The evolution of an American small town : an intervention focusing upon re-centralization and diversification

Abstract

A research and design thesis exploring the evolution of a small southwest Virginia farming town named Christiansburg. The first section of this work focuses on the original crossroad community that aided the surrounding county farmers with their monthly business and civic needs. This thesis researches the town's origin form and follows its growth after the introduction of the automobile, the connections brought by U.S, Highway System, the effects Industrial Revolution, movement away for an agrarian based economy, and the aftermath of being bypassed by the Interstate. This initial step is in hopes of understanding the current landscape of many of our nation's small towns, how they lost much of their civic identity, and to establish the problems which they face within today economy. The second step of this thesis is to create an urban design intervention which helps redevelop Christiansburg's civic identity. This design project replies to the town's history, existing and past urban form, programming of open space, and the community's current needs by creating a proposal that both stabilizes the community and acts as catalyst for growth. This new master plan responses to earlier research by re-centralizing many of the town's civic institutions, currently lost to land flanking the highway, and by diversifying the existing amenities and resources offered within the downtown core. The hope is by re-centering and diversifying the core many existing perceptions of downtown will change and businesses, recreation, and housing with return.