nolli plans – Neil Flanagan

Reno Park Update 091206: Bad Names

December 6, 2009December 31, 2013Reno Park Studiesancs, buildings, geography, locality, neighborhoods, nolli plans, place, transit, transportation2 Comments

So neighborhoods. The issue of neighborhoods is not a small issue here at цarьchitect, so I want to explore how the nominal neighborhoods in DC, are relatively arbitrary. Whereas Cleveland Park is a coherent collection of period houses clustered around the summer home of our favorite philandering and mustachioed head of state. The same is relatively true of Chevy Chase. But other areas, such as AU Park or Tobago lack legible borders, character, nodes, or strong community sentiment. With these flaws in mind, I asked the internet where neighborhoods began and ended. For example, Wikipedia:

As you can see, there are some flaws to this map – some areas aren’t exactly stuck into boxes and others are claimed by two neighborhoods. Moreover, Tenleytown has, maybe, 100 residents and its borders rest, like the ANCs, along corridors where there is precisely the most activity, along Wisconsin. It also perpetuates the myth that there is a neighborhood called “Wakefield.” The name is a myth created by realtors, and you will not find anyone who actually calls it that, except perhaps some serpent or monster who wishes only to deceive you. . Clearly, it’s totally unsatisfactory. So, based on an informal poll and my own views, I’ve revised it:

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Reno Park Update 091115: Cyclist’s Perception

November 15, 2009December 31, 2013Reno Park Studiesalleys, ambiguity, bicycles, nolli plans, property, sidewalks, streets, tenleytown, tobago dcLeave a Comment

Sorry for the break between posts; the past few weeks have been pretty hectic, but there’s some good stuff coming down the pipeline. First off, let’s finish off the analysis of space and access. The subject now is the bicyclist.

Bicycling exists in a strange middle-area of the law. A bike is a vehicle in DC, but bikers can ride on the sidewalk and don’t have to register or undergo inspections. Culturally, cyclists travel in a more uncertain space, not all that welcome on the street or the sidewalk. A lack of any particular bicycle infrastructure means that there is no place of positive certainty anywhere near Tenleytown. I have to admit that judging conditions was more difficult here because of the more varying conditions cyclists find themselves subject to.

That’s reflected in the composite above; It’s really gray. And pretty dark.

To look at the way the image was composed follow down below.

Continue reading ➞ Reno Park Update 091115: Cyclist’s Perception

Reno Park Update 091017: Nolli Fails

October 17, 2009December 31, 2013Reno Park Studiesambiguity, geography, maps, nolli plans, rome, suburbs, tobago dc, urbanism1 Comment

This is what the average street looks like in Tobago. 30 foot setback, grass, buildings.

This is a part of the Nolli Plan. It’s a famous figure-ground drawing of Rome by a man of the same name that makes a visual comparison between structures and open space. There had been many drawings of Rome before, but Nolli’s particular drawing innovates on the others by showing the ground floor interior spaces or courtyards as part of the white space. It revealed columns and arcades, relating architecture to the urban form.

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Reno Park Update 091003: Walkspace

October 3, 2009December 31, 2013Reno Park Studiesalleys, au park, block, chevy chase, design, drawings, fort reno park, geography, nolli plans, roads, sidewalks, tenleytown, tobago dc, transportationLeave a Comment

Now, the final part of contemporary research: pedestrian areas.

There are three kinds of areas: unprogrammed spaces like plazas, sidewalks, and walkways, spaces for programmed activities, and then mixed-traffic areas like alleys.

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Reno Park Update 090827: Uses

August 27, 2009December 31, 2013Architecture, Reno Park StudiesArchitecture, au park, block, chevy chase, density, design, drawings, fort reno park, geography, land use, nolli plans, practice, tenleytown, tobago dc, typologies2 Comments

After some awesome long nights, the map of buildings is ready. This was a major hurdle in the project, so expect a slew of posts over the next few days. All I have left are the pedestrian paths, before it’s all analysis and design. So:

This is a figure-ground drawing of all the buildings, by use. Keep reading for breakdowns by use.

Continue reading ➞ Reno Park Update 090827: Uses