It's in the BOX!: Mobile Public Space Interventions

Abstract

Though it seems far from it now, Detroit was once the epicenter for the American dream. Those were left behind after industry and jobs moved to the suburbs, to other regions and other countries, after white fl ight following the civil uprising of 1967, have been trapped in an environment of social, economic, and environmental disinvestment with no more hope of escaping to something better than they experienced over forty years ago. The remaining residents do not have anywhere to go and they are not going away. Detroit, despite images promoted in the popular press, is not a blank slate. In response to this condition I have devised a kit of parts for mobile, adaptable public space as a form of interactive, “interactvist” architecture called It’s in the BOX! This proposal is intended to build off of what remains in the city, build upon and give structure to green spaces opened up through vacancy, build spaces the current residents of Detroit can use, and perhaps most importantly build up the autonomy and self-reliance of the community. To demonstrate these processes and characteristics, the following proposal describes three different interventions at three different locations that vary in scale.