Town Hall and downtown district, Merrillville, Indiana

In the past thirty years, the development patterns of towns and cities has changed dramatically. History shows us that cities were developed around the idea of a central core….be it political, religious or commercial. This method of development has changed in recent history. City development no longer follows an organized pattern of growth. The lack of city planning has led to random placement of building types and functions which is destroying the city's hiearchical order as well as its aesthetic values. This type of development no longer relates to or creates a character for the city or its surrounding environment. This has led to a breakdown in or lack of community spirit.This breakdown of city organization and spirit has happened for the most predominate are economics and the interest of quick development. This is a problem that must be addressed and corrected before cities dissolve into meaningless strips of ambiguity. In some cases, a restructuring plan of the city should be developed. This is the objective of my thesis. Specifically, I plan to develop the into a place with both political and commercial power high aesthetic value. This, in turn, will give thea place with which they can identify, take pride in and develop around.College of Architecture and PlanningThesis (B. Arch.