Environments by Design
Abstract
Main street is widely believed to be the historical model of compact, diverse, and walkable public space in the community. In last few decades, Main street retail in Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Metroplex has been under severe strain largely with the auto-centric development and zoning regulation. Despite the fast growing population, DFW is still one of most car-dependent metro areas in the US with nearly 90% driving commute. Therefore, studying the pedestrian environment that embodies daily activities and cultural amenities has become salient for future sustainable development. In this paper, we case study two main streets in the DFW: Bishop Arts District in Dallas and West Magnolia Avenue in Fort Worth. The study incorporates statistical analyses and GIS maps to assess the characteristics of retails, land use, historic architecture, transit access and pedestrian quality. The paper suggests the social and economic benefit of main street to be considered in cultural placemaking.
Hyesun Jeong is an assistant professor of architecture at the University of Texas at Arlington. Dr. Jeong’s interdisciplinary research is committed to the integration between transit and pedestrian-oriented urbanism and cultural growth of the cities. Her PhD thesis studied the role of arts and bohemian culture on commuting choices and transit use in Chicago, Paris, and Seoul. Her research method combines GIS, statistical regression and field studies, built upon Chicago School of Sociology. Before joined UTA, Dr. Jeong was an instructor and postdoctoral scholar at the University of Chicago. She has also worked at Dominique Perrault Architecture, Goettsch Partners, and POSCO Architects and Consultants. Dr. Jeong has published peer-reviewed articles in top journals, including Cities (2019), Journal of Urban Affairs (2019), Journal of Urban Design (2019) and Urban Affairs Review (2020). Dr. Jeong was educated at the Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) (B.Arch and MS Arch) with Honors. Also, she holds a PhD from IIT. Also, she has won multiple design awards, including Jerrold Loebl Traveling Award, American Institute of Architects (AIA) Chicago Award, Chicago Women in Architecture Award, and Korea Sustainable Design Award. In 2020, she received Research Enhancement Project grant award from the University of Texas at Arlington.
12:00 pm - 1:30 pm
Friday 18th June, 2021