Urban Design Studio: Providence

Assignments

week #	topics	assignments
Part I: Background Research
1	Briefing and Reconnaissance
2	Documentation and Analysis	Document the Downtown Providence Plan  (a) Visit Providence, walk the streets and document the city with photographs, drawings, and maps; and (b) Create an accurate, current plan of Central Providence by modifying an AutoCAD base map.
3	Interpretive Analysis	Analyze Central Providence Using standard urban design analysis techniques, analyze the central city in terms of (a) Building types (b) Blocks (size, density, etc.) (c) Streets (width, section, height of adjacent buildings, density of adjacent buildings, architecture, regularity, etc.) (d) Open spaces (size, location, shape, density, etc.) (e) Use (f) Circulation (g) Etc. Also identify Central Providence’s positive characteristics and problematic issues.
Part II: Urban Design Concept Development
4	Alternative Concepts	Develop a series of alternate urban design concepts based on your documentation and analysis. These concepts should be represented in plan form.
5-9	Urban Design: Public Spaces, Building Typologies and Plots, Facades and Streets, Urban Plan and Massing and Program	Pick a preferred scheme from the alternatives developed in Week 4. Further develop the scheme especially in terms of its (a) Public Spaces (plan, section, elevation, perspective); (b) Block structure including lots and functional uses (plan); (c) Facades (elevation, section); (d) Streets (plan, section, elevation, perspective); (e) Urban Plan (plan); (f) Massing (plan, elevation, perspective); and (g) Program (plan).
Part III: Recommendations / Documentation
10	Illustrative Design and Guidelines: Urban Guidelines, Streets, Spaces	Identify a specific precinct or local area to develop in more detail. Develop a set of urban design guidelines for this area. Illustrate the streets and spaces of this precinct using plans, sections, elevations, and perspective drawings.
11-14	Documentation and Presentation	Bring the work of the semester together into a final presentation document and present the work to a panel of faculty, outside reviewers and a representative from the City of Providence.