La Revolution-ary Urban Planning in Havana, Cuba

For this Action Project I had to redesign a part of a city. I first looked for an area on Google Maps and I chose the Revolution Plaza in Havana, Cuba. I chose Havana, Cuba because I've been there before and I have family that lives there. I also chose Cuba because I love the architecture there. Throughout this unit we learned about finding the area and volume of different shapes. One thing we learned was finding the area of a triangle by using the equation 1/2*absinc. In class we also discussed good examples of urban planning and bad examples. One example of good urban planning is the Emerald Park in Boston, MA because it connects different parks together and is filled with nature. We also learned from TED talk speakers, Ellen Dunham-Jones, James Kunsler, and Majora Carter. They all spoke about urban planning and different ways that we can improve it. A few ways that we can improve urban planning is motivating people to walk more by extending sidewalks for pedestrians or urbanizing areas like the suburbs so people are driving less.

The center of the Revolution Plaza has a lot of open space so I wanted to create something useful that took some of it up. The Revolution Plaza was where a lot of political rallies took place that involved figures like Fidel Castro. The Plaza is also the 31st largest city square in the world. It has a lot of important history so I wanted to include a section that is like an outside art museum. It will be Cuban art like sculptures, murals, paintings, and more. The other half will be a skate park. Both sections are separated by a wall so you can either look at art or go to the park! The skate park is like any average park with ramps and an open space. On that side, instead of another grass area in the middle of the street, I put it closer to the park so it can be a resting area. This also gives cars more street space. On the side of the outside art museum, across the street there is an improved green area with seating and tables so that people can enjoy food or just hangout. The grey rectangles represent the streets.

Some problems I encountered with this was I wasn't sure what to do with the open space. To be honest, I thought it would be better to leave it the way it is because that's how the structure was built and the square is like a remembrance of the political Cuban rallies that took place. I thought leaving the space the way it was would be okay. I then realized that I can still make it relevant to Cubans and their history by including an area dedicated to Cuban art.

Two cities that inspired my design are Cambridge, MA and San Francisco, CA. They both inspired me artistically because they know how to take up space with art. In Central Square, an area in Cambridge, MA, there is an alley that has walls filled with graffiti. This wall is used by graffiti artists to create murals and more. I like that a basic alley was turned into a space where artists can go everyday to interact with others. That way, it isn't just a trashed out alley that no one really uses. It's a small space with a lot of purpose. I was inspired by San Francisco because when I traveled there I went to an art festival in a park. The park was was just grass with a few benches but was then transformed into an outdoor art show that was filled with art from local artists. You would think that outdoor art doesn't work because of the different conditions, but it worked so well and I loved it! There was also a stage for performers. The park wasn't huge either and I thought it was so cool that they transformed a small park into a huge art festival for the community.

Google Maps. Plaza de la Revolution (Before the design) (AS 2019)


Google Maps. Updated Space (AS 2019)


Calculations

In order to find the area of the space that I'm redesigning I did length x width.
 Length : 229.60 m
Width : 87.50 m
Final area= 20,090 m

In order to find the volume of my 3D structures I used the cylinder equation 
pi * r^2 * h . The seats in the park are cylinders as well as the trunk of the trees. 
Tree Trunk: R= 1.5 ft
                    H= 40 ft
                     pi multiplied by 1.5^2 * 40= 282.74 ft
Seat: R=0.58 ft
         H= 3.58 ft
           pi multiplied by 0.58^2 * 3.58= 3.78 ft

"Integrated and mixed used environments"

One of Peter Calthorpe ideas for building a better city is getting rid of sprawl in dense areas or areas that actually aren't that dense at all. A city should bring people together. Here, I am bringing people closer through nature and comfortable resting areas where many can hang out. Also, many don't expect a skate park to share a space with an outdoor art museum. Bringing these two places together is allowing people to interact more when they're out. Two other ways that Peter Calthorpe mentions for building better cities is to make a city walking and transit oriented as well as cutting down on carbon emissions to better the health, environment, and experience for people there. My design provides a space for people to actually exercise and have fun. If there is a skate park in the city, people will use the space more which can increase exercise and activity in the city. Some may feel that they no longer need to drive or take public transportation, they can just bike or skate. Parks are like the lungs of the city and putting more nature in the area allows the space as a whole to breathe a little and feel more fresh. Since I moved some of the green space that was in the street and transformed it to a park / resting area , the streets and sidewalks may extend. This gives more walking space to pedestrians.


My aunt lived in Cuba for years and told me about her experience at the Revolution Plaza.

"I used to walk through the plaza everyday. It impressed me to be in a country that had a huge symbol of Che on a building rather than an advertisement."
- Lillian Holloway

Sustainable Development Goals

My design helps achieve targets 11.7 and 11.6 because I created a safe and comfortable space for all people to relax and exercise. I rearranged some of the green space that was around the area so people could have more room to walk or drive. I also made it multipurpose so that it's a garden and a hang out spot as well. Putting more parks in cities improve the air quality and environment for people there.
Goal 11.7: By 2030, provide universal access to safe, inclusive and accessible, green and public spaces, in particular for women and children, older persons and persons with disabilities.

Goal 11.6: By 2030, reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities, including by paying special attention to air quality and municipal and other waste management.

In conclusion, I learned that Urban Planning can change the environment, the way we interact with one another, and how we get from one place to another on a day to day basis. Before taking this class I wasn't aware that people actually had different plans to restructure cities and the way that they look. I also learned that urban planning can be used in other places like the suburbs or smaller towns. The hardest part about this project was finding an area to redesign because I had too many locations in mind. Once I found the Plaza I was really excited to get started with my design. The most interesting part was seeing how the structure looked after and how it has been improved.

New and Improved 3D Design