Assignment A: Analyzing Neighborhoods

DUE: Sept 9, 2013

Requirements:

• identify your neighborhood
• analyze and diagram the nature of your neighborhood through hand drawn or digital drawings:

• • Definition:
    • where are the boundaries of your neighborhood?
    • is there a clear center?
    • what are the key streets?
  • Geography:
    • Are there any key natural features?
    • What is the topography of the site?
  • Housing:
    • What are the types of housing?
    • Where is the population density highest/lowest?
  • Identity:
    • Is there a clear community identity[s]?
    • What are the relations like across the neighborhood?
  • Building + Land Uses:
    • residential
    • mixed use
    • commercial
    • recreation
    • civic
    • religious
    • transit infrastructure
    • open space:
      • hard: plazas, squares
      • soft: parks, landscape spaces

• Horizontal Form Analysis:
  • What does the street grid tell you about the neighborhood?
    • Does the grid reveal boundaries, centers, edges, connectivity?
  • Develop the following diagrams:
    • Figure Ground
    • Hierarchy
      • Buildings
      • Streets
    • Connections/Connectivity

• Zoom Out – Relationship to Larger City:
  • Adjacent neighborhoods
  • Citywide connections/connectivity
  • Transportation Systems:
    • Roads (Vehicular)
    • Public Transit (Trains, Subway, Buses)
    • Pedestrian
    • Bicycle