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Transgressive Walkways in the Sky: Creating a New Perspective through Engagement and Connectivity
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Transgressive Walkways in the Sky:Creating a New Perspective through Engagement and Connectivity
Jeffrey BentoMArch 2013: Thesis Studio
Professor Dan HiselWentworth Institute of Technology
Acknowledgements
I would like to take this opportunity to thank my primary advisor,
Dan Hisel, as well as my Thesis Prep I and II advisors, Ian Baldwin
and Ann Pitt. Without their continuous support and guidance
throughout both semesters, I would not be at this point today. I
would also like to thank my family, especially my mother and father,
who have continuously supported me throughout my time at college,
as well as my friends, because their passion and tremendous work
ethic has continued to inspire me with my own work.
1
Table of Contents
Abstract....................................................................................3
Inspiration................................................................................4
Research Essay.........................................................................7
Hypothesis..............................................................................17
2
Research
Existing Skywalk Analysis.......................................................20
Abstract Model Exploration....................................................23
Collage Studies.......................................................................18
Program Narrative..................................................................29
Program Exploration...............................................................27
Site Investigation.....................................................................31
Site Analysis............................................................................33
Design Probe...........................................................................35
Design Approach
Thesis Statement...................................................................38
Conceptual Pathways Model...................................................39
Conceptual Perspectives........................................................40
Program Overlays...................................................................43
Progression through Movement Layers..................................45
Walkway Scenarios.................................................................46
Site Diagrams.........................................................................49
Design Project
Museum Pathways Map..........................................................56
Immediate Site Plan...............................................................57
Intrusion into the Flatiron......................................................58
Amphitheater: Reversal of Urban Performance.......................60
Connection to Underground Movement.................................62
Met Life Unwrapped...............................................................64
Conclusion....................................................................66
Bibliography.................................................................67
Abstract
Layering of pedestrian movement within dense urban settings has
always been an important challenge for urban planners in many
densely populated cities around the world. Many highly dense
cities, such as Hong Kong, have built skywalk systems that allow
pedestrians to navigate through the city without the need to ever
step foot on the ground level. Subway systems have also proven to
be a viable source of transportation for getting from one part of a
city to the next. These types of movement systems have proven to be
successful in transporting people from point A to point B; however,
these systems should go beyond this specific purpose, and become
more integrated and connected with one another in order to enhance
the overall experience of the city. These movement systems have
the potential to provide new views to areas of the city and expose
new activities within the city which one wouldn’t normally have the
opportunity to experience walking on the ground level.
3
Inspiration
Harvey Wiley Corbett
One of my major inspirations for my investigation about this idea
of a multi-level city was Harvey Wiley Corbett. Corbett was an
architect/artist who in the 1920’s created a number of illustrations
demonstrating what he thought the future of Manhattan would look
like due to the continuing growth in population. Since the population
of American cities would continue to increase, that would inevitably
result in pedestrian congestion on the street level. Therefore, he
felt that multiple layers of movement would have to be designed
and built in order to alleviate this density on the ground level. Even
though a lot of his illustrations seemed very radical and outrageous,
he came up with a systematic order with these movement layers.
The bottom layer below ground would be designated strictly for
subway lines, the street level would be for automobiles, and the
elevated systems would be for pedestrian movement.
4
5
Inspiration
Trip to Hong Kong
Another one of my major inspirations for skywalks was my trip to
Hong Kong. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to travel
to Hong Kong for my studio during the fall semester and was able
to experience how the city operated with this skywalk system in
place. It was very interesting to see how pedestrians would use this
system to travel to certain parts of the city, without ever having the
need to reach the street level. It was also interesting to see how this
elevated walkway system would respond to specific site conditions
throughout the city. For example, one part of the skywalk system
contained a pedestrian escalator that would move pedestrians up a
hill instead of having to climb up the hill on the ground level.
6
Research Essay
With the population of dense urban cities continuing to
increase at an enormous rate, cities are being forced to constantly
adapt. What happens when cities become so densely populated that
the street level becomes overly congested with people, leaving little
or no room to maneuver or navigate? As density in cities increase,
strategies to alleviate pedestrian congestion occurring at the ground
level must be employed. Therefore, it’s crucial to understand how
pedestrian movement operates within dense urban cities, because a
city can only succeed, both economically and socially, if pedestrians
are able to easily and comfortably navigate through all parts of the
city.
Most densely populated cities around the world have
underground subway systems that are used to transport pedestrians
to different parts of the city without interfering with the street level
activity on the ground level. As Brian Cudahy states, subways have
become “an urban railway of almost unfathomable dimensions.”1
Subway systems not only provide convenience for pedestrians to
transport from one part of the city to the next, but they also help
to alleviate traffic congestion that would occur at the street level.
Imagine if subway systems were never erected in some of the densest
cities around the world? One would have to wonder if cities would
even be able to operate, since it would be an absolute nightmare
1 Cudahy, Brian J. Under the sidewalks of New York: the story of the greatest subway system in the world. S. Greene Press, 1988. XV.
to circulate by foot or automobile. Some subway systems, most
notably the subways of New York, have become “intimately woven
into the fabric and identity of the city.”2
Although subway systems reach out to all parts of the city
and provide linkage and connectivity with various areas, they often
seem detached from the actual city itself, since they are more than
often placed deep underground in tunnels. One could literally travel
from one side of the city to the other without even knowing what’s in
2 Cudahy, Brian. XV
Boston Green Line Street Car (Photo Credit: francoissoulignac.com)
7
Research Essay
the area between. One would have to argue if this is a viable way to
experience the city, traveling in dark tunnels underground that are
detached from the activity above. However, there are some subway
systems that start to travel out from under the ground. Boston is a
great example of a subway system that runs both under the ground
and above the ground. These types of systems where the railway
starts to weave vertically in and out of the ground has tremendous
potential to become integrated and connected with the other layers
of movement above the ground level, rather than hidden away under
the ground.
