2020 Interdisciplinary Collaborative Studio
Manhattan Town Center
This section will focus on the Manhattan Town Center (downtown mall) site. The studio scope involves re-envisioning the mall and its site in relation to downtown and the neighboring urban realm. The mall has been struggling with declining retail occupancy rate, decreased foot traffic, and increased competition from online retailers like other indoor shopping malls in the U.S. What’s the future of the mall? How can you breathe a new life into the mall space? There is no fixed program for the mall. Students are asked to envision the future of the indoor shopping mall and propose a reasonable development idea for the Manhattan community based on a brief market analysis study. Some might envision the site as a new residential space, a business incubator, mixed-use development, an outdoor theme park, or a completely new type of public space. Building and outdoor space programming and proposals, necessarily at a larger scale than the other studio sections, will be incorporated with the selected development approach which includes but not limited to adaptive reuse, expansion/infill, new development, or the formation of a new urban fabric of the site. The project encompasses two stages, including the larger scale “master plan proposal” phase for the whole site and a more focused “future anchor space” design phase. The project will offer the interdisciplinary opportunity to describe a dynamic and innovative way to create the interior, exterior, and outdoor connections of the new mall site, engaging with the complex urban realm and surrounding contexts, where multiple types of development converge exist.
The Belt Loop
The overall concept and narrative of our reimagination of the Manhattan Town Center really focuses on the reintroduction of smaller businesses to the urban core, while also mirroring existing framework in order to fit the surrounding context. With our site sitting at the terminus of Poyntz Ave, this was a perfect opportunity to continue the circulation and identity of this main-street and expand the overall downtown area. As the current site sits right now, it acts as a privatized public space that is only operated during specific times of the day. Our proposal takes this concept and completely flips it, allowing each individual store to keep all generated income and determine their own personal operating hours. Giving the responsibility of business success to these smaller stores will provoke community members to start buying more locally sourced products, thus stimulating the local economy. Our project incorporates a large experiential belt that entertains the visitors of the Manhattan Town Center.
Three Rivers Mall
The Manhattan Town Center has degraded since the start of the 2000’s. There is now no reason to go to the mall as the public spaces within them are long outdated. The Three Rivers mall accompanies different storm water typologies to give reasons to attend the space. The storm water typologies are also functional as they help with the remediation of storm water and Manhattan’s storm water problem. This new regional outpost will set a precedent for the Midwest and storm water management.
The Little Apple Food District
The Little Apple Food District is a dynamic and involved solution to a rising food and social disconnect America is facing. With the rise of obesity and “anti” social media, the need for outdoor walking and re-connection to food is paramount. By expanding the city grid, creating strong axis, and supplementing the infrastructure with a diverse program of entertainment retail, and food, the project will become the new place to be in Manhattan.
This project will breath life into Manhattan by maximizing its landscape with Urban Agriculture Production Facilities; it will create a framework for new social interaction through its new lifestyle amenities and food-entered experiences, and it will give new meaning to Manhattan’s most fitting nickname - The Little Apple.
Manhattan Town Connection
Downtown Manhattan, Kansas is known for its historical significance and cozy energy. The Manhattan Town Center, was built in 1987 to ‘foster the expansion of Manhattan retail,’ and ‘reflect the architectural flavor.’ In the past, Malls took away from downtown settings, but in this case, the mall is neither taking or giving to downtown. To attract both Manhattan natives and visitors to downtown, we propose an open retail and recreation hub that better embraces the city and offers more indoor and outdoor experiences, multi-generationally.
Creative Hub
The new Manhattan Center would be a Hub of creative, young professionals with intent to produce new and exciting ideas. The site and topography is manipulated in a manner that resembles the form and flow of the Flint Hills. The movement of people acts as erosion through the landscape, carving paths and inhabitable spaces. Outdoor space is choreographed to facilitate large outdoor festivities and encourage a sense of community. The anchor space offers rentable studio space for artists to work, showcase, and sell their pieces. Overall, the project aims to become a creative hub for the greater state and region.