2026-09-22T04:14:28Zhttps://dspace.mit.edu/server/oai/requestoai:dspace.mit.edu:1721.1/1299322021-07-05T14:03:20Zcom_1721.1_7582com_1721.1_7581col_1721.1_131023
Rafi Segal and Brent D. Ryan.
Titelboim, Yair(Yair Yakov)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Architecture
2021-02-19T21:03:57Z
2021-02-19T21:03:57Z
2020
2020
https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/129932
1237269528
Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, February, 2020
Thesis: S.M. in Architecture Studies, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture, February, 2020
Cataloged from student-submitted PDF of thesis.
Includes bibliographical references (pages 214-223).
Tackling the problem of obsolescence in North American cities, this thesis interrogates the question of how we should plan for the regeneration of aging office buildings. I argue that current whole-building, coarse-grained office-to-residential conversion results in entire urban neighborhoods turning into "sanitized vertical suburbia" (Moss 2017) that fail to create balanced, affordable, and inclusive communities. In response, this thesis offers a new floor-by-floor "fine-grained" (Lynch 1981) framework for space conversion. As a case study, I look at conversions In Manhattan's busy financial district that have created an instant elite neighborhood, with 10,000 new luxury units developed over the past fifteen years. To address hyper-gentrification generated by current conversion methods, I introduce a 3D Design and Data Toolkit (DDT) that redefines the conversion process and offers a selective, floor-by-floor approach to balance the quantity and mix of new residential units with the quality of urban life. This tool helps city planners, urban designers, and developers identify spaces for conversion and match demand and supply across scales. As such, this work offers a strategic, multi-scaled approach aimed at reducing grain, increasing market potential, and reinforcing urban vitality in a new conversion process.
by Yair Titelboim.
M.C.P.
S.M. in Architecture Studies
M.C.P. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning
S.M.inArchitectureStudies Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Architecture
237 pages
eng
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
MIT theses may be protected by copyright. Please reuse MIT thesis content according to the MIT Libraries Permissions Policy, which is available through the URL provided.
http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582
Urban Studies and Planning.
Architecture.
Granular urbanism : adaptive strategies for obsolete downtown neighborhoods
Adaptive strategies for obsolete downtown neighborhoods
Thesis
application/pdf
2021-02-19T21:03:27Z
Publication
Master
UrbStud
Arch
unknown
unknown
<Publication xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/1.1/" id="ae7c60d1-cfb6-4570-9239-1ade42aeb7fe">
<Type xmlns="https://www.openaire.eu/cerif-profile/vocab/COAR_Publication_Types">http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_1843</Type>
<Language>eng</Language>
<Title>Granular urbanism : adaptive strategies for obsolete downtown neighborhoods</Title>
<Subtitle>Adaptive strategies for obsolete downtown neighborhoods</Subtitle>
<PublishedIn>
<Publication>
</Publication>
</PublishedIn>
<PublicationDate>2020</PublicationDate>
<Authors>
<Author>
<DisplayName>Titelboim, Yair(Yair Yakov)</DisplayName>
<Affiliation>
<OrgUnit>
</OrgUnit>
</Affiliation>
</Author>
</Authors>
<Editors>
</Editors>
<Publishers>
<Publisher>
<DisplayName>Massachusetts Institute of Technology</DisplayName>
<OrgUnit />
</Publisher>
</Publishers>
<License>http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582</License>
<Keyword>Urban Studies and Planning.</Keyword>
<Keyword>Architecture.</Keyword>
<Abstract>Tackling the problem of obsolescence in North American cities, this thesis interrogates the question of how we should plan for the regeneration of aging office buildings. I argue that current whole-building, coarse-grained office-to-residential conversion results in entire urban neighborhoods turning into "sanitized vertical suburbia" (Moss 2017) that fail to create balanced, affordable, and inclusive communities. In response, this thesis offers a new floor-by-floor "fine-grained" (Lynch 1981) framework for space conversion. As a case study, I look at conversions In Manhattan's busy financial district that have created an instant elite neighborhood, with 10,000 new luxury units developed over the past fifteen years. To address hyper-gentrification generated by current conversion methods, I introduce a 3D Design and Data Toolkit (DDT) that redefines the conversion process and offers a selective, floor-by-floor approach to balance the quantity and mix of new residential units with the quality of urban life. This tool helps city planners, urban designers, and developers identify spaces for conversion and match demand and supply across scales. As such, this work offers a strategic, multi-scaled approach aimed at reducing grain, increasing market potential, and reinforcing urban vitality in a new conversion process.</Abstract>
<Access xmlns="http://purl.org/coar/access_right"
>
</Access>
</Publication>