The Broward Community Design Collaborative at Florida Atlantic University is pleased to present this summary of the Transit | Housing Oriented Redevelopment (THOR) Pilot Study, combining student work and faculty research, undertaken during the spring semester of 2008.
The objectives of the study were to develop sustainable, context-sensitive design strategies for redevelopment and urban design through a public involvement process; and to test local development policies, regulations, and transportation and land use best practices in the context of a subtropical urban environment.
The study involved three graduate level architectural design studio sections that engaged the community through an ongoing conversation instigated by a series of workshops, lectures, and open studio sessions. Students worked individually and in groups as facilitators for a public workshop and a community design inventory. They evaluated the existing context and physical environment and designed Specific Area Plans for each of the two subject corridors in Broward County, Florida. Their work was continually evaluated and critiqued by faculty from the School of Architecture and planning professionals from the Broward County Planning and Redevelopment Division, the Broward Metropolitan Planning Organization, the municipalities of Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Lauderhill, and Plantation; transportation and transit officials; and community residents and business property owners.
The work demonstrates a design process for community redevelopment that expands the community design studio envisioned by the School of Architecture in fulfillment of the goal of “learning by doing.”
This study was made possible with the support of the Broward County Metropolitan Planning Organization and the Broward County Board of County Commissioners.