground to make profits, but is that how we want our cities to be? Does the highest bidder always have to win? Or should everyone be given a chance to create in a city without being pushed out because of their economic status? These are all important arguments to introduce a new system in cities, a system that does not cost much uses existing facilities as much as possible, and belongs to individuals and groups who keep the city alive.

What is Happening?

Illustration: Hilary Koob-Sassen https://www.theguardian. com/cities/2015/dec/23/ monster-city-urban-fairytalesaskia-sassen

Illustration The city moving forward across the centuries

A Monster Crawling in the Cities

Cities have been around for thousands of years. To be more precise, historians believe cities came into existence somewhere between 8,000-10,000 years ago, and some scientists believe the first cities came into existence around 7,500 B.C. in Mesopotamia. Therefore, the idea of cities is not new, not at all. As a matter of fact, mapping research released at World Urban Forum 10 in 2020 concluded that today, there are more than 10,000 cities in the world, half of which born in the last 40 years. In another research, The United Nations states that by the year 2000, there were 371 cities in the world with 1 million inhabitants or more. This number grew to be 548 in 2018 and it is expected that by 2030 there will be 706 cities with at least 1 million people living in them. How are these cities existing? Is it the power of gold, banks, and organizations or is it people, groups, and neighborhoods? Kings and queens have lived and died, banks and organizations rise, go bankrupt and new ones take their places. But it is always the people who keep the city alive during good and bad times. They might not always be rich, but history has proven that they are good at making neighborhoods; with lots of small shops, churches, theatres, and craftspeople working with different materials. Streets that walking through them gives observers a certain high. A high with shops and pubs and people moving in and out. Streets and neighborhoods together create the urban tissue.

https://www.theguardian. com/cities/2015/dec/23/ monster-city-urban-fairytale-saskia-sassen

But, there are strange things happening in our cities, especially the larger ones which are more appealing to people with loads of money to spend. It is an explosion that looks like a firework of large buildings; buildings that look different, yet all tall and grand. This might sound interesting at first, but it gets scary when we learn these fireworks are happening in long-standing dense, and lively neighborhoods where people have lived and made for decades and centuries. Areas and structures are flattened to make room for tall, often single-purpose towers, wiping the history and atmosphere of what used to stand beneath their concrete and steel frame. People know it is impossible to have a city without neighborhoods, yet this monstrous explosion does not listen, it goes on destroying people’s houses, shops, and the squares in their neighborhoods. https://www.theguardian. com/cities/2015/dec/23/ monster-city-urban-fairytalesaskia-sassen

As this monster keeps on moving and ripping the city tissue, there will not be places for people to live and create anymore. As this firework of tall buildings gets scattered everywhere, everywhere becomes nowhere.

Illustration It was as if a monster had crawled into the city

:Illustration Hilary Koob-Sassen https://www.theguardian. com/cities/2015/dec/23/ monster-city-urban-fairytale-saskia-sassen

The Urban Takeover

One thing in common between cities: they are all complex yet incomplete systems. How cities have outlived far more powerful, formalized systems is woven in that characteristic. All major cities, including Chicago, New York, Shanghai, London, and Tehran to name a few, have outlived multiple types of rulers and businesses. What cities make possible is for the powerless to leave a footprint, footprints that together show the city is theirs too. These cultural, economic, and social imprints are usually left behind in the neighborhoods, which eventually spread to larger urban zones. All of these could only happen organically, in spaces that belong to the people. One cannot create a private business park targeting low-income population, no matter how dense, and wish for this sort of “making” to happen again, those are only places to “work”; at best. As Saskia Sassen puts it: “It is only in cities where that possibility of gaining complexity in one’s powerlessness can happen – because nothing can fully control such a diversity of people and engagements”.

https://www.theguardian. com/cities/2015/nov/24/ who-owns-our-cities-andwhy-this-urban-takeovershould-concern-us-all

Created by: @overview Imagery: @nearmap https://www.archdaily. com/957935/ vertical-urbaniza tion-as-seenfrom-above/6038db75f91c814395000007-vertical-urbanization-as-seenfrom-above-image

