Field crossings : hybridizing the urban park

Abstract

The growth and identity of urban open space is a vital issue facing our cities today. The development and revitalization of old industrial centers in the United States has prompted urban transformations in usage, densification and demographics. These shifting neighborhoods call for a reconsideration of the makeup and syntax of their associated green spaces. The design of this urban landscape is not currently positioned to take advantage of limited spatial opportunities while meeting increasingly diverse programmatic needs. Traditional park typologies must respond to contemporary forces, varying leisure practices and allow for new interactions with an evolving city. This thesis posits a new model for parks and their architecture within changing urban neighborhoods. It explores how parks can accommodate these transformations through the topics of imbedded infrastructure, flexibility, prototyping and merging public and private usage. It seeks to create more humane and vital open spaces by adding functional and diversified occupations that respond to specific contextual requirements. This thesis looks to understand how both the landscape and its built architecture can work together to become a more viable model for the next century.