Forest Park, Reimagined

What will a sustainable society look like? What patterns will reshape our built environment? This proposed transformation of Forest Park, a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio, was the design component of my 2008 Masters of Architecture thesis, A Sustainable Pattern Language. You can find the research component here.

Sustainability as a Socio-Cultural Problem

Sustainable design as presently practiced focuses on technical solutions, ignoring the socio-cultural dimensions of sustainability. A truly sustainable society will require substantial change to our economic structure and social order. This thesis attempts to understand the architectural implications of these deeper, harder changes by developing and applying social-spatial patterns. The outcomes are (1) a menu of patterns, or a “pattern language,” (2) a design methodology for pattern development and application, and (3) design explorations in two contexts.

What is Sustainability?

Sustainability refers to the ability of a system to maintain viability over the long term. Human society and the natural environment form a complex system that is dynamic and ever-changing. Structural characteristics such as resilience, diversity, and capacity for self-organization tend to contribute positively to adaptive change, crisis avoidance, and long-term viability. These characteristics also have significant social and economic implications, which are discussed in greater detail in the thesis document.

Why Patterns?

The intent of this thesis is to navigate between the general principles of a sustainable society on one hand and the specific design of the build environment on the other. Christopher Alexander’s A Pattern Language provides a framework for completing this task. Among their many strengths, patterns (1) have both social and spatial dimensions; (2) are multi-scalar, and can be at the scale or a region or a building detail; (3) are mutable rather than prescriptive, and can be adapted to many contexts; and (4) are amenable to participation, an important processual characteristic.

Design Explorations

Patterns were tested and refined via design explorations in two contexts: a 1970s-era suburban development (Forest Park, Ohio, featured here), and a small rural town (Darrtown, Ohio). In these examples, patterns were applied in several steps. First, a strategy or set of strategies was developed in response to the particular conditions and trends shaping the locale. Second, appropriate patterns were selected in service of these strategies. Third, these patterns were interrogated and refined through design. The combination and recombination of patterns revealed new opportunities and led to the creation of larger meta-patterns. Novel patterns emerged through design. Smaller-scale patterns were embedded within, and helped to flesh out, larger ones.

Transforming Forest Park

Some highlights of the proposal include:

• Local centers (primarily serving neighborhood residents) are established along existing main corridors: mixed-use districts with 4-5 story buidlings and local amenities.

• Regional centers (attracting patrons from a wider radius) are established in areas with easier vehicular access, intersecting local centers to help bloster the local businesses. These are designed are boulevards, with primary parking off the street.

• Areas within walking distance of these centers are re-densified through infill housing, including townhouse and co-housing typologies.

• Areas of regional ecological significance (i.e. that can serve as part of a habitat corridor or watershed) are re-natured.