Economic Evaluations

Visual Assessment

Cultural & Environmental Impacts

Ecological Resources Evaluation



Land Suitablity

References

Edgemont is a prominent neighborhood which experiences periodic flooding especially in areas near the Schroedinger and Harding drainage ditches. One such area is a 17 acre open space between 78th Street and Pershing Boulevard (see site maps) which is currently being developed as a HUD housing project.

Open spaces hold a threefold value for the city and its community population:

• they serve as valuable recreational/nondeveloped urban space;
• they act as flood overflow areas that help control/alleviate flood damage in other areas of the city or neighborhood.
• they serve as land banks for future developments and redensifications.

Through these functions of open areas, there is potential for the community to capitalize on their state by developing or maintaining them as parks and recreational facilities, flood control areas or utilize them for urban development such as public housing. However, the best form of use can only be determined by a careful analysis of economic, aesthetic, socio-cultural & environmental and ecological parameters in the context of the site.

This study looks at three alternate uses for flood prone open spaces (in particular reference to the site in Edgemont described above). These are -

• Public Housing Alternative
• Athletic Facility Alternative
• Flood Control & Park Alternative
  

This study attempts to evaluate each of the above alternatives against a set of common parameters and in the process devise a methodology for assessment for the best alternative under the given context. These evaluations are organised by topics and are linked through their respective buttons.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY