Abstract:
The contemporary suburban condition is not working for many different reasons. The architecture is prone to multiplication that is ignorant to local situations and climates. The ubiquitous big box, a large warehouse like retail store that is often a franchise, dilutes local identity and creates a hyper-efficient program that does not encourage spontaneous social collisions1. Architecture has the capability to offer solutions for these deficits. The suburban condition needs to be reconsidered by asking questions such as: What are the benefits of creating a denser population and more defined commercial and public spaces? Can big box stores be successfully integrated into a pedestrian friendly environment? Can “category killers2” (a term referring to how these warehouses run smaller more limited functioned stores out of business) cooperate in this environment with smaller businesses? By investigating a typical struggling “power center” (a chain of big box stores in one area) this thesis will explore the potential for re-appropriating the underdeveloped ‘negative space’ that permeates these landscapes by integrating some level and mixture of new uses. The ultimate goal of this thesis is to develop a model that will suggest larger implications about how these kinds of spaces may be altered in a variety of locations.
