The South Side neighborhood in Ithaca, NY, though historically home to a predominantly African American community, is becoming an increasingly diverse, expensive, and residentially dense area of Ithaca. Research indicates that its inhabitants are most vulnerable to gentrification and relocation due to economic changes and redevelopment plans.
The project lots are at the edge of the South Side neighborhood. The housing complex becomes a barrier, visually, acoustically, and conceptually, between the neighborhood and the commercial areas and highways surrounded it. Due to its double-sided facade, it begins an enclosure around the neighborhood and its historical landmarks. Eventually, the housing units can begin repopulating the neighborhood's perimeter and establish a Superblock condition. This would reestablish the strength of the neighborhood, maximizing land use and capacity, forming new urban relationships in each block within the wider urban matrix, and increasing urban clarity and quality.
