Re-thinking the Riverfront: Enhancing and Connecting Aquatic Space in Jefferson Chalmers

Abstract

By proposing a public space intervention utilizing community engagement data, this thesis will study how to augment the riverfront spaces of the Jefferson Chalmers neighborhood of Detroit, enabling them to better serve their community by addressing programmatic desires of the residents and mitigating the geographic disconnectivity inherent in the fabric of the area. This thesis posits that using community feedback supported by research and tempered with design insight will engender a more successful riverfront public space for the residents of Jefferson Chalmers, increasing the neighborhood’s connection to the water. Through conducting an extensive investigation of the neighborhood, this study will collect citizens’ requests and opinions about their aquatic spaces and subsequently curate that feedback to inform a proposal for an architectural intervention within a greater planning strategy that serves to connect its community laterally along the water, longitudinally to the water, and vertically into the water itself.