Thesis-Compendium

Proximity And Privacy: Creating an
Architectural High-Rise That Generates the Density Required
for a Sustainable Future and Liveable Neighbourhood.
Karen Nelson, Dean of
Architecture
Israa Omar, Student
The Boston Architectural College
Master of Architecture/
Distance program
Nov. 20, 2016
Jack Cochran, Thesis
Advisor

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Table Of Contents........................................................................................................ 2
Abstract................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Introduction................................................................................................................. 7
High-Rise Is A Necessity............................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 8
Downsides of Suburban..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................10
Downsides of Urban................................................................................................................................................................................................................................11
Elements of Successful Neighborhoods...................................................................... 12
Proximity................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................14
Diversity.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................16
Privacy...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................18
Integration With Nature......................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 20
High Dense Urban setting/ Lower Manhattan, NY................................................................................................................................................................................... 22
High-Rise Urban......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................24
High-Rise Suburb .................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 26
High-Dense Suburb/Row houses............................................................................................................................................................................................................ 28
Dispersed Suburb.................................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 29
Site Analysis.............................................................................................................. 30
Adjacent Lands’ Density ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 33
Site Existing Network............................................................................................................................................................................................................................. 34
Lands Uses ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 36
Nature................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Sun Path................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 40
Prevailing Wind......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................41
Master Plan Design Studies....................................................................................... 42
Site Boundaries..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 45
Diversity: Mixed Use Program................................................................................................................................................................................................................ 46
Proximity............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... 48
Attractions and Pedestrian Flow............................................................................................................................................................................................................. 49
Streets Network......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................51

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Pedestrian and Bike Network.................................................................................................................................................................................................................53
Privacy..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................54
Hierarchy Of Privacy Levels....................................................................................................................................................................................................................55
Integration With Nature.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................56
Wind Control.........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................58
Views.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................59
Vegetation.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................60
Master Plan Design................................................................................................................................................................................................................................62
Existing Site Plan...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................64
Proposed Site Plan ................................................................................................................................................................................................................................65
South-North Section...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................66
West-East Section...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................68
Building Design Studies..............................................................................................70
Connectivity...........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................73
Semi-Public Spaces................................................................................................................................................................................................................................75
Mixed Use Building................................................................................................................................................................................................................................76
Diversity in Residential Units..................................................................................................................................................................................................................77
Freedom of Choice Making.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................78
Enforcing Identity Feelings.....................................................................................................................................................................................................................79
Privacy of Residents...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................80
Vegitation..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................82
Sun Light Studies...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................83
Apartment Natural Ventilation................................................................................................................................................................................................................84
Public Court Yard...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................86
Private Court Yard..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................89
Second Level..........................................................................................................................................................................................................................................92
Second Level Close Up............................................................................................................................................................................................................................93
Third Level Close Up...............................................................................................................................................................................................................................94
Third Level.............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................95
Apartments Plan ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................................97
Street View............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................98
Aerial View............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................99
References............................................................................................................... 100

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Abstract
As human population increases
and natural resources decrease,
one would argue that the built
environment has to grow vertically.
Desired elements from sprawl
communities, still a very popular
form of urban development, and high-
density communities must merge into
high-rise settings in order to create
successful vertical neighborhoods.
Whether it is from high separation
of uses or overcrowding, today, people
are socially detached and live under
constantfearfromothers.Makingsafe
and socially vibrant communities is
the key. This research argues that four
principles, if achieved, will help create
such communities. First, Proximity
encourages human social interaction.
Diversity of uses, principle two, brings
people together in public spaces and
increases the sense of belonging
making neighborhoods safer. People
need to maintain their Privacy,
principle three, and feelings of control
and authority over their living spaces.
Integration with nature is important
to have better mental health and
stronger social connections. Lastly,
IntegrationwithNatureisimportantas
it improves humans mental health and
promote stronger social connections.
This study focuses on solving
architectural and urban problems
to improve high dense and high-rise
areas residents’ welfare. However,
it does not take into consideration
political and economical variables.
The goal is to transform our current
urban and suburban settings by
hybridizing the two configurations
and morph them into multi-
layered/mixed use communities.