Aerial view of Chicago

Post-2008 Urban Investment

In an article called “Who owns our cities – and why this urban takeover should concern us all”, Saskia Sassen goes over features in the new phase of urban investment surge which has been happening since 2008. A trend in which large companies and corporations, national and foreign, have started purchasing large-scale lands in major cities. Based on her observations there are four features that stand out the most: - The sharp scale-up in the buying of buildings: Nowadays investors from countries such as China are major buyers in cities like New York and London. Foreign corporate buying has seen increases of up to 475% and 248% in cities like Nanjing and Amsterdam/Randstadt respectively. - The extent of new construction: In contrast with the trends in the 1980s and 90s which were about owning existing buildings, the current trend is focused on the destruction of buildings and replacing them with much taller, luxurious offices and apartments. - The spread of mega-projects with vast footprints: Structures that kill much of the urban tissue. Mega-projects increase the density of the city, while actually de-urbanizing it. Highlighting an overlooked fact: density is not enough to have a city. - The foreclosing on modest properties: owned by modest-income households. For example in the US, the federal reserve data shows that more than 14 million households lost their homes between 2006 and 2014.

https://www.theguardian. com/cities/2015/nov/24/ who-owns-our-cities-andwhy-this-urban-takeovershould-concern-us-all

After the economic crisis of 2008, the world and specifically large cities have since experienced a new trend: big corporates buying big chunks of cities and buildings. In the market of large land and building acquisitions (for example purchases of a minimum of $5m in the case of New York City), $600bn was spent by corporates to buy a building in the top 100 recipient cities between mid-2013 and mid2014. This number rose to be $1 trillion the next year. From this number, $20bn was spent in Chicago, making it sit Seventh in the rankings; New York, London, and Tokyo being the top Three.

https://www.theguardian. com/cities/2015/nov/24/ who-owns-our-cities-andwhy-this-urban-takeovershould-concern-us-all

These figures only include buildings that were acquired and exclude another major trend, site development. This worrying trend can only mean one thing; less space available to the public, and more corporate headquarters, luxury apartments, and malls.

A Cushman & Wakefield Capital Markets Research Publication

INVESTMENT VOLUMES

Table 4: TO (E

Table 4: TOTAL INVESTMENT VOLUMES (EX DEV. SITES)

METRO

Q3 2014 – Q2 2015 (US$)

GROWTH*

New York

74,799,870,615

36.3%

San Die

London

55,206,679,357

13.4%

Madrid

Tokyo

37,971,179,153

0.7%

Orlando

Los Angeles

37,457,376,509

14.4%

Stockho

San Francisco

32,355,485,613

35.9%

Hawaii

Paris

22,955,312,136

-0.2%

Osaka

Chicago

20,036,200,994

39.4%

Hambur

Washington, D.C

18,515,548,212

29.5%

Toronto

Dallas

16,296,780,618

13.4%

Singapo

Atlanta

16,022,394,226

60.7%

Beijing

Miami

15,949,703,541

74.5%

Brisban

Boston

15,365,776,426

43.2%

Philadel

Hong Kong

14,447,415,389

4.9%

Seoul

Sydney

14,075,615,656

7.9%

Nanjing

Houston

12,365,902,892

-6.2%

Minneap

Berlin

11,814,090,834

-6.2%

Raleigh/

Seattle

11,609,540,148

31.9%

Charlott

Melbourne

11,078,147,297

33.1%

Tampa

Frankfurt

9,845,334,528

38.0%

Portland

Phoenix

9,312,751,061

53.5%

Milan

Denver

9,029,533,977

19.6%

Dublin

Austin

8,046,028,787

45.3%

Oslo

Shanghai

7,978,366,830

-19.6%

Manche

Amsterdam

7,942,738,059

13.3%

San Ant

Munich

7,271,540,067

9.9%

Birming

A Cushman & Wakefield Capital Markets Research Publication: Winning in growth cities 2015/2016 https://smart-lighting. es/wp-content/ uploads/2015/10/Winningin-Growth-Cities-20152016-PDF.pdf

*Compared to previous 12 months. Source: Cushman & Wakefield, Real Capital Analytics

TOP 25 CITIES FOR GLOBAL PROPERTY INVESTMENT (EX DEV. SITES

ton, D.C

London

New York

2015 US$ bn

Investment volumes in top recipient cities compared to previous 12 months

De-urbanization

Cosmopolitanism: The idea that all human beings are, or could be or should be, members of a single community. Different views of what constitutes this community may include a focus on moral standards, economic practices, political structures, and/or cultural forms. -Pauline Kleingeld, Eric Brown

