Resilience - University of Miami School of Architecture

A resilient ecosystem needs to have stable populaons of the core group
of species and stable funcon in terms of ability to propagate itself. For this to
happen, it must have a stable physical structure. This is the definion of habitat:
a physical structure which allows for the successful propagaon of a community.
In developing the idea of a resilient campus supporng connuing
high-level study of the marine environment, a program can be defined which
enumerates the variety and proporon of various funcons. However, in the
same way that neither a plant nursery nor a pet shop is an ecosystem, a collecon
of specified spaces does not inherently make an academic community.
The queson becomes, what constutes resilient habitat for the RSMAS community?
The following paragraphs examine the dialecc between formalism
and funconalism as generators of architectural and urban paern. Rather
than viewing them as mutually exclusive approaches, I would argue that they
are inherently complementary.
The two pairs of text above illustrate two separate but overlapping debates
on the nature of contemporary architecture and urban design. At the urban
design scale, Landscape Urbanism is challenging the formalist basis of New
Urbanism in favor of a fluid reading of urban space which emphasizes interconnecvity
of infrastructure and ecological systems overlaid with site specific
narrave reference. The first reference is an excerpt from Charles Waldheim’s
introducon the Landscape Urbanism Reader, a collecon of essays which
suggest a framework for meaningful urbanism in the post-industrial city. The
emphasis is on reappropriaon of the horizontal plane, replacing the insustrialized
asphalted ground plane with contemporary gardens which provide ecological
funcon in addion to providing space for social interacon. Andres
Duany has explicitly cricized this movement for its inability to address ques-
ons of architectural density, spaal hierarchy, and funconal efficiency which
constute important elements of New Urbanist theory. That he sees it as a
threat to the supremacy of New Urbanism is an indicaon of the resonance of
the Landscape Urbanist approach in contemporary culture, as well as the con-
nuing percepon that urban design theories are mutually exclusive. I would
argue that both theories provide valuable tools for analyzing and designing the
contemporary city, and are in fact quite complementary.
high line park
An example of the successful integraon of ideals from both camps can be
found in the redevelopment of New York’s High Line. A mile long ribbon of
green floang over Manhaan’s Lower West Side, the High Line opened to the
public in June 2009. The High Line is the glamorous cousin of the “rails to trails”
projects which have gradually been transforming disused rail corridors into
linear public open spaces. Combining an innovave design, high quality materials,
and meculous quality of construcon, the inial secon of the High Line
Park has become a showpiece of contemporary urban public space. However,
1. High Line Park. author photo
underneath the showy visuals lies a thoughul strategy for the transion of an
underulized industrial quarter into a vibrant mixed-use urban neighborhood
with the park at its heart. While the spectacular Manhaan locaon is unique,
the project represents a scalable and replicable approach for catalyzing redevelopment
of centrally located industrial districts.
Running from West 34th Street south to Gansevoort Street, a block east of
the Hudson River, the High Line was constructed in 1934. The 1.5 mile rail line
was elevated 30 feet to separate industrial rail acvity from surface streets.
The line was placed mid-block north to south in order to avoid the blight associated
with elevated subways (Friends of the High Line, 2010). The railroads
owned an elevated easement, but the land underneath and air rights connued
to be aached to adjacent lots. This created a unique urban paern which
has impacted contemporary opons for redevelopment.
By the 1980’s the line was unused and owners of adjacent properes formed
Chelsea Property Owners, Inc. promong demolion in order to facilitate redevelopment
of their land. However, rail preservaon advocates fought the
demolion, and in 1999 neighborhood residents Joshua David and Robert
Hammond founded the non-profit Friends of the High Line, seeking redevelopment
of the structure as a unique public open space. Despite the concern of
adjacent owners, polical support for a public adapve re-use and the lack of
open space in that poron of the city led to a commitment from the City and
the State to preserve the line. (Design Trust, 7)
9.
Case Studies
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