Open Source City [RS] | June 2019 by Ryan Selwyn

Open Source City ÂŠ 2019 Editor: Ryan Selwyn Academic Promoters: Prof. Dr. Kris Scheerlinck Prof. Arch. Martine De Maeseneer Drs. Arch. Gitte Schreurs First published in 2019 by: Ryan Selwyn International Master of Architecture KU Leuven Faculty of Architecture Gent, Belgium 9000 www.arch.kuleuven.be

Contact: Ryan Selwyn Wellington, New Zealand ryan.selwyn@hotmail.com www.rselwyn.com www.opensourcecity.be

REFLECTION PAPER

CONTENTS

Authors' Note

Streetscapes Territories

Introduction Introduction Photo Essay

Framework Research Themes Research Questions

City Mapping Community Board #6

Historical Overview East River United Nations HQ

Streetscape Analysis

The Hidden Link Design Strategy

The Platform Development Diary

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The Workshop Atlas of Submissions

References

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A UT HORS' NOT E FOREWA RD

The Reflection Paper is a documentation of the process work and research conducted for my master dissertation submission to Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, in Gent, Belgium. The project operates under the overarching framework of the Streetscape Territories research program and practice, founded by Kris Scheerlinck in 2009. Within the framework I question the role of embassy architecture, top-down planning processes, and explore how highly-secured territories such as the United Nations can be re-configured to become more integrated within their local contexts and restore the human dimension to the streetscapes. As an integral part of my research, I experimented with technology, and the role it plays in facilitating community involvement in architectural projects. Through the development of my own participatory design platform "OpenSourceCity" I was able to interact and engage with local stakeholders in New York and attain a critical mass of input/ ideas representing how the end users of the space envisioned the future of their neighbourhood. The result is a project critically developed from these suggestions, ultimately questioning the role of the architect in the 21st century, and how technology can be harnessed as a powerful tool for engaging the public in a productive design collaboration. _______

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ST REET SCA PE T E RR IT O RI E S I NT RODUCT ION

Streetscape Territories, founded by Kris Scheerlinck in Barcelona (2009) is an international practice of research, education and planning consultancy. The practice focuses on the transformation of the urban landscape, studied at the intermediate scale, considering the making of diverse and tolerant streetscapes. The primary objective is to achieve socially, economically and environmentally sustainable environments for all inhabitants. The practice deals with the way architectural intervention, open space, property structures and accessibility/ permeability, configure streetscapes as manifestations of social and productive encounter and how their inhabitants can give meaning to them by appropriation. The research and design projects focus on models of proximity within a street, neighborhood or region and start from the assumption that urban space, from the domestic scale, to the city scale, can be understood as a discontinuous collective space, containing differing levels of shared use, defined by multiple physical, cultural or territorial boundaries (Scheerlinck, 2013): How do people, open space and buildings relate to each other and how does this contribute to the local identity of the built and social environment? Instead of having a programmatic or formal approach, the approach focuses on spatial qualities or potentials of architecture in the urban landscape, taking into account the socio-cultural impact of interventions. The level of programmatic specification is questioned, going against the growing tendency to secure urban projects through over-determined program, leaving no space for multiple interpretation or use. _______

The intermediate scale, that is the scale between the architectural intervention and the urbanistic plan, defines the research and intervention domain. Within this approach, collective spaces that operate at this intermediate scale, are characterized by an â&#x20AC;&#x153;between/ amongâ&#x20AC;? space condition are read, mapped or designed: systems of streets, squares, gardens, parks, but also patios, porches, enclaves, covered or portico spaces, courtyards and all other interstitial areas are subject of research and design. The reading and use of collective spaces, as an important part of inhabiting the urban landscape, is greatly changed due to environmental, economic and social developments: changing climate, financial crisis and balancing employment rates, political regimes causing changes in ethnic or religious dominance and new flows of migration change the meaning of urban space and by that, its proper use and appropriation. Users change their behaviors, attitudes and claims of squares, gardens, streets and parks, respondent to the incisive and profound changes of their daily reality and opportunities. Collective space today, is projected as multiple, flexible and open - contradictory to the increasing need and desire to secure boundaries and claim spaces explicitly, in an individual as well as in a collective way. While there is need to rethink and build new types of collective spaces, more effort seems to be put into separating, delimiting and specializing urban space from the scale of the domicile to the scale of a neighborhood or the city. The Streetscape Territories research studies this balance of parallel mechanisms of space production in different contexts and tests the outcomes through real life projects, considering the local stakeholders as main actors and beneficiaries. (Scheerlinck, Collective Spaces, 3)

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INTRODUCTION

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Fig.01 | Tudor City, Turtle Bay, New York | Source: Ryan Selwyn

INT RODUCT ION NY C V ISIT #01

“During the week there are squads of men in suits and elegant young women heading for meetings… during the weekend the noise level is much lower.” - Jeanne Sakol, Turtle Bay resident Despite being one of New York’s most densely populated neighborhoods, Manhattan’s Upper East Side suffers from a lack of identity and accessible open space. The East River is an invaluable resource in ensuring a good quality of life for locals, providing an opportunity to create diverse and attractive collective use spaces. As an international territory hosted along the East River, the United Nations (U.N.) speaks to an international style of architecture that does not embrace the character of Turtle Bay - or its people. Its large plot of highly secured land coupled with the FDR drive, act as a continual barrier, preventing pedestrian access to one of the city’s most valuable resources, its waterfront. Furthermore, with the absence of a nearby subway line, mobility is confined to the streets in the form of private automobiles, taxis, buses, bicycles and foot traffic. Poor connectivity to midtown Manhattan makes the area a quick-stop destination for tourists, diplomats and residents who have business being in the area. Local resident Richard Ceddon affirms this "a lot of people leave the United Nations buildings on weekends... the neighbourhood doesn’t have much of a residential feeling." This is observable in the immediate surrounding streetscapes which consist predominantly of commerce, embassy and residential type buildings further out toward the periphery, more recreational and food/ dining shops begin to appear. _______

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The U.N. headquarters occupies a large plot of land along the 1st Avenue spanning from 42nd street to 48th street – effectively restricting access to the water at 5 different intersections. Due to this extreme physical barrier, residents of the Upper East Side are subsequently crying out for good-quality public space, whilst, almost ironically, the U.N. grounds feature an expansive park in which only privileged guests can access and interact with – a secondary territory within the confines of the greater U.N headquarters. Due to these large privatised parcels of land, too much of Manhattan's Upper East Side waterfront property negatively impact the streetscapes and fail to embrace their prominent locations, natural resources and local community With discontinuous permeability and physical access to the water’s edge, many New Yorker’s are strangers to their waterfront. Furthermore, from the development that does exist, too much has resulted in sterile place making that fails to attract people to the water’s edge – This must be reformed by creating diverse and vibrant destinations along the east river that: • Eliminates physical/ visual boundaries that restrict access • Restores ecology to East River • Incorporates planning processes that engage the community Despite the huge impact revitalisation of the waterfront will have on the east river communities, local stakeholders are too often excluded from the process that determines the future of their neighbourhood. Striking a balance between community visions and city objectives should be a key principle in planning. _______

PHOT O SERIES # 01 P HOT O ESSAY

Fig.02-09 | Photo Series #01, United Nations HQ, New York | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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The war on territories United Nations = divided Manhattan An open embassy for all? Welcome to the esplanade The U.N. ate my lunch(spot) Bill Murray is watching you It's our pleasure to serve you Waterfront off limits I walk the line Keep of the grass Gone fishing, back in 5 hours United Nations Headquarters

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12

Fig.10-13 | Photo Series #01, United Nations HQ, New York | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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PHOT O SERIES # 02 B OU NDA RIES

Fig.14-25 | Photo Series #02, United Nations HQ, New York | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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FRAMEWORK

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FRA MEWORK

THEMES 1. 2. 3.

Threshold: Boundary Conditions Accessibility: Reclaiming the Waterfront Participatory Design: OpenSource City

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

How can the collective potential of the United Nations be unveiled by converting boundaries to interactive borders that stitch the U.N. campus back into the fabric of the city?

How can openess, accessibility and security be balanced, to de-insitutionalise the U.N. and re-claim the waterfront as an important public space?

How can a digital design platform be used as an effective tool to empower communities into becoming meaningfully involved in planning projects?

A BST RA CT

The dissertation project conducts research into key themes of openness, accessibility and participation in the context of the United Nations Headquarters (UNHQ), in New York City, USA. The UNHQ operates on a highly secured piece of land that spans from 42nd to 48th street, in a prominent waterfront location along the East River. As an important, international organisation the UNHQ requires a clear cut security strategy to ensure the safety of its patrons in an age of frequent terror attacks. However, the current 'hyper secure' condition employed directly at the property edge creates a negative overlap scenario, which opens up the boundary as a place of differentiation and greatly delimits the collective potential of the surrounding public streetscapes. Furthermore, the large plot of secured land creates many dead-end street junctions along First Avenue which contribute to discontinuous accessibility patterns to the waters edge. Thus, the question posed in the dissertation is; How can the collective potential of the UNHQ be unveiled by converting its boundaries into interactive borders, whilst simultaneously balanceing the necessity to respect security, openness and accessibility in the modern social climate. Within the Streetscapes Territories framework, the idea of empowering the minority is an important theme when analysing the phenomenon of Turtle Bay where the UNHQ. overwhelms the public realm with its boundaries and restrictive configurations, resulting in a situation where the community begin to form the basis of the minority - the people who inhabit space in which they have no control over. Thus, the strategy was to take these issues and put them directly in the hands

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of the community to empower their democratic voice the and harness user dissatisfaction to develop well informed, and culturall appropriate proposals driven from the bottom-up. Within traditional top-down planning processes, key stakeholders are not given the democratic power or voice, to be involved in the decision making processes that determine the future of their cities. As end-users become more removed from the processes which dictate the future of the spaces they inhabit, participatory design emerges as an important tool for engagement. Thus, the dissertation investigates how technology can be harnessed to propose a fully open and accessible participatory process that invites all to co-design and contribute within the outlined strategy. Through development of the Open Source City platform, an intensive community outreach process and hosting of workshop sessions - I was able to interact with a pool of different key actors in NYC. The platform proved to be a simple, yet efficient tool for empowering the democratic voice and open sourcing the architectural profession in an easy and accessible way. Through use of the platform, many unique and culturally appropriate proposals were developed which became important pieces of the final intervention. Looking ahead, the platform possesses great potential in its future use to remain accessible for community members to continually review, negotiate and augment public spaces around them. The final outcome is a realisation of the individual research conducted, combined with the important insight gained from the collaborative process.