Global geographies of extraction have long been key to the western world’s economic development. And now these have moved on to urban land, going well beyond the traditional association with plantations and mines, even as these have been extended and made more brutally efficient. The corporatizing of access and control over urban land has extended not only to high-end urban sites but also to the land beneath the homes of modest households and government offices. We are witnessing an unusually large scale of corporate buying of whole pieces of cities in the last few years. The mechanisms for these extractions are often far more complex than the outcomes, which can be quite elementary in their brutality. One key transformation is a shift from mostly small private to large corporate modes of ownership, and from public to private. This is a process that takes place in bits and pieces, some big and some small, and to some extent, these practices have long been part of the urban land market and urban development. But today’s scale-up takes it all to a whole new dimension, one that alters the historic meaning of the city. This is particularly so because what was small and/or public is becoming large and private. The trend is to move from small properties embedded in city areas that are crisscrossed by streets and small public squares, to projects that erase much of this public tissue of streets and squares via mega-projects with large, sometimes huge, footprints. This privatized and de-urbanized city space no matter the added density. Large cities have long been complex and incomplete. This has enabled the incorporation of diverse people, logic, politics. A large, mixed city is a frontier zone where actors from different worlds can have an encounter for which there are no established rules of engagement, and where the powerless and the powerful can actually meet.

https://www.theguardian. com/cities/2015/nov/24/ who-owns-our-cities-andwhy-this-urban-takeovershould-concern-us-all

This also makes cities spaces of innovations, small and large. And this includes innovations by those without power: even if they do not necessarily become powerful in the process, they produce components of a city, thus leaving a legacy that adds to its cosmopolitanism – something that few other places enable. But today, rather than a space for including people from many diverse backgrounds and cultures, our global cities are expelling people and diversity. Their new owners, often parttime inhabitants, are very international – but that does not mean they represent many diverse cultures and traditions. Instead, they represent the new global culture of the successful – and they are astoundingly homogeneous, no matter how diverse their countries of birth and languages. This is not the urban subject that our large, mixed cities have historically produced. This is, above all, a global “corporate” subject. Much of urban change is inevitably predicated on expelling what used to be. Since their beginnings, whether 3,000 years old or 100, cities have kept reinventing themselves, which means there are always winners and losers. Urban histories are replete with accounts of those who were once poor and quasi-outsiders, or modest middle classes, that gained ground – because cities have long accommodated extraordinary variety.

https://www.theguardian. com/cities/2015/nov/24/ who-owns-our-cities-andwhy-this-urban-takeovershould-concern-us-all

But today’s large-scale corporate buying of urban space in its diverse instantiations introduces a de-urbanizing dynamic. It is not adding to mix and diversity. Instead, it implants a whole new formation in our cities – in the shape of a firework of high-rise luxury buildings.

Examples of Chicago Mega-Projets Currently in the Works

Riverline and South bank A $2bn project transforming 14 acres of vacant land, created by Perkins + Will

https://chicago. curbed.com/maps/ chicago-developments-lincoln-yards-78-one-central

The River District 14 mixed-use buildings to be built on 30 acres of land, creating offices and residential units

https://chicago. curbed.com/maps/ chicago-developments-lincoln-yards-78-one-central

One Central A $20bn project across 34 acres of land including “multi-purpose” towers and train stations

http://ward03chicago. com/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/ONE-Central-Town-Hall-31319.pdf

White Spots

Alternative Ways of Urban Development

The philosophy of De Stad als Casco was conceived in Amsterdam in the mid1990s. Although it did not attract a wide audience at the time, it has now become very topical. The concept was introduced by a group of squatters, artists, and professionals in the fields of urban development, housing, and architecture for a reason. At Amsterdam, the city wanted to renew the strip along the south bank of the river IJ that comprised former port and industrial buildings. This era was also a turning point for Amsterdam, as investments flooded into the city and well-known squats were cleared, the property price started climbing. As a result, living in the city became more popular yet, the financially vulnerable group started suffering the consequences. Therefore, they started moving to abandoned industrial sites in the port area, refurbishing and reusing old heritage buildings.

Make your city, Eva De Klerk p. 23-25

The new developments and also the threat posed to such sites raised questions about the livability of the city center and if pushing financially vulnerable creatives out was the right move. This led a group to try and find alternative ways of development, leading to the manifesto of De Stad als Casco.

