VIBRANT RIVERDALE, BRIDGING TO COMMUNITIES

Abstract

Developed by decades of car-centric planning, suburban communities in the United States often suffer from fragmented infrastructure, environmental degradation, and social disconnection. As these areas become more diverse and dense, their outdated spatial models fail to support walkability, public life, or community well-being. In places like Riverdale Park, Maryland, home to one of the nation’s most immigrant-rich populations, these challenges are intensified by limited access to safe, inclusive, and connected public spaces. This thesis examines how such underutilized suburban landscapes reflect broader patterns of inequality in the built environment, exploring the integration of community, cultural belonging, and ecology.