Gradient City

This is an urban proposal that seeks to resolve Chicago’s South Loop expansion. The proposal thrives on the existing Chicago grid as an inherent organizer and attempts to redefine Chicago zoning codes by pairing density with verticality. The plan combines density mapping with gradient logic in order to forecast a city with strict organization, fluid expansion, and controlled growth. Maps of existing Chicago transit, population, and land use conditions were created, overlaid and manipulated to determine future areas of density. Using digital software, each city block is pixelized and grown according to its level of desired density relative to its neighbors. The result becomes a highly organized and natural model of growth for an urban condition.