Alta Sita Physical Context
Planning and Design for Neighborhood Quality
of Life
Existing Land Uses, surveyed February, 1999
Map courtesy Team C
Virginia Place and adjacent neighborhoods -- open suburban sense-of-place
Photos Robert Selby
Poss Summer Studio Project - pavilion for Virginia Park
Virginia Park Photos Jeffrey Poss
Mix of housing types - new, old; single and multi-family
Mix of housing conditions - delapidated and active re-modelling
Adjoining industrial complex - some active, some abandoned
Outreach and Neighborhood Condition Survey
Door-knocking
Citizen interaction and input into the design process
Part One/Two
Background research, Principles of
Neighborhood Physical Planning and Design -- Work
as Teams
Background research, prototype design solutions
based on the research, and world-wide web interface.
The class has worked as teams -- equally
staffed with students from the two programs.
Topics were assigned from the following
list - one per group:
Defensibility
- perceptions of personal safety/community safety
Liveability
- the walkable neighborhood, new urbanism
Legibility
- wayfinding and sense of place, paths, nodes, edges
Sustainability
- minimizing use of fossil resources, renewability
Cultural identity
- historic and significant place/structures
Urban ecology
- runoff mitigation, wildlife habitat, reclamation
Environmental
equity - polluting sites, access to work
Power and poverty
- municipal boundaries, ownership
Community organizing
- issue identification, mobilization
Environmental
education - activism, curriculum, comm. gardening
Tasks:
-
Find and read all
you can about your topic.
-
Summarize the major
issues germane to revitalizing a disadvantaged neighborhood
in East St. Louis.
-
Compile a list of
at least 50 references, including full citation AND descriptive
paragraph of 50-100 words.
-
Identify all the
data sources within the ESLARP and associated databases.
-
Post everything to
FirstClass.
-
Prepare a report,
for the world-wide web, able
to be printed out to make an display on 18x24" corrugated card.
Part Three
Planning and Design for Neighborhood Quality
of Life:
Project Master Planning --
Work as Teams
Operating principles
-
dissolve teams, invite students to reform
teams
-
ten teams, each including (approximately)
two landscape architects and two architects
-
teams might be comprised with a hybrid research
background
-
brainstorm to determine important issues and
a project definition.
Project Definition statement
-
What is the extent of your project?
Provide maps and diagrams from ArcView or the EGRETS database to show the
boundaries of the area of study.
-
What are the community issues your project
will address?
-
What are the key resource issues you think
will need to be considered in your analysis?
What sources of information, technical
tools, and access to resources will you require?
This project statement will become part of
the semester project but you will be free to change the details later as
you find new opportunities or have to abandon some of your initial ideas.
Internal review
- These ideas will presented for internal (UIUC) review March 4 and 5.
Client review
- Selected projects will be presented at the Alta Sita Neighborhood meeting
on the evening of March 9. Input from that meeting will be a major determining
factor in choosing projects for development for the remainder of the semester.
Candidate project types -- refine, amend or
substitute other proposals through discussion with the instructors.
Infill housing
- ranch style vs. contextural/vernacular
Historic districts
- identify boundaries, develop guidelines
Industrial districts
(active) - design solutions for visual/environmental amelioration
Special housing
- sheltered housing for elderly, single mothers, job skills development
Industrial districts
(abandoned) - design solutions for re-use
Mt Zion special
district - planning for growth and maturity of church precinct
Infrastructure
problems - master planning solutions for transportation, flood
control
Virginia Park
- development plans in collaboration with Alta Sita neighbors
Delapidated structures
- alternative and temporary site uses
EZ area agenda
- master planning for EZ implementation
Neighborhood
shopping (26th & Bond) - design and guidelines for node
development
Low income housing
projects - design improvements at existing locations
New low income
housing - design of new locations
Open space planning
- integrated plan for the use of currently abandoned land
Youth employment
- identify development opportunities incorporating job training
