MLA/M.Arch (Dual Degree)
Student Name: Connor McManus
Project Name: Andalusia Commons
Course: LA 8206/Fall Studio 2021 | Taking it to the Streets: Recovering the City from the Car
Course Instructor: Tony Siebenaler-Ransom
ABOUT THE PROJECT
This half-semester project focused on rethinking streets and urban spaces for a people-centric (rather than car-centric) future. Connor McManus set his project in Andalusia, Alabama, a town of 8,800 people, with a historic central square surrounded by a largely vacant downtown. This square currently functions more like a parking lot and less like the heart of the community.
McManus' proposal envisions the square as a thriving heart of downtown life, a catalyst for mixed-use redevelopment. The design also prioritizes shade and canopy, with both shade structures and permeable paving solutions to provide large soil-beds for street trees. In the long-run, the design will provide ample shade in this hot environment.
