Urban Edge.

Abstract

The space around us is in a constant state of flux, and as the world continues to grow the amount of usable space is beginning to curb. It now becomes the job of the architect to organize and compose a solution for this constant fluctuation. The architecture has to be looked at as more than just a simple piece of work constructed as a place to work and dwell within, and instead needs to be looked at as a living, breathing piece integrally woven into the way our society functions. As cities have grown and evolved so too has the way in which the city’s urban edge is defined, and as the world has progressed into the global economy that exists today, with it so has the city. For years there has been a fine line that separates the turbulence of urban life from the “less advanced” rural communities that exist beyond the city limits. Today however that line or edge has become more of a reality in its existence through the way in which cities have cut themselves off from the rural communities that neighbor them, viewing them only as step away from progress instead of as a way from which to benefit from. Can a city become more than just what is defined as the built environment and begin to use these communities as an economic source? Architecture cannot simply become a statement by itself but instead needs to be viewed as a way in which to help. Looking at both the macro and micro levels architecture needs to become not only a place with which to engage as a means for protection, but also needs to become a producer of goods itself with the space it occupies. It is the goal of this thesis to test this, redefining the way in which cities define their borders creating a system from which the architecture becomes a hub with has economical and cultural benefits as a way with which to help the shrinking that many cities face today.