mary k coughlin
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pawtucketville, lowell, ma
"The Ville"
This group project proposes a Pop-Up Village, titled “The Ville”, in the neighborhood of Pawtucketville in the City of Lowell. This project is a result of a semester-long initiative in which students conducted research and engagement within Pawtucketville to develop various reommendations that addressed the needs of Pawtucketville. During this initiative, the world was faced with the threat of COVID-19, a virus which created an unprecendented pandemic leading to the shutdown of many businesses and a global state of suspended animation. We find that our project,“The Ville”, which seeks to provide a solution to the economic limitations in Pawtucketville, could be seamlessly reframed in the planning context of a Post-COVID-19 Pawtucketville.
The project encourages a partnership between the City of Lowell and the University of Massachusetts, Lowell, to develop an educational program for UMASS Lowell Manning School of Business students to create a pop-up business village in Pawtucketville.
Urban Planning Core Studio II
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Spring 2020
To view the full project, see pdf below.
Pawtucketville + the Public Realm
This group project utilized both empirical research and conversations with community members to understand the current conditions of Pawtucketville’s public realm. Based on this research and outreach, we established a set of recommendations for Pawtucketville’s public realm moving forward. Our recommendations all center around a desire for connectivity. All three proposals rest on the idea of a central spine for Pawtucketville that connects the neighborhood from East to West, and from the Merrimack to the State Forest. We believe that if these recommendations are adopted, Pawtucketville can become a central node for recreation and health within Lowell and the region.
Urban Planning Core Studio II
Harvard Graduate School of Design
Spring 2020
To view the full project, see pdf below.
