Project Background

The below comparison shows how the demographics have changed over time. The conclusions drawn from the graphics were that historically the residents of the River Avenue District were mostly white immigrants that generally paid average or below-average for rent, while in present-day the residents may make above average in income, but they spend a much larger percentage of their income on rent. This lead to the conclusion that there is a lack of affordable housing in our site.

In this section, the changes made to the River Avenue site over time become visible, and how gradually it became disconnected from its community. Eventually becoming a mostly vacant site with a long, hardworking, and culturally rich past.

Below is a chronological slideshow that shows the people who lived in this area in its prime. It is evident that this was a great community by its streets, businesses, walkability, and streetcar system. Eventually, through time, it becomes more obvious that the district falls into disrepair. Photo captions below describe each photo.

In the meetings with stakeholders, they voiced their concerns about a variety of topics that need remediating on the site. A lot of focus was brought upon the amount of vehicle traffic on the riverfront street, River Avenue, the overall darkness at night, the lack of pedestrian connection to the surrounding community, the need for a dedicated recreation loop, and a general feeling of being unsafe. While this project focused a lot on building volumes and our individual concepts, it was encouraged to address the needs of the community in our designs.