The Philosophy of De Stad als Casco | City as a Shell

The manifesto implies using the existing city as a point of departure. To give buildings that are already standing a new use, as it has been the case through the centuries. The authors of De Stad als casco believed existing properties have a “characteristic idiosyncrasy”. It’s these buildings and structures that give an area its soul which is almost impossible to recreate during new developments. Also, demolition and new construction are neither environmentally nor socially sustainable. They believed people should be taken to the next stage of development instead of getting pushed away. Then over time, existing buildings can attract new users and it’s the new users who would bring additional functions in an organic way. In this way of thinking, it is important to develop ideas based on existing structures and users. Since given the opportunity and space, people and creatives can create a world of their own. The important factor is to avoid developing areas by outsiders, ditching the common top-down view and replacing it with a bottom-up one. By developing with the method of De Stad als Casco, residents and users design their own space or have someone else do it for them. The “shell” would be the framework; the world inside the framework can change, depending on the user and the function.

Make your city, Eva De Klerk p. 25.

The Role of Initiators vs Traditional Top-down Management

Municipalities, housing associations, and private property owners all want to own a charismatic hotspot. What they do not know is that instead of drawing up billion-dollar plans to wipe and re-construct large urban areas, they only need to find creative groups who are willing to invest their time into existing infrastructure and find a new use case. Based on Eva De Klerk’s experience they are normally aiming for a temporary project with an end result in mind. Municipalities and property owners find it hard to let go of traditional top-down principles of management.

Make your city, Eva De Klerk P. 177-181

As a result, not willing to let a group be in charge. Oftentimes, it is also hard for them to understand that it is impossible to copy one principle from a project to one another since every site has its own context, that success is only achieved when a group of people works together intensively and consistently. In other words, the more freedom people have in decision-making, the higher the chances of success.

Social Advantages

The SER study reaffirms the added value of people working in the cultural and creative sectors. This is important because collectively, they hardly benefit at all. The philosophy of de stad als casco includes the idea that any value increase should be distributed fairly, rather than benefiting only a small group of people. It also advocates a broader understanding of value, one that is not only based on money. Literally quoting the 1997 book De stad als casco II:

Make your city, Eva De Klerk p. 221 SER study: https://www.ser. nl/nl/publicaties/passie-gewaardeerd

“the approach of de stad als casco is based on human interaction rather than on major capital investments that make continuation of existing use impossible. Powerful investment flows are lost when the efforts and services of people are not considered investments. Gradual and area oriented development award these investments a lasting value and this is to the advantage of both the collective and the individual. Thus, all returns on investments consist of both money (objective) and a high-quality living environment (subjective). An area developed in accordance with the philosophy of de stad als casco has a positive emotional value to various users and thus provides a high-quality public domain.”

The Pressures Facing Self-Employed Creatives

Artisans, creative makers, and artists are all entrepreneurs. Why would any government help them realize more affordable working and living spaces, whether in the context of self-rule or any other? Eva de Klerk thinks of a number of reasons. The study ‘Passie gewardeerd’ (passion is valued) published by the Sociaal Economische Raad (SER) and the Raad van Cultuur (the social-economic council and the culture council) shows that individual cases expected, the income position of the self-employed in the creative sector leaves much to be desired. That in itself is worrying, but it becomes even more distressing in the light of the researchers’ conclusion that it is precisely these creatives that add value to the urban economy, though they hardly take advantage of it themselves. Other parties, such as property owners, pick up the profits as they see the value of their buildings rise. These are the very same buildings that are (in danger of) becoming unaffordable to self-employed creatives. These are reasons that justify facilitating the creation of affordable living and working space for this group, for example by reducing land prices.