In addition to subway systems, most cities have also started
to construct skywalks, as Sancia Wai-San Wan defines as “a network
of elevated interconnecting pedestrian walkways comprising
covered or uncovered bridges over streets, as well as above-grade
corridors within buildings and various activity hubs.”3
Hong Kong is a great example of a highly dense urban city
that has implemented skywalk systems in attempt to alleviate the
pedestrian congestion on the street level. In The Sustainable City
IV: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, J. Rotmeyer explains
how skywalks in Hong Kong are successful: “pedestrian density is
high enough in Hong Kong to support multiple layers of parallel
pedestrian movement directly associated with economic activities.”4
Skywalks have not only helped alleviate the density, but they also
help to bridge buildings together, allowing pedestrians to stay
elevated above the ground and separated from vehicular traffic,
without the need to ever step foot on the ground level. Kent
Robertson makes a valid point, in which he states that “by placing
pedestrians on a higher level than automobiles, skywalks permit
people to walk through much of the downtown without worrying
3 Wai-San Wan, Sancia. “The Role of the Skywalk System in the Development of Hong Kong’s Central Business District.” (California, 2007) 2.4 Rotmeyer, J. “Can elevated pedestrian walkways be sustainable?,” in The Sustainable City IV: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability, ed. U. Mander, C. A. Brebbia and E. Tiezzi (Great Britain: WIT Press, 2006), 293.
Hong Kong Mid-Level Escalators (Photo Credit: kellyansapansa)
8
Research Essay
9
Research Essay
about motor vehicles.”5 This idea of separating automobile and
pedestrian movement has been viewed by many as an effective
approach for safe and comfortable navigation within cities.
Although separating automobiles and pedestrians may
provide comfort and convenience, is this a viable strategy for cities
to implement? Should these layers of movement really be separated
from one another? One disadvantage that could occur seems to
be that this could result in reduced property value at the ground
level.6 However, skywalks have allowed for certain businesses to
thrive above the ground level, since they allow for many buildings
to become linked with one another. Therefore, is there a way to
implement an elevated walkway system without entirely killing the
street life? Is there a way to keep a steady balance of pedestrian flow
on the ground level and elevated system without entirely separating
automobile and pedestrian traffic? One would speculate whether
more connections between the two layers of movement would help
to assist this issue. Having more areas of accessibility between the
skywalk and street level would almost help to dilute this separation.
Hong Kong is not the only city that used the skywalk system
5 Robertson, Kent A. “Pedestrianization strategies for downtown planners: skywalks versus pedestrian malls.” Journal of the American Planning Association. 365.6 Woo, Patricia. “Skywalks in Hong Kong and their Consequences on Urban Communities.” Place Management & Branding (Feb 2012). <http://blog.inpolis.com/2012/07/02/guest-article-skywalks-in-hong-kong-and-their-consequences-on-urban-communities/>
to alleviate pedestrian density. Mumbai is another example of a city
that had to turn to the skywalks to save their pedestrian congestion
issues. Eric Bellman states in his article Packed Streets Have a City
of Walkers Looking Skyward for Answers that Mumbai plans to build
more than 50 skywalks that will “sprout from train stations across
the city and snake over the traffic for up to two miles to create a
pedestrian express lane.”7 Skywalks seem to be both an effective
and efficient way of addressing pedestrian congestion. They are
“quick to build, relatively inexpensive and only require land the city
already controls.”8
Although skywalks have proved successful in highly dense
cities such as Hong Kong and Mumbai, they have not been as
successful in American cities where the population is not nearly as
dense. In fact, the main purpose of the construction of skywalks in
American cities was not for density-related purposes, but rather to
“protect people from the frigid winters.”9 Minneapolis, in particular,
is an example of a city that has used pedestrian bridges to protect
people from the cold. This endless interiority of travel within the
skywalk system may provide both safety and comfort for pedestrians;
7 Bellman, Eric. “Packed Streets Have a City of Walkers Looking Skyward for Answers.” The Wall Street Journal. <http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703837004575013193075912272.html>8 Bellman, Eric. “Packed Streets Have a City of Walkers Looking Skyward for Answers.”9 Robertson, 363.
10
Research Essay
however, it is inevitably killing the pedestrian activity off the street,
leaving the “street level as forgotten territory,”10 which will result in
“the ‘dullification’ of downtowns.”11
In Steve Berg’s article from the MinnPost, he states that
Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak noted “while skywalks probably saved
downtown in the 1960s and 70s by offering a comfortable alternative
to suburban office parks, they don’t fit the formula for vibrant,
10 Rotmeyer, 297.11 Robertson, 362.
active cities that people now expect.”12 This posses the question
of whether elevated movement systems should be discouraged
for urban environments that may not have the density to sustain a
balance between elevated pedestrian movement and vibrant street
level activity. Elevated walkways encourage pedestrians to stay off
the street, as it provides convenience for transportation to and from
a specific destination without the need to constantly stop at traffic
lights or crosswalks.
It seems as though skywalks have become such a convenience
that pedestrians are not only using them during the winter to keep
inside from the cold temperatures, but studies have also shown that
they are using them throughout the entire year. According to Kent
Robertson, “even on a day with a pleasant 80-degree temperature,
71.5 percent of downtown pedestrians said they preferred using the
skywalk rather than the street-level sidewalk.”13
In other American cities, planners went as far as to take down
some of the pedestrian bridges in the downtown areas in attempt
recapture the thriving street life. In Patricia Woo’s article Skywalks
in Hong Kong and the Consequences on Urban Communities, Woo
states that “Cincinnati had 22 of its skywalk bridges around Fountain
12 Berg, Steve.“Videos Explore Life in Twin Cities’ Skyways,” MinnPost. <http://www.minnpost.com/cityscape/2011/04/videos-explore-life-twin-cities-skyways>13 Robertson, 363.
