Cultivating Coney Island

Spring 2013
ARCH 805.07/901.07, Design Studio 5: Vertical 1-RAMP
GAUD

Superstorm Sandy – which severely damaged Coney Island in 2012, is the only latest of a series of catastrophic events that has afflicted the peninsula. Over the last 150 years, fires, floods and storm surges have left their mark, while a succession of developers and politicians have re-shaped Coney Island with huge developments. 20th century suburban enclaves, an amusement district and huge low-income housing towers form a fragmented urban landscape surrounded by beaches.

This studio focused on generating new ideas for the Health and Wellness of Coney Island and its citizens – and to offer alternatives to a broken and outdated health system that can barely cope with disproportionately high rates of diabetes, cancer, heart disease, asthma, substance abuse and age-related illnesses. Coney Island’s health centers and senior facilities are still based on 19th century institutional models which isolate people and weaken intergenerational bonds. These institutional silos need to be reinvented – and people should participate in their transformation.

Proposals from our studio were bold and transformational:

Lila Tedesco’s project recommends a new distributed network of seven health clinics that partner with existing community, faith, and educational institutions to better provide health and preventive care services. Raised on stilts, the distinctive flood-proof clinics start the process of elevating the land. Lila partnered with the following organization: Coney Island Generation Gap, Partnership for Parks, and Make Your Mark to develop her design solutions.

Professor: Brunzema Meta

Digital Assistant: Allred Adrien

Students: Tedesco Leila, David Santiago, Gonzalez Mario, Lau Cheyenne, Lee Jong Hwa, Keyser Husseyin