BOUNDARY

A line which marks the limits of an area; a dividing line where one territory ends and another begins Synonyms: frontier, border, perimeter; The boundary is a physical element that encloses one entity whilst restricting entry to another. It is often a traceable manifestation of cultural or political decision making, with the overarching aim of defining exactly where one territory ends and another begins. _______

THRESHOLD

An entry, or spatial sequence that demarcates a transition from one room or territory to another. Synonyms: doorway, entrance, portal, approach; A threshold/ or threshold space is a spatial condition that creates opening in boundaries, allowing for movement/ or regulation of passage from one territory to another.

T HR ESHOL D (A CT IV E) A MBIGUOU S E DG E S

AMBIGUOUS EDGES

The urban landscape in all its complexity consists of many boundaries, border crossings and thresholds; all operating at differing scales and intensities. However, the boundary wall is what dominates the modern city streetscape - The United Nations takes this idea of the boundary wall to the extreme, enforcing aggressive security protocols and entry restrictions directly at the property edge. This in turn results in a limited exchange between the United Nations and the Turtle Bay Community as well as New York City in general. As referenced by Richard Sennett in his lecture "The Open City" Sennet brings our attention to ecologist, Steven Gould's definition of boundaries and borders. "The boundary is an edge where things end; the border is an edge where different groups interact. At borders, organisms become more interactive, due to the meeting of different species or physical conditions... whereas the boundary is a guarded territory." (R. Sennett, Lecture, 21/02/13) The distinction Steven Gould makes between boundaries and borders, suggests that the boundary opens a space of differentiation, while the border offers a space of in-distinction - As an interactive edge, the border should not be considered solely as an element of division, but rather a threshold space where spatial practices simultaneously confirm and resist social networks and political ideologies â&#x20AC;&#x201C; a type of limit where beginnings emerge from and endings disappear into. _______

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FROM BOUNDARY TO THRESHOLD

Crossing the threshold is a key moment in architecture, demarcating the gradual transition into more inclusive interiorities. According to N. J. Habraken, the built environment is defined by many territorial configurations founded on the principle of inclusion within other territories. Imagining different accessibility patterns within this theoretical model of inclusion, Habraken introduces the concept of territorial depth. "Territorial depth is measured by the number of boundary crossings... needed to move from the outer space, to the innermost territory." (Habraken, 13). Collective space begins at the most accessible part of open space â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the street, square or park and continues up until the final part of the urban sequence that is shared. The need for thresholds is an acknowledgement that the character of two adjacent spaces/ territories is rarely identical, and thus, some form of transition is necessary. Thus, the threshold is an important architectural space, it signals a change in status â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Outlining what is public versus what is private. Thoughtful users will pick up on the subtlety of these signals and understand the limits of how they can appropriate space, and how far they should proceed within it. In public buildings, such as the United Nations, such issues are paramount as they mitigate the necessity for a complexity of signs, locked doors, secure fencing and guarded areas. Understanding thresholds as transitions adds meaning to movement in architecture, and clarifies how spaces are to be interpreted and accessed. Furthermore, transition spaces enrich user experience and secure stronger bonds between the building and its physical and sociological context. As such, efforts are made to soften transitions between public and private areas

Fig.26 | Security Check @ U.N. Visitor Entrance, Manhattan, New York | Source: Ryan Selwyn

through the use of transition zones – These zones are important as they offer opportunity to regulate contact and entry into the next spatial sequence of the territory. Edges, porches, landscaped areas, gardens etc. make a significant contribution to vitalising life in public space, however, these zones can be carefully articulated to offer something to both the public/private zones, whilst clearly demarcating where one territory ends and another begins. (Gehl, 103)

countries) that not only gives the park space a new meaning but, reinforces the United Nations mission. The design approach questions the strictly enforced boundary conditions of the United Nations - reappropriating them as active threshold spaces of encounter and interaction – with the overarching aim of embracing people and providing the forum for collectivity to manifest without having to overcome sequences of exclusive, territorial depth configurations.

In the context of the United Nations, thresholds are an important aspect to be considered - the current condition consists of highly secured boundaries which directly affect how the streetscapes are appropriated by the users of the space. The aggressive ‘In your face’ approach greatly delimits the collective potential of the boundary wall and contributes to the impersonal relationship the United Nations has developed with the local Turtle Bay Community.

Through a simple gesture of re-defining the security procedure, reclaiming the park and formulating new accessibility patterns to the waterfront, inhabitants of the area are re-connected to new public spaces, stitched thoughtfully back into the fabric of the city. The spaces are designed to invite personal appropriation, leaving a possibility for a broad range of activity/ and social encounter to occur here – a true open forum for expression and discussion. _______

The challenge is to question boundaries and convert them to fluid elements that allow space to be conceived as flowing. Thus, the emphasis lies more on the fluidity of space, more than the actual boundaries within the sequence. This is an invitation to view boundaries as less explicit, and in some cases, invisible or disappearing elements. Thus, the threshold offers a space of distinction that makes it possible to strike a balance between openness and security - employing a series of spatial interventions to overrule boundaries and embrace more ambiguous realms that allow collectivity to manifest at the border. (Scheerlinck, Collective Spaces, 11-12) This theoretical re-alignment of the United Nations reclaims the central park space as an open forum/ platform for expression (for individuals, groups,

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Fig.27 | Peter Cooper Village / East River, Manhattan, New York | Source: Ryan Selwyn

A CCE SSIBILITY RE CLA IMING T HE WAT E R F R O NT

THE SHATTERED SCALE

The urban fabric of American cities has negatively developed over time, in the blatant absence, or consideration of the human dimension. The advent of the automobile forever changed development patterns and the core structure of American cities as the scale of the city blew drastically out of proportion. Highways, infrastructure and the city grid are artificially superimposed on the landscape, affecting citywide connections and the fluidity of pedestrian flow throughout the city. The legacy of Robert Moses is what lead the revolt in New York, putting significant emphasis on the necessity to develop large scale infrastructure projects that ease traffic congestion and fuel a growing city. However, despite the economic boom this may have brought about, this focus simultaneously brought about many negative aspects to the city - many of which are still inscribed in the urban fabric of New York City today. N.J. Habraken draws our attention to his observation on this scalar shift in his publication The Structure of the Ordinary; “The urban fabric has shifted into a “secondary scale” in which, vehicular traffic determines the measure of things, while maintaining marginalised pedestrian circulation. Thus the urban net remains part of the enclosure hierarchy, but it is no longer dimensionally defined by the human body." (Habraken, 18) We have become secondary users of public space, we live in cities derived by infrastructure that embellishes movement and the world of automobiles. The human dimension in cities has been replaced with large scale, monotonous development, void of the detail

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and diversity required to promote active streetscapes. In contrast, European cities have for the most part continued to develop themselves on the basis of the human dimension – using this as a basic measure for design. The scale of development is derived by the flow of pedestrian traffic. This phenomenon is most strikingly observed along the East River; as seen in Figure 27 on page 26 - This stretch of the East River Greenway near the Peter Cooper Village is dominated by large social housing towers and a network of highways and overpasses which undermine pedestrians and the human dimension - condescendingly looking down at and mocking any hope of revitalising the waterfront as an important public space. _______ <<

RECLAIMING THE WATERFRONT

The United Nations occupies a large plot of land along the East River, creating many restrictions and dead-end situations in the urban landscape. Consequently, these dead-end situations are responsible for the degradation of the public realm, the immediate streetscapes and poor accessibility to the water. The proposal is to generate new patterns of accessibility where feasible to re-connect deadend waterfront street junctions – Collective activity is radically intensified through a shift from dead-end to diverse, open and attractive passageways that lead to shared public spaces. The East River waterfront possesses outstanding potential in becoming publicly accessible and function as much needed open space. However, subsequent changes to the streetscapes will need to be addressed

to improve public accessibility and permeability to the water’s edge. The strategy is to re-introduce access to the grounds through a new gradient of accessibility that respects security protocols, but invites the public in - establishing a political discourse on the design of embassies and the role architecture plays in deinstitutionalising them to properly integrate them within their local context.

accessibility patterns to current greenway spaces. The NYC Vision 2020 and NYC Waterfront Revitalisation Plans have expressed the importance of completing this connection and securing new entry points from current dead end street junctions - A plan has been put into place to invest 100 million into the revitalisation of this space and complete the gap that exists adjacent to the United Nations campus.

In contrast to the situation along the East River, Manhattan's western edge boasts an uninterrupted greenway spanning from Battery Park in Lower Manhattan to The West Bronx in Upper Manhattan. The creation of Hudson River Park, turned a derelict shoreline on the west side of Manhattan into a popular destination providing stunning views of the water, and a range of recreational offerings. The 150 acre park has sparked residential and commercial investment in adjoining neighbourhoods, bringing foot traffic into stores and tax revenue to the city. Furthermore, the greenway has attracted as many as 7,000 cyclists in a day, making it one of the country’s most heavily used bikeways.