Skywalk in Mumbai (Photo Credit: Michael Rubenstein, Wall Street Journal)
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Research Essay
Square torn down.”14 This stresses the importance of being able
to find a balance with street level activity and elevated pedestrian
movement. Skywalk systems may be convenient in providing direct
circulation to certain parts of a city, but they should also provide
connections to the ground level so it is not entirely turning it’s back
on the street, which is happening in a lot of American cities who use
the skywalk system.
Interestingly, most citizens in Hong Kong seem to enjoy the
14 Woo, Patricia. “Skywalks in Hong Kong and their Consequences on Urban Communities.”
idea of the skywalks, according to a face-to-face survey conducted
by Patricia Woo. Aside from the obvious reasons of skywalks
providing efficient and convenient navigation through the city, most
see skywalks as highly beneficial in terms of health, as it seems to
influence an “increase in the amount of walking in daily life.”15 Also,
skywalks also help to decrease the use of automobiles within the
city, resulting in less traffic congestion on the streets.
It’s interesting to see how much skywalks are loved in certain
areas of the world, yet strongly disliked by others. As mentioned
earlier, a big reason as to why skywalks are successful in some
cities around the world is because they have a high enough density
that they are able to keep an even balance between pedestrians
circulating on both the elevated walkways and the ground level.
Many people in American cities strongly dislike this system because
the density in these cities are not nearly as high, and therefore, it
is killing the street life of the downtown areas since everyone is
staying inside the elevated system. One shouldn’t totally blame the
lack of density for the skywalk system’s lack of success in American
cities, since it may actually be the actual design and planning of
these systems that could be leading to their failures. Unlike Hong
Kong where there is much variation in what the skywalks can do, the
15 Woo, Patricia. “Skywalks in Hong Kong and their Consequences on Urban Communities”
Pedestrian Bridge in Minneapolis (Photo Credit: rgbstock.com)
12
Research Essay
skywalks in cities such as Minneapolis are just typically bridges that
link specific buildings to one another. They are also enclosed, which
further demonstrates this idea of being detachment from the city.
If the system could vary and become more than just bridges linking
buildings together, they wouldn’t cause the demise of the street life.
Perhaps there could be places where the system becomes more
open to the surrounding context rather than just entirely enclosed,
and perhaps there could be more connections made to the ground
level so the two layers could exchange and be more accessible to
one another.
Urban movement, whether it is vehicular or pedestrian, may
be the greatest determining factor for how an urban environment is
organized and planned out. Without efficient means of movement,
a city wouldn’t be able to succeed, both economically and socially.
Therefore, it’s crucial to understand how urban movement works,
and how a city should be configured in order to encourage the
most efficient forms of movement. In Natural movement: or,
configuration and attraction in urban pedestrian movement, Bill
Hiller stresses the importance of “spatial hierarchy” in urban grids,
and that “different kinds of configurational priority are assumed to
be associated with different degrees of functional importance.”16
16 Hillier, Bill. “Natural Movement: or, configuration and attraction in urban pedestrian movement.” Environment & Planning B. 30.
The main streets are typically the busiest streets, both in terms of
automobile and pedestrian traffic. Therefore, those streets should
be given the most space for smooth traffic flow, and should be easily
accessible from the lesser important streets.
In urban cities, the streets usually provide the life of the city.
Not only are they used for automobiles to drive and transport for one
place to another, or for pedestrians to walk along the sidewalks, but
they also contain much social activity, such as outdoor restaurant
seating areas, or shopping stalls. In Cities for People, Jan Gehl
stresses the importance of the quality of city space, as allowing
more space will provide more opportunities for cultural and social
interaction.17 Not only can sidewalks or spaces along the streets
provide pedestrian traffic, but they can also become the stage
for cultural activities and events. Therefore, planners should not
turn their back on the street level activity when planning elevated
pedestrian movement, since the streets provide the culture of the
city.
In Ronald Wiedenhoeft’s Cities for People: Practical
Measures for Improving Urban Environments, Wiedenhoeft explains
how the urban planning of cities have become more focused on
accommodating for automobile traffic rather than the actual people
who inhabit the city, going as far to say that “the degree to which
17 Gehl, Jan. Cities for People. Washington, D.C: Island Press, 2010. 22.
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Research Essay
our urban environments have been transformed to accommodate
automobiles is appalling.”18 It’s rather interesting that Wiedenhoeft
makes this claim, since Kent Robertson states in his article that
“the creation of attractively designed and well-used public spaces
is a common goal of most downtown plans.”19
However, Wiedenhoeft’s statement about the shift of focus
of urban planning to the automobile couldn’t be more apparent
in many urban cities. A major purpose for the implementation of
skywalks in most cities was to create the separation of pedestrians
from vehicular traffic. However, this idea suggests that automobiles
take precedence over the pedestrians. Since when do automobiles
have control over the ground level? As has been stated, the street
life and activity is what encourages cultural interactions and
represents the rich, urban experience of cities. The planning for
pedestrians should be just as, if not, more important than that of
automobiles, especially when taking into account the second tier of
movement.
Jan Gehl makes the argument that the way in which cities
and spaces are planned and designed will directly influence the
way humans engage and interact within those spaces of the city.
