By Jayeeta Ghosh

Final Project

Art Gallery/Artists' Community (Live/Work Spaces)
Location: South First






















































































































































































Intervention

Lighting Analysis and Pedestrian Intervention
Location: West Campus

SOUTH FIRST MASTER PLANNING PROJECT:
Spencer
Eray
Heather
Kirti
Kyle

Our goals of the S. First Master Plan are to densify the street and provide additional housing without dramatically changing the scale and character of the street. To accomplish this we broke the street up into three Zones:

1. Zone 1 is the downtown zone; the buildings are large in scale and the speed of transportation is highest.

2. Zone 2 is the threshold or buffer between the fast-paced large-scale downtown region and the slower-paced lifestyle of old S. First. The buildings currently include some medium scale apartment and office complexes. We are allowing for greater development in this region to take place, since it is already moving toward the larger scale of downtown.

3. Zone 3 is the region we intend to preserve in terms of scale and character. We intend to preserve the charm and community spirit already in place in this region of S. First Street. This preservation strip begins just north of Gibson street and extends south to Live Oak. We focused most of our attention on this preservation strip, and implemented the following two schemes: a Front Yard scheme and a Back Yard scheme.

a. The Front Yard scheme includes moving all of the parking lots to the rear of the existing buildings, creating building additions to both the front, back, and sides of existing buildings to create a temporally dynamic street front, and improving the side walk to swell and contract to engage the buildings along the street and create a meandering experiential walk for the pedestrian along S. First Street.

b. The Back Yard scheme complements the Front Yard scheme by creating the same type of continuous greenbelt along the creek that contracts and swells to engage the rear programs of the adjacent buildings. Some buildings, like Jovita's, have the opportunity to create static pools of gathering and activity for pedestrians along the greenbelt.

Additionally, our master plan includes three new housing developments that help to establish the scale and character of the tree zones and further the community spirit of S. First Street.

1. First, Lower Bouldin Creek Community: a trailer park at Live Oak which marks the entrance to the Back Yard greenbelt and provides housing for single artists.

2. Second, Upper Bouldin Creek Community: a community of duplexes along the creek at Gibson Street which both engages the existing greenbelt providing dense housing in a very natural environment and marks the main entrance both to Zone 3 and to the Back Yard greenbelt. The Upper Bouldin Creek Community is located directly across S. First from the main community center that we intend to build, which includes basketball court, community garden, small grocery store like Wheatsville Coop, and outdoor space for weekly or monthly Farmer's Market days. The community center can be accessed directly from the Upper Community via the greenbelt which runs along the creek under the street; therefore, the duplexes in the Upper Community cater to families with children who have plenty of outdoor space to explore and access to community activities without crossing the busy street. Likewise, the community center area is easily accessible for the other two communities via a short walk along the greenbelt.

3. Finally, Bouldin Creek Cliff Apartments: a series of apartment complexes located along the greenbelt further north which embraces the larger scale of buildings in that Zone 2.


The following diagrams illustrate all of our master plan ideas.

1. EXISTING BUILDINGS ALONG S. FIRST STREET


2. FRONT YARD SCHEME: BUILDING ADDITIONS; PARKING LOTS MOVED TO BACK


3. BACK YARD SCHEME: OUR THREE COMMUNITIES PLUS THE GREENBELT WHICH CONNECTS THEM; THE MEANDERING SIDEWALK OF THE FRONT YARD SCHEME


4. TREES PLANTED ALONG ZONE 3 TO SLOW DOWN DRIVERS; DENSE TREES ALONG THE GREENBELT


5. COMPLETE MASTER PLAN DIAGRAM WITH TEXT SHOWING THE 3 ZONES, THE FRONT YARD AND BACK YARD PATHS, THE THREE COMMUNITIES, THE BUILDING ADDITIONS AND PARKING LOTS, AND TREES

SOUTH FIRST STREET, group 2

Drawing 4

South First Street

Analysis: Temperal

Master Plan Vitalize South First

Treasure Map

Where some see clutter and junk others see historic treasure of sentimental significance. This map samples the urban fabric of the Ceasar Chavez area between Lynn and Chalmers. The white gaps indicate new houses that have disrupted the old character of the nieghborhood.

Inhabitation.the People

This is an advertisment which main purpose is to give an idea of the type of people who already live in the area as well as an idea of the type of people who they, meaning developers, are trying to attract to the area.
The quotes are directly from developers websites and from the East Cesar Chavez neighbourhood plan.