The midtown section of the FDR Drive is being rebuilt, the former Con Edison power plant site is being redeveloped and the city is planning to facilitate the expansion of the U.N. and create an adjacent waterfront park. If planned in conjunction, these projects could become well integrated in city life and generate new pockets of collective activity and an accessibility plan that breaks down the artificial boundaries created by secure territories - restructuring these boundaries as membranes that stitch back into the fabric of the city and offer more than they take. _______

Evidence abounds that adding exciting and welldesigned destinations to the water’s edge will lure residents and tourists alike. Other waterfront areas have been re-imagined for creative, temporary and seasonal uses, such as the Water Taxi on Governor’s Island and in Lower Manhattan which have attracted people to under visited parts of the cities long stretch of waterfront.

Throughout the course of time, due to radical urbanisation, the waterfront along the East River has witnessed many shifts in the linearity of its experience; historically, industry dominated the waterfront, with each street leading directly to a pier, creating dynamic conditions at the water’s edge. This diverse language is now replaced by the current condition demarcated by monothematic, linear lines of infrastructure and large privatised, territorial blocks. Looking back at historical patterns of use along the East River, how can this morphology be used as inspiration to intervene and revitalise the area? Introducing new patterns of accessibility that re-enforce connections between the

Not only is it important to re-introduce accessible connections from upland areas back to the water’s edge, but also to complete the sequence along the East River Greenway, and improve the discontinuity of

THE HIDDEN LINK

East River and the City Block. However, given the context, which demand an inherent need to respect certain restrictions and security protocols - How can the boundary and monothematic linearity of the waterfront be re-configured to create sequential spaces that offer opportunity for collectivity to manifest and overlap at the border of the public realm and secure territories? Reclaiming the connections that historically lead to the waterfront within the confines of the United Nations site as view corridors and pedestrian passageways can stitch together disparate land uses, isolated open spaces and future transportation resources. Investigating the dynamic industrial history of the East River, what historical patterns of activity are feasible to be re-introduced in the present context? As Industry once profited from dynamic, non-linear activity - How can this non-linearity be uplifted in the current context to question the boundary condition of the U.N. and be socially profitable today? Empirical data suggests the area around the United Nations Headquarters is inhabited by an ageing population. The issue is the immediate living environment is totally unsuitable; dominated by large territories and infrastructure which create confusing restrictions and discontinuous accessibility patterns between public spaces. This is problematic for all in general, but it affects senior citizens the greatest, as they operate within a smaller action radius. Facilities, public transport and vibrant public spaces should be within a comfortable walking distance. The proximity of amenities stimulates seniors to remain active, creates social contact and promotes self-sufficient lifestyles. Neighbourhoods need to foster conditions that are suitable for growing old; neighbourhoods for life. (Urhahn 75)

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NY C V ISION 202 0 GOA L 1: EX PA ND PU B LI C A C C E S S

In the current urban situation of NYC, there is roughly 350km of waterfront property devoted to the public realm in the form of public parks or privately owned public spaces. Within the NYC Vision 2020 and Waterfront Revitalisation Plan there are plans laid out to target problematic areas, and continue the expansion of the waterfront by implementing additional parklands and public spaces. Although New York City has successfully opened large portions of the waterfront with the creation of new parks, there are still many interruptions and barriers that exist within this network. While public access is not possible or desirable on every stretch of the waterfront, the City plan details its commitment to improving the connectivity of waterfront pathways and better connecting neighbourhoods with the shore. On the east side of Manhattan there is a significant gap between East 38th and 58th streets. Here, access is restricted by the FDR Drive and the United Nations Headquarters. There are challenges in establishing continuity of access in such areas, due to the presence of existing buildings, roadways, or grade differences; the rights of private property owners; security concerns and regulatory limitations concerning building over the water. In these areas, neighbourhoods adjacent to the waterfront are both physically and visually cut off from the shoreline and cannot enjoy what could and should be a valuable asset. Due to the historical development of the city’s transportation infrastructure, few subway lines provide direct access to the waterfront. In areas the subway does not reach, buses, pedestrian paths, and bicycle lanes can offer connections to the shore. Maritime overlooks—such as the viewing platform

at the Port Jersey-Port Authority Marine Terminal in Bayonne, NJ—allow the public to see the activity of the working waterfront without interfering in the operations of industrial businesses. Creating visual access at such sites, as well as visitor centers and tour programs, can educate the public about the ongoing activities and importance of the working waterfront. As water quality has improved throughout New York Harbour, water recreation has become increasingly popular. As a result, people are calling for more ways to get out onto, and even into, the water itself. There are, of course, many forms of water recreation, each with its own access requirements. Waterfront greenways connect people to the water’s edge and provide for recreation and movement along the shore. Waterfront greenways provide a pleasant and safe means of accessing the waterfront for pedestrians, joggers, cyclists and others. A greenway can increase access to the waterfront by linking to access points in areas where continuous public access along the waterfront is not feasible. (NYC Planning, Vision 2020, 24-32) _______

WAT ERFRONT R EV ITA L ISAT IO N P LA N CORE PRINCIPL ES

ACCESS

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Provide opportunities to get to the water’s edge. Make open space and upland connections inviting; Entrances should convey the public is welcome. Vary relationship between paths and the water Provide access to upland streets and amenities. Use landscaping to improve relationship between elevated ground floors and the grade of waterfront public spaces in flood zones

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WATER ACCESS

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Provide connections between land and water, including opportunities for water recreation where appropriate. Provide water-dependent and water-enhancing uses at the water’s edge such as fishing sites, boat launches, and get downs to the water. In the design of the spaces, encourage the experience of the land from the water and the water from the land. Treat the edge as a zone of exchange, not separation. Encourage dock construction and tie-up space for recreational, educational, or commercial vessels, as appropriate to the context, on piers, and platforms Expand public access to the waterfront in neighbourhoods with significant barriers to access. Assess opportunities for visual or public access on all waterfront developments where feasible such as view corridors, point access, or walkways Evaluate the use of “marginal (small) streets” at the waterfront and reassess vehicular use of these streets. Develop waterfront greenways and esplanades by investing more than $120 million

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AMENITY

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Provide sufficient seating Offer amenities, activities and install lighting appropriate to the program, site, and context. Use fences and sea rails that are as transparent as possible; design seating so top rails are not at the eye level of those seated. Vary design vocabulary, & include edge treatments. Incorporate/ reference significant historic features or natural conditions associated with the site. Encourage use of sustainable/ renewable materials.

ENVIRONMENT

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Promote ecological development with a variety of plant material for aesthetic and ecological benefit. Use water and salt-tolerant planting in areas subject to flooding and salt spray. Preserve and enhance natural shoreline edges. Design shoreline edges that foster a rich marine habitat. Design sites that anticipate the effects of climate change, such as sea level rise, storm surges, erosion, and tidal flooding.

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(NYC Planning, Waterfront Plan, 61-65) _______

Fig.28 | Sutton Place Park, Manhattan, New York | Source: Ryan Selwyn

Fig.29 | FDR Drive / Peter Cooper Village, Manhattan, New York | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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"To restore architecture and planning to a position where it can have a real positive impact on society may demand destroying the mythology of the architect as a visionary." - Wouter Vanstiphout (Architectural Historian) Professor of Design as Politics, TU Delft

Fig.30 | OpenSourceCity Book Cover | Source: Ryan Selwyn

T HE OPEN CIT Y FORM F OL LOWS FICT I O N !

"The closed city is full of boundaries and walls; the open city possesses more borders and membranes. The closed city can be designed and operated topdown; it is a city which belongs to the masters. The open city is a bottom up place; it belongs to the people. (R. Sennett, Lecture, 21/02/13) Within top-down planning processes, key stakeholders are not given the political power to make important decisions about the future of the cities and public spaces they inhabit. As end-users become more removed from the processes which dictate the future of the spaces they inhabit, participatory design emerges as an important tool for engagement by once again involving the end-users of space. By engaging end-users in the design process, dissatisfaction can be translated into well-informed proposals - removing the built up distinctions and configurations that exist between the realm of public and private space in the built environment. Open sourcing the architectural profession leads way to a new way of designing that enables community members, professionals and community leaders alike to positively change, augment and create the environments around them (Ratti & Claudel, 77, 97). Neil Gershenfielf, founder of the FabLab at MIT, states that to ensure a productive participatory process, we must stop talking about issues and empower community members by giving them the tools to innovate and resolve issues in a hands on manner. - The tools should not be in the hands of a select few, but rather In the hands of whoever feels empowered to use them, leading way to a revelation where space is constructed with direct input from those who inhabit it. (Ratti & Claudel, 78-79)

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Within the streetscapes framework, the idea of empowering the minority is an important theme when analysing the phenomenon of Turtle Bay where the U.N. acts as the authoritative figure â&#x20AC;&#x201C; overwhelming the streetscapes with its boundaries and restrictive configurations. Whereas, the community form the basis of the minority - the people who inhabit the space in which they have no control over. The proposal is to re-develop accessibility patterns and boundary conditions of the U.N. through the use of an open source platform that serves as a free market place for design. A platform in which community members can freely access, submit, review and give feedback on existing ideas. The accessible tool that enables communities to engage in the dialogue that determines the future of development in their cities. With the digitalization of the modern world, how can a digital platform enhance the participatory design process, and build up collective power in communities to fix the issues faced by a modern city such as New York? With current technological advances in the industry, virtual environments possess the capability to be used for purposes well beyond their initial intentions â&#x20AC;&#x201C; They enable the user/designer to virtually inhabit and review space in real-time in a manner that rewards the art of iterative design. How can the manipulation of a virtual world be used to transform the cities we inhabit and imbue a sense of cultural identity and collectivity in space. There is an inherent need to get communities involved and engaged in debates concerning their cities. By empowering the minority with a simple tool, the voiceless are given a voice to inspire and contribute toward the future of development in their city.

