Growth and Structure of Cities (Bryn Mawr)

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Design Proposal: The Navy Yard Terminal for the Extension of the Broad Street Subway Line
(2014) Voith, Nina Tatiana; Cohen, Jeffrey A., 1952-
In this thesis, a design proposal for the Navy Yard terminal for the extension of the Broad Street Subway Line will be presented. The thesis will explore five areas for discussion: 1. the importance of transit oriented development (TOD) keeping in mind the context Philadelphia and the trend to reclaim its water fronts from long abandoned industrial use; 2. the history and importance of the Navy Yard and the master plans for its redevelopment as an example both of reclamation of waterfront from industrial past and a potential transit oriented development site; 3. a specific look at transit hubs to analyze what makes them successful and finally; 4. a presentation of the design proposal.
Dream space : a study of architecture in Fellini
(2001) Toth, Benjamin; Cohen, Jeffrey A., 1952-; McDonogh, Gary W.
Beginning with the onset of the industrial revolution, urban spatial issues have become increasingly complex as cities have grown in size and density and technology has changed the way we use and travel through space. In response to those rapidly changing dynamics of architecture and the city, many filmmakers of the twentieth century began to use the modern art of cinema to examine the issues generated by these transitions. A few early silent filmmakers utilized cinematic means to create unprecedented images of architecture and the city. They utilized formal aspects of cinema, such as sets, movement, and composition in order to create new experiences of the space of architecture and the modern city. Films such as The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Metropolis are well known examples of such films.
Federal Tax Incentives: Public-Private Dichotomies and Preserving Neighborhood Image and Identity in Philadelphia
(2012) Harris, Arielle Simone; Hein, Carola; Cohen, Jeffrey A., 1952-
In the United States, historic preservation has been deemed a national responsibility by law, yet is accomplished through mostly private means. A quintessential example of this public/private relationship is that of the federal historic preservation tax credit, a nationally administered tax incentive created in 1976 that promotes historic preservation by stimulating private investment. This thesis seeks to investigate the impact of this tax credit on neighborhood redevelopment in Philadelphia, while taking into account the public and private forces related to the historic preservation movement. Through case studies of four neighborhoods that have experienced federal historic preservation tax credit development, various combinations of building types, development practices, and public/private relationships can be observed, ultimately suggesting that either a number of individually financed historic tax credit projects, or a large-scale group restoration of architecturally homogenous historic buildings with the tax credit, foster a sense of neighborhood identity and encourage investment and redevelopment in the area. On the other hand, a single historic preservation tax credit project in a neighborhood, or multiple privately financed group rehabilitations with the tax credit, cannot catalyze neighborhood redevelopment and ultimately create an unfocused neighborhood image and revitalization plan.
Le Corbusier's Modern Landscapes: Reconciling Site Specific and Universal Trends in Plans For Buenos Aires and Algiers (1929–1942)
(2014) Robles, Amy; Cohen, Jeffrey A., 1952-
This thesis explores the structures of thinking within Le Corbusier's works for Buenos Aires and Algiers as indicators of misconceptions within the standard narrative history of the modern movement of urbanism during the first half of the 20th century. By focusing on the visual and literary rhetoric regarding the role of natural surroundings, differing societal structures and grand-scheme orientation in these Corbusier projects, this paper deconstructs the contradictions posed by site specific, individualistic elements within the idea of a modern city, with its basis on universal truths and inherent uniformity. Through the lens of Le Corbusier's interpretation of different natural and urban landscapes, this analysis aims to point out the deeper influences within the plans for these cities, revealing a complicated mode of expressing the process of modernity.
Production of Knowledge, Consumption of Space: Exploring Gentrification and Philadelphia's Collegiate Institutions
(2014) Partridge, Simone A.; Cohen, Jeffrey A., 1952-; McDonogh, Gary W.
With over 80 colleges and universities within the greater Philadelphia area, academic institutions are a dominant feature of the urban landscape. This thesis considers the relationship between metropolitan academic institutions and their surrounding neighborhoods. Focusing on narratives of gentrification, this thesis asks how the presence of colleges and universities serves as an agent of social and spatial change in Philadelphia. Analysis of campus expansion as a gentrification of space and the institution's role in promoting Philadelphia's growing young adult population, suggests that university-driven gentrification fosters spatial identities that have consciously aligned Philadelphia with Richard Florida's model of the Creative City, but in doing so have excluded the preexisting urban context and furthered spatial segregation. This thesis does not offer a moral evaluation of gentrification, but rather aims to illuminate the university's role in the changing spatial identity of Philadelphia and the consequences that may follow.