Make your city, Eva De Klerk p. 221 SER study: https://www.ser. nl/nl/publicaties/passie-gewaardeerd

17th-century Amsterdam as a Source of Inspiration

The idea to build hofjes for the poor was conceived during the ‘Vierde Uitleg’, Amsterdam’s fourth city extension that was realized around 1660 and included two new islands exclusively dedicated to ‘good works’. The islands are located between the Amstel River and Plantage Muidergracht, and between Nieuwe Herengracht and Nieuwe Prinsengracht. The city of Amsterdam not only took responsibility for the city extension as a whole but also for the construction of the two islands, including their infrastructure. Subsequently, private individuals could use the land to perform good works, which they financed out of their own pockets. As a result, the islands accommodate a cluster of alms-houses founded by, among others, wealthy Amsterdam families. Examples that still exist are Amstelhof (which now houses the Hermitage), Corvershof, Wittenberg, and the Sar- phatihuis. The latter was originally built as a municipal workhouse. The ‘good works’ targeted people that did not have the means to organize their own accommodations or facilities. The better-off realized that these people nevertheless deserved a place in the city. To make sure that these socially important initiatives would continue to exist for generations, each hofje had a statute that made it effectively impossible to change its use. The hofjes were managed by the famous regents of Holland and by volunteers from the upper classes. That means that ever since the townspeople can count on the guaranteed use of these facilities. Make your city, Eva De Klerk p. 245-247

Left: https://nl.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Nieuwe_Herengracht Right: https://nl.wikipedia. org/wiki/Wittenberg_(Amsterdam)

No matter how rich the city becomes, the hofjes can never be discontinued on account of commercial interests. On the contrary, the two simply exist side by side.

White Spots Plan

As the economy is picking up, we have the room and financial scope to experiment with alternative forms of urban development. Areas can be designated “transition zones” or “low-rule areas” in which final allocations remain unestablished. They would have room for experiments with all forms of use; successful initiatives could be continued and the efforts and investments of initiators and users preserved. In addition, unlike governments or property developers, the latter are capable of using community building and crowdfunding to hold on to committed financiers. The investments of initiators that are only allowed to set up temporary projects today will have more quality and become more sustainable once they know that they can commit to an area for a longer period of time. In addition to allowing other kinds of collaborations, for example, participation companies, it is important for local authorities to include ‘white spots’ in their zoning plans. What we need is a White Spots Plan, a map of urban areas reserved for alternative ways of urban development, beyond the market economy.

White Spots Plan An incremental urban development plan: temporary initiatives that are successful and have a distinctive identity are included in the subsequent development of the area or given the option to continue at a different location.

Make your city, Eva De Klerk p. 241-245.

Make your city, Eva De Klerk p. 243.

Towards NDSM

The abandoned shipbuilding warehouse of the NDSM (the Dutch Shipbuilding and Dry dock Company) shipyard on the north bank of the IJ was the first property that was revived using the method of De Stad als Casco. A building that is currently the largest self-organizing creative workspace in Europe. The tale of NDSM starts with a familiar situation. A big city that was once affordable for everyone starting to get more expensive, pushing the low-income population out. At the same time, they were squatting communities occupying abandoned buildings in and around the city. One of these communities had shaped in the old shipyard area in Amsterdam Noord. Yet, during the 1990s the city wanted to create a modern business center in the area in hopes of turning it into a desirable business district for large corporates. The reason behind this decision was that Amsterdam at the time was losing a lot of its economic importance. As a result, Rem Koolhaas was commissioned to make up plans for the idea and, naturally, he came up with a state-of-the-art office district with brand new cultural facilities and hundreds of luxury owner-occupied and rented houses.

Make your city, Eva De Klerk

In the end, the plan nicknamed “Manhattan on the IJ” did not go through, since it was contrasting with the city’s image, and also sponsors chose another area for development. Still, a lot of buildings in the area got destroyed. Later, following years of effort which are out of context in this paper, Eva De Klerk and a group of artists, makers, and creators who were willing to invest and work at NDSM successfully bought one of the shipyards and keep it from getting demolished.

Source: http://www. evadeklerk.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/ schip-op-helingbaan-kopie.png

Images Showing the past and current state of the NDSM shipyard located in Amsterdam Noord

Users, Layout, Funding

The interior planning layout was created mainly based on groups of users and their specific needs. As a result, five clusters of buildings were created which housed the main five categories of end-users: - Theatre makers, inventors and circus artists - Free plots and people involved with making boats - Skateboarders and the youth cluster - Musicians - Events and exhibitions + Artist studios, Creators, Start-ups and also restaurants The funding in order to buy, run, maintain and renovate the shipyard came through various sources. The program won awards and prizes from the government for various reasons; the national government’s stimulation prize for innovative city development, another award for the creative and sustainable heating system using heat pipes in the ground, loan,s and the initial investment made by selected users. Users were chosen based on only two criteria and by the tenants who were involved with the project from the beginning. The two criteria were: applicants who were not able to afford the high market prices and were self-builders since the shipyard would only provide them with a shell and the rest had to be built by each group.

