Group 3

Proposal 3: MID CITY MARKET AND HOUSING  [ back to entries ]  

The relationship between architectural design and a person’s perception and behavior directly corresponds with the way in which built environment meets the needs of the person. The act of integrating commercial and residential areas the community will improve the site both socially and economically. Integrating will bring the programmatic elements into one building in order to create a safe area of community. It will help to eliminate the current rates of poverty in the area and merge the different mixed income residents. The built environment can improve the neighborhood through a cafe, market, and housing design that incorporates the needs of the community and delivers the resources to improve socially, physically, and financially.

   
Through analysis a major programmatic divide was found along the site on America Street. The divide encourages crime and many residents are unwilling to cross this divide after open hours. The separation between Commercial buildings and churches towards the North and residential areas to the south was evident with the exception of Mid City Gardens. It is a new apartment complex that borders the site and in collaboration with those buildings this project aims to eliminate the divide.

   
The site includes various elements that create outdoor gathering spaces and green areas for community members to utilize. The outdoor garden is cultivated by those in the Work Force Development program to learn the importance of self sustainability and how to grow their own food. Parking can be found on street along Brice Street as well as in the Housing building. With a flow of circulation through the site, the area will become more populated, eliminating crime and creating a safer environment for the community.

   

   
The buildings can be viewed from the overpass and attract the eyes of those driving by through its dense nature.

Participants are introduced to the guidelines of how to run a cafe, market, and business. This development provides them with the experience they need to earn a living and support themselves. A participant begins the learning process as a bagger in the market or a hostess in the cafe. At that stage they are introduced to farming and gardening, learning what it means to be self-sustainable. The participants go through stages and work their way to management positions before they graduate from the program. Once participants graduate from the program they can apply the skills and experienced from the workforce development program towards a financially stable career.

 

           

This building integrates the grocery, cafe, work force development area, and housing on the upper floors.

     

The housing portion of the project includes different programmatic elements that all members of the community can benefit from. The building includes a day care, event area, and recreational facility within it's core, and housing around its perimeter. The two base floors of the building house a small parking garage in addition to the on street parking located behind and across the cafe and market.

This building integrates parking, housing, day care, event space, and a recreational area. The resources in this building will be used by both the residents of the building and those in the community to create a constant motion through the site, creating a safer community in Mid City.