McElderry Neighborhood, Baltimore, MD Project Description Using ...
McElderry Neighborhood, Baltimore, MD Project Description Using strategies for increasing density and diversity, investigate design possibilities for the generation of economically viable, environmentally sustainable, and socially vibrant urban communities. Design Achivements Created a cohesive community that contains abundant green areas, promotes walkability, and defines the neighborhood boundaries. Focused on having a light, surgical touch to the redevelopment, in response to the total razing and new construction occurring directly west of the site. Undergraduate Submission - Studio Project
street grid
zoning
The McElderry neighborhood (defined for this project as the nine blocks bordered by McElderry St, N Patterson Park Ave, Ashland Ave, and N Luzerne Ave) in East Baltimore suffers from the influence of a high crime area to the southeast and an extremely high vacancy rate; in the nine blocks studied, there are 115 vacancies. The neighborhood lacks green spaces, pedestrian-friendly spaces (especially on Monument Street), and a general sense of cohesiveness.
crime heat map
low crime area attracted, high crime area repelled
SITE
The proposed redevelopment takes advantage of the positive forces found on the site: a low crime area to the northwest, the purely residential blocks on the northern third of site, and—ironically—the high number of vacancies.
N
The precedent and inspiration for this redevelopment is the High Line, located in the Meatpacking district on the west side of Manhattan. Elevated train tracks that were abandoned in the 1980’s and slated for demolition were, through the efforts of local activists, instead transformed into an elevated, linear park that winds through the dense urban fabric of New York.
THE HIGH LINE NEW YORK
diagrams courtesy of Friends of the High Line
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For the McElderry redevelopment, rows and rows of vacant buildings replace the High Line’s railroad tracks as the urban eyesore that a city wants to tear down, but which instead are repurposed into urban green spaces.
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The roofs of continuous groups of vacant properties are converted into rooftop parks, while the spaces below are converted for community use: early childhood education centers, public meeting places, and after-school recreation centers. The parks are connected by a vegetated, elevated pathway that winds around the periphery of the neighborhood. Of the 115 vacant properties, 33 are utilized by this new High Line, with 28 being converted into rooftop parks and just 5 being demolished to make space for ground level vertical access.
Buildings on the south end of the site, where the structure density is lowest and there are many open areas, are removed to make room for new development. The upper third of the site, with its complete blocks of rowhouses, are preserved.
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An elderly living center (located near both the commercial strip and the central park), student housing, and starter apartments are added. Full-size single family apartments are added above the shops on Monument St. Every other party wall is removed from the rowhouses on the upper third to create double-size single family homes. s ing
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With minimal changes to the existing urban fabric, a significant amount of green space is added to the neighborhood: on the elevated walkway, on the rooftops of the vacant clusters, on the rooftops of the added buildings (many of these spaces are also accessible by the walkway), and on ground level. This is a huge improvemnt from the almost nonexistant green areas on the site before intervention.
HOUSING BREAKDOWN
s
du
lan
g
ssin
a em
double single family
community
full single family
religious
student
commercial
starter
garage
elderly
green space
Monument St is reduced from two lanes (one way) to one, and the parking lanes on either end are removed, making available three lanes of space previously occupied by the car. A linear park, a ground level mimic of the walkway above, was added to the newly freed space. This calms the traffic on this busy commercial strip, increases walkability, and adds green space where there was none.
section a
section c
section b site plan
N 50 100
200
400
4
8
16
32
elevated walkway, widthwise section
elevated walkway, lengthwise section 1
2
4
view looking west down Monument St
rooftop park on northwest corner of site
site model, persp
ective from south
site model, plan view
west corner
aerial view of site, with the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins in midground, and downtown Baltimore in background
street grid
zoning
The McElderry neighborhood (defined for this project as the nine blocks bordered by McElderry St, N Patterson Park Ave, Ashland Ave, and N Luzerne Ave) in East Baltimore suffers from the influence of a high crime area to the southeast and an extremely high vacancy rate; in the nine blocks studied, there are 115 vacancies. The neighborhood lacks green spaces, pedestrian-friendly spaces (especially on Monument Street), and a general sense of cohesiveness.
crime heat map
low crime area attracted, high crime area repelled
SITE
The proposed redevelopment takes advantage of the positive forces found on the site: a low crime area to the northwest, the purely residential blocks on the northern third of site, and—ironically—the high number of vacancies.
N
The precedent and inspiration for this redevelopment is the High Line, located in the Meatpacking district on the west side of Manhattan. Elevated train tracks that were abandoned in the 1980’s and slated for demolition were, through the efforts of local activists, instead transformed into an elevated, linear park that winds through the dense urban fabric of New York.
THE HIGH LINE NEW YORK
diagrams courtesy of Friends of the High Line
od
rho
ry
der
und
ro eg
of
El Mc
bo igh
ne
ur
fig
ed)
nt c
va
ts can
nk)
(pi
a vac and
(r ers lust
For the McElderry redevelopment, rows and rows of vacant buildings replace the High Line’s railroad tracks as the urban eyesore that a city wants to tear down, but which instead are repurposed into urban green spaces.
nw
ree
rks
pa
op oft
g and
ro
a
ed
dd
ya
a lkw
The roofs of continuous groups of vacant properties are converted into rooftop parks, while the spaces below are converted for community use: early childhood education centers, public meeting places, and after-school recreation centers. The parks are connected by a vegetated, elevated pathway that winds around the periphery of the neighborhood. Of the 115 vacant properties, 33 are utilized by this new High Line, with 28 being converted into rooftop parks and just 5 being demolished to make space for ground level vertical access.
Buildings on the south end of the site, where the structure density is lowest and there are many open areas, are removed to make room for new development. The upper third of the site, with its complete blocks of rowhouses, are preserved.
d ove
g
ldin
bui
m s re
An elderly living center (located near both the commercial strip and the central park), student housing, and starter apartments are added. Full-size single family apartments are added above the shops on Monument St. Every other party wall is removed from the rowhouses on the upper third to create double-size single family homes. s ing
ld
bui
ad
ded
rk)
da
nd
t),
g
n ree
ce
spa
lkw
o
a nw
ay
h (lig
ro
to
mid
p(
o oft
,a ne)
gro
( und
With minimal changes to the existing urban fabric, a significant amount of green space is added to the neighborhood: on the elevated walkway, on the rooftops of the vacant clusters, on the rooftops of the added buildings (many of these spaces are also accessible by the walkway), and on ground level. This is a huge improvemnt from the almost nonexistant green areas on the site before intervention.
HOUSING BREAKDOWN
s
du
lan
g
ssin
a em
double single family
community
full single family
religious
student
commercial
starter
garage
elderly
green space
Monument St is reduced from two lanes (one way) to one, and the parking lanes on either end are removed, making available three lanes of space previously occupied by the car. A linear park, a ground level mimic of the walkway above, was added to the newly freed space. This calms the traffic on this busy commercial strip, increases walkability, and adds green space where there was none.
section a
section c
section b site plan
N 50 100
200
400
4
8
16
32
elevated walkway, widthwise section
elevated walkway, lengthwise section 1
2
4
view looking west down Monument St
rooftop park on northwest corner of site
site model, persp
ective from south
site model, plan view
west corner
aerial view of site, with the Science + Technology Park at Johns Hopkins in midground, and downtown Baltimore in background
