Imagining Recovery: PUBLIC (housing) WORKS

PUBLIC (housing) WORKS was submitted to IMAGINING RECOVERY, an open international design ideas competition. The competition (www.imaginingrecovery.com) called for an 'experiential image' and supporting documents that would clearly communicate a design vision for the use of President Obama's Recovery Act funds. PUBLIC (housing) WORKS proposes to enlist NYC public housing projects designed in the 'tower in the park' model and re-introduce them as part of the city's infrastructure. We expect parks in general to do more than entertain us. What if the (tower-in-the-)parks were no different? Envisioned as urban infrastructure, existing public housing projects can provide water retention and filtration services for their surroundings, mitigating storm water runoff as well as water level rising (when in proximity to river/ocean); they can support dense vegetation that would improve air quality and lower temperatures; they can perform as urban farms collaborating with local schools and providing fresh produce following the community-supported-agriculture model; or provide service in other ways. "Recovery promises to reform the way in which America operates, the way Americans live their lives".