The Loops: Living with Manufacturing
The Loops is a transit-oriented urban design project that invents a new urban framework on a future station site along the proposed Triboro Line in New York City. Our proposal strategically reconnects the site with local communities under the constraint of transportation infrastructure and socioeconomic gap. The project rethinks the manufacturing function of an urban site while creates landscape architecture strategies of a highly-active public realm.
Client
Regional Plan Association https://rpa.org
My Role
Urban Design
Timeline
Jan - May 2019 Team Project (2)
With the challenges and opportunities identified, our proposal invents a new dynamic between manufacturing and urban growth. We focus on three main aspects: an active TOD subcenter, an innovative manufacturing hub, and a compatible neighborhood. The “duo loops” framework promotes the manufacturing function, reconnects the site to the surrounding urban fabrics, and increases the accessibility of the public realm. The framework is a weaving integration of two loops: the manufacturing loop and the public realm loop.
From an architectural standpoint, the innovative building typology transforms the traditional low-rise manufacturing factory into a mixed-use complex. Manufacturing activities are secured at the lower level and integrated with the manufacturing loop. The support for startup companies goes beyond space. The manufacturing incubator coordinates connections to network, market, and capital throughout the city. Small business owners of various racial, social, and economic backgrounds are able to access resources and opportunities equally.
The public realm loop creates a continuous public realm that improves the pedestrian flow across the site. Public spaces of various scales and functions are carefully designed to increase economic, environmental, and social values.
A phasing strategy allows flexible implementation of the design. The new station is a trigger point for attracting new tenants and investors. Tax revenue from the manufacturing programs will be used to retrofitting the communities, advocating affordable housing, and improving the streetscape and public open spaces. Eventually, the 70-acre site has the potential to create 5300 direct jobs, 610 affordable housing units, and $1,195,373,547 total capitalized value.
In 2040, the proposed 24-mile Triboro Line links people and goods moving between Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx. "The Loops", as one important node on the Triboro Line, demonstrate a new model of urban design that improves socioeconomic inequalities by creating greater access to jobs, new opportunities for the construction of affordable housing, and improvements to public space and streetscapes.