Gehl claims that “urban structures and planning influence human
18 Wiedenhoeft, Ronald. Cities for People: Practical Measures for Improving Urban Environments. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, 1981.19 Robertson, 363.
behavior and the ways in which cities operate.”20 Throughout Gehl’s
book, Gehl explains the importance of urban planning, and that the
“greater focus on the needs of people who use cities must be a key
goal for the future.”21
According to Gehl, “the seats with the best view of city life
are used far more frequently than those that do not offer a view
of other people..”22 This approach of creating more space along
sidewalks to encourage community interactions could also be
executed to the elevated movement. As opposed to only having
a pedestrian corridor strictly for movement, extending the space
along the sides of the skywalk could potentially bring the life of the
street to the upper tier. More space could offer the possibility of
outdoor seating and other forms of community activity. It seems as
though the skywalks in Hong Kong are designed with the purpose
of providing constant transience, with little or not room to stop and
engage with the surrounding context.
A major part of the urban experience is the street life,
as that is how most cities gain their cultural identity. New York
City is known for the many food vendors that are parked along the
sidewalks of major streets. Hong Kong is known for the numerous
street markets throughout the city, with many stalls outlining many of
20 Gehl, 9.21 Gehl, 6.22 Gehl, 25.
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Research Essay
the streets, as well as many outdoor food venues and cafes, displaying
this idea of constant cultural interaction wherever you walk.
In cities such as New York City and Paris, the idea of the elevated
park seems to be thriving. The High Line in New York City is an elevated
park created from an elevated abandoned railroad structure. In Ofri
Earon’s article Condensed Urban Landscape, Earon describes the
High Line as a “linear collage [that] allows landscape to cross through
urbanity. It cuts through buildings and introduces alternative types of
relationship between built and unbuilt, density and openness.”23 It’s
interesting to compare the High Line to existing skywalks used in cities.
Both programs are elevated planes of movement, yet one is designed
with the purpose of experiencing the city from a different perspective
other than ground level, while the other is designed specifically to
transport pedestrians from point A to point B. According to Earon,
the High Line “allows inhabitants and visitors to wander, to get lost, to
discover, and to be surprised.”24
Comparing the High Line to skywalks, especially Hong Kong,
is not necessarily like comparing apples and oranges. Yes, they are
both elevated planes of movement, but they also do very similar moves,
such as weave in and around buildings, through buildings, and offer
the experience of the city from a literally a different perspective. The
difference is; however, that the skywalks are designed specifically for
circulation, with the long, narrow pedestrian corridors suggesting
constant movement with little or no opportunity to stop and engage the
surrounding urban context.
This brings up a unique opportunity; perhaps incorporating
landscape into a skywalk and how that may influence the way pedestrians
use the skywalks. Could pedestrians be more inclined to engage and
23 Earon, Ofri. “Condensed landscape experience,” International Conference on Architectural Research, 2010. <http://www.aia.org/aiaucmp/groups/aia/documents/pdf/aiab087212.pdf>24 Earon, Ofri. “Condensed landscape experience.”
The High Line in New York (Photo Credit: Nando, Flickr)
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Research Essay
interact with the environment if landscape was incorporated into the
elevated pedestrian bridges?
In order to bring the street life on the ground level to the
elevated pedestrian walkways in attempt to enhance the urban
experience, one needs to first understand how streets are successful
in terms of promoting cultural interaction, which exemplifies the urban
experience. Numerous authors have mentioned different strategies,
and it’s important to take these ideas and be able to incorporate
them into the design of skywalks and other second level movement
systems. Just like on the ground level, sidewalks shouldn’t just be a
place for pedestrians to circulate within a city, but places where they
can have cultural interactions and opportunities to engage with their
surrounding context. Same idea should hold true for skywalks, as they
shouldn’t just be paths and bridges to move people just point A to point
B, but they should be much more than that.
Therefore, perhaps skywalks shouldn’t be viewed as only
elevated paths of movement, but rather elevated planes of cultural
and community activity. If skywalks and other tiers of pedestrian
movement are going to continue to be implemented in the future in
order to alleviate pedestrian congestion off the ground, then they
should be designed in a way to enhance the urban experience, and not
be spatially and experimentally disconnected from it.
Layers of urban movement should be carefully planned and
designed in dense urban environments in order to enhance the overall
experience of the city. Skywalks provide the unique opportunity to offer
different views of an area, and to create an entirely different perspective
of the city. This opportunity should be taken advantage of and rather
than just the skywalk becoming a means of circulation, it can become
a piece of architecture and become a part of the identity of a city, the
same way the subway system in New York and skywalks in Hong Kong
have started to become part of those cities’ identity. Program could
start to become implemented within these movement systems, where
people could start to stop and engage within the surrounding context
rather than just rushing to get to their desired destination.
16
Hypothesis
My thesis will focus on taking these layers of urban movement, such as the street, skywalks, and subway systems, and start to integrate
them with one another to order to enhance the experience of the city. These layers of movement already succeed in transporting people to and
from specific points within a city; however, they should be much more than just a means of circulation. These planes of movement should also
be planes in which one can visually, as well as experientially, connect with the surrounding context.
Skywalks provide convenience in terms of moving pedestrians to and from specific destinations within dense urban environments, as
well as alleviating pedestrian congestion on the ground level; however, they also provide the unique opportunity to offer views to various areas of
a city in which one could not get on the ground level. They can provide an entirely new perspective to the city, enhancing the overall experience.
Also, I find it extremely important to establish connections between all the layers of movement, as accessibility to and from these layers
is crucial to keep a healthy balance of density to each layer. Therefore, I would like to also be able to design these vertical connections between
each layer, down from the subway system all the way to the ground level, as well as the elevated movement system.
