WATERFRONT REGENERATION: Mediating Boundaries of Abandonment Along the Hudson River

Abstract

The edge between city + water has become a divide. This thesis addresses this edge that has been thickened by abandoned industry and challenges the way we design for our changing waterfronts through a design approach relying on specificity of place. The design proposal shows how the water/city divide can become a connective threshold, how industrial landscapes can be reclaimed, and how this place-specific investigation can be an example to learn from through Westchester County’s Hudson River Waterfront, the City of Yonkers, and the abandoned Glenwood Power Plant. This method has resulted with the integration of building into landscape so that it acts as part of a new infrastructure which cleans water, supports urban agriculture, and provides recreational and training opportunities for the surrounding community. Flows have been re-purposed to knit connections in all axes, and begin to heal water’s edge.