A framework for community design : Worcester's Main South neighborhood

Abstract

Communities and the connections between them act as the foundation for the fabric of great cities. Suburbs were originally intended as a utopian alternative to crowded urban conditions. However, the current model of residential suburban development in the United States grows less affordable for many Americans, segregates private life to a realm exclusive of community and wastefully consumes material resources . While unchecked development diminishes the rural landscape, urban neighborhoods deteriorate, lacking the resources and amenities of new developments. The transformation of blighted urban neighborhoods into dense, mixed-use communities is a viable alternative to suburban sprawl. This thesis proposes to explore methods of configuring a community within an existing urban site: its streets, lots, and buildings; to conserve land and resources, make housing affordable for a wider range of incomes, and perpetuate a sense of individual identity and community vitality. The strategies explored will be developed into a series of guidelines or urban code for the site. Layout of streets, lots, buildings and open spaces will be determined for a small community. Guidelines will be established not only for housing within the project, but those services necessary to support a viable community: commercial centers, open space, and institutional facilities. These guidelines will allow development of the site at an architectural scale.