8
Population Increase
Natural Resources
Financial Resources
Humanity’s population has
increased by 400% over the past
decade (Our World in Data, 2016).
The current world population of 7.4
billion is expected to reach 8.5 billion
by 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2
billion in 2100 (report’s projections).
It is no secret that population’s
growth is accompanied by a depletion
in natural resources, and continued
urban expansion would result in
destroying large areas of virgin lands.
Asurbansprawlexpands,largerareas
of green land would be destroyed,
and governments will need to spend
more money on infrastructure
development ( Julie Campoli, 2007)
. With the decrease of farm land and
our current environmental issues,
continuing the sprawl expansion
would become catastrophic.
The downsides of suburban settings
are many; first, the high separation
between living places and work places
would encourage more car use to
travel to work and back. This would
not only increase carbon footprints
but would also cause congestions
around metropolitan areas. Besides,
people do not get the opportunity
to develop social relations with
their neighbors. In short, the lack
of social proximity, connectivity
and diversity are the major
disadvantages of suburban lifestyle.
High-Rise Is A Necessity

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Shrinking More Green
Densifying
Layering
Mixing Diversity
Proximity
More Space
On the other hand, urban
environments have disadvantages as
well. Cities are quite often described
as congested, overcrowded, noisy
and polluted (Charles Montgomery,
2013). Humans have two important
needs when it comes to a healthy
environment; they need the presence
of other people around them and
they need to interact with nature
(Montgomery, 2013). People in most
high dense cities have the opportunity
to meet with other people. However,
they often lack the integration with
nature.Furthermore,privacyproblems
tend to surface in high-rise buildings.
This study identifies four elements
that would distinguish cities that
promote the public’s physical and
psychological health. These elements
are: proximity, diversity, privacy and
integration with nature. Different
sets of urban configurations has
been studies in the lens of the above
mentioned four elements to specify
the most desired qualities in urban
styles. Upon the results of the rigor
meta-analysis a design in Alewife,
Massachusetts has been conducted
to test out these these hypotheses.

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Lack Social ConnectivityLack of Diversity
Downsides of Suburban

11
Lack of integration with
nature
Lack of Privacy
Downsides of Urban

12
Elements of Successful Neighborhoods

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PrivacyDiversity Integration With
Nature
Proximity
Connectivity
Shared public spaces
Solitude
Feelings of Identity and ownership
The Freedom Of Making Choices
Hierarchy Of Privacy Levels
Clear Demarcation between public and
Private
Mixed Uses/ Functions
Diversity of people
Vegetation
Natural Light
Natural Thermal Comfort
Views

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Low Density
Intermediate Density
High
Density
Lack of Social
Connections
Social Withdrawal Due To
Overcrowding
Successful Social
Connections
Proximity
To understand proximity it is
important to differentiate between
density and crowding. According to
Charles Montgomery, high-density
and crowding are quite different.
The first is a physical state while the
second is more of a psychological
state. Density is human population
per square footage, while over-
crowdingisrelatedtofeelingsofsocial
uncertainty and fear of other people.
Montgomery explains that
psychologists thought that high-dense
cities are socially toxic as a result of
over-crowding. They found correlation
between density and sleeplessness,
separation and nervousness. When
individuals are exposed to too many
people they worry about being
robbed or assaulted, although the
risk of a probable attack is seldom.
On the other hand, research has
proved that safety of cities and public
spaces is not related to a population’s
density, but mostly to design itself
and socioeconomic conditions. Higher
density brings liveliness to public
spaces; the more lively a space,
the more it’s watched by residents
and business owners, and the safer
it becomes (Jane Jacobs, 1961).
Feelings of overcrowding are the
dynamics of human behavior and
its relation to space. Seemingly, as
crowding is a problem related to
perception, it can partially addressed
by design. The hurdle of overcrowding
can be countered-down by privacy
and enabling people to experience
a sense of authority over the space
they occupy through mindful design.

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Montgomery states that psychologists have found that altering an individual’s
position to face an elevator’s control panel can change that person’s state of mind
and diminish claustrophobic feelings. Densifying offers the opportunity to mix
buildings’ functions, which would help people navigate easily between home, work
andpleasure.Connectivitywouldnotonlyreducetheamountoftimepeopleneedto
travel, but it encourages people to walk around the city and discourage people from
using vehicles for transport. In return, densitycanpromote designqualities that can
achieve physical and social proximity. Population density ensures the presence of
public space users. Users have two important functions: they add surveillance and
they stimulate owners to observe the movement on the streets. According to Jacobs,
1961, “nobody enjoys sitting on a stoop or looking at a window at an empty street”.
In short, to achieve proximity through good design, connectivity must
be increased and public spaces must be provided for people to gather.

