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A Model Action Project

This is an action project for my core class Urban Planning. This is the final action project of the year, and it was all about redesigning a certain area of your choice. We learned about areas and how they affect the neighborhoods they are in. I learned about architects and how they work/what they do. We had FE guest visits from Charles Hickox and Maya from Chicago Mobile Makers. Charles Hickox is an architect that shared his knowledge of certain topics we have been studying like what makes an area interesting or boring. Maya and Chicago Mobile Makers are a group that designs and reforms certain areas through making models. They were able to come meet us and help us redesign our own areas and turn our designs into models. We also learned about calculating area and how to measure distance on a gridded area. For this action project I have been tasked with finding and redesigning an area of my choice. I chose an abandoned gas station that I am going to turn into a dog park. Below shows the different steps that I took in changing this gas station. The first image is a bird's eye view image of what the space looks like now with positives and negatives about the area. 

CJH/Positive and Negative Visual/2021

This project was only slightly difficult because of the area and how I would change it into something necessary for the area to "thrive." The area I chose is a section of the neighborhood that is busy and there aren't any dog parks near it so I figured adding this would ignite change for the better. I also couldn't think of any way for my project to thrive until I interviewed someone who lives in this same neighborhood. This person said "If there is one thing this neighborhood needs, it's something with animals. Animals are everywhere so we need them to help us thrive."

Below is a bird's eye view after image of the space I am redesigning. I am planning on replacing the concrete with grass.

CJH/Final Visual/2021

I also took my design and turned it into a digital 3D model to give a better view on how it would look. The improvements I have added include, a garden in the front to add color to the space, grass to liven up the space and help animals thrive in the park, Feeding/Watering stations to help stray dogs or dogs that can't get enough food, a small dog area to separate big dogs and little dogs because some people don't want their dog to be hurt my one that is bigger, and a poop and pee area to let animals have a larger play area.


While on Google Maps, I found the length of each wall of the rectangular space and found the area of it along with finding the volume of the two buildings in my space. 
Wall 1: 125.70 ft
Wall 2: 90.13 ft
Wall 3: 125.70 ft
Wall 4: 90.13 ft

Total Area: 11329.34

Building 1: 
Length = 30.04 ft
Width = 30.04 ft
Height = 20.02 ft
Volume = 18066.08

Building 2:
Length: 25ft
Width: 14ft
Height: 17ft
Volume: 5950

This project reaches two main points of SDG11. It is an inclusive environment meant to let the area thrive, and a safe space for dogs to run wild and have a new area to explore/play in.

This was a very fun project in my opinion because I was able to take a space I am familiar with and change it into anything I would like. This allows me to expand my future ideas for urban planning. I had some difficulty creating my model but I was able to take examples and tips from Chicago Mobile Makers. If I could change anything I would take more time into my model and create a better physical copy.

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