Oral Abstract Details

Author(s):
Jiayang Xie

Affiliation:
Auburn University Master of Landscape Architecture

Presentation Type:
Oral

Topic Area:
Spatial/scale aspects of land-use change

Abstract Text:
The purpose of this project is a redesign of Dauphin Street in Mobile, AL to revitalize the historic district of the city. An analysis of the site’s current condition and constraints, suggest a pedestrian street that engages a close interaction with the buildings on both sides of the street that gives way to a connection between the working waterfront and the historic district of the city. Dauphin Street is an important street in the city, not only functional but also historically and culturally. This street connects the inner city with the waterfront working area. The section between South Conception Street and South Jackson Street is the most important block of Dauphin Street. There are many commercial buildings on both sides of the street including restaurants, bars and cafes. The street becomes alive in the night, however in the daytime, it’s almost dead with just very few people walking through it mainly tourist. History reveals that this street once flourished in daily life. Mobile is in need to revitalize this street and change the current condition. My design is based on the solutions to the current problems of Dauphin Street and the city’s water front culture. I analyze the city’s greenspace distribution and find that the green distribution in the city is fragmented, and needs connectivity. I make interventions within the sidewalk culture to stimulate pedestrian activity and I applied a green net theory (green infrastructure) and included permeable pavement technologies to this pedestrian design. Because Mobile is a city based on water and the city’s development is because of the water trade, I use “water” as an idea to range my design, and apply the water texture to my pavement design. The special texture of this pedestrian street is transferable and the city can extend this pattern to other places in the city. There is still much that needs to be solved to implement green streets and green infrastructure in the historic district of Mobile, AL. Planning needs to be coordinated with the different city departments. The revitalization of Dauphin Street, in my opinion, needs to respond to the following the challenges: 1) How to connect this downtown area to the whole city, to attract more citizens get involved? My two block redesign is just a snapshot of that goal; 2) How to redevelop the city to engage a green net and a regional green infrastructure plan? Mobile currently has so few green centers for a big urban area, and 3) How to use green infrastructure to calm the traffic problem on Dauphin Street, the historic district and the waterfront areas?