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Living
Working
Retail
Leisure Mix of Functions
Diversity
There are two important elements
to enhance urban living quality in
terms of diversity. These factors
are diversity of building uses and
diversity of the users themselves.
The more diverse the environment,
the safer it becomes. Jane Jacobs
argues, “A most intricate and close
grained diversity of uses that gives
each other constant mutual support,
both economically and socially.”
Natural surveillance is an
important key to prevent crimes.
Jane Jacobs gives an interesting
demonstration on the link between
safe communities and mixed-use
buildings’ program. To bring users
to use the neighborhood sidewalks,
there must be a substantial amount
of stores, restaurants and a diverse
amount of enterprise to encourage
people to cross paths and provide
activity at multiple times of day.
This kind of setting enables the
neighborhood’s citizens to feel safe
becausetheyknowthattheyarealways
watched and strangers are usually
recognized by residents. According
to Jacobs, 1961, it is impossible for
police and law enforcement power to
prevent crime in cities without relying
on the community itself. Therefore,
visual relationship between streets
and citizens of the neighborhood is
essential to maintaining safety. In
1924 Corbusier manifested his ideas
of utopian city by presenting a master
plan of a city he called “Radiant
City”. The highly geometrical
plan was strictly broken into four
quadrants, each serving a different
function. Today, Corbusier’s realized
prototypes are condemned by critics
and the public for not respecting
human’s desires and habits. Some
of his projects became incubators of
poverty and crime and some were
even remodeled or demolished.

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One of the most interesting examples of Corbusier’s ideas of a vertical
garden city was the Unite d’Habitation, 1952 (Marin Gili, 2013). Amenities
were provided for nearly 1,600 residents divided on eighteen floors. The
roof was utilized as a garden terrace, a running track, kindergarten, a gym
and a shallow pool. From the bottom, the building is supported on piers to
allow circulation, recreation and people gatherings (Andrew Kroll, 2010).
Public spaces that were provided on the roof top as well as the ones at the bottom
of the building, has little to no visual connection to the inside. These spaces turned
out to become abandoned as owners did not have the opportunity to observe
these spaces. As a result, the building turned out to be a refuge for criminals.
Feelings of ownership stimulates the sense of vigilance. Business owners are
known to be the perfect streets watchers, as they dread vandalism. Therefore,
small enterprises create buffer between the public space and the private space.
To keep the streets alive at all times, users from different age groups and
backgrounds must inhibit the urban realm. Families with children and young
people must be invited to reside in these communities. Residents of the community
must reflect an array of wealth levels to contribute to economic prosperity. In
short, mixed-use program results in a diversity of citizens and safer environment.

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Privacy
Suite residence college dormitories at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New
York.
Lounge
Lounge
Negative relationships
between student due to over
crowding
Both plans has the same density
rivacy is crucially important in
high-density areas to counteract
overcrowding. In such areas, people
often present negative feelings
towards each other as a result of social
uncertainty and fear from others.
In due course, feelings of insecurity
among individuals will increase
(Montgomery, 2013). Ali Madanipour
and Montgomery argue that people
feel insecure when they don’t have
control over the space they occupy.
Five elements related to privacy
affect urban citizens’ feelings
of security and comfort. These
factors are: solitude, feelings of
ownership and identity, freedom to
make choices, hierarchy of privacy
levels and the clear demarcation
between public and private.
Providing solitude is as important as
creating public spaces. Ester Buchholz
(1997), a psychologist, in her “Call for
Solitude” book, stresses that people
need solitude to refresh their minds
and think creatively. In addition to
that people who get the opportunity
to experience solitude connect
with other people in richer ways.
Montgomery has provided
language of evaluating high dense
cities and defined characteristics that
contributes to increased stress levels,
irritation, insomnia and depression.
Noise coming from neighbors and
the street is a significant issue
that affects residents’ privacy.
Territoriality is also consequential
in creating safe urban environments.
Ali Madanipour, Jane Jacobs and
Charles Montgomery all argue that
people need to maintain feelings
of ownership over their places.
Territorialityisthecontinuousexertion
of control over a particular part of
physical space by an individual or a
group results in the establishment
of a territory (Madanipour, 2005).
Students who lived in suites where they could control
social interaction (bottom picture) where able to maintain
better relationships and experienced lower stress levels
compared to students who lived in suites in the (top picture)

