Entertainment as an Urban Catalyst

Abstract

This thesis looks at the opportunity entertainment holds in the urban setting. What makes entertainment such an important factor to human life since we have became civilized? Not only does it have an emotional effect, but many physical aspects that have the power to alter a cities identity. I set out to explore if entertainment could be a driving force for areas that are in need of revitalization. It was important to start the foundation of this thesis on the history of entertainment and it’s relationship with humans and cities through time. The word entertainment is a broad term that can have many meanings. Because of this an exploration of precedents of multiple types ranging in sizes and location helped to define the proper direction to take. My end result was designing an entertainment hub in Downtown Detroit. This unique program gets it’s ideas from the large amounts of various research that has surfaced throughout this journey. I then set to pull out what would be the most beneficial for my site in attempt to create an place that would be full of life at all times of the day, help the city economically, promote movement throughout the different areas of the city, and serve as a catalysts to growth in the city.