Still Frame Collage of King Towers First Floor Site Plan and Captivating Scenes from East Harlem NYCHA developments
Isabella Joseph
Thesis Studio led by Professor Brad Horn
Architectural Politiscapes
Conveying the Complexities of NYCHA
New York City’s public housing has long been the subject of urbanist fantasies that have fueled countless speculative proposals. In the context of historical disinvestment, NYCHA’s multi-billion-dollar financial crisis, and a global pandemic, a new approach is desperately needed.
This project exists in the space before design intervention. It uses architectural representation to explore, discover, and convey the complexities of the NYCHA ‘politiscape’. Focusing on four developments in East Harlem, the project confronts NYCHA’s relationship with evolving, intangible forces, including time, politics, economics, and environment.
To view the final thesis submission, visit here.
Timeline Relating NYCHA and U.S. Housing Policy’s Key Moments
Collage of Damages Paid and Acquisition Maps from the NYCHA Archives
Density Comparison Collage to Suburbian Levitown, a contemporaneous development to Johnson Houses
Growth Constellations of ‘Nychaland’ by Decade
Impact of Developments on Population Density in East Harlem
King Towers Building 10 First Floor Plan Matrix
Still Frame Collage of King Towers First Floor Site Plan and Captivating Scenes from East Harlem NYCHA developments
Still Frame from Accompanying Animation