Make your city, Eva De Klerk

https://www.dynamoarchitecten.nl/2020/07/06/0105ndsm-studio-city/

Also, in order to keep the place accessible for as many users as possible, each group could only take a maximum of 100 sqm of space. After all, users who grew and needed more space could move elsewhere.

Art City NDSM Photos showing the art city NDSM, the main shipyard occupied by creatives on three scales: Streets, Alleys, and Interiors

Left: Art City NDSM Sections Drawn by Dynamo Architecten

Make your city, Eva De Klerk p. 101-102

Art City NDSM The legal plan sent to Authorities for confirmation Plans drawn by Dynamo Architecten

Similar Projects, Different Contexts

Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany

The airport was built by the Nazis in 1923 and played an important role in the cold war connecting West Germany and West Berlin. It was located in the center of Berlin and overtime, it has become too small and also too inconvenient for the residents. As a result, the airport was closed in 2008 as the officials decided to expand Schonefeld airport located outside the city. As a result, an area of 386 acres became empty and the municipality of Berlin started looking for a new initiative. Before its closure, the city organized a workshop to take ideas from different groups. Eventually, the airport was handed over to residents of Berlin. The complex now includes urban farms, a cafe, a skatepark, and plenty of space for kitesurfing. In 2014, the people of Berlin declared themselves against a new construction plan by Starchitects and demanded the park to remain as a sport and recreation center.

Namura Shipyard, Osaka, Japan

The story behind Namura Shipyard is quite different from the ones on Tempelhof and NDSM. The shipyard has come to a commercial standstill since the 1980s, similar to NDSM. The site is now owned by a company called Chishima, formerly active in the shipbuilding sector, whereas they now operate as a real estate company and also, aircraft specialists. The property and 80 other similar buildings are all owned by the same company, which currently operates under Mr. Shibakawa. He supports special projects of the residents and has no plans for special groups to get a hold of the buildings. Residents, including artists and students, are active in projects such as making sheds, warehouses, offices and, even hostels. Since the owner has let the place evolve organically, everything seems to be merging effortlessly.

“There’s an alternative. There’s always a third way, and it’s not a combination of the other two ways. It’s a different way.” - David Carradine

Chapter IV : Design Locations................................................................................................................... 1315 North Branch.............................................................................................. 1001 North Branch.............................................................................................

Locations

1315 North Branch

Previously used as Raymond Brother Pulverizing Company, the building was originally built in 1912, designed by Chicago-based architect Henry Raeder. The industrial space with the high ceilings is a perfect combination in order to create workshops and versatile creative spaces. The ceilings are more than 8 meters high in most spaces with a floor space of almost 13,000 sqm.

1001 North Branch

The building started as Peck & Hills Furniture Manufacturer and was built in 1915. This site already has a well-arranged column system and consists of 6 stories. These characteristics make it a perfect candidate to test flexible plans and office spaces, where owners can try out different layouts for different scenarios.

1315 North Branch

1001 North Branch

Aerial view of Goose Island in 1970, Including both test sites

Site

01: 1315 North Branch 02: 1001 North Branch

1315 North Branch

Design Approach The high ceilings of this building, combined with wide spans and uninterrupted area, make it a great candidate to try and emulate a similar space to NDSM. By adding a grid system that only includes stairs and platforms, tenants/ owners will be able to create their own, specific workspaces within the given structural system. This approach provides great flexibility for the users, as well as keeping renovation costs to a minimum.

Axonometrics

1315 NB Makeover 01: Exterior components are treated as a shell. 02: Shell remains intact, what’s inside will change. 03: The first step is adding sanitary units + The grid system, including stairs, columns, floors, and roofs. Afterward, the building will be ready to be customized by its users.

04: Users start moving in and customize their preferred locations, it is likely that they will start on the ground floor. 05: As the ground floor starts filling up, new users will use the second-level grid. 06: It all happens inside the building, using it as a shell.

Tenants Moving In Over Time

Level 1

Level 2

Level 1 01: Common Area, to be Filled 02: Sanitary units 03: Open Space, to be Used for Events, Exhibitions, etc.

Level 2

01: Common Area, to be Filled 03: Open Space, to be Used for Events, Exhibitions, etc.

