Dead Mall: New Notion of Public Space

Description: In order to develop a design concept that enables preservation, we first addressed the question, why these activities are taking place on our site. Through site analysis, it became readily apparent that the Westland Mall is a part of a larger connectivity network. On a larger scale, the I-270 outerbelt provides access to both humans (as a vehicular route) and animals (as a migration and foraging corridor in its right-of-way and high-voltage electrical line that runs parallel). Furthermore, intersection of important vehicular routes (Broad St. and Georgesville Road), bus routes, and bikeways in the immediate site context indicates the importance of our site as a junction point for ecological, social, and economic activities.