Critical Practice Studio Summer '13
The project was created in a charrette-style studio conducted by the architecture firm, Interboro, and LTU facility. Consisting of teams working on a common project, each team is independent and internally organized. The agenda was to present and explore the issue of downtown parking lots to the clients: the City of Detroit and Mike Illitch.
Our research shows over 39% of downtown Detroit is paved over or built up for the purposes of parking. Abandoned buildings are being demolished for more parking which generates more profit to the companies who own the parking lots. Parking has played a central role in the Motor City. The empowerment of the automobile, both economically and culturally, has caused the city to hollow out. Without downtown events, the parking lots create low-density areas. Therefore, little to no entertainment value is available to keep motorists within the city limits.
Our goal: to repurpose a district of sporadically used parking lots in Detroit by creating spaces to attract people and functions while improving the experience of those who currently use the lots. We propose three modes of operation that are based on advocacy planning: 1. Choose a cause; 2. Examine a new model of projection initiation that occurs with or without the client; and 3. Provide techniques for building additional agendas.
These proposals are generated through data received from site investigations, environmental factors, and event timelines. Parking lots may be completely barren in the morning, full in the afternoon, and dwindling in the evening. Can these crowds be more evenly dispersed and still have many interactions of people from a local and visitor standpoint?
RESOURCES TO TAP INTO
Detroit has over 37.5 Acres of Parking Lots in our district alone. The parking lot district is framed by I75 (North) Adams (South), Cass (West), & Witherell St (East). 14.84 acres are paved and 22.66 acres are unpaved. This gives approximately 4,700 parking spaces. With this, there is an approximate stormwater runoff of 64.46 cubic feet/second. This can certainly be used.
What will make these huge crowds stay on the site for longer and bring people back without an event?
HUMAN NEEDS
People and cars occupy this site. Cars provide little entertainment or protection value. People need bathrooms. People need shade. People need environmental protection that allows them to interact with eachother when tailgating! People want to feel safe & secure.
FAMILIARITY
Currently, the site just needs activity. People want something recognizable that they can congregate around. One man suggested “build an island in the middle of the parking lot that people can hang out on and watch me play my instrument.” People still want to experience the buskers and other tailgate attractions, but the dusty parking lot just has little appeal.
ENVIRONMENTAL FACTOR
Detroit’s future depends on interventions that will be sustainable. We wouldn’t want to put something here that will pollute the land for future use! Illitch would not like cleaning up a brownfield before building a new parking structure.
FILL IN THE EVENT GAPS
Viewed collectively, Detroit’s events show the pulse the city contains. A density of events in the summer happen when the weather is nicer, large events throughout the year occur with plenty of gaps in between, and an inconsistent undertone of little events exists.
What can be done to fill the gaps and keep activity in downtown Detroit?
People to be there as much as possible, not necessarily large crowds, but people to give the site life.
Enhancement of life already there during major events to make people’s experiences better.
More big events to fill the gaps of events that already occur.
People to be there as much as possible, not necessarily large crowds, but people to give the site life.