17
Collage Studies
This collage above represents the idea of an evolving city-scape,
and how the implementation of skywalk systems in cities could
change the way cities would look. For example, this collage shows
how the subway system might penetrate up through the ground
layer and how the skywalk system might penetrate down through
the ground layer to reach the subway system, in order to create a
more connected city.
18
Collage Studies
This particular collage on the right represents the idea of the
skywalk system being disconnected, both physically and socially,
from the street life below. Although skywalks provide efficient
circulation for pedestrians in a dense urban environment, they can
also create a spatial and experiential disconnection from the city.
This particular diagram on the right demonstrates the idea of
separating vehicular and pedestrian traffic. This sketch was taken
in Hong Kong, and shows an area where there are no sidewalks
on the ground for pedestrians to walk. Therefore, pedestrians are
forced to use the skywalk in order to walk through that area.
19
Existing Skywalk Analysis
This particular skywalk condition is located in Copley Square in Boston, Massachusetts,
and is an example of a skywalk used as a pedestrian bridge to transport pedestrians
from one building to another without having to go through the trouble of crossing the
the busy street and dealing with traffic. The bridge also provides a direct route to the
other building, since if one was walking on the ground level, they would have to cross two
streets in order to reach the other building.
Copley Square Pedestrian Bridge Site Model
20
Existing Skywalk Analysis
Hong Kong Central Market Site Model
This particular skywalk condition is located in Hong Kong, China. The site is located along
the abandoned Central Market building, which was actually the site that we designed in
for our studio project this past semester. This particular skywalk actually penetrates
through the abandoned building, and is virtually a tunnel which prevents pedestrians from
being able to access the rest of the building. This skywalk is constantly full of pedestrian
traffic, as the mid-level escalators are located on the other side of the building.
21
Existing Skywalk Analysis
Mid-Level Pedestrian Escalator Site Model
This particular skywalk condition is also located in Hong Kong, China. The site is not too
far from the abandoned Central Market building, which was the site I explored for the
previous skywalk condition. This is an example of a skywalk used to transport pedestrians
up a hill, as it contains an escalator system that runs throughout the day. This type of
system provides both convenience and comfort since otherwise pedestrians would have
to travel up the hill on their own.
22
Abstract Model Exploration
Explorative Study Model 1
This particular exploration dealt with the use of elevated movement, as well as
underground movement systems, which are demonstrated through the use of white
string and wooden dowels. The white string weaves freely around the vertical
members of the model, representing how raised movement could flow freely and
create a different experience of a dense urban area. The wooden dowels are shown
piercing through the base, demonstrating how underground movement systems
could perhaps start to become more integrated with the other systems above the
ground level.
23
Abstract Model Exploration
Explorative Study Model 2
This particular exploration dealt with not only the elevated and underground
movement systems, but also took into account the use of topography, and how that
might influence the way in which these movement systems could interact with the
setting they are situated in. Also, the ground level is shown to have a strict grid
system, representing the street pattern found in many dense urban environments
and how these systems, particular the elevated system, could break this strict
pattern and move freely about it.
24
Abstract Model Exploration
Explorative Study Model 3
This particular iteration demonstrates a more in depth exploration of the play with
topography, and how the topography could start to become elevated and actually
have a life of it’s own, weave and flowing in between these vertical members of the
environment. Also, the topography could start to become a part of the elevated
system, and actually create space underneath it, where the ground level almost
starts to become blurred by this integration between these movement systems and
the actual land.
25
Abstract Model Exploration
Explorative Study Model 4
This final iteration involved a jump in scale, and tried to combine all the ideas
which were implemented during the previous model explorations. The underground
system is shown carving through the model beneath the ground level, and is also
shown connected to the upper movement systems above the ground level. The
string is connecting to different areas of the model, but is also tied to wooden
dowels, which would represent this vertical connection between all the movement
layers in the model.
26
Program Exploration
The programmatic ideas that I had for my design had to do with this idea of bringing the street level activity to the other layers of movement
within the city. When creating an upper level movement system, it’s crucial to not leave the idea of the street behind as forgotten territory,
since it is where much of the cultural interaction takes place. Here are the four main types of program that I want to bring to the other
layers of urban movement:
Circulation:
The movement system should provide paths for efficient mobility to navigate to and from specific destinations within the dense urban environment.
Retail:
Shopping malls and other forms of retail outlets could encourage more people to use the upper level system while providing a similar experience
that one would get on the street, so it’s not strictly a system to move pedestrians, but a system to encourage interaction.
Park/Green Space:
Small areas scattered about elevated system that could take the idea of the park on the ground level and bring it to the upper level. This would
provide pedestrians relaxation while being able to engage with the context of the surrounding environment.
Food:
Cafes and small eating venues will also help to bring the street life experience to the upper level movement system, while providing outdoor
seating areas to encourage cultural interactions.
27
Program Exploration
28
Program Narrative
Subway Tunnel Access to Street
Arriving at a specific, yet unfamiliar destination, I step out of the
subway surrounded by crowds of people. Overwhelmed in this
tunnel deep under the ground and one step away from suffering
from claustrophobia, I search for an escape to the world above me.
I can hardly see where I’m walking, as crowds of people obstruct
the view in front of me.
However, I finally see an opening to the street level, an access to
life and opportunity. I step onto the escalator, patiently waiting my
arrival to the street. As the slope starts to level out, an abundance
of noise greets me at the gate as the city life is finally upon me.
29
Program Narrative
Street Level Elevated Walkway
The atmosphere is unreal, cars rushing by, buses honking their
horns, people swarming the sidewalks, and birds flying mysteriously
low overhead. As I walk, their is activity at literally every corner,
making it impossible for one to capture everything moment.
