The Reactive City

Abstract

The Reactive City investigates architecture and the impact of doing architecture at the urban scale. Individual architectural projects are, for the most part, designed with the end users in mind, but at the urban scale, there is a pattern of disinvestment in Detroit's current population in favor of encouraging new populations and businesses to move in. I explore the reconstruction of the design and policy making process as a proactive means by which the city can be more reactive to the needs of its residents. Through this more democratic process of neighborhood involvement, architecture becomes an integral part of community building, serving both to create and support more holistic and culturally appropriate urban environments.