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People strive to exercise feelings of ownership, which is usually associated with
feelings of identity. Once a user occupies a space, they tend to personalize it to
some extent which gives them feelings of authority over the space. Feelings of
ownership induces people to protect their property, and as a result they tend
to be vigilant towards intruders and predators. People also need to experience
freedom in making choices within the built environment. Montgomery sets Andrew
Baum’s experiment as a great example in demonstrating the effect of privacy
on human behavior. The experiment showcases residents of two prominently
different college dormitories at Stony Brook University in Long Island, New
York. Students who lived in suites where they could control social interaction
where able to maintain better relationships and experienced lower stress levels
compared to students who lived in suites arranged on long corridor with shared
large lounge and a bathroom. “The long-corridor design made it impossible for
them to choose whom they bumped into and how often”. Students were either
in their room or out; there was no transitional space. The corridor residents
were antisocial and did not help each other, while the suites residents became
friends. Design changed the way students treated one another in both cases. This
indicates that people need to make choices regarding who they meet and when.

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The complexity of the built
environment is overwhelming and
confusing as the brain always takes
a lot of information, stimulating
voluntary attention and leading to
higher stress levels (Montgomery,
2013).“The natural world is the
refuge of the spirit, remote, static,
richer even than human imagination”
(Edward Wilson, 2009). Natural
views help people calm down.
Touching and interacting with
nature is even more beneficial.
According to Montgomery, natural
scenes must have a certain complexity
to stimulate the involuntary attention
to counterbalance the effect of the
built environment. In one experiment,
people were asked to look at pictures
and choose the most relaxing image
that has natural context. Most people
picked out a savanna-like context;
however, further research showed
that this type of context is not the
most beneficial to the human brain
because it’s too simple to stimulate
the brain’s involuntary attention.
According to Montgomery,
researchers found that people
who lacked interaction with nature
suffered from fatigue, exhibited rude
behavior and could easily get into
disputes. On the other hand, natural
viewsstimulateinvoluntarilyattention
and reduce stress levels.Moreover,
extensive research has proved that
healthy social relations thrived in
vegetated courtyards, while similar
barren courtyards were dead and
frequently witnessed crimes and illicit
activities as police records indicated.
Integration With Nature

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Furthermore, vegetated spaces gain more attention and create strong
feelings of belonging(Montgomery, 2013). Thus, achieving safety in high-dense
areas is related to design qualities other than the population’s density. People
yearn to be close to nature. Ample amount of research indicated that the built
environment is cramped therefore, the human mind is, constantly, inclined
to pay attention to details. This over-stimulation makes it harder for people to
focus. Therefore, high-dense residents often feel strained (Montgomery, 2013).
Residents need gardens in a walking distance, community gardens
vegetated pockets and parks. A couple of trees here and there are not
enough to satisfy the humans’ desire to relax. On top of that natural spaces
creates feelings of belonging. If there was a vegetated open space amid
every set of row houses, social connections arguably will grow stronger.

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ScannedbyCamScanner
High Dense Urban setting
Good proximity
Lack of privacy
High diversity
Lack of integration with nature
71,672 people per square
mile
Social connections
With a density of 72,003 people per square mile, the city Manhattan is often
described overcrowded and congested. Amy O’Leary, author of “Everybody
Inhale:How Many People Can Manhattan Hold?” describes her daily struggle with
overcrowding issues in the city of Lower Manhattan, NY city. She illustrates people’s
personal space shrinking to micrometers while in sub-way rides during rush-hours.
Montgomery, 2013 excitingly addresses diversity of Manhattan and
its cultural richness. His hypothesis stress on the fact that residents of
Manhattan has the opportunity to be around people, watching others walking,
talking and playing would diminish feelings of loneliness and isolation.
On the other hand, Montgomery points out pitfalls of living in Manhattan
as he explains that typical Manhattan citizen is often sleep deprived and
irritated as a result of the noise coming from the street. Teri Rogers, 2008, in
her article “Getting a Handle on Apartment Noise”, sheds light on noise issues
in Manhattan and its negative outcomes. As she points out parents should
worry not only about incoming noise, yet they should be even more concerned
regarding outgoing noise to avoid future conflicts between neighbors. .