I then make my way to the upper level, in hopes of reaching my
destination at a more efficient pace. I reach the top, and experience
the city in a much different way than what I’m used to. I feel as
though I have no restrictions, and am able to see different parts of
the city that I was unable to see before. It’s the same place, yet a
new adventure.
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Site Investigation
Manhattan, New York Immediate Site - Flatiron District
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Site Investigation
This particular site is located in the lower part of Manhattan, New
York, and although there is no set boundary to this site, it revolves
around Madison Square park, which is located directly in the center.
This are of Manhattan contains a strict street pattern grid that
shapes the site into modular rectangular blocks. Cutting through
this strict grid pattern is Broadway, which slices through the blocks
and creates an area of high interaction along the intersection of
Broadway and 5th Avenue, adjacent to Madison Square Park. The
site seems to densely populated, as there are five subway stations
in the area and three subway lines running underground through
the site, allowing for the opportunity to create connections from the
subway to the ground level and to the possible skywalk intervention. Madison Square Park
Park Avenue
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Site Analysis
Street Pattern Green Space
The streets, with the exception of Broadway, create a strict grid pattern on the site, which organizes the site into modular rectangular blocks.
There is not much green space in the site, except for Madison Square Park, which is located directly in the center of the site and adjacent to where Broadway cuts through 5th Avenue.
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Site Analysis
Subway Stations and Tunnels Nodes of High Interaction
There are five subway stations and three tunnels which run through the site. All three tunnels are located directly underneath 6th Avenue, Broadway, and Park Avenue.
The subway stations and intersections of the busier streets of the site provide many places and opportunities for interaction, which are highlighted below.
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Design Probe
Section Cut through Site
Manhattan, New York
For this design probe, I decided to use the site I had chosen for one of my frames
and start to abstract it in a way where I could start to layer a new form of elevated
movement, while still connecting back down to the street level and the subway
tunnels below. I first cut out a section of the site to show the relationship of the
subway tunnels with the buildings on top, as well as the alignment of the street.
From there, I added a wooden piece of basswood to represent a type of elevated
movement system, and then highlighted the existing subway stations where these
could become nodes of interaction, where all three movement layers could start to
become connected with one another.
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Design Probe
Plan View of Model
Side View of Model
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Design Probe
Abstract Site Model
For my next model, I decided to pull back and look at the chosen site as a whole.
The variation in building heights is represented by the horizontally stacked pieces of
chipboard, and the stacked pieces of plexi-glass represents buildings that may become
a part of this elevated movement system. The free-flowing string demonstrates how
this elevated system could start to break the strict street pattern that occurs on the
ground level, and start to break restrictions and create a different experience of the site.
The subway tunnels are also shown in the model underneath the sheet of honeycomb,
which represents the ground level.
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Thesis Statement
The integration between a new elevated walkway system with existing
layers of urban movement allows one to become more physically and
experientially engaged within the surrounding context and performance
of a dense urban environment by blurring the boundaries of privacy
and exposing various examples of urban activity unable to be seem
from the street level.
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Conceptual Pathways Model
This model demonstrated how the skywalk system would be able to
break away from the strict rigidity and pattern of the streets and be
able to create shortcuts through the building blocks of the area in an
effort to create a new perspective of the area. Different layers of the
model represented different ideas such as program spaces, community
spaces, circulation, and so on.
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Conceptual Perspectives
Park Avenue
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Conceptual Perspectives
Fifth Avenue
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Conceptual Perspectives
West 22nd Street
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Program Overlays
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Program Overlays
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Progression through Movement Layers
These abstract models demonstrates the movement through
all the layers of the city. To be more specific, one gets off the subway to
a specific destination in a city, and then moves upward where he or she
reaches the street level. Then, from the street level, one could then
proceed to move onto the elevated system, where he or she is above
the city.
The models try and translate the types of experiences of
this movement. For example, the subway represents an enclosed
movement that is detachment from the city, since it is underground.
The street level represents a more free movement where pedestrians
can circulate in a number of different directions. Then the elevated
system represents a somewhat forced movement with exposure to the
surrounding context of the city.
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Walkway Scenarios
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Walkway Scenarios
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Walkway Scenarios
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Central Park
UpperEast Side
UpperWest Side
Midtown East
Midtown West
Chelsea
Gramercy
East Village
GreenwichVillage
LowerEast Side
LowerManhattan
Chinatown
Soho
LittleItalyTribeca
Districts1 Central Park2 Dewitt Clinton Park3 Robert Moses Playground4 St. Vartan’s Park5 Kips Bay Towers6 Bryant Park7 Chelsea Park8 Hudson River Greenway9 Madison Square Park10 Bellevue Park11 Gramercy12 Union Square Park13 Abingdon Square Park14 Stuyvesant Park15 Stuyvesant Cove Park16 Dog Park Washington Square17 Tompkins Square Park18 Hamilton Fish Park19 East River Park20 Corlears Hook Park21 Seward Park22 Sara D. Roosevelt Park23 Battery Park24 Robert F. Wagner Jr. Park
25 South Cove Park
26 City Hall Park
27 Columbus Park
28 Nelson A. Rockefeller Park
Green Spaces1
2
3
4
5
6
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9
10
11
12
13
1415
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
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1
2
3
4
5
1 28 St [F,M]
2 28 St [6]
3 23 St [F,M]
4 23 St [N,R]
5 23 St [6]
