30-Minute City Polycentric Urbanism in the Moreton Bay Region, Queensland Australia 4.163J // 11.332J Joint Urban Design Studio, Fall 2019 Meets T, Th 1-6pm Instructors: Alan Berger, Rafi Segal, Jonah Susskind Teaching Assistant: Joude El-Mabsout *Prerequisites for DUSP students: UD Skills (or prior allied design field experience) Introduction This studio asks: The Moreton Bay Region, located just north of • What is the future of polycentric peri-urban form Brisbane, Australia is poised to undergo a major as embodied by the Moreton Bay Region? intensification of urban development over the next • How can comprehensive technological transitions few decades – spurred by a rapid influx of multi- be integrated with existing infrastructures and sector investments – and is projected to double in developing urban centers to generate new population by mid-century. Given this staggering accessible, livable, and equitable regional forms? rate of anticipated urbanization, the regional government has laid out a conceptual framework • What are the roles of landscape design, land- for supporting development with a focus on the use planning, and new architectural typologies in 30-minute city concept – that is a city in which shaping these future urban processes? everyone can get from home to work, school, and all other critical destinations within a half-hour. The studio and its themes have emerged from a In the Moreton Bay Region, the goal is to series of workshops conducted with the MRBC, leverage emergent technologies such as ‘level MIT faculty, students, and researchers at the five’ autonomous mobility systems and ‘smart’ Leventhal Center for Advanced Urbanism (LCAU). connected streets and infrastructure, in order to In addition, the studio will run parallel to an urban test new forms of highly integrated polycentric planning studio at the University of the Sunshine urbanization. Successful polycentric regional Coast (USC) in Australia. USC students and faculty formation requires that each urban node maintains will provide MIT students with local insight, on- a distinct identity, while simultaneously contributing the-ground data collection, and comprehensive to a holistic, integrated, and legible metropolitan geospatial analysis. system of shared land uses, infrastructures, and resources. Furthermore, as the processes of urbanization continues to come into direct contact (and conflict) with the regional landscape, urban design must be able to work within the context of dynamic ecologies and environmental indeterminacy. Above: Image Source - http://www.italdesign.it/services/smart-cities/ Phasing + Scaling Students will work at three distinct scales over the course of the semester: Macro (Region) // Mezzo (City) // Micro (District) Phase 1: Regional Scale Systems transport systems, etc. In this phase, teams will The studio will begin with a comprehensive analysis propose 2-3 strategic urban design scenarios for of regional landscape systems, transportation each node. Each scenario will offer a different vision networks, and development patterns, which for how autonomous vehicles might be leveraged to together form the unique context of the Moreton improve connectivity and overall development of the Bay Region. This phase will be conducted in concert 30-min city. Teams will also suggest key sites for with an urban planning studio at the University neighborhood design proposals that can be used of the Sunshine Coast (USC) and will culminate for phase 3. in the production of a regional impact analysis and planning framework for complete adoption of Phase 3: Envisioning Future Districts autonomous mobility systems. This work will be used to reveal spatial relationships between land Students will select a neighborhood to work on for use changes, housing availability, commute times, the final phase based on the ideas and proposals environmental risks, etc. generated in the first half of the semester. New teams will form based on intersecting interests. For this final phase of the studio, students will be asked Phase 2: 30-Minute Cities to work within their selected site(s) to develop Groups of students will investigate one of three specific district-scale design proposals for a 30-minute nodes (identified through prior complete transition to autonomous/driverless (AD) workshops with MBRC and the LCAU). Each mobility systems. These proposals will be grounded team will determine which spatial parameters in real-world data, but they will also be visionary, will be used to identify their node’s geographic drawing from speculative projections and industry boundaries based on an in-depth account of forecasting. Each project should reflect strong local land-uses, demographics, key institutions, positions on the role of autonomous technology in commuting