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Thesestatementsdemonstratetheprocessofdevelopingresentmentsandpotential
hostile behavior due to limited privacy in high-dense cities. Qualitative research
indicatesthatlackofprivacyinducesnegativefeelings.Montgomeryassertsthatthere
is an evident correlation between privacy issues in dense cities and depression and
suicide rates According to Montgomery Surveys indicates that none of Manhattan’s
residentshavevisitedCentralParkwithinthespanofsevendayspriortothesurvey.
He also asserts that most apartments have limited views. In many apartments
windows are facing walls of opposite buildings. According to NYC Department of
City Planning, New Yorkers began protesting against tall buildings and the loss
of light and air associated with the rise of high buildings around 1870 and 1880.
In brief, the urban setting of Lower Manhattan is ineffective in
providing privacy to its residents, in addition to that, it fails in providing
adequate amount of sunlight and vegetation for all its citizens.
Lower Manhattan, NY

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ScannedbyCamScanner
High-Rise Urban
Good proximity
Fair privacy
High diversity
Good of integration with nature
Social Connections
13,590 per square mile
The city of Vancouver has unique characteristics, a distinct geography and
is surrounded by ocean, steep mountains and a preserve of agricultural
land. Its urban core is bound by the sea from two sides and confined with
rain forest in Stanley Park (Montgomery, 2013). Ken Wyder a Canadian
realtor, states that Vancouver is the best city in the world to live in according
to the London-based Economist Group of Economist Magazine Fame.
Vancouver’s population density is another proof that overcrowding and privacy
issues are related to design, not density itself. The city’s population density is
13,590 per square mile. Montgomery declares that Vancouver city planners intend
to increase its density over the upcoming years, however, he insists that residents
of Vancouver still suffer from privacy issues as a result of living in tall buildings.
Ken Wader, relates Vancouver’s success to its diversity. He portrays the community
asamixofcolorfulculturesthrivinginharmony.Waderpointsoutthatthevarietyof
cultures, especially in terms of cuisine, is an incredible benefit to the city’s success.

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Vancouver, Canada
Another factor that could be linked to Vancouver’s prominent success is that its
city planers along with developers are embracing mixed-use development design
strategy. According to Larry Sandrin, there is a high awareness among real-estate
developers and government agencies about the benefits of mixed-use design
in Vancouver. Advantages like energy efficiency, affordability, reduced carbon
footprint, liveliness and sharing the use of recreational amenities with hotel
projects and convenient access to retail, restaurants and entertainment facilities.
Thecityisnaturallyvegetatedandhasseveralregionalparksingreatproximitytoits
neighborhoods.Besidesit’seasytowalkandbiketoitsdenselyforestedplaces.Natural
views in Vancouver’s apartments are highly desired by the city’s citizens. Therefore,
developers insist to build facing the ocean or the mountain (Montgomery, 2013).
Inconclusion,thissettingofhigh-risebuildingsisbenefitingfromthesurrounding
natural elements and the integration of nature with the built environment.

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ScannedbyCamScanner
High-Rise Suburb
Lack of proximity
Lack of privacy
Lack of diversity
Bad integration with nature
Thethirty-threeblockhousingcomplex,builtin1950sinSt.Louistorevivepoverty
in the inner city neighborhood, was destroyed by controlled implosion two decades
later.Theideawastoreplaceslumswithrowapartmentbuildingswithelevenstories
amid green lawns; yet, the complex grew to be a refuge for drugs, vandalism, and
prostitution. The St. Louis Housing Authority began dynamiting Pruitt-Igoe in 1972.
In terms of social proximity, the community was functional. In the
documentary of “The Pruitt-Igoe Myth: An Urban History” directed by Chad
Freidrichs, former residents of Pruitt-Igoe described living in the project
as living in “an oasis amid the desert”, another resident declared “you’re
never alone”. People celebrated the closeness, the smell of food coming
from neighbors’ kitchens and children playing together. One of the residents
insisted that neighbors developed friendships and bonds that lasted a life time.
The alarming problem that caused the project’s collapse was racial segregation
and absence of diversity. According to the film, businesses and factories moved
outside the city of St. Louis, white people migrated to the suburb, while the
African American majority community was left isolated in Pruitt-Igoe. Without
jobs, money or opportunities to survive, people felt isolated. Soon, what once
was described as a resort became jail to its residents. Former residents insisted
that feelings of anger and unjust started to be manifested through illicit behavior.
Social Connections