Rush Hour in Rio: How the Development of Transportation for the 2016 Olympics is Affecting the City
(2016) Vámos, Csilla Krisztina; Cohen, Jeffrey A., 1952-; McDonogh, Gary W.; Stroud, Ellen; Voith, Daniela Holt
As Rio prepares for the 2016 Olympics, the city and national government have tackled various issues that will define the city as “modern” on a global stage. This thesis examines how the redevelopment of transportation systems in Rio over the last few years affect the city as a whole. I conclude that public transit and road installations will affect parts of the city differently, reproducing social and spatial inequality. While the new High Performance Transit Ring will help to alleviate some of the heavy traffic experienced daily (and facilitate Olympic connections), issues arise concerning the geography of the city, the organization and functionality of public transportation and their routes, and different social classes. To substantiate these claims, I analyze Rio’s Olympic candidature files, transportation reports, and relevant newspaper and journal articles. The results show that there is a discrepancy between what Rio and cariocas view as an ideal progression to a city of tomorrow, with inclusion and social integration of all its citizens, with what is actually happening, which is lower income classes being robbed of the benefits of transportation upgrades. Rio is leaving behind a large percentage of its population as it tirelessly continues to strive for modernity, order and progress, and creating an ideal image of itself to the rest of the world through branding.
The Olympic Games: Global Appeal & Desire to Host
(2017) Walcott, Tejan; Cohen, Jeffrey A., 1952-
This thesis examines the relationship between the Summer Olympic Games and their effect on host cities. Recently there have been vast amounts of negative rhetoric regarding the unsustainable nature of the Olympic Games. Despite much of this negative rhetoric, the appeal in hosting the Olympic Games still remains, as cities believe that the Olympics will be positive “urban growth machine.” The desire to host the Olympic Games has shifted over time. After World War II, the appeal rested in the rebuilding process. More recently, such as 1996 Atlanta and 2008 Beijing, the appeal was grounded in world recognition. In this contemporary era, looking towards the 2020 Games in Tokyo and the potential 2024 Games in Los Angeles, the appeal is deeply rooted in affordability. Who can afford to host these big, expensive Games? With such large competition to host the Olympic Games, to be able to show that your city can afford it is like winning a gold medal for your city. In addition, with so much skepticism tied to the sustainability of the Games, there is a high aspiration to be the “first” city to host a sustainable Olympics. The International Olympic Committee has put a massive emphasis on greener cities. This thesis critically discusses this proposed sustainable legacy of these new Games in a new era.
The Vertical Neighborhood: Creating Community in Urban Multi-Family Housing
(2017) Bracker, Mason Fielding; Cohen, Jeffrey A., 1952-
As urban populations continue to rise and American cities’ dependence on skyscrapers persists, there is an ever-growing market of consumers moving into residential skyscrapers. This need has been met by a wave of new construction, but as the building type has been popularized, questions of community and neighborhood arise. One solution that has appeared is the single-building neighborhood-- the “Vertical Neighborhood,” a development that tries to move elements from both the suburbs and the city into a single building. This thesis examines the concept of a “Vertical Neighborhood,” the implications of the name and the feasibility of the idea. It begins by examining the neighborhood aspect, what the word means, the image it conjures, and how one may go about planning one. Then, focusing on verticality, it studies the history of urban multi-family housing. The final chapter, and the culmination of the exploration, posits ideas for how this “Vertical Neighborhood” may truly be constructed.
Values and Visions for the Working Class: Interpreting Socialist Housing of Interwar Europe
(2020) Breen, Leila; Cohen, Jeffrey A., 1952-
1920s Europe had a dire need for new housing after the catastrophic destruction of WWI. Faced with an impoverished continent and a boom in population after family reunification, three governments--those of the newly minted Weimar Republic, of the first socially democratic municipality of "Red Vienna," and of the city of Amsterdam-- launched public housing programs. Armed with new theories of how to structure society and the political capacity to physically manifest those theories, they erected housing estates highly communicative of perceived working-class values. Through an architectural analysis, this paper unpacks the ideological motivations behind the built forms of the three housing estates from the major social housing movements of the era. Welfare governments and their architects sought to control how the working class imagined their socioeconomic and political place in the city by implementing theories of individualism or collectivism that determined how politicized or how personal their home was. Those built forms also enforced patterns of leisure, productivity, hygiene, and activism. With their varying levels of success and ethical standards, the public housing estates of interwar Europe reveal possibilities for constructing highly communicative and impactful homes for low-income populations that respect the inherently ideological nature of public housing.

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