Urban Densification and Spatial Democracy: Designing an Affordable Somerville

2022

Faculty:

Ignacio Cardona, Instructor

Students:

ARCH 4000, Studio 07 (Urbanism)

Institution:

Wentworth Institute of Technology

Location:

Somerville, Massachusetts, USA

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This urban design studio investigated how the Green Line Extension could become a catalyst for densification and social inclusion in Somerville while addressing displacement pressures associated with transit investment.

Students developed urban frameworks that increased density while exploring how the economic value generated by urban transformation could contribute to affordability and the common good. Proposals integrated housing, mobility, public facilities, environmental systems, and public space across architectural and urban scales.

Through Spatial Democracy, the studio examined densification not simply as increased building capacity, but as an opportunity to connect urban growth with equitable access to the city—using urban design and land-value strategies to negotiate development, affordability, environmental adaptation, and social inclusion.