27
Pruitt–Igoe
Interviewed people in the documentary explained how lack of maintenance,
mainly for elevators, became a major problem resulting into the rise of crime
around these vital joints. Some residents felt the urge to step in and repair
broken elevators or modify them to help people use them. Montgomery addresses
the problem from a different point of view. He affirmed that Oscar Newman
has noticed that landings shared by two families where well maintained. On
the opposite of landings, lobbies and elevators shared by 20 families where
disastrous. When none felt ownership over common space, garbage pilled
up, landscape was abandoned and left to offenders (Montgomery, 2013).
The urban development was meant to integrate with nature harmonically.
Rowan Moore, in his documentary stresses that Yamasaki, the architect,
was known for his humanity, appreciation to harmony and opposition to
prejudice. Apartments were oriented to catch daylight and have pleasant views.
In short, the major factor that caused this problem was the
lack of proximity to jobs as well as lack of diversity. As a result,
economic and political problem arouse leading to extreme failure.

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Good proximity
Good of privacy
Little diversity in uses
Little integration with nature
18,000 people per square mile
High-Dense Suburb/Row houses
ScannedbyCamScanner
Somerville, MA
Somerville, MA, is an urbanized suburb of Boston. According to Matthew Yglesias
(2013) the city is one of the oldest American cities and has a density of 18,000
people per square mile. With narrow streets, very little parkland, small dwellings
that are only two to three stories, the city is being described to grow delightful
and more expensive. Unlike dispersed suburb houses, the attached row house
setting functions better to produce successful social relations (Montgomery, 2013).
Evidently, the city is diverse with divergent functions. According to George
Proakis, in TEDx “Somerville Speech,” the city’s zoning committee has a vision of
making the city a place for people to live, work, play and raise a family. Proakis
explains that city planners are working on keeping housing as affordable as
possible. This might lead to a diverse environment in terms of age and ethnical
background. Amenities are located in a walking distance from residential areas.
The row housing setting provides reasonable privacy measures as home
owners are aware of their territory limits, are able to express their identity
and are able to have quiet time for themselves (Montgomery, 2013).
Proakis asserts that Somerville city planners are working on providing
open spaces, and most importantly “put people before cars.” City planners
are trying to minimize parking areas and make these areas usable public
spaces instead. This would enhance social proximity as bringing people
together results in moderating feelings of loneliness. Furthermore, the
city’s policies aim to encourage walkability and biking through design.
In terms of integration with nature, Proakis says that planners
are working on intensely vegetating the city. Furthermore, the low-
rise setting of buildings enables sunlight to come into the city.
Social Connections

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Reading, MA
ScannedbyCamScanner
Dispersed Suburb
Lack of proximity
Lack of privacy
Lack of diversity
Bad integration with nature
3,000 per square mile Social Connections
MorethanhalfoftheUnitedStates’constructionconsistsofdispersedfreestanding
single family homes, each with a yard and garage located on separately traveled
streetsthatusuallyendupwithacul-de-sac.Eachdistrictisdefinedbyanelementary
schoolandafewscatteredboxesutilizedascommercialfacilities(Montgomery,2013).
Montgomery insist that people are often more disconnected from each other in
this setting and it’s hard to find amenitiesin a walking distance. North Reading,MA,
is an example of this urban setting. Its population density is 1,135.7 residents per
square mile. People are forced to use vehicles to reach shops and get to their jobs.
Montgomery states that children of suburbs usually complain of being isolated
and lonely. They long to live the vibrant life of the city, where they can go to
cinemas, theaters and shopping malls easily. Furthermore, Montgomery claims
that research proved that the suburb is more dangerous than the city because
first, parents spend more time commuting and less at home, secondly, children’s
boredom often result into drugs use and engagement in illegal behavior.

32
The site was selected to be in great proximity to the city of Boston. The location
was also meant to be close to Alewife station, so residents and business owners
would be connected to the city. The site is surrounded by natural features like
highly vegetated lands, creeks. The new buildings are meant to fill in gabs
between existing buildings and cover leftover spaces like parking lots and sports
fields. The development is planned to be connected to existing communities and
provide amenities to residents of East Arlington and North Cambridge. Paths will
be interconnected with existing raised path that goes through alewife natural
preservation. The total land area including water bodies and natural preserved
areas is 0.26 square mile. The built up area is 0.04 square mile, accommodating
around 8000 people, which brings population density to 32,000 people per square
mile; This is equal to 2.5 times the population of the city of Boston and around 0.4
of Lower Manhattan’s population. The mentioned density is expected to enhance
surrounding neighborhoods’ diversity and bring liveliness to the newly created hub.

