HEALTH | CENTER JAMAICA, NEW YORK: DESIGN IN PROMOTION OF COMMUNITY WELLNESS

Abstract

This thesis is a series of conjectures on the potential for architectural and urban form to positively influence the health and wellness of a community in Jamaica, New York. The proposition examines the relationship between site, building, and context at multiple scales, providing a vision for the physical and sociocultural revival of a historically significant urban center whose identity is threatened by visionless development and whose population of residents is suffering from increasing rates of chronic health problems. This thesis contends that urban revitalization can be used as a mechanism for stimulating the advancement of healthy lifestyles within the population surrounding the project site. The site selected as the vehicle for investigation is the Downtown District of Jamaica, Queens in New York City with a focus on the redevelopment of the site and immediate urban context of the former Mary Immaculate Hospital, vacated in early 2009.