Avenida Inglaterra
The red triangle delimits the area I chose to study
Photo Journal
Narrative
The area, located on the right-hand centre of my group's area, is currently used for very few activities. It has very few green patches, and it does not seem like the vegetation was organised and planned, but rather that it grew where it could. There is more vegetation than in the other areas surrounding the space. One of the main landmarks of the area is a grain grinding factory. The factory seems like it is currently working, but I imagine it is going to shut down soon or could be relocated, or sold to the government to give it another use. It does give a very nice atmosphere to the area and could be transformed for a new use. The walls that protect the factories cut the space in a nearly oppressive way, and prevents the area to be open. The train tracks are a very interesting value to the space, as it runs along one side of the area, although for the moment the high speed train is an inconvenience. Having a train go through the area at such a high speed for a long time is not only a nuisance but a danger to the users. The remaining space is mostly wastelands and have no usage for the moment. The whole space has no public lighting, and it feels very unsafe. There is gravel on the ground, pieces of clothing and trash people left. We can clearly see that migrants or homeless people are using the space as a place to stay the night. On the area, we can see that mostly men are using the space as it feel quite dangerous and unsafe, especially as it is so far from anyone that if anything happens, no one can come to the rescue or see what is happening. The place is not comforting. We can totally see a lack of community-based constructions, that impeach life and fruitful activities to grow. This space is clearly a separation between wealthier and less well-off people. It does not feel inclusive or welcoming. The under-usage of the area is a shame, as its very central localisation can be a meeting point between Zapopan and Guadalajara. This space connects the two cities together and it is a real missed opportunity to leave it vacant. It is uncommon to see such a wide pice of land in the centre of an urban area that was not taken advantage of. This very wide space is only used by a joggers, people walking their dogs and the few people who have the courage to bike to work through this area, but it is very difficult to get around in bike or by foot. The area was clearly not built for the people who are currently using it as everything was clearly built for car owners that transit through the area. Little by little, some populations have made the space theirs, and it needs to stay that way through our planning of the area.
Concept development ideas
I developed the ideas of a public light that would produce music, a community centre under the stairs to another building, two different "swimming parks", and a "community factory". I have decided to take the community factory to develop in my case study for Avenida Inglaterra.
