One of the greatest opportunities of the AAP NYC studio is experiencing NYC as a classroom. We have touched upon the history of NYC, its origins as New Amsterdam established on the tip of Manhattan where the Dutch grid following topographic contours provides the framework for the Financial District. The seaport, Hudson, Erie Canal and Great Lakes drove early growth here. The difficulty behind coordinating the subway as it originally the rails were run by competing companies. In the urban design studio discussed the significance of encroachment, of fill and the extreme risk this posits NYC at with the continuation of climate change.
We attended a talk at BurroHappold Engineering to hear about projects that revitalize stranded assets. The High Line is one such example of this. The information allowed us to get a more in depth view of the design process and the nuances which go into each project. The BurroHappold projects focused heavily on the social dimension and feasibility of undergoing capital intensive projects in communities lacking financial capital. The presentations spoke to the importance of best practices in connecting community to place, as well as to government in an effort to gain political support. The presentations also highlighted the significance of value capture and the importance of developing this mechanism sooner to offset cost, maintenance, and operations in the long run.
Though the lecture was given by a design and engineering firm, its focus was on the social, political, and economic systems which have to come together in order to implement creative and innovative ideas. It was a reminder of the importance of knowledge and expertise beyond an eye for form, function and innovative ideas.
