SUBURBAN REFILL AND REGENERATION, MIXED USE AND HIGHER DENSITY DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRINCE GEORGE PLAZA METRO STATION AREA

Abstract

The car oriented society in the United Sates causes a lack for the pedestrian, air pollution, traffic congestion and an increased cost for transportation. The suburban sprawl and underdeveloped suburban areas contributes to monotony. There is a need for a thorough rethinking of the suburban areas, especially near light rail and transit oriented development opportunity zones. This thesis evaluates the Prince George Plaza area, to show how much more design and urban oriented space thinking could help further, in essence a more pedestrian friendly precinct with mixed use and higher density development, along with significant parking and infrastructure transforming can make a dramatic difference. The thesis explores has three primary scales of concern: a master plan of the context, a multi-block precinct within the master plan, and a proposed building within that precinct. With creative design thinking and a rigorous “pay forward” approach, I will seek to demonstrate how design thinking can provide transformative promise and development returns to a compromised nearby neighborhood.