Thesis Statement II

What?

Gradients and Decentralism. Designing the transition from different means of transportation modes existing in a node, in order to reshape and create seamless transitions from commercial/public into residential/private. Therefore, this thesis will propose a series of prototypes that seek to maximize the positive relationships between housing in the city and public transportation nodes, by dealing with the different scales involved in such an operation, and exploring the different way such integration could be executed allowing the node to develop into an extension of the urbanization pattern of the city.



Why?

Cities nowadays expand in a growing rate mainly due to the increase in population. In order to provide for their healthy development and sustainable growth a Synergy between public transportation and housing in urban areas must be created. Such Synergy will allow for better integration of the city’s additions to the overall infrastructure of the city, “normalizing” the urban expansions and establishing a continuous transition between old and new. Instead of emphasizing the development as a “quick fix” of a burning need, the new urban additions (housing) will better assimilate into its surroundings, offering a desirable solution for its residents. Proximity to public transportation nodes will be then considered as a plus rather than a noisome limitation, and no longer be associated with the lower class of our society. Therefore, the main questions which I will answer in my thesis are: what types of transitions are appropriate in such node? how will these transition translate into a rich program that could integrate the node into a successful extension of the city?



How?

I will investigate nodes in the outskirts of the city of Boston. After understanding the constraintes that exist in such "Last Stops", I will determine what elements go into such a program that accounts for the different scales of this urban intervention I am offering. I will then Develope a programs that connects the various transitions (subway-->railroad-->bus-->bike paths-->walking paths-->residential) creating a gradient, facilitating for these transitions such that a "smooth" transition is putting some order into this dynamic enviromet.



Sources?

The city of Boston will serve as my site. I have not determined a final site location yet, but i'm leaning towards Alewife or Braintree. For my precedent, I am looking at the works of John R. Stilgoe and J.B. Jackson. My intension is to learn how the railroad systems inform the lanscape of America and influenced the developement patterns in the country. Then, I will lay out criteria for determining successful transitions from nodes to residential and from there draw out my principles for the programmatic features the make these interrelationship work/ fail.


Why is it important?

I believe that my thesis offers a valuable contribution to architecture and urban planning. This is a very important problem that pertains to multiple areas: politics, urbanism, social studies, economics, etc. Understanding the relationship between public transportation and urban housing and consequently providing a solution, is vital to cities’ development.