This give you the basic idea of the Cesar Chavez population. This is a relatively dense area of Austin with a predominantly hispanic population. There is a high density of only spanish speaking households which can be seen here statistically as well as being physically expressed in the many signs in the area.

Just by walking down East Cesar Chavez, you get a sense of its past history. Many houses that were once residential are now used for business purposes. Our Group found it interesting that other than the businesses, not much had changed on East Cesar Chavez since the early 1900s.

East Cesar Chavez

When our group visited the site, we observed how different activities on the street acted together to form a community. We then envisioned the whole street as a body system with organs that each had a role in maintaining the life of East Cesar Chavez.

We focused mainly on circulation, movement, and history. Grouping these categories and relating them to the body system helped us reveal their importance.

Trapped Outside Fences

What is a fence? Does it make one safe? Does it appear unfriendly or uninviting to those who live next to you?

There are many kinds of fences, those meant to keep people out, those meant to box you in, and those meant to mark space boundaries, just to name some of the possible uses for a fence. For many they stand as an unfriendly symbol, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

The east side of Austin has a lot of problems. After being dumped on for many years it stands as the last bastion for affordable property in town. with many that migrate through the area, criminals, transients and workers, some parts haven’t always been the safest parts of town.

While walking around I set out to find what the fences around people’s yards meant to an outsider who wasn’t used to seeing them.



What I found was that to these people, the fences were simply a way of life, they weren’t uninviting, they just marked what was one person’s from what wasn’t. They gave children a place to play and while providing some feeling of safety, most didn’t need them for that purpose.

I even met a few people who rarely locked their doors.

SOCIETAL (Dianne, Trent, and Olga)

Cesar Chavez

Societal

Signage, Development, Light, Wireless


Signage:











The clothesline is our represantion of the many signs and colors one encounters on Cesar Chavez. On the top line hang pictures of signs that are bigger and directed more toward the car traffic. The bottom line has signs which are at the pedestrian level. The clothesline installation gives an impression of the relaxed, colorful, multi-lingual feel of the site.

One side of the clothesline shows the signs during the day, bright and colorful. The other side shows the scene at night (image to the left). Almost all of the signs which are so prominent during the day are in darkness at night, with the exception of some which are lit up from within or with a spotlight.

Development:



















With this installation, we wanted to represent the mixed programs and new development of the site. In the pods (the containers), one can see images of homes, businesses, and live-work places. The bright colors and collage style of the installation mimic the look of the Cesar Chavez. This is also our beginning study of lighting in the corridor. The static strips of Christmas lights represent the streetlights, while the blinking lights represent the other businesses and homes. The only containers that does not fit into the colorful theme are the white, blank flower pots, which stand for the new condos being built on the site.

Lighting:

The previous study installation led us to explore the lighting of Cesar Chavez in more depth. By driving through the site and observing firsthand and using a detailed electrical grid, we were able to accurately place all of the streetlights on the corridor. From the mapping we learned that West Cesar Chavez and the neighborhoods north of it receive more light.

Wireless:

Each circle on this map represents a wireless internet connection found on Cesar Chavez. We assumed that the wireless connections reach about one-hundred yards from the connection point. The green circles represent the one-hundred yard radius of public or non-restricted wireless internet, while the black circles represent the private or restricted wireless internet.

The red and green points on the map on the left represent the wireless internet connections available in all of Austin. The map on the right expresses the same information; however, this map is zoomed in more on Cesar Chavez and the surrounding neighborhood.

Site Concepts.CNL

our dear friend leslie

INHABITATION!

