Re-imagining Space: Freeways to Parkways

The Cypress Viaduct freeway was built in the 1950's and cut through west oakland. The freeway segregated space in such a dramatic way that it truly effected the feel of a formerly unified community. It's main goal was to assist commuters from newly built suburbs such as livermore and dublin faster access to San francisco, without driving through the neighborhoods and warehouse districts of west oakland.

The freeway collapsed after the Loma Prieta earthquake, and it was decided to never be rebuilt in the same way. Today the old cypress freeway is known as Mandela Parkway, which connects emeryville to west oakland. The space was radically re-imagined, where concrete and darkness stood, now grows trees and bicycle paths. My project creates interactive space that not only chronicles the history of this specific freeway and the results of a major disaster. explores how freeways can and do effect space drastically, and through natural disasters we can redefine space and our relations to it. With these ideas in hand, communities can consider how they want their spaces to look like, hopefully without the assistance of earthquakes.