The conflict between Robert Moses and Jane Jacobs in the 60’s is an iconic representation of the tension that exists between top-down planning and more bottom-up, organic notions of urbanism in NYC. Robert Moses was an Urban Planner, holding an important position as commissioner of New York City Parks from 1934 to 1960. Moses had big ideas for New York’s future and possessed the bureaucratic power to realise his visions. He transformed New York, building numerous highways, bridges, parks and housing towers. Moses’ ideals favoured infrastructure and the

automobile, and are widely criticised for displacing people and removing the human scale from the city. Jane Jacobs was a journalist and activist who wrote one of the most influential urban planning books “The Death and Life of Great American Cities.” Jacobs questioned the short-sightedness of modern planning and suggested her own vision for safe, livable and attractive neighbourhoods, comprising: smart growth, mixed-use developments, smaller city blocks, transit oriented planning, and diverse architecture. Jacobs was openly critical of the top-down approach that

N EW Y YO OR NEW YOR

A HISTORY O

JANE JA

vs “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody”

ROBERT

- Jane Jacobs

Fig.31 | Jane Jacobs vs Robert Moses | Source: Ryan Selwyn

NY C: T OP- DOWN vs BOT T O M -UP A HI ST ORY OF CONF L I CT

Robert Moses embodied, where important decisions were made by a select few behind closed doors. She was an advocate for collaboration and participation, where the people were given a voice in the debate on the future of their city. This opens an interesting debate, as architecture remains static in its aloof practices that fail to embrace openness and transparency. As participatory design continues to evolve as a popular process, it can be noted that governments and developers are now beginning to listen to communities more and more.

“Dear Bennett,

R K CITY: CIT TY Y: RK I am returning the book you sent me. Aside from the fact

OF CONFLICT

that it is intemperate and inaccurate, it is also libelous. I call your attention, for example, to page ge 1 131 31.. 31

Sell this junk to someone else.”

- Robert Moses

ACOBS

Mosess In respons Mose response ponse to Jac Jacobs’ obs’ pub publica lication lication “The Death Death and and Life Life of Great Great American America Ame rican rica n cities cities ties””

T MOSES

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CITY MAPPING

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NY C COMMUNITY BOA R DS S CA LE 1: 50, 000

11 Community Board 6 is primarily dominated by residential and commercial activity, making up 49.9% and 43.3% of land-use respectively. The district boasts a mixed demographic, but is predominantly the home to the 20-39 age bracket.

MANHATTAN

The predominant housing scenario is "Renter occupied" with only 26.6% of people owning their own home in the district.

HUDSON RIVER

04 05

U.N.

02 0 2

EAST RIVER

03 03 01

B R O O K LY N

Fig.32 | NYC Community Board Districts | Source: Ryan Selwyn

OV ER V IEW COMMUNITY BOA RD 6

NEIGHBOURHOODS

Fig. 01 Housing Ownership 17.1%

Stuyvesant Town, Tudor City, Turtle Bay, Peter Cooper Village, Murray Hill, Gramercy Park, Kips Bay & Sutton Place.

26.6%

56.3%

COMMUNITY NEEDS 1. 2. 3.

Parks / Recreational Spaces Affordable Housing Senior Services

Unoccupied Owner Occupied Renter Occupied

COMMUNITY DATA Population

142,700 24.3%

Land Area Population Density

3.63km² 39.31 (ppl/km²)

Unemployment

2.8%

Demographics < 18 years > 65 years

8.7% 17.2%

23.4%

Fig. 02 Household Income

11.1% 23.5% 17.8%

< $49,000 $50,000 - $99,000 $100,000 - $149,000 $150,000 - $199,000

Land Use Residential Manufacturing Commercial Green/ Parks

49.9% 4.3% 43.9% 1.9%

Parks Libraries Public Schools

16 3 27

2050 Floodplain Non-Residential affected

225

Residential affected

19,762

> $200,000

10.9%

Fig. 03 Community Age

22.6%

23.1%

43.4%

< 19 years 20 - 39 years 40 - 59 years

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> 60 years

POPULAT ION DE NS ITY S CA LE 1: 50, 000

> 150 100-149 25 - 99 < 25

ppl/ acre

MANHATTAN

HUDSON RIVER

U.N.

EAST RIVER

B R O O K LY N

Fig.33 | NYC Population Density | Data: NYC Planning | Drawn By: Ryan Selwyn

RECREAT ION / PA R KS SCA LE 1 :50, 000

Community Board 6 is a densely populated area with an occupancy of 39 people per kmÂ². However, despite its residential zoning and high population density, the district is lacking in good quality, accessible recreational space (1.9% land-use). MANHATTAN

15min 10min 5min

HUDSON RIVER

U.N.

EAST RIVER

B R O O K LY N

Fig.34 | NYC Parks | Data: NYC Planning | Drawn By: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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MOBIL ITY: CIT I-BI K E STA N D S S CA LE 1: 50, 000

Citibike Stands <20mins Citibike Stands >20mins

The district is well serviced by a number of bicycle share stands, with well over 100 accessible within a 20 minute cycle time radius.

MANHATTAN 20min

15min 10min

5min HUDSON RIVER

U.N.

EAST RIVER

B R O O K LY N

Fig.35 | NYC Citi-Bike Share Stands | Data: NYC Planning | Drawn By: Ryan Selwyn

MOBILIT Y: CY CL E R OUT E S SCA LE 1 :50, 000

Bicycle Route <20mins Bicycle Route >20mins

Despite a large quantity of bicycle share stands scattered throughout Manhattan, the road infrastructure for cycling is not as well established and likely discourages this form of transport from gaining more popularity. MANHATTAN 20min

15min 10min

5min HUDSON RIVER

U.N.

EAST RIVER

B R O O K LY N

Fig.36 | NYC Bicycle Route Network | Data: NYC Planning | Drawn By: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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MOBIL ITY: NY C M ET RO S CA LE 1: 50, 000

Mobility is not as established as midtown areas as there is no dedicated metro line within comfortable walking distance of the districts eastern end. The closest metro line is Grand central Station - a 10+ minute walk (0.8km) away MANHATTAN

HUDSON RIVER

U.N.

EAST RIVER

B R O O K LY N

Fig.37 | NYC Metro Network | Data: NYC Planning | Drawn By: Ryan Selwyn

MOBILIT Y: NY C FE R RY SCA LE 1:50, 000

EAST 90th STREET ASTORIA

ROOSEVALT ISLAND HUDSON RIVER

U.N. LONG ISLAND CITY EAST 34th STREET HUNTERS POINT

STUYVESANT COVE

GREENPOINT

N. WILLIAMSBURG

B R O O K LY N CORLEARS HOOK

WALL STREET

S. WILLIAMSBURG

BROOKYLN NAVY YARD

Fig.38 | NYC Ferry Network | Data: NYC Planning | Drawn By: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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NY C LA ND USE S CA LE 1: 25, 000

One & Two Family Units Multi-Family Units Mix-Use Residential "NLLDQBH@K .EjBD Transportation/ Utility Public Facilities/ Institutions Open Space Parking Facilities Vacant Land

MANHATTAN

U.N. HUDSON RIVER

EAST RIVER

Fig.39 | NYC Land Use Map | Data: NYC Planning | Drawn By: Ryan Selwyn

HIST ORICA L SHORE LIN E SCA LE 1 :50, 000

The shoreline has signiďŹ cantly 'hardened' since 1609 - now lined with highways, large developments and many shipping ports. In some instances the shoreline has expanded over 3 blocks from its position in 1609.

Fig.40 | Manhattan Shoreline, 1609 | Data: NYC Planning | Drawn By: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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Fig.41 | United Nations HQ, Manhattan, New York | Source: Ezra Stoller

UN: HISTORICAL OVERVIEW

_1924 - 2018

1924 The East River is an integral part of New York's history. The city originated from its port in 1613, when Dutch colonists ﬁrst established trading posts on Manhattan Island, leading to the colonisation of 'New Amsterdam.' By the late 1600's Manhattan continued expanding into the East River, building upon landﬁll to facilitate its rapid expansion. With every expansion the shoreline continued to 'harden' and today, now rests more than 3 blocks away from the original shoreline.

During the industrial revolution of the 19th century, industry claimed the waterfront to beneﬁt from its strategic position. The economic boom of the harbour spawned various industrial activity; Factories, reﬁneries, commercial shipping piers and power plants lined the shoreline. With rapid expansion of the waterfront, the city gained status as a premier port position for trade along the East Coast. This brought a need for new infrastructure to service the incoming and outgoing vessels - At its peak use in the 1950's over 40 piers serviced the East River. However, with the advent of motorised transport, the reliance on ports passed, leaving a majority of them abandoned and in disrepair.

Fig.42 | Industry along East River; 1924, Manhattan, New York | Source: Favrify

S HIF TIN G TO DE EPER W ATERS

The shift to steamships greatly affected activity along the East River as shipping piers were functionally required to relocate to the deeper waters of the Hudson River.

_HUDSON RIVER

1927 OpenSourceCity

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Fig.43 | Hudson River; 1927, Manhattan, New York | Source: Favrify

HISTORICAL TRACES OF PORT + BUILT DENSITY

1924: Industry once proďŹ ted from dead-end street junctions along the East River. The dynamic port acitivty and building densities formed diverse patterns of accessibility.

1924

Fig.44 | 42nd - 48th St, Manhattan, New York | Source: Bing Maps / Edited by Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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1949

Fig.45 | Axonometric of Site // 1924-2019 | Source: Ryan Selwyn

Left: The United Nations secretariat building rises from the ruins of the slaughterhouses and breweries that previously lined the East River shoreline. The chimneys of the consolidated Edison Power Plant are visible in the background. Historical traces of a diverse industrial zone lost to the grand scale of modernist planning ideals. A $65 million plan for the construction of the site was approved by the General Assembly on 20 November 1947. To ďŹ nance construction, the US Government advanced an interest free loan of $65 million.

