Imagine Pershing Square : experiments in cinematic urban design

Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2016.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Moody, John (John Stearns)
Other Authors: Anne Whiston Spirn.
Format: Thesis
Language:eng
Published: Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2016
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104985
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author Moody, John (John Stearns)
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Moody, John (John Stearns)
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description Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2016.
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spelling mit-1721.1/1049852019-04-12T16:21:47Z Imagine Pershing Square : experiments in cinematic urban design Experiments in cinematic urban design Moody, John (John Stearns) Anne Whiston Spirn. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning. Urban Studies and Planning. Thesis: M.C.P., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Urban Studies and Planning, 2016. This electronic version was submitted by the student author. The certified thesis is available in the Institute Archives and Special Collections. Cataloged from student-submitted PDF version of thesis. Includes bibliographical references (pages 89-121). Each person experiences urban space through the shifting narratives of his or her own cultural, economic and environmental perceptions. Yet within dominant urban design paradigms, many of these perceptions never make it into the public meeting, nor onto the abstract maps and renderings that planners and designers frequently employ. This thesis seeks to show that cinematic practice, or the production of subjective, immersive film narratives, can incorporate highly differentiated perceptions into the design process. By investigating a single public space, Pershing Square in downtown Los Angeles, California, with three cinematic "acts," this project puts three different methodological approaches to the test. Act One, "Pershing Square: Of Time and Place," employs critical theories to investigate the park through cultural conflicts that have propelled design interventions throughout its history. Act Two, "Pershing Square: Sense of Place," employs an ethnographic approach to investigate the park through the diverse perceptions of its users. Finally, Act Three, "Pershing Square: Visions of Place," takes a constructivist approach to re-imagine the park through its users' aspirations. This project runs concurrent with an international competition to redesign the park, which provides a benchmark for comparing the project's findings with conventional use of film in design practice. Although the project will expand beyond the scope of this thesis, initial findings strongly support the value of cinematic methods in communicating broader narratives about urban space and in stimulating design thinking that incorporates a dynamic pluralism of user perceptions. by John Moody. M.C.P. 2016-10-25T19:17:11Z 2016-10-25T19:17:11Z 2016 2016 Thesis http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104985 959972389 eng M.I.T. theses are protected by copyright. They may be viewed from this source for any purpose, but reproduction or distribution in any format is prohibited without written permission. See provided URL for inquiries about permission. http://dspace.mit.edu/handle/1721.1/7582 121 pages application/pdf n-us-ca Massachusetts Institute of Technology
spellingShingle Urban Studies and Planning.
Moody, John (John Stearns)
Imagine Pershing Square : experiments in cinematic urban design
title Imagine Pershing Square : experiments in cinematic urban design
title_full Imagine Pershing Square : experiments in cinematic urban design
title_fullStr Imagine Pershing Square : experiments in cinematic urban design
title_full_unstemmed Imagine Pershing Square : experiments in cinematic urban design
title_short Imagine Pershing Square : experiments in cinematic urban design
title_sort imagine pershing square experiments in cinematic urban design
topic Urban Studies and Planning.
url http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/104985
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