DRAFT - Syllabus - UD Studio - Fall2015 - FM PDF

Massachusetts Institute of Technology
School of Architecture and Planning

Fall 2015 - 11.332J/ 4.163J: Urban Design Studio (Credit:0-12-9G / 0-10-11G)
Professor: Adèle Naudé Santos / Fadi Masoud / Alan Berger
DRAFT
Tuesday - Thursday 1PM-6PM, Studio: 10-485
Ross Racine (1952) White Eagle Park: drawing of a fictional suburb
TERRA -SORTA - FIRMA: CODING RESILIENT URBANISM IN SOUTH FLORIDA

General Description
With nearly 20 million residents, Florida is one of the country’s fastest growing states. Its ubiquitous suburban
landscape is enabled by the continued manipulation of a dynamic estuarine environment and a pervasive real-
estate-driven housing pattern. Thirty-five miles of levees and 2,000 hydraulic pumping stations drain 860 acres
of water per day, resulting in the ‘world’s largest wet subdivision’ and putting $101 billion worth of property
below sea level by 2030. The overall structure that defines Florida’s cities emerges from the combination of
hard infrastructural lines, developer driven master plans, powerful reductive normative zoning, and rigid form-
based codes. Taken together, they dictate everything from the use of the land, to its subdivision patterns, and
from building heights, setbacks, densities, street widths, and open space ratios, all the way to roof pitch
angles, and fence hues.
These conventional tools have proven marginally effective in dealing with the increased vulnerability caused by
Florida’s inherently dynamic environmental forces. Tidal flows, severe weather events, rising sea levels, and
the hyper-speed nature of living matter, all make for a constantly fluctuating environment. This renders the
traditional static “object-based codification,” which has defined much of contemporary urban design,
inadequate and in urgent need of innovation.
By recognizing that it is exactly in the process of physical planning and design that we may be the most
operative and strategic agents, this Urban Design Studio puts front and center the agency and efficacy of
urban designer’s tools as they deal with issues of 21st century urbanism. It starts by accepting the “third
condition” as a space for urban development. The “third condition” refers to the constant influx of hydrological
states - that is neither wet nor dry but always shifting - as the starting point of a novel and contextual “process-
based” language for coding the future of Floridian urbanism.
Several counties in South Florida began a review of their comprehensive physical planning documents since
executing the Southeast Florida Regional Climate Change Compact in 2010. Accordingly, Palm Beach and
Broward Counties (north of Miami) will serve as the practicum’s clients. Two sites of further exploration - Pond
Apple Slough near Fort Lauderdale’s Airport and Loxahatchee Groves at the peri-urban western frontier of
Palm Beach - are representative of a range of urban, suburban, agricultural, infrastructural, and ecological,
variations of Florida’s urbanization. Specific programs will be developed after an initial research and mapping
phase, and may range from the design of large-scale landscape infrastructural systems to the design of
suburban housing prototypes of varying densities along the Everglades Coast. One site will require a
retrofitting strategy, while the other remains highly undeveloped, yet both are considered priority areas of
investigation in their respective counties.
11.332J/ 4.163J: Urban Design Studio: Terra –Sorta - Firma: Coding Resliet Urbanism in South Florida 1
DRAFT
The studio is broken into three main phases: 1) group mapping exercise; 2) coding research; 3) multi-scalar
design strategy The brief will ask students working in teams or individually to develop a systemically driven
approach that takes the hydrological extremes and ecological resonance of the context as the foundations of
their formal proposition. Through the design process, students will then devise a set of unique resiliency
zoning, codes, land uses, programs, and typologies that are empirical and precise, yet dynamic, flexible, and
responsive. Students will design outcomes for their sites. These new codes and designs will be collected in a
compendium of urban design guidelines to be handed to the practicum’s clients as they reconsider their policy
documents. By incorporating the indeterminacy of the shifting broader environmental systems, with the
pervasiveness and exactitude of planning code, we establish an opportunity for the instrumentality of policy to
be a part of the design process and a progeny of it.
The studio is open to SMArchs, MCP, and MArch students by permission of instructors. This studio is seeking
an equal balance of degree students from both Architecture and Planning. The studio counts towards the UD
Certificate. For DUSP: students requiring a practicum to graduate will be given priority, followed by those who
have prior design experience and / or 11.328J - 4.240J Urban Design Skills. Applications should include a
maximum of 5 page PDF of graphic work samples and a 200-word interest statement. We will accept
applications till 11:00pm on Tuesday September 8th, after the DUSP Showcase and Arch Lottery
Presentations. Please email your applications to fmasoud@mit.edu. Instructors will make their selections and
notify successful candidates on Wednesday September 9th. The studio’s first meeting is on Thursday Sept 10
at 1:00pm in 10-485. The studio meets twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays 1:00-6:00pm. A sponsored
site visit to Palm Beach and Broward Counties will run from October 8th to 11th.
STUDIO STRUCTURE:
The studio is broken into three main phases, first a mapping exercise, followed by code research, and
concluding with a multi-scalar design strategy. We have two sites to choose from.
1) The first exercise will familiarize students with the broader context of both sites. This is a group
mapping-based assignment that will be shared as a class resource fro subsequent phases. Most
base-sources have been uploaded to the course website. (3 weeks)
2) The second exercise will ask students to reveal all object-based codes (existing standards, building
codes, zoning, and policies) governing their site as well as reveal all the dynamic environmental
forces / fluxes affecting it (hydrology, ecology..etc.). Each team will be assigned a resiliency urban
precedent to investigate and present to the class. Most base-sources have been uploaded to the
course website (3 weeks).
3) The third exercise is a multi-scalar proposal for their site that will range from resilient housing
prototypes of varying densities to public realm landscape-infrastructure schemes. The final
deliverable will be a design strategy, and a set of unique resiliency codes and standards that emerge
from the design parameters (7 weeks).
DRAFT
STUDIO SITES:
Broward County: Pond Apple Slough / Fort Lauderdale Airport / Avon Park – Urban Retrofit
Palm Beach County: Loxahatchee Grove – Everglades / Agricultural Peri-urban / Suburban Frontier
DRAFT
PART I: ANALYTICAL MAPPING