1953

_SECRETARIAT BUILDING

Fig.46-47 | United Nations HQ, Manhattan, New York | Source: Ezra Stoller OpenSourceCity

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DY NAM IC P OR T A CTI VIT Y TO . ..

Aerial imagery from 1924 shows an array of dynamic port activity; However with transportation shifting from ships > trains > trucks in the 20th century, waterfront property lost its importance and businesses began to move inland to the City Centre, leaving existing loading docks unused and abandoned. Furthermore, with the advent of the personal automobile, streets were widened and port activity was erased to make way for large infrastructural roads - Consequently, a series of 'dead-end' street situations were formed, leading to an erosion of the public realm and accessibility to the water's edge.

SLAUGHTERHOUSES

1924

M ONO TH EM AT IC W ATERF RONT

2016

U.N. HEADQUARTERS

Fig.48-49 | 1924 - 2016, Manhattan, New York | Source: Bing Maps / Edited by Ryan Selwyn

TA MIN G TH E MOD ERNI ST

1924

SHORELINE

M EG A

BLOCK

Reclaimation of the waterfront through development of a new gradient of accessibility that re-connects dead-end waterfront street junctions

2018

Fig.50 | United Nations HQ, Manhattan, New York | Source: Google Earth / Edited by Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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U.N. STREETSCAPE ANALYSIS

"Sadly that whole area is now a 'dead zone' -- too much security, no street life and a large number of the buildings are banal to the extreme... we just want an open an exciting zone along the river and something, somewhat interesting to look at from street level and above."

- Charlie, Turtle Bay Resident

_2019

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THE OPEN EM BASSY ?

The architectural design work, lead by Wallace K. Harrison in conjunction with Le Corbusier and Oscar Nieymeyer, was to be a symbol of a bright, peaceful future ahead. Thus, Its international style was an intentional decision by the design team to evoke a monolithic and powerful stance within the city and the United Nations complex. The original plan featured the park as a publicly accessible civic plaza that overlooked the East River. However, as security protocols tightened over the years, this vision degraded.

1953

Fig.51-52 | United Nations General Assembly / Plaza, Manhattan, New York | Source: Ezra Stoller OpenSourceCity

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DI SCONT INUOUS A C C E S S IBI LIT Y EA ST RIV ER

Fig.53 | Discontinuous Waterfront Accessibility | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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UN IT ED NAT IONS HEA D QUA R T E RS V I SIT OR ENT RA NCE + G E N E RA L A S S E M B LY P LA ZA

Fig.54 | United Nations HQ, Manhattan, New York | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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UN IT ED NAT IONS HEA D QUA R T E RS V I SIT OR ENT RA NCE ( 4 5 t h S tre e t)

Smoking/ eating not permitted LQVLGH WKH 8 1 FRPSOH[

VISITOR ENTRANCE

(QWU\ VHFXUHG E\ 8 1 *XDUG 7LFNHW SXUFKDVH RUJDQLVHG SULRU WR HQWU\

SECURITY SCREENING

3HUVRQDO REMHFWV VFDQQHG IRU SRWHQWLDO WKUHDWV Metal Detectors

Few seating opportunities Few street trees for shading

8QFRPIRUWDEOH VSDFH IRU OLQJHULQ

Fig.55 | United Nations Visitor Entrance | Source: Ryan Selwyn

DELEGATE CAR EXIT

(QWU\ ([LW VHFXUHG E\ 8 1 *XDUG /D\HUV RI WHUULWRULDO ERXQGDULHV

3HUPHDEOH IHQFLQJ DOORZV IRU RFFDVLRQDO OLPLWHG YLHZV LQWR 8 1 FRPSOH[

TOUR BUS DROP-OFF

Sidewalk widens to accomodate group gatherings as a form of ‘crush space’

ACCESSIBILITY:

PERMEABILITY:

SPATIAL QUALITY:

COLLECTIVITY: UNITED NATIONS PLAZA 1

&RQWLQXRXV ƅRZ RI KHDY\ WUDIƄF 6WUHHWVFDSH GLYLGHG LQWR GLVWLQFW KDOYHV

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BOUNDARIES:

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SECT ION A -A GENERA L A SSEMBLY FA CA D E E L EVAT I O N

Fig.56 | Section A-A // G.A. Entrance/ Facade Elevation | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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UN IT ED NAT IONS HEA D QUA R T E RS GE NERA L A SSEMBLY E NT RA N C E P LA ZA

Fig.57 | U.N. Plaza // Entrance to the General Assembly | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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SECT ION B- B GENERA L A SSEMBLY E NT RA N C E P LA ZA

Beyond the security check, visitors enter a large plaza, sandwiched between the General Assembly building and the U.N. Park. From the plaza, occupants enjoy distant views of the East River, or views of the park and its many gardens. The pavement of the plaza seamlessly ties in with the rhythm of the faĂ§ade of the general assembly, inviting users toward the monolithic, structure. The entrance is demarcated by a small overhang which provides shelter to the many entry doors. Through its bleak design, security protocols, and restrictive nature, the plaza is delineated as a transition space â&#x20AC;&#x201C; offering quick stop, distant views of the East River and little opportunity for users to personally appropriate the space. Many signs are plastered

throughout the plaza, reminding users they may not access the park without adequate VIP clearance, nor eat or smoke on the premises. The United Nations Park gives off a rather faceless and impersonal impression upon first observation â&#x20AC;&#x201C; Despite boasting such lush, green, expansive grounds, it conveys a palpable sense of loneliness through its blatant lack of use. The park design itself is restrictive in nature; providing users limited options in how they may appropriate the space. A linear path takes you through the expansive grounds, while few benches are dotted along the way, offering a rather underwhelming place to sit; albeit a fantastic front row seat to observe activity along the East River, the park is impeded by its lack of human presence and formality. Fig.58 | Section B-B // G.A. Entrance Plaza | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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UN IT ED NAT IONS HEA D QUA R T E RS ST REET SCA PE A LO N G 1 s t AV E N U E ( 4 4 t h S tre e t)

RESTRICTED AREA

*UHHQ VSDFH VHFXUHG E\ &&79 VHFXULW\ FDPHUDV 6RIW JUHHQ ERXQGDU\ SHUPLWV DFFHVV

BUS STOP { M15 }

)UHTXHQW VWRSV DORQJ 8 1 3OD]D &RQWLQXRXV Æ&#x2026;RZ RI KHDY\ WUDIÆ&#x201E;F

BIC

'HGLFDWHG F\FO

Fig.59 | United Nations Plaza // First Avenue | Source: Ryan Selwyn

6LGHZDON QDUURZV RIIHUV QR RSSRUWXQLW\ IRU VHDWLQJ FROOHWLYH XVH RU LQWHJUDWLRQ ZLWK FRQWH[W

CITY-BIKE STAND

o&LWLELNHp %LF\FOH VKDUH VWDQG ELF\FOHV

ACCESSIBILITY:

PERMEABILITY:

SPATIAL QUALITY:

CYCLE LANE

COLLECTIVITY:

OH ODQH P ZLGWK

BOUNDARIES:

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UN IT ED NAT IONS HEA D QUA R T E RS EM PLOY EE ENT RA NC E ( 4 3 rd S tre e t)

FOUNTAIN / PLAZA

0DLQ HQWU\ SOD]D FLUFXODWLRQ VSDFH IRU YHKLFOHV 3ULPDULO\ KDUG SDYHG VXUIDFHV

DELEGATE CAR ENTRY

(QWU\ ([LW VHFXUHG E\ 8 1 *XDUG /D\HUV RI WHUULWRULDO ERXQGDULHV

Fig.60 | United Nations Employee Entrance | Source: Ryan Selwyn

DAG HAMMARSKJOLD LIBRARY

,QGH[ RI 8 1 GRFXPHQWV SXEOLFDWLRQV &ORVHG WR JHQHUDO SXEOLF 8QQDWUDFWLYH SOLQWK RIIHUV QRWKLQJ WR WKH SXEOLF UHDOP

EMPLOYEE ENTRANCE

3HUVRQDO REMHFWV VFDQQHG IRU SRWHQWLDO WKUHDWV Metal Detectors

5RDG ZLGHQV DW QG 6WUHHW MXQFWLRQ 6LGHZDON RIIHUV QR RSSRUWXQLW\ IRU GZHOOLQJ RU FROOHFWLYLW\ ACCESSIBILITY:

PERMEABILITY:

SPATIAL QUALITY:

COLLECTIVITY:

RALPH BUNCHE PARK

BOUNDARIES: $FFHVLEOH SXEOLF JUHHQ VSDFH Pedestrian crossing

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SUM MA RY ST REET SCA PE A NA LY S I S

As threats of security breach have become more and more paramount over the course of time, there has proven to be a greater need to secure borders and protect inhabitants from external threats. This is evident in the case of the U.N. where restrictive mechanisms have resulted in a highly impersonal and aggressive boundary condition - From the street, numerous layers of security protocols are immediately visible (fences, cameras, signs, guards etc.), giving the streetscape an unwelcoming quality that suggests you must not linger unless you have specific business being in the area. In this case the interior activity of U.N. complex negatively extends outward into the public realm of the street - resulting in a private territory, apathetic to its context and seemingly unwilling to become properly integrated with it. Not only is this contradictory to the U.N. mission to achieve unity, openness and collectivism, but it also contradicts the typical street situation in New York where the public claims a majority of its open space - overflowing the streets with a range of activities that begin to pour themselves into publicly accessible building interiors. This phenomenom greatly enhances collectivity and cultural representation by allowing the diverse range of activity that occurs in public space to unfold and invade private properties.

STRATEGY

•

Accessibility - Generate new accessibility patterns that re-connect dead-end street junctions back to the waterfront - by creating connections to nonindustrial or privatised destination such as a public park, collective activity can be radically intensified due to the shift from dead-end to passageway.