patterns, industry profiles, existing shaping regional development within the context of the Moreton Bay Region and beyond. Weekly Schedule The following schedule is a working draft. Some changes may occur throughout the semester. Week 1: Introduction October 17 September 5 • Pin-up Assignment 3a. • Launch Assignment 3b • Student and faculty introductions • Syllabus overview, Q+A October 22 • Launch Assignment 0 • Studio working session (with group desk crits) October 24 • Pin-up Assignment 3b. Week 2-3: Regional Polycentric Analysis • Launch Assignment 3c September 10 October 29 • Faculty lecture (Alan Berger) - Introduction to the • Studio working session (with group desk crits) 30-minute city concept for suburban regions (with a focus on the Australian and Moreton Bay context) October 31 • Launch Assignment 1 • Pin-up Assignment 3c. • Launch semester project and divide into working September 12 teams • Skype presentations by USC faculty and students – 6:00pm EST (confirmed) November 5 • Faculty presentation (Jonah Susskind) – ‘Futurism in September 17 design’ • Studio working session (with group desk crits) • Studio working session (with group desk crits) September 19 November 7 • Pin-up Assignment 1 • Studio working session (with group desk crits) November 12 Week 4-6: 30-Minute City Framework • Studio working session (with optional desk crits) September 24 November 14 • Faculty presentation (Rafi Segal) – Introduction to the • Pin-up semester project initial progress three 30-minute nodes as identified through previous November 19 workshops with MBRC and LCAU • Studio working session (with group desk crits) • Launch Assignment 2 November 21 September 26 • Studio midterm review with invited guests (internal • Studio working session (with group desk crits) and external) October 1 November 26 • Studio working session (with optional desk crits) • Studio working session (with group desk crits) October 3 November 28 • Studio working session (with optional desk crits) • No class (institute holiday) October 8 December 3 • Studio working session (with group desk crits) • Studio working session (final review dry-run) October 10 December 5 • Pin-up Assignment 2 • Studio working session (with group desk crits) • Launch Assignment 3a December 10 • Possible Final Review with invited guests (external) Week 7-15: Designing the Autonomous District December 12 October 15 • Possible Final Review with invited guests (external) • No class (Institute Holiday) Selected References • Berger, Alan, Joel Kotkin, and Celina Balderas-Guzmán, eds. Infinite Suburbia. Hudson, NY: Princeton Architectural Press, 2017. • Berger, Alan M. “Opinion | The Suburb of the Future, Almost Here - The New York Times.” NYTimes. com, September 15, 2017. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/15/sunday-review/future-suburb- millennials.html. • Brotchie, J. F. “Technological Change and Urban Form.” Environment & Planning A, 1984. https://lib.mit. edu/record/23h/27122083. • Cole, Sam. “Dare to Dream: Bringing Futures into Planning.” Journal of the American Planning Association, 2001. https://lib.mit.edu/record/bvh/196809. • Fleisher, Aaron. “The Influence of Technology on Urban Forms.” Daedalus, 1961. https://lib.mit.edu/ record/edsjsr/edsjsr.20026639. • Kumar, Ajay. “Impact of Technological Developments on Urban Form and Travel Behaviour.” Regional Studies, 1990. https://lib.mit.edu/record/ecn/0235773. • Lipson, Hod, and Melba Kurman. Driverless: Intelligent Cars and the Road Ahead. Cambridge, Massachusetts: The MIT Press, 2016. • McHarg, Ian L. “The Place of Nature in the City of Man.” The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, 1964. https://lib.mit.edu/record/edsjsr/edsjsr.1035408. • Nassir, Neema. “Driverless Buses Can Help End the Suburbs’ Public Transport Woes.” The Conversation. Accessed July 30, 2019. http://theconversation.com/driverless-buses-can-help-end-the- suburbs-public-transport-woes-117258. • Newman, Peter. “‘The 30-Minute City’: How Do We Put the Political Rhetoric into Practice?” The Conversation. Accessed July 30, 2019. http://theconversation.com/the-30-minute-city-how-do-we-put- the-political-rhetoric-into-practice-56136. • Porter, et al., “The Autonomous Vehicle Revolution: Implications for Planning” Planning Theory & Practice 19, no. 5 (October 20, 2018): 753–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/14649357.2018.1537599. • Segal, Rafi. “An Urbanism of Commoning.” In New Investigations in Collective Form, 88–92. The Open Workshop. Berkeley, CA: YBCA, 2018. • Segal, Rafi, and Els Verbakel. “Urbanism without Density.” Architectural Design, 2008. https://lib.mit. edu/record/bvh/609870. • Sellers, Christopher. “Rediscovering the Nature of Suburbs.” In Infinite Suburbia, edited by Alan M. Berger, Joel Kotkin, and Celina