Urban Forest: Houston, Texas

This slideshow is part of: Selected Undergraduate Design Studio Projects--Thesis 2012-13

Teddy Kofman

In this project I propose to reorganize the urban form of Houston, Texas through the restoration of the prairie and the creation of a continuous urban forest. These two ecosystems will be integrated within the urban fabric and used as an environmental, social, and architectural tool to create new spaces in the city and improve existing ones, both private and public. With the future expansion of urban centers around the world, my project hypothesis is that a new equilibrium between nature and human habitation must be achieved in order to adapt to a changing climate, environment, and society. 

The design proposal consists of two strategies; a network of biological islands, and a modular transit station. I view the urban region as an opaque surface of concrete, which I propose to perforate with islands of urban forest and grass land. These archipelagos, which will connect through the existing fabric of the city, will integrate the biological ecosystems with the urban one. The transit station supports four trees in surviving the dry season in Houston. This is intended to create a continuous canopy of urban and wild elements – in the form of transportation hubs and urban forests - a network that induces both passenger and biological movement and exchange. 

 

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