East 138th Streetscape Revitalization Plan
South Bronx, New York
Client: South Bronx Overall Economic Development Corporation (SOBRO)
Denisha Williams, Project Manager, Community Meeting Facilitator, and Report Author for City College Architectural Center, 2003
The East 138th Streetscape Revitalization Plan identifies incremental, achievable steps for SOBRO, community leaders, and city agencies for redeveloping the major commercial corridor of the South Bronx. The plan, based on a four-part community engagement process and detailed field work, offers concept design ideas as the first phase of a streetscape revitalization plan for one and a quarter miles of this key neighborhood artery.
The plan articulates a vision for a healthy, clean, economically vibrant corridor, based on the design principles of making connections, creating continuity, supporting healthy neighborhoods, and providing a meaningful mix of businesses, services, and open spaces that embrace community needs. The plan delves into the history of this important industrial and commercial zone and the adjacent Mott Haven and Port Morris neighborhoods, as well as current conditions of the built environment. It documents land use, zoning, transportation infrastructure, historic districts, structures, and open spaces as a basis for understanding the constraints and opportunities for redevelopment. From this thorough assessment of the district, it then identifies distinct nodes and zones, targeting specific strategies for each one, from Old Industrial Zone to Commercial Core, and from Neighborhood Mix to Residential Edge.
As a full-time staff member at City College Architectural Center, a not-for-profit community design center affiliated with City College's School of Architecture, Urban Design, and Landscape Architecture, Denisha Williams wrote and managed the content, layout, and production of this report. She also supervised architectural and landscape architectural student interns who produced GIS maps, 3-D CAD models, and other graphics for the plan.