During the post-WWII era, the surge in the housing market often resulted in “faceless” suburban communities that sprang up to relieve the immediate need for housing. The cities maintained their cultural identity and rather than the suburbs infusing their new communities with commercial or cultural entities, the suburbs constantly relied on the city’s proximity for such things. As this old model is highly unsustainable and car dependent, Christoph Vogl from Cheungvogl has studied Long Island’s suburbs, in particular Hempstead, that did not grow as independent communities. He has outlined a master plan of what can be done to give Long Island the social, cultural and economic context it needs.
“Very much representing these observations, the so-thought town centres of Long Island’s communities, placed around the major traffic intersections are not occupied by cultural, commercial and social institutions, as expected from the ratio of communal identity and urban context, but by parking lots. Not some, but hectares of paring lots. Not complaining about the non-existence of urban context and real community, these vacant areas around Long Island’s “Cross roads” offer the unique chance for master planning based reconsideration of the meaning of community,” added Vogl.
Check out the steps of the master plan after the break.
Cities are desirable: Increasing population density and cultural diversity in Long Island, creating walk able city centres will provide more ‘life’ and opportunities for people. Filling high potential sites with 100% Content, turning ghost towns into places with strong identity, diversity and permeable connectivity.
Site: Hempstead, New York A thin slice of 85% vacant sites will offer tremendous potentials to restructure community life in a bold way. A plot of 1085m x 140m between Main Street and Franklin Street in Hempstead city centre is identified as a testing laboratory for project: 100% Content.
1. Hempstead Lab will turn vacant sites as a place achieved by a habitable vertical abstraction that considers spatial identity, cultural diversity, and physical connectivity.
2. Reopening vacant sites into opportunities for all, providing a quality live / work / play environment, extending time within the city will bring ‘life’ back into city centres in Long Island.
3. Multi-functional living / working / playing ”rooms”, are mixed, alternated, edited and interchanged as required to allow for flexible expansion or growth. The centre aims to provide ”100% Contentment”, and subsequently it will lead to ”100% happiness” for its inhabitants.
