Beyond the green ideal - Reshaping Chicago South Loop

Analyzing the growing metropolis, this research questions the relation between the built and open environment on its process of densification. Urban areas depend upon landscape and broader natural areas to be sustained. The current system, in which landscape is the center of extraction and production and cities centers of consumption, has an unhealthy one-direction flow of energy and materials. By linking the urban landscape, buildings, and parks, a new ecological infrastructure breaks this traditional system and can become the own natural living system of the urban environment. By preserving existing open spaces in the city and introducing new ones, this thesis explores how to increase urban density and, at the same time, create new social-ecological associations.;Movement from outside city to its center resulted in urban population increase and recently is transforming the near South region of Chicago. Therefore, this study explores the introduction of a set of open spaces for collective experiences in two scales. First, is investigated the impact of inserting a new landscape infrastructure on the existing urban fabric of Chicago South Loop neighborhood. Through the study of the current site, the identification of underutilized or public lots set a framework for intervention, adding available spots into a network of open spaces that support diverse programs for the area.;Rethinking the traditional urban block consists the second studied topic, exploring the relation of built and open spaces on a smaller scale. Not only the continuity to the open space infrastructure is essential for the project but also the creation of a new urban lifestyle inside one city block and its nearby areas. Being on a strategic site connected to the public transportation system and Museum Campus, the proposal works as a condensed program center. Both local neighborhood and a broader public of visitors and tourists are attended, combining a multiplicity of programs, users, built and open space typologies.