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Table 1
Population Density person/
SQ Mile
Median Family Income $
Arlington 8239.2 111148
cambridge 16491.1 93460
Belmont 5362.2 135676
Adjacent Lands’ Density
Alewife Reservation
Station
East Arlington
Belmont
North
Cambridge

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Turnpike
Bridge going towards Arlington from the T-station
Bridged bike path connected
to the station
Raised paths goes
through Alewife bird
watching preservation
There is a clear hierarchy of networks in this location. The turnpike is
the primary street going through the development. However, it becomes
congested at certain hours during the day. A secondary street network
is available to connect the few existing buildings. Most importantly, the
area is served by an elaborate bike, pedestrian network and raised paths.

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Residential Building
Office Building
Commercial Building
Research Building
Alewife Station
The site has a number of buildings that serves a variety of functions.
Although buildings are spread on the site and distant from one another, but the
diversity of functions gives the site a high potential to become lively. There
are apartment buildings, a research center, a hotel, and a continent store.

39
Little Pond
Alewife Brook
Green-way
Alewife Brook
Reservation
Alewife Creek
Thesiteisrichwithbeautifulnaturalscenery.Ithasasmallparkwaywhichishomefor
avarietyofbirdsandnaturalhabitats.LittlepondandontheothersidethereisAlewife
creekaretheprominentnaturalfeaturesthatdistinguishthesite.Thesenaturalelements
are preserved in this proposal yet, connected to serve residents through pathways.

40
Sun Path
Winter prevailing wind is coming from north-east and north west. Sumer wind comes
from south east and south west. This is an important notion to be addressed in design.

44
Proposed Density
32,000
People per square mile
The intention of this study is to create a microcosm of a city that attracts
home owners who want to enjoy the luxury of having large private houses
with their own yard but, also wants to experience the city life. Buildings
hight falls into three categories; first category has 2-3 stories, 12 stories as a
second category, and 24 floors as a third. This difference in building’s hight
is related to the site’s topography, wind directions and natural views location.

46
The development consists of a mix of uses. Diversity is not only meant to
bring different functions in one place, but also refining the mix to in which
each building has a certain main function and supporting functions. For
instant, apartment buildings have two commercial levels to serve residents
with their daily needs. This will enhance proximity and diversity of users.
Diversity: Mixed Use Program
Offices
Recreation
Educational
Commercial
Residential
Hotel, clubs, restaurants
Residential Spine
CommercialSpine
School
T-station
Mall

47
Recreation
Educational
Commercial
Residential

48
To promote proximity in terms of physical nearness and social closeness,
two factors must be considered. First, the availability of well designed
pedestrian and biking networks, secondly, the provision of public spaces within
the neighborhood. As the population density proposed is fairly high, three
levels of pedestrians and bicycle networks were provided. A clear hierarchy
was implemented. Primary, secondary and tertiary networks are created.
The proposed shopping mall is located in a place to connect the development’s
residents with North Cambridge and East Arlington’s. The malls plaza is meant to
serve as a gathering point close to the station. The mall’ plaza is also set to receive
peoplecomingresidentialbuildingsandprovidecontinuityto.Inwinter,theground
and sixth floor in the residential building serves as routs taking people to the mall.
Proximity
Heading to the MallMulti-layered Networks

49
Attractions and Pedestrian Flow

50
Hotel, clubs,
restaurants
School
T-station Mall
One of the major issues around Alewife Station is congestions during rush hours. To
relief the pressure, the site offers underground parking that can be shared with the
public. The development’s vehicular network was kept to the minimum as bicycle and
pedestrian networks offers high connectivity to encourage people to be more active.
6 minutes walking distance
6minuteswalkingdistance

51
Street Networks
Proposed Vehicular Network
Proposed Ramp to underground Inlets

52
Bicycle Network
Pedestrian Network
The pedestrian and bike network networks and the mixed use development
promotes walkability. The average person would spend 8 minutes walking
from the farthest apartment to the mall and 12 minutes to the station.
The building is accessible not only through its elevators, but also through ramps that
were designed with a slope that accommodates self pushed wheelchair and bicycles.
Residential buildings has connections to the opposite and beside buildings. In addition
tothattherearebridgesincommerciallevelswithshopsonthesidesofthepassageway.

