I look to explore the common architecture of the block; that which is outlined not just by the streets that bind it or the ordinary lots that divide it. The common architecture of the block that makes space for the convergence of flows; the transmission of thoughts and knowledge both across generations and between them, the currents that carry people through their everyday lives.

Gateways for the Commons stems from a deep historical and cultural study of one full block in the South Bronx, just a short walk from the Hub and St. Mary’s Park. The residents of Mott Haven have proven, time and time again, to be the force of resiliency in the shadow of a long-standing legacy of systemic disinvestment and social inequity. To endure the devastation and displacement caused by Robert Moses and his visions for ‘urban renewal’, to persevere through the Burning of the Bronx, the residents of the block built mutual aid across communities - as city officials restricted access to home-ownership loans, fire departments, and countless services reserved for the city’s white neighborhoods.

These relationships are reflected by and through the built environment; communities held up not by the houses in which they live but by the interconnected histories and bonds that have taken shape through time. A shared resource, collectively owned, may be the foundation upon which residents of the block may shape socially just and ecologically resilient futures.

Through this proposal, I challenge the gatekeeping of common space within the block, the notion that more police and more surveillance is the solution to public safety. I consider pulling the sidewalks through the block and making space for the flows of people at many scales; from simply passers-by on the way to St. Mary’s Park, or through the intimate exchange of books, clothes, toys, and food between the many residents of the block. Through situating a community design center at the heart of the block, residents themselves may shape not only the gateways to the interior, but envision a future in which everyone has equitable access to fresh food, education, housing, and a common space to call their own.

- Ross A. Myren

Pictured here is a rendering of one of the gateways to the interior of the block; situated between two multi-family walkup NYCHA residences, this particular gateway replaces the existing locked fence while making space for an outdoor library and reading area for the residents of the block.

Two-family walk-ups sit in the shadow of one of the last remaining tenement buildings on the block. Inside, residents watch the many new happenings within the block; an urban farm takes the place of overgrown and wild back lots - extending up to the pediment of a now vacant office building. Down the center, a pathway wraps around the back of the tenement building to the street, and is pulled back through the few 'gateways' that sit within the block. A community design center spreads through the ground floor of the vacant office building, as residents are drawn off the street by an indoor swap meet and food pantry. Though city officials believe that more surveillance and policing is the solution to public safety, the answer may be much simpler; defund the police and spend that money to expand both homeless and youth services, fund rental assistance, and invest in the social infrastructure of our neighborhoods.