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| dc.contributor.author | Kuhn, Michael | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2024-05-07T18:19:57Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2024-05-07T18:19:57Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2024-05-07 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10429/2571 | |
| dc.description | The term marketplace can refer to places such as stores, farmers markets, Facebook, and more. In this thesis, a marketplace is defined as a place that encourages exchange for economic, social, and experiential reasons. A market can be a noun and a verb and exists in various physical and temporal spaces within a city. It can be a group of street vendors or a daily market hall. Markets have been a source of food, goods, and social interaction for centuries. This thesis investigates local food and goods markets supporting the adjacent neighborhoods. These markets promote small businesses and social interactions and serve as a gathering place for the community. A broad spectrum of investigations examines marketplaces' historical significance, contemporary relevance, and potential impact on urban landscapes. Markets, as dynamic entities, not only promote economic transactions but also embody social and experiential dimensions. This thesis embarks on a study to investigate the complex nature of markets, particularly in the context of Detroit, aiming to uncover their potential and propose probable insights for urban development and design within the city. To understand the essence of marketplaces, examining existing literature and precedents is imperative. Drawing from diverse sources, this study establishes markets within a broader urban design, architecture, and social dynamics framework. By reviewing social categories, placemaking principles, market scales, historical contexts, and conceptual frameworks, this research aims to comprehensively understand markets and their intrinsic qualities. From studying this subject, there is a varying amount of literature investigating it, as well as from the work of Katherine Albright, which is a pseudo underlining of the overall image of the thesis. She describes that there is a scale to how markets interact with users and the built environment. From large networks to individual experiences, marketplaces can be studied along this scale. The thesis attempts to understand markets in a broader sense and taps into that scale along its length. To explore the larger end of the scale, the writings of Kostof and Lynch help define markets as an urban entity, as they are both a node and an intersection to the regions they connect to. Then, from the study of 'Market Cities' by Project for Public Space, which conducted studies of how marketplaces can impact a city and users and understand their interconnections over large areas. From the writings of Francis and Griffith and the previously mentioned writing by Albright, a fair amount of the spatial layouts and forms developed. From Albright, a marketplace consists of at least six vendors, and each stall is of variant sizes. Connecting to Francis and Griffith, it builds out the larger form of markets with general sizes and organized spatial areas. Further down the scale, we will look at markets' interpersonal and experiential aspects, supplemented by Watson's writing on sociality within markets in the UK, with an underlining addition of the concept of 'Place' and experience from PPS, Martin Heidegger, and Ed Casey. From these writings, a more nuanced and enriching understanding of markets can be found where it is a place that is impactful to its users as much as they are impactful on its existence. They provide spaces for exchange, being, connecting with others, and worldly experiences. As the scale gets smaller, the impact of each becomes increasingly fine-grained and complex, but this is where any existence of marketplaces begins. Intent and Research Questions In what ways do sociality and experience influence the marketplace? How does one determine the conditions for and design a marketplace? How do markets impact users and adjacent areas? How and why would implementing more built marketplaces in Detroit be beneficial? The central argument of this thesis asserts that there is an inherent need for the increase of built markets in Detroit, highlighting their potential to address various built environment challenges prevalent in the city. Markets, often overlooked and undervalued, represent a diverse typology that can enhance urban landscapes and foster community connections. This thesis advocates for their intervention into the urban space as a seed for positive change by redefining markets as more than economic entities and embracing their social and experiential dimensions. This thesis explains the attributes of markets and their broader significance through a multitude of methodologies encompassing analysis, research, collage, and design. Findings stress the pervasiveness of markets globally, their historical presence, and the nuanced understanding required to design and implement them intentionally. From the study and connecting research, marketplaces can be understood. Looking at them at many levels, a basic form, variable conditions, design references, and impacts were found. Despite its optimism, this thesis acknowledges certain critiques regarding its scope, methodology, and ideological underpinnings. The top-down approach to design, coupled with a predominantly American perspective, may limit the applicability of findings in diverse cultural contexts. Furthermore, the hypothetical nature of the design proposals necessitates a cautious interpretation of their practical implications. Acknowledging the validity of critiques, this thesis recognizes the inherent limitations stemming from its scope and methodological constraints. While the design proposals offer insights, their real-world feasibility remains contingent upon broader social factors, human experience, and community dynamics. In conclusion, this study stresses the intrinsic value of marketplaces as vibrant urban crossings that transcend mere economic transactions. This thesis seeks to inspire dialogue and action toward a more equitable and sustainable urban future by reimagining markets as inclusive spaces that foster social interaction and community cohesion. As an interdisciplinary exploration at the intersection of architecture, urban design, and social theory, this study contributes to the ongoing discourse surrounding the role of markets in shaping contemporary urban landscapes. | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | Detroit faces many challenges; one is the highway that divides its neighborhoods. This thesis explores using market bridges as a potential solution to this problem. The study draws influence from the works of Albright, Project for Public Space, Watson, and Casey, who have researched the form and understanding of marketplaces, public spaces, social interactions, and the experience of place. The thesis aims to understand marketplaces' form, structure, and experiences comprehensively. Later, the thesis focuses on how a market can impact Detroit. The research methods include literature review, observation, analysis, testing, and design, with a particular emphasis on the latter to investigate the distilled research into schematic design for the market bridges. The investigation leads to a cohesive and broad understanding of the basics of marketplaces and how they are formed. Furthermore, the designed market bridges demonstrate the urban fabric and social life, providing a place for communities to exchange items, food, interactions, and experiences. The value of this investigation lies in its unique and broad-spanning understanding of the typology of marketplaces and their implications for the city of Detroit and its citizens. | en_US |
| dc.subject | Detroit | en_US |
| dc.subject | Marketspace | en_US |
| dc.subject | Infrastructural Intervention | en_US |
| dc.subject | Social Categories | en_US |
| dc.subject | Place | en_US |
| dc.title | Detroit Market Bridges: Study of Marketplace Design and Implementation | en_US |
| dc.type | Thesis | en_US |