•

Openness/ Security - Introduce transitional spaces that engage with and invite the community into 'secure' territories. Create 'third space' which contribute to community building and ongoing dialogue of negotiating boundaries – bringing people together without having to overcome barriers. Offer differing levels of visibility, privacy, boundaries and spatial sequences.

•

Ambiguous Edges - Embrace spatial interventions that overrule boundaries and embrace more ambiguous realms. Increase levels of emergence along East River _______

Given the United Nations International importance as a peacekeeping organisation, there is somewhat of a target placed on its back, and thus an inherent need to respect security protocols. The argument is that, city streets need to be pleasant places to live and therefore the aggressive boundary that runs along the First Avenue must be re-designed to thoughtfully engage with the public and redefine accessibility patterns; only then will the neighbourhood thrive and collectively can intensify.

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DESIGN STRATEGY

DE CON ST RU CT TH E MODE RNIS T

MEGA

The design concept looks to question and break down the harsh boundaries that prevent the United Nations from fully integrating within its local context. The 'modernist mega block' restricts access to the East River at 6 key street junctions along the First Avenue - robbing Turtle Bay residents from accessing the important East River waterfront resource. Thus the concept questions the extremity of the boundaries - looking to re-define them as a series of sequential thresholds that simultaneously enable and

BLOCK

regulate entry into the United Nations grounds, allowing for a deeper interaction with the local inhabitants and the context. The original concept as depicted in diagram #2 defines new gradients of accessibility - forming collective passageways leading to a continuous, waterfront park. However, as the research progressed, themes of negotiation and encounter gained new importance and the concept progressed as depicted in diagram

MODERNIST MEGA BLOCK

WATERFRONT ACCESS

#3 where the infrastructural park tests the boundary, attempting to foster a relationship between the private and public realms, encouraging the unexpected encounter and manifestation of collective activity at the border. The concept re-traces historical patterns of activity along the East River and uses this morphology to critique the linearity and scale of waterfront parks In NYC which merely "go around" obstacles.

#3 ENGAGE WITH UNITED NATIONS CAMPUS

Fig.61-63 | Concept Diagram: Reclaiming the Waterfront | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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Fig.64 | Exploded Axonometric Showing Montage of Site Layers | Source: Ryan Selwyn

T HE T HEORY LA NDSCA PE URBA N I S M

Landscape urbanism is an urban planning theory that uses the landscape to inform the way in which cities are designed - not through the design of individual buildings on seemingly isolated plots. The theory is commonly referenced to be the postmodernist response to the failings of New Urbanism and the need to shift away from the over-determined visions of the modernist architecture movement. At the end of the 20th century, the theory was used by architects in America in reference to the re-organisation of declining post-industrial areas. Whereas in Europe the theory represented a need to design housing, infrastructure and open space as flexible and culturally evolving. The grid is a popular planning method which artificially superimposes itself over the landscape, irrespective of its unique traits. Despite the systems apathy in acknowledging the specificity of the situation, the grid is a popular organisational system, offering an easily recognisable and coherent urban layout that is easy to divide into even plots. However, its inherent simplicity in the manner it structures cities is what limits its future possibility for lateral growth - In New York City, for example, development is confined to the some 2000 city blocks created by the grid and beyond its saturation point, the only way forward is up.

The montage uses a simple principle of building up the context of the landscape by considering it as a series of many different layers. The 1982 competition entry by OMA for the redesign of Parc De La Villette is an excellent example of how this theory can be applied. (nb. See following pages for case study notes) The juxtaposition of blocks, grids and elements all work together to formulate a continuous sense of interconnectedness and sometimes a conflict which suggests every element is part of a sequence shared with others in a larger system. The montage not only entails a constantly shifting understanding of the landscape is inhabited and appropriated over time, but also generates an architectural coherence in the way we perceive the urban landscape (Smets, 1).

Unlike the grid, the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Cascoâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; is derived from the intricacies of the landscape. Its framework is derived from local conditions, and thus can be considered as the ideal natural framework. In this planning method, the form and the character of the landscape are what determine the program. Without a need to strictly spell out what exactly will be built, the Casco method outlines the conditions to which a development, or building should pertain to.

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Fig.65 | Layer Diagram by OMA | Source: OMA

Fig.66 | Sketch by OMA | Source: OMA

Fig.67 | Sketch by OMA | Source: OMA

PA R C DE LA V ILLET T E CA S E ST UDY

Location: Office: Status: Program:

Paris, France OMA (Rotterdam) Competition Entry, 1982 Landscape / Masterplan

The Parc de la Villette, located at the north-eastern edge of the city, is the third-largest park in Paris, with a total land area of 55.5 hectares. During the 19th century La Villette became an important intersection and transportation point, functiuoning as a small commercial town at the periphery of Paris' city centre. As the city evolved, it later transformed from suburban zone to urban zone - Therefore it was necessary to create a park which responded to the new urban scale and culture. In response, the City of Paris held a design competition in 1982-1983 in which over 470 entries were submitted from all around the world. The competition brief specified the need for a park that would become an important part of metropolitan area, no longer an entrance point for the city. _______

OMA’s proposal for Parc de la Villette is derived from ideas depicted in Rem Koolhaas’ publication Delirious New York, in which Koolhaas defines the term "social condenser" (discussed earlier on page 37). Koolhaas applied this terminology to depict a "layering upon vacant terrain to encourage coexistence of activities and to generate through their interference, unprecedented events." (Koolhaas & McGendrick, 73) Koolhaas describes the traditional American skyscraper as ‘’a machine to generate and intensify desirable forms of human intercourse.’’ The design proposal for the Parc De La Villete employed this thinking to identify the park as the European Culture of Congestion - arguing that congestion describes the contemporary metropolitan lifestyle; Overlapping, unstable, uncertain urban activities.

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The montage method is applied here, which can be broken into 4 clear sequential layers that work to break down the complexity of the site. 1.

Strips: Parallel strips contain different programs such as playing areas, thematic gardens etc.

Confetti: Small elements such as stands, ticket sales etc. Are placed on the site with the help of the confetti and grids

Access: Two major road; one is crossing Strips at North-South axes and the other one which contains and connects interesting groups and programs

Final Layer: Large or unique objects which fit within the system. These are located to sight lines.

The architects explain the proposal was not for a definitive park but rather a ‘method’ that combined ‘’programmatic instability with architectural specificity’’ In their explanation on the official site, after they explained the key ideas of the 'horizontal skyscraper' and 'social condenser' they finalized with this quote: ‘’What La Villette finally suggested was the pure exploitation of the metropolitan condition: density without architecture, a culture of “invisible” congestion.’’ Here, OMA’s emphasis on congestion demands a gathering together rather than separation. Their park superimposes urbanism on the landscape. There is a systematic logic behind the project that works to create flexible open spaces. _______

Fig.68 | Personal nterpretation of OMA's Parc De La Villette Concept Sketch | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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Fig.69-71 | 'The Montage' Conceptual Model; Layering of Site Elements | Source: Ryan Selwyn

CO NCEPTUAL MOD EL

The base is the framework; representing built density and open space within the system. From this, the grid and access points are derived - within the grid, many relationships are unveiled, exposing the sites composition as a scheme ordered according to the language of the city. The surrounding parks and contextual site elements are what make up the 'confetti'; important elements to be reinforced by the design intervention. The ďŹ nal layer takes inspiration from the historical shoreline of the sites industrial past - resulting in a structure that weaves in and out of the United Nations site to form dynamic connections and new social destinations that reinforce all of the elements.

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OPENSOURCE_ CITY THE PLATFORM

_DEVELOPMENT

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OPEN SO URC ECI TY

Fig.73 | OpenSourceCity - Main Menu | Source: Ryan Selwyn

Fig.74 | OpenSourceCity - Designing in the Platform | Source: Ryan Selwyn

100

OPE NSOURCE CIT Y OV ER V IEW

OVERVIEW

OpenSource City is a digital participatory design platform that empowers community members (the end users of space) to negotiate and re-claim neglected public spaces in their neighbourhood and turn them into vibrant, collective-use places. The platform is a means of open sourcing the architectural practice and bridging the gap between the users of the urban environment and the professional practice; ultimately questioning the role of the architect as a 'visionary' in the 21st century _______

MISSION STATEMENT

Provide an accessible platform that: •

Allows the END USERS of space to become actively involved in the planning processes that determine the future of their cities.

•

Allows ARCHITECTS to easily attain a broad representation of community input to drive a well-considered and culturally appropriate intervention.

•

Opens a meaningful DIALOGUE of collaboration between architects, urban planners, politicians and communities.

•

Enables the future of our cities to be continually AUGMENTED and ADAPTED to remain culturally appropriate and build up sociability in communities.

