PROJECT A New Vision for Midtown
LOCATION College Park, Maryland, US
PROJECT COMPLETION DATE
ARCHITECT Madlen Simon AIA
ASSOCIATED ARCHITECT
OWNER/CLIENT College Park City-University Partnership
CONTRACTOR / CONSTRUCTION MANAGER Not Applicable
PHOTOGRAPHER design team
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN TEAM Madlen Simon, AIA, Lili Mundroff Assoc. AIA, Margaret McFarland, Tim Pula, Laura Burns, Ed Cahan, Jingjing Liu, Oluwatomi Thomas, Austin Raimond, Ken Filler Assoc. AIA, Michael Fischer, Adan Ramos, Justin Manongdo Assoc. AIA
SUMMARY DESCRIPTION OF PROJECT
MIDTOWN DISTRICT
Site: The project focuses on College Park’s Midtown District, encompassing the stretch of Baltimore Boulevard from the intersection of University Boulevard to the University of Maryland’s main campus gate. Formerly known as Route 1, Baltimore Boulevard is shedding its image as a placeless automotive corridor lined with fast food, service stations, and auto dealerships and becoming an attractive location for higher density development as the University’s zone of influence expands. The site is adjacent to the new Discovery District to the south, bounded on the west by the University of Maryland and on the east by the historic African-American community of Lakeland with its school, community center, and church, and the residential neighborhoods of Berwyn Heights and Branchville. New residential slabs rising along the west side of Baltimore Boulevard take the form of a wall dividing community and university. The Paint Branch river flows along the west side of the site, further reinforcing the town/gown separation.
CONNECTING CITY AND UNIVERSITY
Program: The College Park City-University Partnership commissioned this master planning study as a guide to developers interested in initiating new projects within the Midtown District. The design team was asked to envision a healthy, walkable district that fulfills the mandate of the partnership to tie together University and surrounding communities with sustainable mixed development. We were directed to develop a program through a combination of community engagement and market research. Key concepts that emerged from the programming phase were: authentic sense of place, connectivity, and healthy community. Market research pointed to opportunities for rental housing for students and young professionals, office space focused on University innovation initiatives, and retail promoting a sense of community. The proposed master plan illustrates the resulting vision for the Midtown District; focused development proposals show how the vision guides planning on four specific sites.
URBAN DESIGN PROPOSAL
Solution: The design team discovered an authentic sense of place in the history of the Lakeland community and the ecology of the Paint Branch, with its native plants and animals. The proposed Paint Branch Promenade transforms the river from barrier to social connector, providing access to nature and healthy outdoor recreation linked to a regional trail network. The pattern of development along Baltimore Boulevard is rotated 90 degrees, with buildings enclosing pedestrian mews and plazas connecting neighborhood streets to the river. A new Innovation Drive crosses the river, connecting the northern end of campus to the Midtown District. An existing diagonal path from Campus Drive leads pedestrians to a new market square at the Lakeland Hub. With retail opening onto the pedestrian realm, residential and office uses above, and garage below, the new mixed-use buildings on both sides of the Boulevard connect University and surrounding communities, providing “third places” for convivial social interactions.
MEDIA FOR DOWNLOAD
Project PDF
IMAGE CAPTIONS & CREDITS
IMAGE 1 ANewVisionforMidtown_high res int.jpg, PROPOSED SITE PLAN, design team
IMAGE 2 ANewVisionforMidtown_high res ext.jpg, PROPOSED SITE AXONOMETRIC, design team
IMAGE 3 ANewVisionforMidtown_low res 3.jpg, SITE FORCES, design team
IMAGE 4 ANewVisionforMidtown_low res 4.jpg, BIG IDEAS, design team
IMAGE 5 ANewVisionforMidtown_low res 5.jpg, FOCUS SITES, design team
IMAGE 6 ANewVisionforMidtown_low res 6.jpg, PAINT PARK, design team
IMAGE 7 ANewVisionforMidtown_low res 7.jpg, THE SQUARE, design team
IMAGE 8 ANewVisionforMidtown_low res 8.jpg, MIDTOWN VILLAGE, design team
A New Vision for Midtown
Category
Local > AIA Potomac Valley > Urban Design & Master Planning (AIA Potomac Valley)
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