Assignment 1
3 weeks
The first part of the studio will broadly familiarize students with the two sites through a very calculated set of
analytical and representational tools. A general boundary of investigation for both Broward / Palm Beach
counties will be assigned as well as a given template and scale. Teams will produce maps and visualizations
that reveal relevant information around their topic. This research will serve as a general reference for the class.
We realize that some topics may cross over into more than one group, so communication amongst groups
members is critical to avoid duplication. The mapping topics are: A) Geologic / Hydrologic / Infrastructural; B)
Built-form / Object Accretion; C) Demographics / Projections / Per Captias; D) Landscape Networks and
Supporting Systems.
Team 1: Geologic / Hydrologic / Infrastructural

(some ideas) Topography, Bathymetry, Soils, Water (Fresh, Brackish, Salt), Hydrological Infrastructure: Flows,
Watersheds, Prevailing Winds, Atmospherics, and Weather Patterns. Percentages of pervious / impervious surfaces,
biodiversity and ecological integrity indices, pollution, wildlife regeneration and degradation..etc.
Team 2: Built-form / Object Accretion

(some ideas) Typologies, housing and retail, real-estate values, new construction permits and applications, number
of bedrooms, big-box development, malls, storage and logistics, foreclosure numbers, architectural styles and
preferences, HVAC systems, elevations, materials, structural foundations, building / development process over time
..etc.
Team 3: Demographics / Projections / Per Captias

(some ideas) Location of Administrative / Jurisdictional Boundaries, Population Densities, Developments and Land
Use Change projections, Real Estate Values, FEMA Flood Insurance Maps, Age groups shifts and trends, Aging and
millennial concentrations, household incomes, race and ethnicity, immigration, health-indices, as many per capita
measurements as necessary, etc.
Team 4: Landscape Networks and Supporting Systems.

(some ideas) Mobility, Waste, Water, Flora, Fauna, Migration Patterns, Food, Energy, Federal, State, and municipal
spending and deficit, Infrastructure failures, locations and concentrations of the newest /oldest infrastructural
provisions, transportation telecommunications systems, Army Corps of Engineers projects, road technology, Street
lighting, roadway sections, desalination and grey-water catchment…etc.
PART II: REVEALING THE CODES AND FLUXES

Assignment 2
3 weeks
Allowing the first phase of the research to narrow down into a more specific site, an equal number of teams will
choose one of two sites in Broward and the Palm Beach County for a more detailed exploration. Within their
chosen boundary, teams will uncover:
Object-Based Codes:
All existing and proposed land use standards, zoning and building codes pertaining to their sites from Broward
and Palm Beach County’s Land-Based Classification Standards policy documents.
Systemic-Based Language:
Following a tutorial on simple animations, students will produce a hydrological analysis of how water flows
through, into, and out of their sites.
Resilient Precedents:
The studio will provide students with a list of precedents of resilient urbanism projects to which they will study
and deduce potential innovative codes, programs, housing / building typologies for reference in the final
propositional phase of the studio.
DRAFT
PART_III: PROPOSITIONS ON THE THIRD CONDITION

Assignment 3
7 weeks
Armed with an understanding of the broader systems at play, existing codification systems / planning policies,
and relevant precedents, students (individually or in teams) will make multi-scalar designs for their selected
sites that accept its condition as place that is neither wet nor dry but always shifting. While the program, scale,
and concept for each intervention vary in relation to an identified problematic and their personal interest,
proposals must however, adhere to these five overarching themes as they relate to resiliency: Districting,
Heterogeneity, Productivity, Autonomy, Experimentation / Flexibility
Each design will be accompanied by a unique set of resiliency zoning, codes, land uses, programs, and
typologies that are empirical and precise, yet dynamic, flexible, and responsive. These new codes will be
collected in a compendium of urban design guidelines to be handed to the practicum’s clients as they
reconsider their policy documents.
FORMAT:
Studio Trip:
Thursday October 8-11: Meeting with Broward County and Palm Beach County / Site Visit
Mid-term Review
Thursday November 12: With invited jury - Skype Presentation with Broward and Palm Beach
Studio and Desk-crits

