[building communities]

In response to Jeanne Gang’s (Studio Gang) TEDx Lecture

Social Justice in Communities

While responding to the community is typically the go-to design measure in most prompts, there is an increasing need to build spaces that are socially responsible. Similar to how Gang’s practice approach the Social Justice Center in Kalamazoo University, building with a social responsibility in mind can lead to an improve space programming and guaranteed implementation. This process of universal inclusivity is very new to the profession of architecture; racial discrimination had been largely predominant up to the 1960’s, ADA was ratified and implemented in the 1990’s, and LGBTQI provisions are finally being considered as part of the equal rights movement. To include everybody, of any race, of any gender, of any socio-economic background is undoubtedly the backbone of a strong, united community. It is up to our profession to provide these communities with spaces that will foster and nurture these relationships beyond the lines of a political bill.

Vertical Infrastructure

The idea of building tall is truly frightening to most if not all suburban Americans. Gang’s catchphrase “fear no height” truly resonates with the constant cry for compacting the urban footprint in cities. Maintaining a low-density community was a staple endeavor for developers and the post-WWII government, and the consequences now are seen in wide and congested highways with suburbs way beyond 30 miles away from the major job centers.

Building a sustainable vertical infrastructure is no easy feat either. Cities in Eastern Asia have been building vertical for decades out of necessity and many times not meeting the essential community guidelines for a vibrant and reliable future. However, if one fact is clear – building tall dramatically reduces carbon emissions, reduces commuting time if not a commute altogether and creates long lasting relationships between neighboring residents. These and much more are why in most cases, some degree of vertical infrastructure is necessary for rebuilding communities in America.

Green Infrastructure

In this day and age, our society is increasingly more concerned with the carbon footprint that our industrialization has left behind. At the scale of a building material or at the derelict facility, Gang’s practice takes active design measures to ensure the conservation and protection of the natural habitat. Like Gang’s practice, it is imperative that firms across the States look at green infrastructure as the only kind of infrastructure. Policies and regulations today tend to offer firms an option of “trading off” certain design decisions for greener ones when convenient. “Green” design measures are not limitations, but a set of challenges that present us the opportunity to deliver the best product – for the environment and for the public.

Communities are under direct influence of the infrastructure around them. For example, the Buffalo Bayou in Houston has always been used to carry storm water to the bay. Until very recently, the water had been so contaminated to the point of being deadly toxic for any kind of life. Through the green design of a new kind of infrastructure – where the bayou doubled as a park space and natural habitat for flora and fauna, the communities on each side of the banks have flourished ever since. Better flood control, recreational spaces, bike and kayak trails and even commuting routes (B-cycle Stations) have proven that infrastructure, when designed green, can dramatically improve the quality of life for many, if not all city residents.

Community Infrastructure

In many urban centers in America, there is a notable correlation between race, economy, and architecture; where notable architecture seems to be “missing” from communities that are the furthest away from downtown. Gang’s practice sets a goal to not only work on tall building projects but also work on community buildings in these “architecture deserts”. With tight budgets, donated materials and an active group of residents, it was possible to create a hub for interaction and appreciation for public spaces.

For cities like Houston which are sprawling faster and further away, Gang’s objective to “fill the desert” can seem daunting. But the idea is not to fill every corner with notable architecture, but to bridge the socio-economic gaps between major community clusters across the city. Demographics is a strong and very physical metric and quite honestly, architecture’s strongest argument for building any type of building anywhere. Providing the smallest footprint or the tallest glass tower may just meet the exact needs of that particular context. To build a community is to physically provide spaces for it, not just allowing suburban sprawl to run rampant.

Creating compelling infrastructure

An overarching theme of the lecture was that each project had to become compelling both for the client and the public. Creating an urban infrastructure that not only appealed aesthetically but to also carry a strong meaning for the community is essential to Gang’s practice. This effort to design beyond power, roads, and bridges is the firm’s way of preparing for the future of American cities.

While it may not be a firm’s goal to always create visually compelling architecture, there should be a standard of care towards the quality of the spaces that are provided to the interior of any public enclosure. The phrase “build and they will come” applies not only to roads and tollways but also to civic infrastructure that is thoughtfully placed for a particular set of communities. Houston rebuilt the Buffalo Bayou in sections, to test the concept. Now the city has approved funds for the design and reconstruction of the entire length of the bayou, as well as re-appropriating the same “formula” to other bayous and storm water retention facilities across Houston. While it may take 30 years to come to a realization, but the overall presence will compel the residents forever.