with Parsons The New School for Design, School of Design Strategies
Urban Core Project, Instructor, SRDJAN JOVANOVIC WEISS
The focus of this course is to research, analyze, conceptualize and produce a singular, physical, urban scale model for the alternative vision of SPURA, Lower East Side of New York.
SPURA urban development is the most contested ground for New York City’s direct engagement in the design of the future of one of the longest negotiations between government, investors and community. An agreement was reached in the Spring of 2012 when the community board agreed to 40% / 60% proportion between what is considered affordable housing for sale in New York and commercial housing. The City of New York issued the Request for Proposals for the master plan of SPURA, which concluded in September.
This course developed alternative models for urban design SPURA, based on, but not limited to:
1- the conceptual model of analysis developed by the School of Missing Studies, looking for knowledge in cities marked or undergoing abrupt change.
2-research from the recent artistic project by Rotterdam-based artists Bik van der Pol on SPURA.
3- the archeological of below ground, legality and hidden material anomalies below the surface of the parking lots at SPURA, looking for underground anomalies. This model is used by the Forensic Architecture projects from Goldsmiths college in London.
4- experience from spatial practices such as NAO, large scale propositions which are meant to be both conceptual and design driven. To learn more, please visit http://www.thenao.net/NAO-Nursery-Belgrade-01.htm and http://www.thenao.net/NAO-phila-01.htm
As a partner of Parsons, AAI exhibited the SPURA models created during this course in the exhibition Elastic Ground at Cuchifritos Gallery + Project Space located at the Essex Market on Essex Street, on one of the SPURA sites.
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Parsons The New School for Design, School of Design Strategies
http://www.newschool.edu/parsons/urban-design-culture-place
Srdjan Jovanovic Weiss is the founding principal of NAO and former architect and urban researcher for Herzog & de Meuron Architects in Basel, Switzerland. More at: www. thenao.net
IMAGE:
Photo credit: Bik van der Pol