During the site visit we had the opportunity to hear more about the community history from a public official who has worked with community members in Port Morris. The ongoing narrative of desensitized developments, buyout and turnover of local businesses and the inevitable process of gentrification which follows. Understanding how the site has changed overtime, and visualizing this process is helpful in determining what both relevant and feasible ideas. Change exists on a timeline between present and future and that is where design is situated. Understanding the history and context of the site will determine how designers can influence change. Working at real sites in NYC both in studio and in the workshop seminar has illustrated that developers seem to be the true architects of the built environment; more so than landscape architects, architects or urban planners.
The largest difference I can see is in the values. The former builds for profit, the latter for human and environmental enhancement. Integral in influencing progressive change is the maintenance of neighborhood character, reconnecting humans to nature, the creation of quality outdoor areas in underserved areas.
