The Providence River Pedestrian Bridge is a unique urban proposal in that the basis of its proposition is an exchange of transit medium. The relocation of a substantial, vehicular only conduit in favor of a pedestrian oriented connector will completely transform the spatial character of the Jewelry District/Old Harbor. Given this significant urban transformation, the project should envision a potential much larger than a pure connector. The proposed Providence River Pedestrian Bridge can become a spatial mediator between urban and ecological spaces and function as an integrated series of programs into the waterfront public spaces, allowing east and west to become a singular meandering public space. With this perspective, the proposal is better understood less as a bridge and more as an urban intervention. Additionally, the re-invigorated entrepreneurial spirit of Providence is poised to weather the global economic downturn with a future vision for the emerging Knowledge District and potential new biomedical corridor. The face of this future is one of innovation, intellectual fervor and progressive thinking. A project of this magnitude needs to reach out to this “creative class” and “knowledge economy.”
A significant community in Southwest Detroit, Mexicantown, has a unique locational strength and history, having attracted immigrant Mexican families to the area since the early 1920’s. The community is adjacent to the Ambassador Bridge which connects the U.S. to Canada and is the largest border crossing in North America. The heart of Mexicantown, along Bagley Avenue, is defined by a restaurant district, retail, a youth center and a variety of cultural enterprises. Additional landmarks present in the area include Ste. Anne de Detroit Church; the Michigan Central Station; and the city of Detroit skyline.
The studio was commissioned to design a pedestrian bridge to span an inlet of the Grand Union Canal at Paddington Basin, London, and provide an access route for workers and residents. Crucially, the bridge needed to open to allow access for the boat moored in the inlet.
The idea to construct the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities as “a new Landmark to reflect Hong Kong as a vibrant global and metropolitan city” is an inspiring endeavor. However some of the key elements in the design turn out to be a fixed precondition: the shape of the landmass and more importantly the infrastructure itself are not part of the design task… a missed opportunity!
Can architecture salvage the broken link of a city that has been fractured and is forever growing apart? Can it make it regain its lost glamour and reposition it on the world map where it once stood as focal point but has been fading ever since?
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