This week I think I will take a
little bit more time to talk about my thesis and where it is headed and what
new challenges I am discovering that will affect my overall outcome. If you did
not read any of my previous blog posts about my thesis and abstract, in short,
I am proposing a master plan of green spaces in downtown Detroit around the
area of Comerica Park, a more attractive area as well as a more tourist
friendly area. In doing this master plan, though I am in the very early stages
of thinking at this point, I plan on carrying these spaces from the south side
of the Fisher highway, which runs just north of the stadium, to the north side
as often times you find highways create really nice barriers separating parts
of cities into districts if you will. This was one of the first major
challenges I began to recognize, how to carry these new green spaces from a
more populated, nicer part of Detroit, to its outskirts and what some may call
run down and dangerous.
Another challenge of my thesis,
is proposing a design that will be relatively low cost, both in the short and
long term. One of the major reasons for this is Detroit’s economy is in bad
shape these days and the city is actually having to close down 50 parks this
year, either because they can’t maintain them or they’re too run down to even
try and salvage. Finding a way to provide cheap plantings and finishes for the
green spaces as well as reducing construction costs will be key. The use of
recyclable materials will be something I really need to look into if I want to
achieve this goal.
The biggest challenge, at least
in my opinion, is social sustainability; being able to make these parks and
green spaces attractive enough to get past the initial excitement of a new park
and keeping the inhabitants interest in them so they keep wanting to come back
and use the spaces. With the crime rate so high and the economy so low, this
will pose a huge challenge because these parks could turn into dangerous
places, if no measures are taken to provide safer areas, ones that tourists and
city dwellers will want to spend time in. One way to possibly get people to
want to use these spaces, is having them participate in both the building and
upkeep of these various parks. One would be more likely to visit and use a space
of they knew they had a hand in creating it as well as being able to see the
result of their hard work. Another benefit of having the community participate
in the building of these spaces is a reduction in construction costs as
mentioned before.
Just talking to my committee over
the past week has actually gotten me more interested in this thesis topic, for
several reasons, but mostly how challenging it will be; but I chose Detroit for
a reason and look forward to trying to formulate a cohesive design that
addresses the challenges I’m finding and what challenges I still may come
across.
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