Exploded View Building Elements

Perspectives

1001 North Branch

Design Approach The perfect order of columns in this building along with vast, uninterrupted floor spaces and similar columns makes it a great potential to be used as a flexible workspace. The two buildings, one 6 stories high and the other one three, provide plenty of floor area to be used by many groups and/ or individuals. A grid system is added to each floor which combined with sliding panels, provides endless planning options for any user. Also, this leads to groups being able to modify their space through time. The grid and panels are made of affordable materials such as aluminum and fiberglass, keeping the renovation costs as low as possible.

Axonometrics

Grid Detail

Rotating Wheels Aluminum Frame

Noise insulator made of lightweight Polyethylene foam Two-way aluminum rails enabling doors to slide side by side

Handles Fiberglass panels, acting as additional sound proofing and cover

1001 NB Makeover 01-02: Placing the grid, sanitary units, and common rooms. 02-06: Tenants moving in, customizing the plans.

Sample:

: Level 3

03 04

03 02

Level 1 01: Elevators 02: Sanitary units 03: Common Rooms 04: Enterance

03 01 02 03

01 02

03 02

Level 2 01: Elevators 02: Sanitary units 03: Common Rooms

03 01 02 03

01 02

03 02

Level 3 01: Elevators 02: Sanitary units 03: Common Rooms

03 01

03 02

01 02

Level 4 01: Elevators Level 2 02: Sanitary Units Whats where Whats where 03: Common Rooms Whats where 05: Urban Garden Whats where

100

03 01

Level 5 Level 2

Whats where 01: Elevators Whats where 02: Sanitary units Whats where Whats where 03: Common Rooms

102

01 02

Level 6 01: Elevators 02: Sanitary units 03: Common Rooms

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Axonometric View Stacked Levels

The Grid The grid has been created in a way to avoid the expansion at the top of columns. Therefore, it runs through them with two lines, allowing panels to move effortlessly through the floor. This way, users will not have to move their walls if other groups need to make adjustments to their own space.

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Sanitary Units Sanitary units are placed Along the edges in order to maximize the grid potential through the floors, keeping it uninterrupted.

Urban Farming Protected from the wind by the taller building, the roof has great potential to be used as an urban garden.

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Common Rooms Common rooms act as an acoustically private area for the users of each floor, since they have floor-to-ceiling panels Each group can use them in case of conferences or any activity that requires a more quiet atmosphere. These rooms are included as basic elements of each floor similar to sanitary units, the grid system, and panels.

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Stairs and Lifts Vertical transportations have not been moved. They all use the cores which have already existed in the original plans of the building.

Panel Stacks The two-way grid system allows panels to move in both X and Y directions. They can be stacked by the walls while they are not needed, and moved if users need them to create/modify a space.

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Bibliography

“Achieve Greater Livability through Land Use and Housing Recommendation.” , n.d. Accessed May 31, 2021. “Chicago Architecture Center.” www.architecture.org. Accessed June 1, 2021. https://www.architecture.org/news/retrofitting-buildings/goose-islands-industrialpast-and-tech-future/. “Chicago Health Atlas.” www.chicagohealthatlas.org. Accessed February 15, 2021. https://www.chicagohealthatlas.org/indicators/single-parent-households. Ebrary, Inc. Growing Populations, Changing Landscapes : Studies from India, China, and the United States. Washington, D.C.: National Academy Press, 2001. “Ecokathedraal (Eco-Cathedral).” Spaces Archives, January 31, 2013. http://www. spacesarchives.org/explore/search-the-online-collection/louis-le-roy-ecokathedraal-eco-cathedral/. Eva De Klerk, Carolien Feldbrugge, and Joost Zonneveld. Make Your City : De Stad Als Casco : NDSM-Werf Amsterdam = the City as a Shell : NDSM Shipyard Amsterdam. Amsterdam: Trancityxvaliz, 2017. “Home.” American Communities Project, n.d. https://www.americancommunities. org/. Jessica Kursman and Nick Zettel. “Who Can Live in Chicago? Part I.” the voorhees center for neighborhood & community improvement, June 6, 2018. https://voorheescenter.wordpress.com/2018/06/06/who-can-live-in-chicago-part-i/. Kochhar, Rakesh. “The American Middle Class Is Stable in Size, but Losing Ground Financially to Upper-Income Families.” Pew Research Center. Pew Research Center, September 6, 2018. https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2018/09/06/ the-american-middle-class-is-stable-in-size-but-losing-ground-financially-to-upper-income-families/. Koob-Sassen, Saskia and Hilary. “‘A Monster Crawls into the City’ – an Urban Fairytale by Saskia Sassen.” the Guardian, December 23, 2015. https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/dec/23/monster-city-urban-fairytale-saskia-sassen. Koziarz, Jay. “13 Megadevelopments That Will Transform Chicago.” Curbed Chicago, May 29, 2019.

