REBUILDING THE URBAN MARGIN AND THE MODERN IDEAL

requirements for the Degree of Master of City Planning In many Western cities, an urban margin has developed between the traditional central business district and the new suburban office environment. These inner-city neighborhoods tend to house the vibrant and rich subcultures that many associate with the very notion of urbanity. Yet the physical conditions of these neighborhoods have atrophied, often characterized by vacant lots and abandoned housing. The transition of Western nations to a service economy has exacerbated these conditions, leaving unemployment and under-utilized land in its wake. While it is clear that marginal urban areas are in desperate need of investment, social services, and other types of intervention, it is also clear that as urban planners and designers, our track record with these areas is abysmal. Historically, physical intervention in the urban margin has been typified by two approaches: large-scale urban renewal, and more recently, the fostering of gentrification through the "theming " of urban culture. An alternative approach to rebuilding the urban margin has been successfull