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101

Fig.75 | Gaming the Real World Movie Poster | Producer: Luckyday Films | Director: Anders Eklund

Fig.76 | Initial Brainstorm Sketch | Source: Ryan Selwyn

102

OPENSOURCE CITY T HE IDEA

THE IDEA | MAY 2017

The Initial Idea to develop an interactive platform first came about in May of 2017, when the annual Architecture and Design Film Festival came to my hometown, Wellington, New Zealand. One of the feature films was "Gaming the Real World: Video games shaping cities of the future." This film grabbed my attention and opened by eyes to the potential that a 'video game' could hold as an emergent tool for visualising architecture in real-time and driving community engagement in architectural projects. The film documented a newly formed program named ”Block by Block” initiated by UN Habitat and Mojang, creators of the computer game Minecraft. The goal behind this partnership was simple; how can the simple block language of Minecraft be harnessed to engage local communities in developing countries, and empower them to join the debates that shape the future of their cities. But this got me thinking more about the idea.. What if a program existed that tapped into readily available 3d building data, and used this as the framework to provide a platform that empowers anyone, anywhere, anytime, to instantly log in and express an idea they have for a development project that is happening in their community. This formed the basis of my idea, and ambition to develop such a platform – Something that references the stylistic character of a video game to engage and attract the attention of the underappreciated youth demographic, the ones who will be grow old in the cities in which they have little control over. With the “Block by Block” program operating under the workshop model, demanding representatives to be

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physically present, my initial thoughts were to explore the possibilities of a digital tool that allows an architect to attain a broad range of community input without having to necessarily be physically being present on site, In the same country… or even the same continent. _______ <<

START GAME | SEP. 2018

With having no prior experience in programming, but a strong ambition to learn and create the platform, I began the process with a simple brainstorm and created storyboards outlining the stylistic requirements of the user interface. In this stage I considered the various types of functionality and features that would be necessary to implement in the platform to make it both, understandable, user friendly and a truly efficient tool to gain high quality and meaningful insight. With this basic overview of the necessary functionality and frameworks in place, In September I began my introduction to learning the Unity Game Engine software, and began working through extensive programming modules in the language of C#. From the basic introductory modules I was able to kick start the process of building the OpenSourceCity application and nail down some core functionality pertaining to the camera controls; rotating, panning and zooming the camera. The idea here was simple; mimic a universal language so that the platform becomes instantly familiar to the user, by employing a common language of controls used in popular 3d modelling software and video games. In this way, the learning process of working with the platform can be efficiently managed allowing users to dive straight into the design process. _______

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Fig.77 | Platform Build after Beta Testing (Feb. 2019) | Source: Ryan Selwyn

Fig.78-79 | Testing the Platform (Feb. 2019) | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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OPEN SOURCE CIT Y D EV EL OPMENT LOG

IN DEVELOPMENT | NOV. 2018

With development of the platform already a month underway I was beginning to become familiar within the Unity software and was more confident in programming in the C# language – during the period between November and December I heavily improved the functionality that had been implemented earlier in September and was beginning to touch on more complicated aspects of the application; The core physics and architecture of the game and user interface which enables the placement, deletion and modification of the digital elements determined by the user, this functionality included: • Placing Prefab Objects • Deleting Prefab Objects • Modifying Prefab Objects _______ <<

AESTHETICS | JAN. 2019

With the core functionality in place it was time to begin modelling the prefabricated elements that would form the basis of the design language for creating within the platform. The emphasis here was to provide blocks that re-enforced the projects key themes and development strategy, but to also provide users with a broad representation of different elements from the NYC streetscapes. (nb. a catalogue of these prefabricated elements can be found on the following page) The aesthetic of these in-game placeable objects is stylistic reference to retro video games with the overarching aim of attracting and engaging the

OpenSourceCity

RWS

younger demographic in the design process - using a recognisable geometric language coupled with vibrant colours that are attractive and easily comprehensible. In total, 64 different elements were modelled categorised under themes of collectivity, accessibility, nature, boundary and mobility. The elements modelled are not to be considered as fully representational - the thinking behind this was to not over complicate the interface with hundreds of models (i.e. 10 different bench typologies) but rather taking a position where each prefabricated model is symbolic in the way it expresses its intention or notion toward revitalization of a space. _______ <<

BETA TESTING | FEB. 2019

With the process of modelling the in-game prefabricated elements nearing completion, I began the process of developing the User Interface. This aspect was key to the entire process, as it helped to break down the complexity of the various functions within the platform into ‘bite size' chunks that can be easily understood by the user. Due to the importance of this I arranged for some classmates to test an early build of the platform and to give feedback on the user Interface and the workability of the controls. From this I was able to determine that the Interface was working intuitively as intended, but some of the controls were perceived as clunky and required some tweaking. With this testing phase of the application completed, I continued to work on the game controls/ functionality and fixed various bugs and added new functionality that added real value to the way in which users could interact with the application. _______

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Fig.80 | OpenSourceCity Catalogue of Prefabricated Elements | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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OpenSourceCity

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107

Fig.81 | Community Outreach: Facebook Advertisement // Email Communication | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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COMMUNITY OUTREACH | MAR. 2019

With the platform now nearing completion, and the upcoming site visit to NYC on the 27th of March quickly approaching, the focus was shifted to managing the community outreach process and building up an official backdrop for the platform. As such, a Facebook page and official website were created to manage communication and to keep potential participants informed and engaged in the process. www.facebook.com/opensourcecity www.opensourcecity.be

Furthermore, a guidebook was created to test the possibilities of explaining the project to a participant, without a need to be physically present. The guidebook not only aims to outline the design intent of the project, but to also educate participants on basic architectural themes and design considerations - The intent here is to highlight exactly what will be learnt from partaking in the collaborative process, and to empower the community to become more involved in future projects, breaking down any artificial barriers that exist between the realms of planning processes and community involvement. _______

During this time, numerous emails were exchanged and many Facebook ads were posted to build a 'hype' and promote the platform - This process was successful in securing a number of early participants, who had arranged to meet with me while in NYC. On top of this, I printed a great number of business cards and promotional flyers to hand out to people while on/ around the site. Around the same time, the 3D models created for use within the platform were made publically available for download via the Google Sketchup 3D warehouse. To me, this was an integral part of the open sourcing process - Inspired by the writings of Carlo Ratti and Matthew Claudel in their publication Open Source Architecture, my vision for the platform was to be that of an open source collaboration; though the original framework was designed by me, I welcome the public to access the files, alter them, make improvements and thus, allow the platform to grow organically. This is integral to the project - ensuring the platform can adapt situationally, and not remain stagnant, or aloof to any future cultural, societal or technological changes. Fig.82 | OpenSourceCity Bussiness Cards | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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Fig.83 | The 3 Focus Areas | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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USING T HE PLAT FO RM T HE 3 FO CUS A REA S

CO-DESIGNING | APR. 2019

WHO? Seek involvement from a range of stakeholders, the process must attain broad insight into community life. 1. Residents 2. New Yorkers 3. Foreign Nationals 4. Tourists WHY? Participants must understand that they are a vital and active pieces of the puzzle. In addition – the process should highlight what skills participants will develop by engaging with the platform. 1. Why engage people - What is their role? 2. How do they impact the outcome? WHAT? Participants must know the expectations and be aware of the bigger picture to understand why certain decisions are made or why their ideas may not appear as part of the final outcome. 1. What happens beyond the workshop? _______ <<

3 FOCUS AREAS

RWS

SUMMARY OF PROCESS

MODEL • Re-create the site in the OpenSource City digital world using prefabricated blocks MOBILISE • Invite stakeholders from different backgrounds who are interested in improving the urban environment. ORGANISE • Organise an event/ workshop and guide people through the process INTRODUCE • Brief participants on public space basics and general design considerations OBSERVE/ ANALYSE • Discuss site conditions/ share reflections and observations TEACH • Train participants on fundamentals of using OpenSource City

Within the platform, participants are given a model of the U.N. that details the street, park and waterfront situation. A blank canvas approach is employed, erasing all boundaries - giving the user full authority to design freely within these zones. Each zone poses different questions for participants to consider. These questions are the key starting points that ensure each outcome is focused towards a common goal (as opposed to users simply placing blocks, void of any thoughtful intent)

OpenSourceCity

CREATE • Generate design ideas in OpenSource City PRESENT • Design ideas presented/ discussed documented online for all to access www.opensourcecity.be

and

REFLECT • Review designs, analyse trends & prioritise

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STEP 1: MA KE A MODE L

Fig.84 | OpenSourceCity - The Platform in Use | Source: Ryan Selwyn

STEP 2 : T AKE A S CREEN SHOT

Fig.85 | OpenSourceCity - Upload to Web Gallery Function | Source: Ryan Selwyn

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ST EP 3 : LO AD THE WE BPAGE

Fig.86 | OpenSourceCity Wesbite - Home Page | Source: Ryan Selwyn

ST EP 4 : R EVIE W SUBM ISS ION S UNITED

DOWNLOAD GALLERY

NATIONS USER

HEADQUARTERS

SUBMISSIONS

CONTACT

Yujia

Saurabh

Katherine

Danni

Chloe

William

Rafael

Matthew

Siobhan

Fig.87 | OpenSourceCity Wesbite - User Submissions Gallery | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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114

THE WORKSHOP(s)

_ATLAS OF SUBMISSIONS

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115

DANNI, 28 Hometown: Residence: Category:

COMMENTS

Jersey City, NJ, USA Brooklyn, NY, USA New Yorker

•

NYC public space is anti-social and anti-people by design - "You're limited to a small window of opportunity to connect with other people."

•

As a member on the Reddit page “NYCmeetups” Danni values space where she can meet with larger groups and appropriate the space.

•

Battery Park City and the Hudson Greenway are important as they connect people to the water – However, Danni critiques them for there expansiveness and linearity, the space “encourages you to keep moving”

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

•

Verticality: 360' overviews of space to assess conditions before entering. • "What spaces are offered?" • "Who is using the space, Is it safe to enter?"

• •

Access: Highlight entrances. Entrance to General Assembly: Use planter boxes and spatial walls to create thresholds that regulate passage but maintain visual and physical connectivity with the plaza.

•

Interaction: Provide interesting spaces along a linear path/ journey that promote stopping.

Fig.88 | OpenSourceCity Submission #1 by Danni | Source: Ryan Selwyn

116

YUJIA, 23 Hometown: Residence: Category:

Daqing, China Brooklyn, NY, USA Foreign National

COMMENTS

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

•

NYC public spaces are over-designed and often don’t provide the room for a broader range of activity – "Too many benches !!!"

•

Minimalism: Simplify the space, provide open areas that allow for gatherings and personal appropriation of space (dance, excercise, protest)

•

Not enough bicycle lanes - sustainable transport should be promoted through better road design.

