Parc André Citröen

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Adam Jones and Ashley Hudson

Site Plan 1

Site Plan 2

Adam's CAD Map

Woodlawn Park Moorhead,MN

Case Study

Parc André Citroën is a 35 acre public park located in the 15th arrondissement on the left bank of the river Seine in Paris, France. The park was built on the site of a former Citroën automobile manufacturing plant, and is named after company founder André Citroën. Landscape designers Gilles Clément and Alain Provost along with the architects Patrick Berger, Jean-François Jodry and Jean-Paul Viguier came up with the design of the park, officially opened in 1992.

The park is built around a central, rectangular lawn of roughly 299 by 93 yards. It is embellished with two greenhouse pavilions, which host exotic plants and Mediterranean vegetation, located at the Eastern, urban end, and are separated by a paved area featuring dancing fountains. The South edge of the lawn is bounded by a monumental canal — the "Jardin des Métamorphoses" — composed of an elevated reflecting pool that reaches through granite guard houses, lined by a suspended walkway. On the North side are two sets of small gardens: the six "Serial Gardens", each with a distinct landscape and architectural design representing each of the five senses along with the "sixth sense", intuition. Also, a "Garden in Movement" that presents wild grasses selected to respond at different rates to wind velocity. A path stretching approximately half a mile cuts through the entirety of the park.

Also located on the site is a moored gas balloon operated by the Eutelsat company, which allows visitors to rise above the Parisian skyline. It can hold up to 30 adults or 60 children and gives breathtaking views of the Champ de Mars, the River Seine, Basilica of the Sacré Cœur and the Notre Dame de Paris Cathedral.

Overview

View to the dancing fountain

View of Balloon

Woodlawn Park

400 Woodlawn Drive Moorhead, MN 56560

33 acres

Woodlawn Park is home to Moorhead’s 18-hole Disc golf course and the Log Cabin Folk Art Center.

Tennis court - Basketball court - Ball field - Wading pool - Playground equipment - Biking/Walking Trails - Restrooms - Water – Electricity – Picnic tables-Groomed Cross Country Ski Trails

Disc Golf is free and open to the public. The 18 hole corse is nestled among trees with a wide range of footage.

Fargo Moorhead Disc Golf League

Reading Summary: The Death and Life of Great American Cities p.3

By: Jane Jacobs

In part three of this volume Jane Jacobs discusses the qualities that are key for the success of American cities, and those qualities that are also considered self-destructive. A topic she talks quite heavily about is the self destruction of diversity in city layouts, slum areas and the attempt to de-slum and whether it is a successful process. She then moves on to the topic of success due to qualities in cities based on the availability of money to the area or city in concern.

Cities across America have become self destructive in ways of layout of businesses in districts and the lack of diversity among areas. A prime example of this is banks uprooting in already successful areas, and within short distance of surrounding banks. Jacobs labels this as duplication of success. Organizations such as this are conservative in ways of valuing what is already achieved and not what could be achieved in a prospective area in the future. This is also seen with developments such as restaurants, insurance companies, and prestige offices, which are known to do the most duplication damage. Districts are now today striving for a strong vigorous mix of diversity whit a strong underlying base of primary diversity. City planners have learned from history that there is a tendency for outstanding success in cities to destroy itself as a result of being successful. People grow a strong admiration for an area and are quick to place human interaction in this area only leading to destruction of this once beautiful admired area. Areas are inevitably destroyed not by intention of individuals but by occupation of them.

A massive single use of an area creates borders which create destructive neighbors. Borders are the areas on the outskirts that see fewer users due to the clumping of areas of attractions and successful businesses in one central area with the organizations usually of less success spanning outwards. These areas are usually not as well lighted leading to individuals less likely to occupy these areas for safety concerns. Higher crime rates are usually seen in borders due to the lack of occupants especially at night. Borders are viewed as dead ends for people, and represent a barrier. Cities must be conscious of ways of knitting together areas of the overall city avoiding the development of strong borders or areas Jacobs’s labels as special land. Special land is areas that people on foot usually avoid walking through, but instead walk around or alongside. Examples of these are universities, large medical centers, parking, railroads, water fronts, and expressways. Due to the fact that the existences of cities usually are because of the money obtained because of these special land areas, they are looked at as a mixed blessing.

Another problem that arises with the existence of lack of diversity throughout the city as well as development of borders is the evolution of low income areas also called slum areas. These areas that were usually successful at one point in history self destruct them, causing success people in large number in short amounts of time to move out while large numbers of the poor move in. These areas become high density areas due to the quick and high increase of occupants of less income. Slum areas usually continually spiral down until the city sees no other way to de-slum than to completely renovate the area by bringing in successful businesses and better housing. By doing this the city is allowing history to repeat itself, in the means of this successful area will in time die down and begin to re-slum. In some cases if left alone and in the hands of those individuals that chose to stay in slum areas, this section of the city may be able to slowly but surely de-slum itself. Reasons for this is development of a community among people once they start to get used to each other and start to trust each other and take pride in their living environment, wanting to put time and effort into the community in which they developed.

Money is both a powerful force for city decline and city regeneration. Success or failure depends on the use this money is given and where this money comes from. Money that not only brings in diversity but keeps it within the city has an outlook of success. To bring city streets and districts up to good operating conditions, and keep them up to par is something that cannot happen too soon. Credit blacklisting of city localities leads to destruction of areas since it ultimately enables tenants and businessmen to expand and better their businesses and neighbors. In controlling and implying high cost rates of business and organization to obtain their areas of business, smaller business are shut out and larger corporate names are brought in only leading to lack of diversity and duplication of success.