Reclaiming Manchester
Urban Design | Transportation Planning | GIS
Urban Design Studio I
Collaborators: Valeria Duque Villegas
Instrutor: Christine Mondor
Reclaiming Manchester is an urban design proposal that challenges the legacy of mid-century highway infrastructure in Pittsburgh’s Manchester neighborhood. State Route 65 physically and socially separated residents from housing, food access, and public life.
Through mapping, community engagement, and systems-based analysis, the project reframes “reclaiming” as both spatial repair and social empowerment. The proposal removes the barrier effect of the arterial and introduces a pedestrian-first framework that integrates ecological corridors, food production, and neighborhood clusters.
By transforming vacant land and underused spaces into community gardens, local food hubs, and active streets, the design restores connections once lost—returning decision-making power and everyday resources back to residents.
Years of disinvestment have left many homes vacant or condemned. Boarded-up houses not only signal physical decline but also disrupt social ties, reducing safety, stability, and residents’ sense of belonging.
With few local grocery options, residents often rely on distant stores or convenience retail for basic needs. This food desert not only affects health outcomes but also weakens opportunities for community gathering and local economic growth.
Gaps & Anchors
Where vacancy and infrastructure have fractured Manchester’s fabric, localized clusters of community resources show where everyday life can be restored.
Transit Spine
A light rail corridor reconnects Manchester to the broader city, improving regional accessibility and reducing dependence on automobiles.
Ecological Waterfront
The riverfront is restored as an ecological and recreational landscape, improving environmental performance while expanding public access to open space.
Pedestrian Ribbon
A continuous pedestrian corridor weaves through the neighborhood, stitching together housing, food hubs, schools, and community spaces into a walkable network.
From rail to river, the corridor shifts from a barrier into a connector—linking people, places, and ecosystems across multiple scales.