Full Report Available For Easy Viewing At: http://issuu.com/msknutson/docs/motthaven_-_university_of_michigan

Condensed Sample Report & Individual Spreads Below:

Revisiting Modernism: Mott Haven is a collaborative studio effort of eleven students of the University of Michigan to propose a future for the city of Mott Haven, New York. The proposals include an overall city master plan and a series of neighborhood/housing development alterations. These concepts recognize the current physical, social and economic situations of public housing, institutions and several local assets within the community. The purpose of this plan is to promote connectivity to the surrounding contexts, activate central nodes, and identify districts within the overall community. The series of proposal strategies are intended to strengthen rather than eliminate existing opportunities for Mott Haven residents and businesses. The studies also attempt to enhance the community’s existing buildings, structures and spaces by encouraging quality construction and urban design.

Mott Haven’s optimal connectivity to downtown New York City offers great opportunities for the current and future residents of the community. This studio’s proposal aims to activate the city of Mott Haven’s spirit, culture and accessibility by increasing a variety of identity-driven concepts, community activity spaces, as well as local amenities all can enjoy.

Main concepts include:

    •  Subdividing oversized super-blocks for an efficient  walkability system

    •  Activating current and new green spaces for community gathering

    •  Providing ownership and program to vacant lots

    •  Linking connections from housing to educational and healthcare facilities

    •  Improving current NYCHA Housing Campuses

    •  Strengthening community connectors to the city, waterfront, hospital and park

    •  Creating city-wide hubs (commerce, culture, transit)

    •  Identifying neighborhood districts for a sense of wayfinding and pride

    •  Proposing altered street corridors, additional bicycle transit paths and walkability opportunities

This summary report for Mott Haven, New York will first narrate the current conditions which include the geographical, physical, social, and historical analysis. Following the analysis, the studio introduces the proposals for Mott Haven, presenting work of individual design teams as an overall collective intervention. Then the report will begin to zoom into specific areas where individuals designed architectural projects across the site. These projects focus on topics such as housing, education, commercial, culture, and connectivity, yet there is an overall consistent vision of physical and programmatic approaches that create a unified design approach.

The University of Michigan’s studio design team envisioned this proposal as a way to activate and strengthen the community of Mott Haven, New York. The intention is to heighten the cultural energy and pride in the neighborhood while providing ideas for efficient transit connections and economic opportunities, which will enable Mott Haven to become a leading neighborhood in the Bronx and the greater New York area.

Professor: Roy Strickland

M.Arch Candidates: Joe Cernugel, Yuva Chang, Matthew Joniec, Mark Knutson, Eldo Mathew, Dustin Murphy, Carmen Petersen, Xutao Wang, Jaclyn Zaborski, Alexandra Ziemba and Jody Zimmer