1. Zoning
1. Zoning is a North American system of land-use regulation. The word is derived from the practice of designating permitted uses of land based on mapped zones which separate one part of a community from another. Zoning regulations fall under the police power rights governments may exercise over real property. Theoretically, its primary purpose is to segregate uses that are thought to be incompatible; in practice, zoning is used as a permitting system to prevent new development from harming existing residents or businesses. Zoning is commonly controlled by local governments such as counties or municipalities. Zoning commonly includes regulation of the kinds of activities which will be acceptable on particular lots (such as open space, residential, agricultural, commercial or industrial), the densities at which those activities can be performed (from low-density housing such as single family homes to high-density such as high-rise apartment buildings), the height of buildings, the amount of space structures may occupy, the location of a building on the lot (setbacks), the proportions of the types of space on a lot (for example, how much landscaped space and how much paved space), and how much parking must be provided.
2. http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/landuse/images/mont_zone.gif
2. Program
1. The general intended use of a space is determined by the zoning rules, first and foremost. A property deemed residential by zoning cannot have a grocery store built there for example. The reverse is true as well. Although these regulations can be changed or altered over time, it is difficult to change and requires a multitude of legal paperwork. However, zoning regulations are often vague, allowing for variations in use. A property for commercial use could be any number of businesses.
3. Public/Private
1. Public areas have a certain vibe and flavor that is not found in commercial areas just as commercial areas have a busy feel and largeness not found in most residential areas. Our society has taught each of us how to differentiate between the two. Green front yards free of signage indicate residential, privately owned homes while huge parking lots littered with advertising and signs is clearly commercial. Most times, private sectors and public sectors are separated. A common theme is to have a layer of commercial usage along side major thoroughfares followed by multiple layers of private residence. Again, it is the intent of zoning laws to separate these two kinds of area to increase the privacy and quality of life within a residential area.
2. http://www.eaglesign.com/images/multi_comm.jpg
4. Perception/Communication
1. When it comes to commercial areas, signage is the main mode of communication about the program and usage of a building to the public. Signs on buildings display the name of the building as well as a small caption explaining its purpose (Ex. Java Hut… Coffee House and Bakery). This allows the passer-byer to determine if the place is of use to them or not without have to step foot in every building he or she sees. This is an informal communication between the consumer and the distributor. When it comes to residential communication, addresses are the most vital piece of the puzzle. These short numbers provide a distinct location of a home in an orderly manner. This is a way for a person that lives at a certain place to share that information with mail men, the government and visitors. Although it is not a large sign such as those seen in residential areas, it is a sign none the less communicating a specific use (who lives there) of a building.
2. http://www.blakbirdz.com/airbrush/misc/curb1.jpg

Temporal

temporal- the rhythm of the city begins with the heart beats of its inhabitants. the rhythm of life is a breath in and out. with day and night, these form the foundations of what has become a very complex rhythm- the urban beat. every action has its own rhythm in the city. driving in your car, you have a 3000 beat per minute under your hood, while traffic lights cause an irregular rhythm of starts and stops. when you stop, your periphery turns from blur to awareness, and you have a minute to observe the environment around you before you move on back to the tunnel visions of driving. walking down the street, your feet spark a rhythm that plays foundation to the urban music around- cars driving by, people yelling out, a street performer's literal music, it all swims around you in complex rhythm, so that with headphones and music on, life becomes the perfect music video where infinite possiblity becomes new made history every moment of your existence. moving back a step on the scale of time, urban morphology tells the secrets of the past within the city. just as culture, philosophy and religion of our times is ingrained within the architecture of today, so it was yesterday. an understanding of history and urban landscapes dawns light on an uimage of the city as a continuation. our urban landscape is a rich socio-historico-psycho-theological museum which is constantly altered and supplemented. from preservation to gentrification, the city is a shifting, morphing organism with many nuclei of many category. edge cities, cbds, suburbs, MUDS- so many perspectives on urban life represented through so many forms. change is the only constant in the urban landscape- man has taken the reigns of his creative evolution and rides the process of existence like a tamed beast- his proof is the built environment. collectively, we are evolving and our cities change to fit the mold, sometimes revisiting or reevaluating old ideas. one needs only leave a city for ten years to come back and be lost or shocked by what he/she sees. the city changes more quickly each year.

Environmental. Continent-Size.

Environment

light
wind
water
climate
flora
fauna
geology

geology, water, and climate are the determinates of the overall structure of a city.

cities form on the water because water sustains life. geology is also important, because it defines where you can build, whereas water is where you want to build. Those determine where you build but climate defines what you build. Flora and fauna are a result of the climate that wind and light are aspects of.

The determinates almost seem like limits and they would be if we as people were not innovative and willing to compromise. Because we are so adaptable there are cities, towns, tribes, settlements, villages, etc. everywhere.

Inhabitation - Team Timberwolf

People

Any thorough analysis of a city must include an investigation of its occupants. What is a city, after all, if not a physical setting for the inhabitation, interaction, and service of people? How individuals and groups interact with each other and the urban environment is essential to a city’s dynamic. A city’s demographics can be very informative, and is an integral part of a comprehensive view of the city.