Legend
Subway Routes
Subway Stations
Subway Stations/Routes
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1
2
4
3
5
6
6 Friends Quarter Housing Development
5 General Worth Square
4 Manhattan Village Academy Courtyard
3 Manhattan Institute Courtyard
2 Madison Green Residential Plaza
1 Madison Square Park
Public Spaces
Legend
Green Space
Public Plazas
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1
2
3
4
5
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1 Marble Collegiate Church
2 The Church of the Transfiguration
3 Gallery Church
4 Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sava
5 Epiphany Church
6 Parish of Calvary/St. George’s
7 Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church
Churches
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1
2
4
7
6
5
3
8
9
9 Baruch College
8 School of the Future
7 Princely International University
6 American Institute of Graphic Arts
5 Manhattan Village Academy
4 Touro College Graduate School of Technology
3 Adelphi University Urban Center
2 The Manhattan Institute
1 New York College of Health Professions
Educational Facilities
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123
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
1415
1 Bella Napoli
2 The John Dory Oyster Bar
3 Waldy’s Wood Fired Pizza and Penne
4 Olympia Finest
5 New York Burger Co.
6 Benvenuto Cafe Restaurant
7 The Fifth Avenue Epicure
8 La Pizza Fresca Ristorante
9 Ciano
10 Schnipper’s Quality Kitchen
11 La Mar Cebuheria Peruana
12 Park Avenue Bistro
13 Wonderland
14 Chen’s Garden
15 California Kitchen Pizza
Restaurants/Cafes
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1
23
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
1 Ali Ahmad Wholesale Jewelry
2 David’s Bridal
3 Global Shoe Factory
4 Lee and Low Books
5 Avenson Office Furnishings
6 Burlington Coat Factory
7 Specialty Signs
8 Van Alen Books
9 The Home Depot
10 Fed Ex Print and Ship Center
11 Ann Taylor
12 Idlewild Books
13 Express
14 Walgreens
Retail
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Museum Pathways Map of Manhattan
Immediate Site
1 Link to the Promenade2 Family Court Unsettled3 Spring Street Dermatology4 New York Community Board 5 Eye and Ear Infirmary6 Stuyvesant: Apartment 3067 U.S. Post Office
8 Met Life Unwrapped9 Connection to Underground Movement
10 Flatiron Hotel: Corner Suite11 Fashion Institute of Technology
Pathway 1:
13 Hudson River Runway14 Metropolitan College of New York15 Levitation of Washington Square16 Preschool of America on Display
17 Intrusion into the Flatiron18 Ampitheatre: Reversal of Urban Performance
19 New York Life (Insurance) Disruption20 The Armenian Church21 Grand Central Interruption22 High School of Art and Design23 Bridging to Queensboro Bridge
Pathway 2:
Exploratory Museum Exhibits
2
1
3
4
5 6
7
8
10
11
9
12
13
14
15
16
17
1819
20
21
22
23
This map shows how the museum pathways run through this part
of Manhattan, and where the two pathways overlap one another
is where my immediate site is located where more of the detailed
design work took place, such as where the pathways intersected
specific buildings and how the system met the ground level and
subway system. The two pathways extend from already existing
pedestrian walkways in Manhattan. The first pathway (orange)
extends from the Brooklyn Bridge Promenade, and connects all the
way to the High Line. The second pathway (red) extends from the
Hudson River Greenway and connects to the pedestrian walkway
along the Queensboro Bridge. The map also shows on the bottom
right hand corner all the museum exhibits that are along each
pathway, and the ones that are highlighted are the exhibits that are
designed in more detail at a larger scale. The museum exhibits
will showcase the real life activity of Manhattan, exposing different
areas of privacy that people wouldn’t be able to witness while being
stuck on the ground level.
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Immediate Site Plan
This site plan shows how the
skywalk system is used designed
through this area of Manhattan,
also known as the Flatiron District.
Madison Square Park is located at
the center of the site plan, which is
where much of the connections to
the ground level is made with the
skywalk system. This site plan also
shows how the system penetrates
through specific buildings in the
site, and how it wraps around
specific building blocks.
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Intrusion into the Flatiron
The elevated walkway museum penetrates through the historic Flatiron
Building to reveal the activity that occurs on the interior. The building
has been a top tourist attraction for many years, yet most people do
not know how the building is functioned on the inside. The Flatiron is
currently home to publishing companies held by Verlagsgruppe Georg
von Holtzbrinck of Stuttgart, Germany. The walkway intrudes at an
angle, cutting through floor plates to reveal the variation of different
activity occurring at multiple levels.
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Ampitheatre: Reversal of Urban Performance
As a response to the current Madison Square Park as an intermediate
escape from the city,” the amphitheater will compliment this site
condition by allowing for the public to both access the elevated walkway
as it dips down to near ground level in the park, as well as utilize it to sit
and enjoy the surrounding views that Madison Square Park has to offer.
The walkway dips down to the park and widen out and contain pockets
of green space and vegetation to carry this park land element onto the
system. Also, the structural frames of the walkway will also extend out
over the amphitheater seating to structure a trellis system that will act
as a shading device and extend the canopies of the trees to create a
comforting sand relaxing space beneath.
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Connection to Underground Movement
The elevated walkway plummets through the ground layer, allowing
for direct connection to the existing subway station that is currently
underneath Broadway. This connection will help to strengthen the idea
of using this elevated movement system as a way to better connect
the city and fully engage in all of the different kinds of experiences the
site has to offer. Users of the subway will be able to access directly
onto the walkway without the need to reach the street level. Similar to
the flatiron scheme, the walkway ramps down at an angle and strikes
through the ground layer, which will allow people to witness the activity
of the train beneath the ground as well as the street level activity above
while progressing up or down the walkway.
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63
Met Life Unwrapped
An iconic building in New York City, the Metropolitan Life
North Building was designed by Harvey Wiley Corbett and was initially
designed to be a skyscraper. It is currently home to Metropolitan Life
Insurance offices. The walkway carves through the facade of the
building on the south end at an angle, allowing users of the walkway
to view into the open floor plan of the building, and getting a sense of
what the atmosphere is like in a corporate office of New York City.
