The role of landscape architecture in stimulating creative industry: the Pilsen neighborhood, Chicago

Jiang, Xinnan

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https://hdl.handle.net/2142/88177 Copy

Description

Title

The role of landscape architecture in stimulating creative industry: the Pilsen neighborhood, Chicago

Author(s)

Jiang, Xinnan

Issue Date

2015-07-15

Director of Research (if dissertation) or Advisor (if thesis)

Deming, Margaret E.

Committee Member(s)

• Harwood, Stacy A.
• Mattson, Mary Pat

Department of Study

Landscape Architecture

Discipline

Landscape Architecture

Degree Granting Institution

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Degree Name

M.L.A.

Degree Level

Thesis

Keyword(s)

• landscape operations
• creative industry
• urban revitalization

Abstract

In the context of urban development, many inner city industrial areas have been rezoned, and fallen into decay. People living in those changing urban neighborhoods seek new strategies for development. This thesis studies the Pilsen neighborhood in Chicago, Illinois. Residents in the Pilsen neighborhood celebrate the Mexican culture and history of their neighborhood and make the neighborhood an art destination. However, there are still potential opportunities for the growing creative industry to build on the cultural strengths of the neighborhood. Most existing cultural activities and programs happen in interior spaces, but there are still underutilized outdoor spaces to be developed. Besides, galleries and museums are expanding programs in discrete areas in this neighborhood. Landscape architecture offers one potential strategy to help stimulate the art and culture in the neighborhood, and alleviate the impact of gentrification by slowing its progress and securing alternative values and uses for underutilized space. As gentrification in this neighborhood has begun, residents need resiliency to gentrification and a way to slow down this process. If residents’ current needs are taken into consideration, keeping their culture and identity, offering job opportunities for local Mexican artists, and providing affordable houses for residents, resilient design proposals of adaptive re-use on a small, surgical scale, might now work. This thesis explores programmatic precedents and site analysis to inform urban landscape design. It provides a landscape architectural approach to help stimulate creative industry in this neighborhood, encourage local residents to participate in creative activities, and revitalize this changing neighborhood. This thesis identifies three landscape operations to guide both programming ideas and detailed site design for specific sites in Pilsen neighborhood: connection, extension, and intensification.

Graduation Semester

2015-8

Type of Resource

text

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http://hdl.handle.net/2142/88177

Copyright and License Information

Copyright 2015 Xinnan Jiang

Owning Collections