Metro-Tech: Urban Structure

       Our walk around Jay Street, Metro-Tech was very informative and enlightening. We spend so much time in school but never take the time to explore our surroundings. As it turns out, this area is extremely rich in history and has been a bustling neighborhood as long as it has existed; however its many changes throughout the decades have molded it into a whole new form. Looking at a 1924 map, attempting to walk the streets as they would’ve been used almost 100 years ago, has given us great perspective and shown us that how you plan, design and execute buildings and construction, will define what the area becomes and how it will be utilized.

       Metro-Tech’s layout has multiple buildings facing one public square, on one side is Jay Street and on the opposite side, Flatbush Ave. Extension. This allowed for all the backs of the buildings to be designated as loading and delivery entrances along one service road, Gold Street. This strategic layout created physical boundaries enclosing Metro-Tech from the surrounding established neighborhoods and their respective reputations, in order to attract the “right” companies to headquarter here. Observing it as it is today, we can easily identify things that might not be working as well as they could’ve in Metro-Tech, for the flow of foot traffic as well as best use of space in general.