Monday, November 22, 2010

Master Planning Project Summary 11/22/2010










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Two Planning Renditions for 1/4 Mile = 2,500 Units:


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Composting toilet facility, with 2 accessible toilets and 8 toilets on raised platform.  Access doors behind to remove buckets.  Also, 4 showers at one end and line of sinks on shaded front porch.

(ex. of composting toilet:)

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About Master Planning 05

Given the current situation of the dire need for sanitary facilities and housing for upwards of a million people, our planning efforts have focused around establishing general guidelines for the layout of residential communities.   Out of necessity, especially in the beginning, the communities will be very dense.  In order for residents to quickly identify unique opportunities for creating a sense of place in this density, the following guiding principles were identified.  First, there are a variety of styles and sizes of units, which stand 3’-4’ apart, alternatively offset to afford more delineation and privacy.  Second, at the corners of blocks, the units are set back to allow the crossing to be marked by trees, lights, and gathering spaces.  Thirdly, the street fronts are characterized by a tightly knit façade of verandas full of living and working activities.  The street fronts open up, with small pathways or larger “access roads” to the center of the blocks, which house a variety of variable functions, influenced by the residents of the block.  The program of these blocks includes two composting toilet facilities, one for men, and one for women.  In between these are parking, as needed, gardens; either individual or collective plots, and play areas.

The overall ordering of the communities, beyond this “court yard”, are that each block is connected to at least one other through semi-public “access roads” that are used for servicing the composting toilets and defining a pedestrian community.  This string of blocks is the building component for the larger community, which is interwoven, creating an ordered pattern while allowing for endless variation and growth.  Each string connects to a park and a primary or secondary road, being more concentrated towards the center of square-mile walking districts.  Along these roads, the growth of compact, frequent districts with schools, community, business and industry is always being allowed for.  Concentrated towards the center are open markets, churches, clinics, police, and NGO offices, and towards the perimeter, fertilizer depots for the composting toilet bi-product.





Wednesday, November 10, 2010