Connecting Community: Capturing and Patterning Orphan Space in Langley Park

Abstract

Alleys and parking lots provide but a few examples of orphan or "in-between" space--of residual land spawned by 1960s urbanism. These unclaimed spaces have latent qualities, often only visible to a community's inhabitants. These spaces, like all spaces, morph to reflect cultural values and needs. Their difference lies in their residual nature. They allow the disenfranchised to learn, sell, and gather flexibly. They lie in between "valued" and "value-less" space. Modern urban theory fails to address these spaces, instead overlooking the micro-patterning of space. By incorporating these spaces into a careful study of pattern at the scale of the city, community, building, and individual, one can connect a once fragmented community. Langley Park provides the case study for addressing these issues of urbanism, orphan space, and connectivity--it provides an example of capturing, patterning, and connecting orphan space at all scales.