Fourth tier streets collect and distribute traffic between local streets and arterial streets. They connect main commercial and office developments to neighborhoods.

In vibrant cities, our daily lives are filled with events, exchanges, gatherings, discovery, rituals, and endless chance encounters. They constitute the lifeblood of growth and continuous development of our enduring public realm.

A proposal was made to the City of Gilbert for their Heritage Village District located at the core of their “old town” area. Defining the best uses for the land, developing a strategy and design solution, defining the different commercial, retail, office and residential products, and site planning and building design were the goals the City established.

s significant as it was in the development of Phoenix, Midtown received less attention in the history books, perhaps because it represented an “in between” phase between the city’s original settlement and the tremendous outward growth that would follow. Midtown may not receive as much press as the city core does, but it awaits its turn for a make over.

Streets form a basic unit of space in how we experience the city; they hold a place in the domain of public space and therefore the public realm. People depend on streets for functional, social, travel, shopping, play, interacting with each other, relaxation, etc. The relationship to the street is a vital design factor.

The project focuses on building a series of shelters (also referred to as nodes) for eco-tourism along this path. Shelters catalyze, and make those natural processes apparent for humans to become aware of. They also share the space with animals and flora. The series of shelters represent different aspects of local folklore, culture and traditions such as: interaction of natural processes, native species, local history, lifestyle, and belief system.

21st century cities are driven more by private development than by public infrastructure. This results in an anemic, provisional infrastructure that falls prey to the trends and idiosyncrasies of the private sector; which in turn creates a series of disconnected and isolated private developments that have their own robust infrastructural systems while making no contribution to the public realm.

Phoenix’s street network, like many other western cities was built on a grid. This grid system has had the greatest effect on how the city has taken shape since the original town in 1870. Phoenix’s one mile grid pattern has not only helped Phoenix’s urban form take shape, but has been the primary avenue for resident transportation. The grid connects residents and visitors to Phoenix and all of its neighborhoods, businesses, parks, and other destinations.

A non-academic project designed and built for an exhibition on small structures (200 USF or less); this design of a home office or studio makes the most of space by being able to push and pull certain elements through the walls of its structure.