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Conclusion
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After finally completing the thesis project, it was incredible to see the
development and process of the thesis throughout the semester. There
were plenty of struggles, but I felt that overall my thesis investigation
was successful. However, that doesn’t mean that there is no room
for improvement. In fact, much could have been improved to make
my final design stronger and more credible. For example, one of the
major criticisms was that I should have designed in much more detail
of how the skywalk could penetrate through buildings, and investigate
more of what how people, both users of the skywalk and the people
in the exhibits would act in such an environment, and perhaps be
able to demonstrate this in my renderings. Also, since I worked at a
number of different scales throughout the process, it would have been
beneficial to perhaps work at an even larger scale and detail certain
connections of the skywalk. For example, how it would be structured
to meet the ground, or how it would be structured to an already existing
building, and then how might the floor plan have to be rearranged
to accommodate for this skywalk, in order to make this thesis more
believable. If I could continue working on this, I would produce more
drawings and try present this in a way as if this system could actually
be built.
Bibliography
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Rotmeyer, J. “Can elevated pedestrian walkways be sustainable?,” in The Sustainable City IV: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability,
ed. U. Mander, C. A. Brebbia and E. Tiezzi (Great Britain: WIT Press, 2006), 293-302
In Rotmeyer’s article, “Can elevated pedestrian walkways be sustainable?,” in The Sustainable City IV: Urban Regeneration and Sustainability,
Rotmeyer addresses the issue of elevated pedestrian walkways, and how elevated walkways in Hong Kong are successful because they help to
“facilitate permeability” while “redistributing the density of the ground layer,” (Rotmeyer 293). Rotmeyer supports this idea by further explaining the
purpose of skywalks, as well as addressing its historical background, practicality, and impact on the quality of life. Rotmeyer compares the use of
skywalks in Hong Kong, an obviously dense urban setting, to American cities, where the population is not nearly as dense. For example, Rotmeyer
focuses in on Minneapolis, and explains that the skywalks there are not for the purpose of redistributing the density, but are actually used as a way to
keep pedestrians from being exposed to the “extreme cold climate” (Rotmeyer 293). On page 295, Rotmeyer states that “a multi-layered city can be
sustainable if each layer maintains itself within a balanced functioned network of movement and activity” (Rotmeyer 295). This particular statement
is crucial for my thesis development, as I would want to choose a site that has a layering of density. If I choose an area that is not so dense, the street
life may be killed, similar to what is currently taking place in downtown Minneapolis.
Lang, John. Urban Design: The American Experience. Canada: John Wiley & Sons Inc., 1994, 196-210.
In John Lang’s Urban Design: The American Experience, Lang explains the impact of pedestrian and vehicular movement in the shaping of urban cities
in America. Movement within cities may be the most important factor in organizing and planning the layout of a city, as it would be highly difficult
to navigate without any streets or pathways to direct traffic. It’s particularly interesting to think about how far the urban landscape has transformed
and evolved over time, as Lang explains the evolution of the shape of American cities throughout the reading, specifically, the evolution of pedestrian
movement within the city. Nowadays, we are beginning to see, what Lang calls “pedestrian assisters,” in which he defines as “moving sidewalks that
move more rapidly” (Lang 202). This idea of “pedestrian assisters” was apparent in my visit to Hong Kong, as there was an escalator system located in
a skywalk that transported us up a steep sloped hill. Lang states that “in most cities, the pedestrian movement system moves into the third dimension.
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The integration of horizontal and vertical paths has been particularly important in those cities with multi-layered pedestrian ways” (Lang 202). In
regards to my thesis topic, the idea of shifting from each layer of movement is an important aspect to think about.
Gehl, Jan. Cities for People. Washington, D.C: Island Press, 2010.
In Jan Gehl’s Cities for People, Gehl claims that “urban structures and planning influence human behavior and the ways in which cities operate” (Gehl
9). In other words, the way in which cities and spaces are planned and designed will directly influence the way humans engage and interact within
those spaces of the city. To help support this claim, Gehl conducted multiple studies of specific urban settings. For example, Gehl focused in on the
impact of bicycle traffic in Copenhagen, Denmark, stating that “Copenhagen has been reconstructing its street network” in an effort to “create better
and safer conditions for bicycle traffic” (Gehl 11). Gehl claims that these efforts demonstrated “a whole-hearted invitation” for pedestrians to ride
their bicycles as an alternative to automobiles (Gehl 11). This reading demonstrates the importance of urban design, as Gehl explains throughout the
book, design and planning of an urban setting directly influences human behavior and interaction.
Wiedenhoeft, Ronald. Cities for People: Practical Measures for Improving Urban Environments. New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold
Company, 1981.
In Ronald Wiedenhoeft’s Cities for People, Wiedenhoeft addresses how some cities have grown “monotonous, ugly, and dangerous,” and dives into the
techniques that have been successfully used to “transform cities into far more hospitable places” (Wiedenhoeft 5). Wiedenhoeft supports this through
analysis of difficulties and problems that have occurred in existing cities, and then going on to explain strategies that have deemed successful. For
example, Wiedenhoeft explains how cities have been more focused on accommodating automobile traffic, rather than the people. He states “the
degree to which our urban environments have been transformed to accommodate automobiles is appalling (Wiedenhoeft 14). The book is more of
an attempt to elaborate on the implementation of design techniques that should shift the focus from automobile traffic to a city for the people. An
example of a strategy that Wiedenhoeft offers would be the concept of a “network of attractive shopping streets created exclusively for pedestrians”
(Wiedenhoeft 79). It’s interesting to wonder if such techniques could be implemented within elevated pedestrian walkways, and not just on the street
level.
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