Kingston III – 2018

 The second year graduate studio focused on a waterfront section of the Rondout River in City of Kingston, New York. The site is just east of a rapidly urbanizing Kingston waterfront called The Strand, a growing regional tourism destination with waterfront restaurants, museums, shops and other leisure associated uses. The project area is composed of multiple parcels adjacent to and nearby the Rondout waterfront owned by either the city, and energy utility or private owners. The waterfront sites include remediated brownfields, vacant parcels, existing commercial buildings, and the city’s wastewater treatment plant.  The site is adjacent to Kingston Point Park and a unique, very old neighborhood called Ponckhockie.  A trolley runs from Rondout Landing across the site to the park, funding for a ‘waterfront promenade’ trail through the area has been secured, and plans are underway for design and installation of a new bulkhead along its shoreline.

The studio explored growing waterfront interests and concerns including development and recreation, existing and projected future flooding, brownfield redevelopment and repurposing, community and touristic access, and Kingston’s unique ecological and cultural heritage. The recent Kingston Exhibition and eight alternative design concepts developed for this East Strand area are below.

 

CaD Kingston LookBook

October 2018 CaD Kingston Exhibition

Image by Eve Anderson and Liz Fabis, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2018 Cornell University

Ponckhockie’s Working Waterfront

“’Ponckhockie’s Working Waterfront’ repurposes past and current industrial waterfront infrastructure to create a more climate adaptive community. In this project, Ponckhockie’s past concrete-making legacy becomes a bridge between the neighborhood’s material history and a future where industrial, recreational, and ecological functions of the waterfront coexist” (Eve Anderson MLA’19 and Liz Fabis MLA’19).

Interlace: Weaving the Rondout

“The city of Kingston is a historically rich urban textile made up of industrial, artisanal and maritime identities. Our project ‘Interlace’ aims to weave these qualities and the waterfront into an accessible, cultural and ecological fabric. Ultimately, the project aims to strengthen the Rondout Riverfront into an activated and adaptive landscape for the neighborhood, the city and the region for years to come” (Jiamin Chen MLA’19 and Adriana Hidalgo MLA’19).

Image by Jiamin Chen and Adriana Hidalgo, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2018 Cornell University

Image by Yixuan Li and Xining Wang, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2018 Cornell University

Tuning Up

‘Tuning Up: Adjusting the Waterfront of Kingston’ “adjusts the Kingston Waterfront area along Rondout Creek based on six major aspects to achieve a more resilient Kingston in the future: habitat conditions,  access and open space, tourism resource, flood and tidal risks, brownfield risk, and sea level rise risk. To approach such a goal, the project considered site-specific strategies, key lines of protection, and overall sustainable surfaces” ( Yixuan Li MLA’19 and Xining Wang MLA’19).

Revealing Kingston’s Waterfront to its Inhabitants

‘Revealing Kingston’s Waterfront to its Inhabitants” seeks “to reveal systems that are at work but have been forgotten or taken for granted. These systems are always changing, such as the water systems and community systems throughout Ponckhockie and Kingston. By creating a concept that resides in Ponckhockie and emanates out to the Rondout, the potential of the waterfront can be revealed and utilized by all” (Sarah Boutata MLA’19 and Kayla Mosebrook MLA’19).

Image by Sarah Boutata and Kayla Mosebrook, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2018 Cornell University

Image by Andrew Berger and Carsten Schmidt, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2018 Cornell University

Ponckhockie: Generator

The goal of ‘Ponckhockie: Generator: Creating a Center of Gravity’ “is to make the Ponckhockie neighborhood a driving force for the city of Kingston. To achieve this goal, we have proposed to create a mixed-use development on the eastern tip of the waterfront with a focus on community spaces. The development is adapted to accommodate for up to 60” of sea-level rise and will serve several purposes throughout
the process of rising waters. Enabling the community to be more self-reliant and with renewed access to its waterfront, we believe the Ponckhockie neighborhood will become a generator in connecting different parts of the city.” (Andrew Berger MLA’19 and Carsten Schmidt MLA’19).

The Edge Effect

‘The Edge Effect’ (Jacob Dilson MLA’19 and Sahar Farmand MLA’19) merges the waterfront, community, and ecological edges within the multi-acre stretch of property occupying the waterfront. It proposes turning the site into a publicly accessible junction of these edges, while adapting the site to climate change and creating a regional attraction.

Image by Jacob Dilson and Sahar Farmand, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2018 Cornell University

Image by Shan Ling and Lijin Liu, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2018 Cornell University

Building Bonds

‘Building Bonds’ (Shan Ling MLA’19 and Lijin Liu MLA’19) seeks to create linkages between ecological and cultural resources to stimulate tourism. Culturally, the concept links historical resources along an onsite cultural trail. Ecologically, it proposes three wetland types to support Hudson and Rondout River fish habitat.

Re-ZIP (Re-Zone, Re-Imagine, and Re-Protect)

‘Re-ZIP (Re-Zone, Re-Imagine, and Re-Protect)’ (Joaquin Brito MLA/MRP’19 and Houston Harris MLA’19) proposes reconnecting  the Ponckhockie neighborhood to the waterfront while creating employment opportunities, community spaces and wetland habitats.

Image by Joaquin Brito and Houston Harris, LA6020 Studio, Spring 2018 Cornell University