Pitchapa Jular

UrbanScan aims to bridge the gap between cultural micro-communities and rapid redevelopment in the Bronx. While many neighborhoods in the borough are understood to be the next target for gentrification, this project introduces an incremental strategy for both local communities and emerging industries in order to create a symbiotic relationship. UrbanScan envisions a new cultural corridor, focused along a central piece of urban infrastructure—the elevated 4 subway train. This spine, which cuts across the borough linking the South and North Bronx, becomes a suitable gateway to capture the ever changing movement of the city, both tangible and intangible.

The elevated train offers multi-layered connections to vacant roofscapes across the borough and also to the intimate domestic life of its residents. UrbanScan proposes focusing urban renewal along this corridor around the local food culture, represented by both small and large food distributors throughout the Bronx and also its diverse population of immigrant groups. Local residents will be encouraged to celebrate their culture with food events on vacant rooftops, transforming these spaces into incubators for new development and adding value to the property.