top of page

Pittsburgh CTI

Magliano Civic Center

Inwood Squiggle

SITE: Inwood, NY

YEAR: Urban Design Grad - 2018, Semester 1

UNIVERSITY: CUNY Spitzer School of Architecture

DURATION OF PROJECT: 4 months

The Inwood Squiggle is a masterplan that uses a path that wraps around the entirety of the neighborhood. The path promotes an inclusive community by having intergenerational hubs placed throughout the neighborhood. Along the path, there are programs such as housing, commercial, civic, and recreation. The masterplan will also consider the flood risks that Inwood is prone to by creating a hill park along the waterfront’s edge.

FINAL AXON DRAWING.jpg

Inwood is a northern Manhattan neighborhood that is inhabited predominately by people of Latin descent. Inwood’s population age is extremely diverse with ages split evenly between the youths and elders. Inwood has a unique layout due to the zoning restrictions that keep the neighborhood's buildings at 7 stories or lower and has a street grid that is rotated from the rest of Manhattan. Inwood is subject to flooding due to the rise in sea level. Inwood Hill Park protects the west side of the neighborhood due to its topography, but the east side is a subway rail yard that is subjected to flooding. The Squiggle intends to wrap itself throughout Inwood's infrastructure, enhancing and protecting the existing communities and cultures within the neighborhood.

action plan 1.jpg

Figure 1: Inwood demographics study taken from the "Inwood NYC Action Plan"

The Masterplan

diagram 2-min.jpg
North Arrow.png

1. Existing Urban Environment

Commercial "U" Street

Flood Zone

diagram 4-min.jpg

3. Connected activity zones with squiggle path. Extended diagonal grid into the flood zone.

Existing buildings along squiggle

Street grid extension

diagram 6-min.jpg

5. Intergenerational hubs placed at vacant lots around squiggle

Existing buildings along squiggle

New hill park buildings

Intergenerational Hubs

diagram 3-min.jpg

2. Activity zones created throughout Inwood based on existing infastructure (Housing, Commercial, Civic, Recreation)

Activity zones

diagram 5-min.jpg

4. Hill parks are created for the community above the rail yard while protecting the area from flooding.

Existing buildings along squiggle

New hill park buildings

diagram 7-min.jpg

6. Green spaces along squiggle and hill park

Existing buildings along squiggle

New hill park buildings

Intergenerational Hubs

Green space

Above grade green space

Squiggle Program

Housing

Asset 1.png

Civic

Asset 2.png
Asset 4.png
Asset 3.png
Asset 7.png

Commercial

Asset 5.png

Recreation

Asset 8.png
Asset 6.png

Recreation Section

Recreation Section

finals 9 [Converted].jpg

The Inwood Squiggle will create a dynamic walk throughout the neighborhood as it connects all the different building typologies within the neighborhood.  The multiple building typologies and changes in elevation which make Inwood such a unique neighborhood are all highlighted along the squiggle. The program being connected along the squiggle will be classified as housing, commercial, civic, and recreational spaces.

Metro Hill Park Section 1

section key 2.0 (2).png

Commercial Section

The hill park acts as a reshuffling of the existing area. This area is a part of the commercial zone currently in Inwood but will be gone due to the sea level rise. The commercial hill park will demolish the existing buildings, extend the recognizable Inwood diagonal grid, and create a unique layout of buildings that are tucked under the topography. The tenants of the demolished buildings will be relocated into these new buildings.

The squiggle above the metro acts as a community space for the neighborhood. An outdoor market, orchard, and a beach area are all program pieces along with the added buildings above the metro. The buildings have apartments, commercial spaces, and greenhouses that are open to the public.

finals 2 for metro [Converted].jpg
finals 3 [Converted].jpg
section hill park.jpg

Commercial Hill Park Section 2

Housing Section

finals 1 [Converted].jpg
inwwod hd map cropped.png
render 1 for portfolio.jpg

New buildings will be constructed along the squiggle that will act as spaces for community engagement. The new buildings include affordable housing, a marketplace, a school, a theater, and a rec center. These buildings will be classified as intergenerational hubs as they offer programs for a wide range of age groups and ethnic backgrounds within Inwood.

The new hill park, as they offer spaces for the community much like the intergenerational hubs, will act as protection against flooding and the rising sea level.

render 2.jpg
render 4 rainy.jpg
render 4 sunny merged layers.jpg

Figure 4: Hill park during a sunny and rainy day

Figure 2: One of the new intergenerational hubs; marketplace

IMG_9779.png

Figure 3: One of the new intergenerational hubs; educational center

bottom of page