Graduation Year

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree

M.Arch.

Degree Granting Department

Architecture and Community Design

Major Professor

Shannon Bassett, M. Arch.

Committee Member

Theodore Trent Green, M. Arch.

Committee Member

Ron Chandler, M.S.

Keywords

Sustainability, Productive Landscapes, Environment, Highway, Density

Abstract

It is evident that several cities in China have experienced a variety of global impacts. Beijing for instance, has become synonymous with mass-migration over the years. The immense scale of projected rural migration, the unmanageable intervention of new housing urban developments, and the high levels of air pollution in Beijing have become a global dilemma. In order to alleviate Beijing's critical ecological conditions, the introduction of "new lungs", as an urban environmental design to the city should be examined. This thesis project illustrates how urban productive landscape and bike infrastructure can be essential in urban development through the implementation of an innovative dynamic Urban Eco-Filter that would respond to the active circumstances of the city of Beijing. The enormous amount of air pollution, ground-water depletion/pollution and particularly the lack of an ecological footprint are some of the challenges the city of Beijing continually battles. As a potential solution to assist the citizens of Beijing, who continually struggle to maintain a better quality of life, this thesis project proposes a new Urban Eco-Filter approach that will serve as a green corridor incorporating environmental resources. This innovative urban infrastructure would become the exceptional and unquestionable tool to create a holistic environment including productive urban landscape, bike infrastructure and sustainable themes.

As a solution this project proposes the implementation of an elevated eco-network infrastructure in the center of the city of Beijing. In addition, the proposal would focus on developing a new productive landscape connection prototype at the Guomao Bridge on the 3rd Ring Road. The procedures analyzed are: case observation, case studies, strategies of 3-D modeling, and the design and qualitative investigation through workshops. In order to further validate the proposed solution, an in depth evaluation of the research techniques is necessary.

It is indispensable to analyze the existing hazardous urban conditions and consider the uncontrollable growth of metropolitan cities, while introducing new ecological bike infrastructure. With the limited environmental footprint, constant amount of air pollution and the deficiency of ground-water, the investigation of a new Urban Eco-Filter is encouraged to enhance the social and environmental fabric of the city of Beijing.

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