Connecting the Disconnected

The basis of this project is people, community, and equal opportunity to have access to technology, sporting equipment, a place to work, create, play, learn, and to assemble with the intention of having a sense of place and purpose. With the goal of giving people a place to go to and creating a site-specific design that will encourage communal interaction and participation. If successful, the center will improve citizens’ well-being, safety, and involvement. The people in this area need this project to provide them with sporting facilities, event space, study rooms, classrooms, computer labs, and a place to access educational resources. Giving them other programs like a gymnasium, art spaces, and space for an auditorium would also meet the demands of people in the neighborhood. Creating these spaces and allowing people to move seamlessly and freely across the site and the building is also vital to its success. Giving people outdoor places to sit and gather will drive people to use the space without needing to enter the indoor space. Parents will have a place after school for their children to go to, and those kids will be able to access resources and information to complete their assignments and homework. Along a major street in Dutchtown, the site location is the most optimal for people to be able to visit and use the center. Public transportation routes run along this road and a bus stop sits along the edge of the site, touching this main street. The field is already laid out for sporting uses and has a fenced boundary to separate the field from the street as well as an elevation change, The school would be the best space to use for classrooms, large event areas, and space for a kitchen and a library. This site meets the needs of the community center’s program and gives room to edit and adapt to the current needs of the Dutchtown Neighborhood. This center will hopefully become a magnet for the community and a space for growth and development. Allowing people to learn and thrive without the unequal opportunities that some can benefit from, while others are left behind. Connecting those disconnected people to the larger community and giving them fair opportunity and access.