NEX-US
University of Pennsylvania: Master of Architecture
Schenk-Woodman Design Competition
Group: Zhu Yi, Sirui Chen
Location: Philadelphia, PA
NEX-US revolves around establishing connections across the neighborhoods, seeking to re-energize a once vibrant community of Parkside.The strategy does not pivot along a single axis. Instead, it relies on the intervention and engagement of the neighborhood as a whole. NEX-US is a multiple stage process of urban regeneration. It begins by identifying both existing public spaces, and at-need outdoor spaces. These sites are engaged by the injection of site specific interventions that aim to program theses spaces. By creating multiple nodes, the neighborhood will be invited to interact on a much deeper level. The linkages between these sites will become highly transited, and by putting more eyes on the street, become safer.
The modules are replicated onto the empty lots in the surrounding blocks, creating avenues for education, sales and engagement. The resulting neighborhood becomes denser, allowing safer passage ways in an isolated neighborhood. Finally, a large-scale train platform will seek to engage the entire neighborhood through variety of social programs. As the new gateway to Parkside, it will set the example for community growth in the neighborhood. NEX-US aims to replicate this strategy in the several other at-need neighborhoods in Philadelphia.
