Archinect
Di Chen

Di Chen

Jersey City, NJ, US

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Activation - Productive Village

The site is located in an interesting context: adjacent to railway and belmont Bridge which are some form of strong spatial barriers and in between the lively Downtown  Mall and the quiet Belmont Neighbourhood. Due to the railtrack, the urban context on either side is so different not only spatially but also socially. The railtrack generates barriers both physically and economically.
Therefore, his project is all about the connection of these three profoundly disconnected areas, Downtown Mall, Friendship Court public housing and Belmont neighborhood. 

The connection with the Downtown Mall and the Belmont Neighborhood is faced with the barrier of the rail track and the existing Belmont Bridge. To cross the railway, there are 3 three ways: to simply walk over the rail, to cross by a pedestrian bridge or to go underground. The first solution will encounter security problems and the third one may easily create negative space for public. So the best way to get to the Downtown is to use a pedestrian bridge, which can integrate with the in-between street.
As for the connection with the Belmont Neighborhood, with the bridge bring heavy traffic to the south corner of the site, people from the Belmont Neighborhood cannot cross the intersection freely. Therefore, by removing the bridge, on the one hand people can get rid of the heavy traffic on the ground; on the other hand the Downtown Mall may have the opportunity to extend to the east. 

 
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Status: School Project
Location: Charlottesville, VA, US
My Role: independent

 
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