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https://chicago.curbed.com/maps/chicago-developments-lincoln-yards-78-one-central. “Megaproject near Soldier Field Calls for New Skyscrapers, Lakefront Access, Transit Hub.” Curbed Chicago, March 14, 2019. https://chicago.curbed. com/2019/3/14/18264706/one-central-development-metra-track-soldier-field. Lutton, Linda. “The Middle Class Is Shrinking Everywhere — in Chicago It’s Almost Gone.” WBEZ Chicago, February 18, 2019. https://www.wbez.org/stories/the-middle-class-is-shrinking-everywhere-in-chicago-its-almost-gone/e63cb407-5d1e41b1-9124-a717d4fb1b0b. Moreira, Susanna. “Vertical Urbanization as Seen from Above.” ArchDaily, March 4, 2021. https://www.archdaily.com/957935/vertical-urbanization-as-seen-from-above?ad_medium=gallery. “NDSM Shipyard | Eva de Klerk.” Accessed May 24, 2021. http://www.evadeklerk. com/en/ndsm-werf/. “Nieuwe Herengracht.” Wikipedia, May 10, 2020. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nieuwe_Herengracht. Paul Van Schilfgaarde, Chantal Van Hooff, Tineke Ossewaarde, and Podium Werken Aan Het Ij. De Stad Als Casco Dl. 2. Amsterdam: Podium Werken Aan Het Ij, 1997. Saskia Sassen. “Who Owns Our Cities – and Why This Urban Takeover Should Concern Us All.” the Guardian. The Guardian, November 24, 2015. https://www. theguardian.com/cities/2015/nov/24/who-owns-our-cities-and-why-this-urbantakeover-should-concern-us-all. “The City as a Shell | Eva de Klerk,” n.d. http://www.evadeklerk.com/en/de-stad-alscasco/. Wallace_Joshua_2895401. “Constant Nieuwenhuy’s New Babylon- Central Station.” Medium, June 2, 2016. https://medium.com/@WALLACE_JOSHUA_2895401/ constant-nieuwenhuys-new-babylon-central-station-bdada4787e6b.

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As cities become richer and the wealthier population move in, the demand for “statement-making” property rises; in all sectors. The truth is that societies are becoming financially polarized as a decreasing number of individuals hold a growing amount of wealth, while the rest suffer the consequences. In larger cities, this trend leads to a significant increase in the land price, specifically in the more popular regions. As a result, vulnerable groups are pushed out while their neighborhoods undergo reconstruction to become more appealing for the more “well-off”. In this case, Chicago is the city where its professional trend has changed dramatically during the past decades and currently, is facing the threat of losing its middle class altogether. As a side effect, creative individuals, entrepreneurs, and artists who have not yet (and might never) established a brand out of their name, are forced to leave the city. What disappears with them though, is the soul and appeal they once contributed to the city which made it attractive in the first place. This dissertation goes over possible solutions and scenarios to prevent such damage. Mainly, how including “white spots” as a third zone could act as a solution for this issue and provide an opportunity for those groups, as they have in the past and keep doing so today. A major source of inspiration was the philosophy of “De Stad als Casco” or “City as a shell”, which was introduced in the 1990s in Amsterdam, as this trend was taking the popularity of the city away. Later on, this method was successfully tested in The shipyard of Amsterdam, better known as NDSM; where bottom-up management combined with co-ownership of space led to creating Europe’s largest self-managed creative community, converting an abandoned shipyard in danger of destruction to one of the most attractive hotspots in the world. Using the same idea along with inspirations from NDSM and similar projects as a blueprint, I explore similar opportunities in Goose Island and some of its post-industrial buildings as test sites for this alternative way of urban development.

Pouya Hamedi Master's Dissertation Reflection Paper

Articles inside

Chapter III: White Spots

Bibliography

Chapter II: Goose Island