53
Pedestrian and Bike Network
Proposed Bicycle Network
Proposed Raised Path

54
The public spaces in the proposed development has different privacy levels.
Spaces that are expected to be visited by strangers from distant places,
like the mall plaza and park (shown in yellow). Parks that are meant to be
shared with the surrounding neighborhoods. (Shown in orange). A green
way that is meant to address residents of the community (shown in brown).
With respect to residents’ privacy, noise coming from the highway is a concern.
To control noise, walls, vegetation and setbacks were used to manage noise.
Privacy

55
Open to public
For residents
Shared with other communities

56
Integration With Nature
Thedevelopmentdesignrespondstoimportantnaturalelementslikesunlight,prevailing
winddirection,naturalviewsandvegetation.Thegoalistobringthemaximumamount
of southern sunlight. Block Winter wind coming from northeast and northwest and
welcomeSummerbreeze.Providenaturalviewsandinterestingsceneryforallresidents.

57
Street noise
All year wind
All year wind
All year wind
Winter wind
Summer wind
Winter Sun path
Summer Sun path

58
Wind Control
The development has 24 story buildings on the eastern and western sides to
block unwanted wind. Courtyards between buildings were meant to create high-
low pressure areas to improve wind circulation bringing cool breeze in Sumer.

59
Views
Buildingwerearrangedinawaytoprovidecomplexandrichsceneryandnaturalviews.

60
Vegetation
The development followed two approached to merge with the natural environment.
First, throw bringing users to the Alewife brook greenway via baths and raised paths.
Secondly, through vegetating courtyards and plazas around the buildings. In addition
to that roof gardens and winter gardens were created to bring live to all levels.

61
Vegetated Plazas
Natural green area
Highly Vegetated Areas

62
Master Plan Design
The community has not only a hierarchy in mixed use functions, but also privacy and
its interconnected network. The development serves as a link between the surrounding
neighborhoods and provide adequate users to facilities and the surrounding parks.

72
Primary Network
Secondary Network
Tertiary Network
Ramps for pedestrian, bikers and wheelchair users

73
High Connectivity Results Into Better Social Connections
Connectivity

74
Providing The Opportunity To Gather In A Watched Common Ground
Private Yard Shared Yard

76
Commercial
Commercial
Mixed Use Building
Retail, coffee shops and restaurants in first and sixth floor to serve residents and nearby offices

77
Diversity in Residential Units
Smaller apartments one level only
Larger apartments a mix
of duplex and one level
apartments
Diversity of apartments is expected to be projected into diversity of residents in terms of age, income, etc.

78
Freedom of Choice Making
Vertical Circulation
Vertical circulation
Offering the freedom of making choices
Front and back entrance

79
Privacy In Residential Units
Family
Garden
Sidewalk
Wall to control noise and provide
Reinforce Feelings solitude, Identity and ownership
Enforcing Identity Feelings

80
A Distinct Demarcation Between Public And Private
Public SidewalkPublic
Semi-Public
Private
Residential Unit
Private YardShared Yard
Privacy of Residents
Privacy In Residential Units
Wall to control noise and
provide

81
For residents Only
For residents Only
For public use

82
Vegetation Density
VerticalExpansion
Vegitation

83
Noon
3 PM
Best Building Configuration To Maximize Sun Light Exposure
Sun angles taken in January 21st /Boston
Overhang Treatment To Control Summer Sunlight
Sun angles taken in July 21st Boston
3 PM
Noon
Sun Light Studies

84
North Facade Detailing
Bamboo wood screen
Movable triple glazing
Walls
Apartment Natural Ventilation

85
South Facade Detailing
Movable triple glazing
Walls

91
Retail, Food & Beverage
First Level Close Up

96
Shared gardens for residents
only
Private gardens in each
apartment

97
Apartments Plan
Apartment 4
Apartment 3
Apartment 2
Apartment 1
Second FloorThird Floor

101
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Marin, Gili. “AD Classics: Ville Radieuse / Le Corbusier.” ArchDaily. 10 Aug. 2013. Web.
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corbusier>.
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the Built Environment Affects Physical Activity.” American Journal of Preventive
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