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.