Mandatory desk-crits and attendance of studio on meeting days. You must be present in 10-485 during studio
hours.
Final Review
Thursday December 10: With invited jury
Graphic Template
A consistent and mandatory graphic template for all drawings and posters will be made available to students.
This is meant to streamline the exhibition and publication post-production process. Adobe Illustrator and
InDesign packages will be given to the teams at the start of the semester.
EVALUATION AND GRADING:
Grades will be based on the following distribution:

Class participation and attendance = 25%
Assignment 1 / Mapping = 15%
Assignment 2 / Site Analytics = 15%
Assignment 3 / Design Proposal and Resiliency Codes = 45%
DRAFT
PLEASE NOTE THIS SCHEDULE IS A DRAFT ONLY

Schedule
Week 1
Thursday, September 8: Studio Presentation / Selection
Thursday, September 10: Studio Introduction – Assignment 1 distributed
Week 2
Tuesday, September 15: Lecture: Alan Berger (Mapping Systems) / Desk crits
Thursday, September 17: desk crits
Week 3
Tuesday, September 22: pinup
Thursday, September 24: desk crits
Week 4
Tuesday, September 29: desk crits
Thursday, October 1: REGIONAL MAPPING – Final Pin-up - Assignment 2 distributed
Week 5
Tuesday, October 6: Lecture: Fadi Masoud (Post Zoning – Design Agency) / Animation Tutorial
Thursday, October 8-11: CLASS TRIP
Week 6
Tuesday, October 13: COLUMBUS DAY HOLIDAY – MONDAY CLASSES
Thursday, October 15: desk crits
Week 7
Tuesday, October 20: desk crits
Thursday, October 22: SITE ANALYTICS - Final Pin-up – Assignment 3 distributed
Week 8
Tuesday, October 27: Lecture: Adele Naudé Santos - (Housing, Density and Urban Form) / Desk crits
Thursday, October 29: desk crits
Week 9
Tuesday, November 3: desk crits
Thursday, November 5: Pin-Up
Week 10
Thursday, November 12: MID-REVIEW
Week 11
Thursday, November 19: desk crits
Week 12
Tuesday, November 24: Pin-Up
Thursday, November 27: THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY NO CLASSES
Week 13
Tuesday, December 1: desk crits
Thursday, December 3: desk crits
Week 14
Tuesday, December 8: desk crits
Thursday, December 10: FINAL REVIEW (tentative date)
DRAFT
DISABILITIES:
If you have a documented disability, or any other problem you think may affect your ability to perform in class,
please see me early in the semester so that arrangements may be made to accommodate you.
The WCC at MIT (Writing and Communication Center) offers free one-on-one professional advice from
lecturers (who all have advanced degrees and who are all are published writers) about all types of academic,
creative, and professional writing and about all aspects of oral presentations (including practicing your
presentations). We help you think your way more deeply into your topic, no matter what department or
discipline you are in. The WCC is located in Kendall Square (E39-115, 55 Hayward Street—the same building
that houses Rebecca’s Café). To register with our online scheduler and to make appointments, go to
https://mit.mywconline.com/ . To access the WCC’s many pages of advice about writing and oral
presentations, go to http://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/ . The Center’s core hours are
Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.; evening hours vary by semester–check the online scheduler for up-to-
date hours.
ACADEMIC MISCONDUCT:
Plagiarism and cheating are both academic crimes. Never (1) turn in an assignment that you did not write
yourself, (2) turn in an assignment for this class that you previously turned in for another class. If you do so, it
may result in a failing grade for the class, and possibly even suspension from the University. Please see me if
you have any questions about what constitutes plagiarism. Anyone caught cheating will be reported to the
provost in line with recognized university procedures.

DRAFT - Syllabus - UD Studio - Fall2015 - FM PDF

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Massachusetts Institute of Technology

School of Architecture and Planning

Ross Racine (1952) White Eagle Park: drawing of a fictional suburb

TERRA -SORTA - FIRMA: CODING RESILIENT URBANISM IN SOUTH FLORIDA

PART I: ANALYTICAL MAPPING

Team 1: Geologic / Hydrologic / Infrastructural

Team 2: Built-form / Object Accretion

Team 3: Demographics / Projections / Per Captias

Team 4: Landscape Networks and Supporting Systems.

PART II: REVEALING THE CODES AND FLUXES

PART_III: PROPOSITIONS ON THE THIRD CONDITION

Studio and Desk-crits

EVALUATION AND GRADING:

Grades will be based on the following distribution:

PLEASE NOTE THIS SCHEDULE IS A DRAFT ONLY

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