SIMRAN KAUR
This figure ground drawing is of a block in Soho, NYC. The character of New York's residential districts is often defined by the elegant brownstone row houses, townhouses and tenements that were built during a period of rapid expansion from 1870 to 1930. Soho has always been a trendy, historical, touristy spot and this block contains residential buildings, restaurants,a grocery store, laundry store, an art exhibit and a thrift store. This area is rich in urban traffic in the form of pedestrians, vehicles, bicycle lanes, subway system, bus routes, dog parks, and public/vehicle intersections.
The aerial view shows the block located between Thompson street and Sullivan street in the lower west side of Manhattan. The highlighted section is lower than the other buildings in its surrounding comparatively in height. The block is located in a decent neighborhood which has a lot to offer in terms of living space, restaurants, shopping centers, exhibits and other extracurricular activities. John Randal Jr created one of the most popular examples of “gridiron” making it easy to locate and maneuver around the city. East and West sides, with street numbers increasing as you head away from Fifth. Broadway cuts through the city on a diagonal.
Line drawing depicts the heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic along with bicycle lanes and the intersection of Broome street and Thompson street which leads directly to World Trade Center, Oculus and other famous landmarks. The key characteristics of pathways and miniature gardens are highlighted with different hatched patterns. The block is surrounded by a one way driving system which aids in the heavy traffic flow as smoothly as it can through the slim roads. Each intersection has crosswalks, accessible pedestrian signals, several street lights and well defined parking and bicycle lanes ranging minimum 7ft in width.
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The Actor Network Map aims to highlight the modern day issues New York has to face and are not new issues. Vandalism of property in Manhattan especially in historic, trendy areas has been a problem that locals have been dealing with for a while which the city has spent millions of dollars repairing since Soho is a popular tourist destination. Recent storms in the city exhibited the extent of degradation that has occurred in the New York City subway system when a majority of the subways in prominent areas got flooded with rain water. Gentrification is another issue that is arrayed in my ANT map. Gentrification of common locations has moved the locals residing in areas like present Soho out and into the outskirts of NYC. Constant raise in rent and property taxes has affected the local population immensely and made real estate the center of attraction in the city.
The specific block I chose was ambushed by the ongoing vandalism problem in the form of graffiti and by ruining murals. Over time the area became dull and corona affected the businesses, stalled construction and had a negative impact on the area. I attempted to change the continuing subdued environment and come up with a plan that could revive the busy and fun times that Soho had to offer. I added a food truck and drink joint, a surrounding which is alluring to attract an audience and have something impactful like the mural to make tourists and locals visit Soho. In terms of diversity, I kept it the same as I have encountered personally. With my efforts to create a lively environment, I made a contrasting surrounding that yet works together.