•

Nature: Improve natural character of the area “When I walk through the park I don’t want to see only buildings and concrete”

• •

Threshold: Seperate street environment from the park - water as an interactive threshold that offers something to both the street dwellers and the park dwellers. Water offers a space to stop, contemplates and "mind your own business"

Fig.89 | OpenSourceCity Submission #2 by Yujia | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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117

SAURABH, 28 Hometown: Residence: Category:

COMMENTS

Bangalore, India Jersey City, NJ, USA Foreign National

•

"The United Nations has over 70 years of history, but if you ask a New Yorker, an American, or an outsider about it... they don't know what the United Nations does."

•

"When I visited the United Nations, I saw the area as one big block of building, It was hard to understand what was going on inside."

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

•

Education: Showcase the U.N. and explain the 17 sustainable goals - represent them in a public space which "turns the building inside out."

•

Transparency: Open forum for events. - The park becomes a stage to represent countries and important events. Allow people to gather outside this important building and celebrate, mourn or protest collectively.

•

Commercial: Provide food outlets to the area. The nearest outlets are 3 or more blocks away - There is nothing for residents, workers, tourists etc.

Fig.90 | OpenSourceCity Submission #3 by Saurabh | Source: Ryan Selwyn

118

YURY, 31 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

Lida, Belarus Queens, NY, USA Foreign National

COMMENTS

"NYC is an intense city with a strong energy and busy life cycle, today I came to the park to just relax and enjoy the sun"

•

Enjoys large, open space that accomodates large gatherings of people - Yury thinks poor design often makes public space in NYC feel crowded.

•

The World Trade Centre memorial site is a nice example of an open public space - despite it being a tourist zone, it doesn't feel over-crowded

<< •

• •

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Rest/ Recreation: Street life in New York is busy and never sleeps. The park should be a place to simply relax and enjoy a break from the city. Nature: A series of gardens and hedges to provide quiet places to sit. Landscaping elements form different zones that people can interact with in different ways.

Fig.91 | OpenSourceCity Submission #4 by Yury | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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119

CHLOE, 24 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

•

COMMENTS

Turtle Bay, NY, USA Turtle Bay, NY, USA Resident: Turtle Bay

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

The United Nations is "off doing its own thing.. unless you're walking down first avenue you wouldn't even know it was there... It doesn't have very much prescence in my day to day life."

•

Nature: Use little concrete/ hard surfaces

•

Security: Respect need for security, but make boundaries softer and interactive with the park.

Chloe grew up around the United Nations - living with her parents in an apartment on 48th and 2nd street. Chloe liked the Hammarskjold Plaza for its openness and secluded areas in the Katherine Hepburn Garden - "I liked going in there because i felt knowone knew about it"

•

Programme: Simple park design with lines of trees to create a barrier (physical + acoustic) Create zones; areas for activity amid the trees & family areas near the water.

•

Access: Use materiality/ pavement to excentuate the moment of entry - lead people through the park to the waterfront destination.

Fig.92 | OpenSourceCity Submission #5 by Chloe | Source: Ryan Selwyn

120

LUKAS, 23 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

Buffalo, NY, USA Buffalo, NY, USA New Yorker

COMMENTS

---

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

•

Access: Highlight access routes into the park with sheltered elements/ walkways. Make the park entrance inviting.

•

Mobility: Promote sustainable transport improving mobility network for cycylists

•

Street: Enhance natural quality of street by providing bushes/ plants etc. and allow the sidewalk to thrive as a collective space by providing plenty of formal/informal seating opportuniites.

Fig.93 | OpenSourceCity Submission #6 by Lukas | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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121

CHARLIE, 25 Hometown: Residence: Category:

COMMENTS

Turtle Bay, NY, USA Turtle Bay, NY, USA Resident: Turtle Bay

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

•

"They're building the East River greenway still, but I'm not sure how the UN will be able to connect into this development."

•

Access: Make the entry points to the park inviting, by defining the entry with plantings and a covered walkway.

•

"I think NYC public space needs to be inviting to enter. People won't use the space if it's not embracing."

•

Street: Provide places to sit on the street edge

•

"I think the biggest problem for NYC is waterfront access points... I don't mind the UN or how imposing its footprint is, as long as they're able to work out how to connect the greenway around the building."

Fig.94 | OpenSourceCity Submission #7 by Charlie | Source: Ryan Selwyn

122

KATHERINE, 27 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

The Bronx, NY, USA Jersey City, NJ, USA New Yorker

COMMENTS

New York is very structured and organised within the city grid, it would be nice to experience something different.

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

•

Nature: Let water penetrate the park space organically and create different zones within the park.

•

Structure: Break up the typical grid-like formation of streets and public spaces by allowing nature to organically overcome the space.

•

Material: Too much concrete! Prioritise permeable paving, and natural landscape elements, so that the park landscape can retain its ecology.

Fig.95 | OpenSourceCity Submission #8 by Katherine | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

RWS

123

FINN, 25 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

--<<

•

COMMENTS

Dublin, Ireland Brooklyn, NY, USA Foreign National

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Thresholds - Break down the transition from street to the park using different materials and natural elements.

Fig.96 | OpenSourceCity Submission #9 by Finn | Source: Ryan Selwyn

124

MATTHEW, 25 Hometown: Residence: Category:

Manchester, England Gent, Belgium Tourist

COMMENTS

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

•

"New York is a big city and it lacks intimate spaces at the human scale. The streetscapes around Little Italy in Chinatown are very messy and active, and unpredictable"

•

Program: Use platforms, boundaries and vertical elements to create 'exterior rooms' - The activity in each room is determined by the scale of the space and the proximity to the street

•

"What i liked most about New York wasn't the big towers or the huge streets.. near the highline there were old factories, smaller scale streets and more interesting spaces than the modernist planning around the U.N."

•

Visibility: Activity within the space should be open and visible from the street in certain areas, and concealed in others to entice people to enter the space.

•

Boundary: The spatial quality of the boundary directly relates to the type of activity - closed boundaries for sport, open for social activity.

Fig.97 | OpenSourceCity Submission #10 by Matthew | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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125

NINA, 26 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

--<<

•

COMMENTS

Amersfoort, The Netherlands Amersfoort, The Netherlands Tourist

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Activity - A public space along the water which invites interaction through play. Providing, Lots of different activities for people of all ages to enjoy and interact.

Fig.98 | OpenSourceCity Submission #11 by Nina | Source: Ryan Selwyn

126

RAFAEL, 29 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

Jersey City, NJ, USA Brooklyn, NY, USA New Yorker

COMMENTS

"I enjoy parks in the city which offer a range of different activities. I would like the public space to be full of life and have something for all age groups"

•

• •

•

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Encounter - Provide a range of activity and program to attract a multiplicity of users "somewhere people from all background can come together and interact" Nature - Use natural elements (trees, gardens, grass etc. to divide the different public spaces and create a mixture of public and private zones within the park. Commercial - Bring some commercial activity to the site that attracts people to the waters edge, and satisfies the needs of the locals

Fig.99 | OpenSourceCity Submission #12 by Rafael | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

RWS

127

WILLIAM, 27 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

--<<

•

COMMENTS

Queens, NY, USA Queens, NY, USA New Yorker

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Civic Space - Highlight the park as an important centre piece of the United Nations campus to reinforce the international importance of the United Nations.

Fig.100 | OpenSourceCity Submission #13 by William | Source: Ryan Selwyn

128

LUKE, 25 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

COMMENTS

--<<

•

Wellington, New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Tourist

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Commercial - A beginnings of a marketplace along the waters edge to bring people and activity here, alongside a generous parkscape

Fig.101 | OpenSourceCity Submission #14 by Luke | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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129

CARLOS, 27 Hometown: Residence: Category:

COMMENTS

Bogota, Colombia Gent, Belgium Tourist

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

•

"When i visited NYC in April, I saw many different public spaces and parks; I enjoyed the Brooklyn Bridge Park - It had so many different interactions with the water, and diverse activities"

•

Nature - Bring the water into the park and combine it with more natural elements; trees, gardens etc. Use nature to define the waterfront and restore ecology to it.

•

"I think the United Nations site is very controlled, I would want to break up the control by using nature to make more inviting and flexible spaces"

•

Commercial - More places to eat and drink - give people a reason to come here, socialise and enjoy the space.

•

Diversity - Break up the linearity of the waterfront and extrude elements out into the water and redevelop an interaction with the water. Keep the space flexbile and open to personal appropriation.

Fig.102 | OpenSourceCity Submission #15 by Carlos | Source: Ryan Selwyn

130

MICHAEL, 30 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

Vancouver, BC, Canada Vancouver, BC, Canada Tourist

COMMENTS

--<<

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

•

Verticality - NYC Parks are typically flat - I wanted to create space that offered more vertical points for observation.

•

Activity - I enjoy public spaces that are active with people, so a commercial, sporting and seating areas are included.

Fig.103 | OpenSourceCity Submission #16 by Michael | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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131

SAVANNAH, 27 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

--<<

•

COMMENTS

Turtle Bay, NY, USA Turtle Bay, NY, USA Resident

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Access - “New York is surrounded by water, but there isn’t many places where we can access it, so I wanted to make the waterfront more active, and use the park as a buffer zone for some privacy.”

Fig.104 | OpenSourceCity Submission #17 by Savannah | Source: Ryan Selwyn

132

JUSTINE, 32 Hometown: Residence: Category:

<< •

COMMENTS

"I live on the west side where the Hudson River Greenway connects the city from top to bottom, I think this is what is missing the most on the East Side" <<

•

West Harlem, NY, USA West Harlem, NY, USA New Yorker

DESIGN OBJECTIVES

Mobility - Create a linear bicycle path and walking route that connects the gaps in the East River greenway.

Fig.105 | OpenSourceCity Submission #18 by Justine | Source: Ryan Selwyn OpenSourceCity

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133

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