Public/Private Zones
The division of space into public and private zones is as old as communal settlement. The character of these spaces is fundamentally different, and they are therefore made distinctly separate in the modern city. This separation ranges from formalized building codes to general, unspoken practice. Also, spaces have varying degrees of public and private, and this influences how they are perceived
and inhabited.

Program
"A system of services, opportunities, or projects, usually
designed to meet a social need"

The term program brings about broad ideas. Every city shares the most basic programs such as: a business center museum district, parks, recreational centers, libraries, churches, homeless shelters, and the list goes on. These are just some major activities that happen during a normal day in a city.

Of course, it also depends on the city. The city's culture and history play a big part in the role of programs. For example, Africa. There is a population decline because of the starvation and sickness. There's a global program to help these people to survive by donating blankets, food, books, any necessities for normal living.

Programs are created to meet a need, they must be functional and useful. As long as it is being used, it is being programmatic - even from small object like a trash can on to a bigger scale - sanitation system. There are countless number of programs that exist in 1 city, and many times these programs overlap and reach out to a global network.

Perception
Often closely linked with communication, perception is one’s opinion of a space. When looking at an urban setting an area can be deemed dangerous or safe based purely on perception.

This is also based on the individuals personal upbringing, experience, and knowledge. A visitor to Houston would find the city busy and confusing, full of interesting new experiences and venues – the Galleria, the Johnson Space Center, the Museum District. They could also perceive the city as dirty and dangerous in areas that a native would know to be great little shopping districts or to have the perfect hole-in-the-wall diner. Conversely a native Houstonian, understands the nuances of the city – the Galleria and Theater district are old hat. They understand the convoluted road system and that some of the best places to go at night are in the seemingly scariest places.

Communication
Communication in an urban setting takes many forms. Billboards and newspapers, cell towers and street signs; all contribute to the notion of communication in the urban setting. New York City is littered with monumental advertisements communicating to passers-by of they’re newest “need”.

Everything communicates. On the most base level we communicate with each other verbally and non-verbally. Our clothes, our possessions speak volumes about who we are without ever saying a word. In the built environment buildings speak to us. They can be imposing or meek, reeking of function or purely formal. Signs inform us where to find the local dentist; which direction to take.

Communication also extends to the media – newspapers, magazines, that band flyer stapled to the light pole; the news, the radio, the telephone – adding yet another layer to the already dense urban fabric. Graffiti is another form of communication deeply rooted within the urban setting. Graffiti and tagging holds different meanings for different individuals but none the less these graphic forms speak volumes about a place or area.

Environmental

LIGHT
- Sunlight: in large cities such as Tokyo there are "sunshine laws" that protect people's right to sunlight
- Artificial light: street lamps, headlights, commercial buildings, billboards
- Heat/temperature
- Length of days (sunrise to sunset)
- Reflection
- Refraction
- Absorption


WIND
- Natural disasters: hurricanes, tornadoes
- Seed dispersal
- Prevailing direction of breeze
- Used for power: ships, windmills, wind farms
- Air quality and pollution

GEOLOGY
- Elevation
- Type of soil and rock
- Seismic conditions
- Erosion, floodplains
- Landmark formations
- Mineral/oil deposits

Material Mapping

I think that one important factor we consider when we consider the materiality of this site in particular is the signage. To me, signage seems to fit both under the MATERIAL and SOCIETAL fields. Societal, since graphics and signage are closely linked to advertisement, which is determined by societal trends.

MATERIAL
What I can remember about this site is that it utilizes a very vernacular style of architecture, or rather lack thereof. The buildings have coexisted harmoniously with the landscape for decades, and do not appear to be threatened by the encroachment of any monumental architectural endeavors. The buildings have been carved out and reformatted for different purposes, and I believe few maintain their original program or function. For these reasons, the buildings that line South First Street must maintain attractive and alluring signage as the primary vehicle to lure customers to that vernacular southern region of Austin. It is no downtown, where the Frost Tower and other skyscrapers manipulate the public with their towering greatness. In contrast, the buildings rely on history, tradition, establishment, and legacy -- ie. word of mouth through the Austinites -- to create an alluring urban fabric. That, and signage. And that is why I think that it is crucial to investigate the signage in this region of Austin in order to fully realize its material character.