At the end of 4th year, we were required to submit our thesis topics, critical positions and so on. Some people already had an idea of what they wanted their thesis project to be on and some did not; Unfortunately, I fell under the latter group. For several weeks, I pondered long and hard on the subject matter. What problem do I see that can be solved with architecture? There are so many problems in this world, which one should I choose to tackle? As I was contemplating this dilmma while smoking a cigarette on the balcony of my residence over-looking Fashion Valley and Friars Rd, it dawned on me: cars and roads! We dedicate so much space for cars and roads, especially on freeways and parking spaces, that we do not have enough green spaces and land for housing. An immediate solution would be to build mixed-use housing over freeways and roads. The roads could then go underground and people can walk and bike again on the surface. A filter system would then need to be designed for the smog because it would be hard to get to the area if an accident were to occur…I think I got it :)
Someone then asked me why I would want to build mixed-use projects over the freeway. I tried to explain my madness but he just told me to think harder. So I gave it a little more thought and finally concluded that what I was really trying to combat was urban sprawl. Urban sprawl is the source of the problems and the reason behind long stretches of roads, and people relying heavily on cars for commuting and such.
How does one combat urban sprawl? And how does one combat urban sprawl with architecture?
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