retaining resiliency of udaipur

Udaipur, a fast-developing city in Rajasthan, established its first formal public bus transit network in July 2021, after having no formal mode of public transportation until then. However, this move created conflict with the existing semiformal transit system of the city - Tempos, which has affected the livelihood of Tempo Drivers who are struggling to compete with the buses that run on the same fare. This has impacted a city of 600,000 people with a high population density of 23,700 people/square mile.

The following images capture the current milieu of this situation and sets up a stage to move forward.

key stops railway line aravali hills institutional zones industrial zones commercial zones bus routes

East Liberty - a neighborhood in Pittsburgh - was in its “golden era” in the 1940s and 1950s. East Liberty exemplified a vibrant commercial center and a tight-knit residential community. Pittsburgh’s “second downtown” declined rapidly in the 1960s after an ambitious urban renewal program. The brief was to propose a mixed-use development program with an urban forest is proposed, featuring commercial, residential, and green spaces with a focus on sustainability and community engagement.

Connectivity

Connectivity

Street connections to bridge the primary roads surrounding the site and creating user-friendly streets.

Identity and Interchange

To morph the site into a landmark and make it a regional destination.

To build street connections to bridge the gap between the primary roads surrounding the site and creating friendly streets for all users

Cultural Landmark

Revitalising East Liberty’s historical influence and encouraging around the clock cultural programs.

To create a new identity for the site using landmark features, public spaces, and urban forest; allowing the site to facilitate interactions and

Colors used as a language to create a cultural identity for East Liberty and to promote inclusion. Colors define the physical bounds of this space, bleeding into Penn Avenue to mark the site

Streets designed to be accessible to as many people as possible. Idea of Pedestrians-First to encourage walkability within the site with reduction in cars. Barcelona’s La Rambla used as precedent

Multiple civic pockets designed for public gathering of varying scales - to be used by regulars in the areacustomers and business owners alike

New vehicular and pedestrian streets introduced to increase movement within the site vehicular (existing) vehicular (proposed) pedestrian

9 acres of urban forest first positioned close to both sides of the railway tracks in order to create a visual barrier and to have them become the backdrop for other programs in the area top left: Gateway Park - A landmark and identifier for East Liberty. Gateway into the site. top right: Culinary Plaza - Open space between tight pedestrian food street and the expansive forest, concentrated with various culinary activities. bottom: Community Plaza - A semi-public open space utilized by surrounding residents, and school students along with its soft green edge braddock first floor second floor third floor fourth floor

The proposal features various public spaces, including squares, themed plazas, community courtyards, and an elevated pathway that connects them. The urban forest acts as a visual buffer for the railway line while residences with balconies overlook it for safety. The elevated pathway has multiple nodes and demarcates the site. The plazas and square offer diverse activities for all ages, and Boulevard Avenue aims to reduce traffic density from Penn Avenue and create a pedestrian-friendly streetscape.

Braddock, Pennsylvania is a small working-class community in Allegheny County, part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area. Once a prosperous steel town with the Edgar Thomson Steel Works built by Andrew Carnegie in 1875, Braddock suffered economic decline and population loss in the latter half of the 20th century due to factors such as white flight and red-lining. Today, Braddock’s population is around 1,720 which is significantly lower than its peak of 20,879 people in 1920.

The studio aimed to address environmental and social injustices resulting from the US steel plant’s operations by engaging the community, stakeholders, and council members. My project, as part of the infrastructure group, focused on identifying community assets and proposed an adaptive reuse of an old building to create a community incubator. The proposal links it to the existing community efforts by Ohringer and the Braddock Carnegie Library.

It acts as a spatial extension of The Ohringer and the Braddock Library. It’s design is accessible and open to interpretation by its users. The outdoor steps and stage is for everyday and special occassion use. They are strategically placed so as to avoid the summer Sun and be useable. The building fenestrations are sized and placed as per Sun’s movement through the year. Other elements such as the sidewalk, trees, and benches are introduced to make the entirety of the block more user-friendly.

This proposal was designed around two main actors -

Since its opening in 1941, the Ohringer building has been a vital part of the Braddock community, serving various purposes and undergoing numerous transformations. It has recently been repurposed as affordable housing for artists, aimed at enhancing Braddock’s arts and culture scene and fostering economic growth. This project has been acknowledged by AIA, which awarded Rothschild Doyno Collaborative for their adaptive reuse work.

The first floor is for all community members to use and occupy. It provides a gathering space for events, exhibitions, and open mics, a small cafe which can be affliated with Braddock Farms while also accomodating the Repair Cafe and the Woodshop. These spaces, although for artists, is for all community members to utilize.

The space opens up to the adjacent lawn where larger events can take place. The connection between the indoors and the outdoors is key.

The second floor is a quieter zone for different scales of co-working spaces. There are combinations of multi-capacity conference rooms while also allowing people to work quietly along the windows.

There is a computer-cluster with free wifi for the community along with a class room for Youth Skill Development workshops which can be conducted by the Library.

Third Floor Fourth Floor

The third floor is open for artists of Braddock and North Braddock to occupy for their personal use. These also vary in sizes as per different requirements. There is a small space dedicated to the chefs in the community and outside where they can conduct culinary workshops for the local youth with the Library.

The fourth floor accomodates musicians as this is the top most floor in the structure and therefore adds to the least disturbance to other members of the community. There are two large soundproof jam rooms and three individual practice rooms. As this floor is compromised in area, there is a seperate break room and restroom.

Research Assistant for Professor Ray Gastil and Stephen Quick at Remaking Cities Institute (RCI).

The Traffic21 Smart Mobility Challenge’s ‘Building Better Boulevard Analytics’ study, which was funded by the US DOT and conducted by RCI, is a part of the New Local Mobility initiative. This initiative focuses on re-imagining main streets and regional highways to enhance mobility options. The study aimed to improve mobility along Mount Royal Boulevard in Pittsburgh, a major transit and economic corridor that has incomplete sidewalks and limited space for bikes and micromobility, leading to mobility and safety issues, especially for vulnerable populations. To accomplish this, we employed urban design and planning tools, including stakeholder and community meetings, GIS mapping, and collaboration with CMU Robotics department to gather visual information, analyze conditions, and propose enhancements for walking, biking, rolling, and transit.

To establish connections between lower-income neighborhoods and educational institutions like CSC, we adopted two methodologies. Firstly, we studied successful precedents and created a menu of approaches for the Carnegie Science Center, such as pop-ups and interactive public installations. Secondly, we developed and conducted outreach activities in a neighborhood where CSC wanted to build connections. Through community engagement, we gained valuable insights into their needs and preferences, enabling us to tailor our approach effectively.

cmu x csc mud north charleston semester 4 group competition(5)

The 22nd ULI Hines Student Competition is one of an education initiatives of the Urban Land Institute. The competition offers students the opportunity to form multidisciplinary teams and engage in a challenging exercise in responsible land use by providing a real life urban scale site. For 2023, this site was based in North Charleston.

The brief tasked us as the master developer with several responsibilities. The site for the 2023 competition was located in North Charleston. The competition involved analyzing regional forces and the site, determining feasible redevelopment plans, identifying development value and pricing, considering necessary subsidies, establishing fair return rates, providing conceptual plans for a DoD parcel, including affordable housing, and detailing key implementation steps such as strategic partnerships and community engagement.