Identities of Self and Place in Sunset Park: The Unmaking of the Gowanus Expressway

Abstract

This project explores the intersecting qualities of place, time, and identity through the work of a graduate design studio at Rice School of Architecture. "Identities of Self and Place in Sunset Park: The Unmaking of the Gowanus Expressway," challenges students to activate a residual urban space through a broad reading of its surrounding cultural, physical, and programmatic site conditions. The project site, located beneath the Gowanus Expressway in Brooklyn's Sunset Park, is a typical example of how transportation infrastructure of the past bifurcated communities and sent neighborhoods into decline. Architecture designed through the lens of Place, Time, and People can produce responsive spaces that address historical injustices while allowing for multiple readings and experiences.