ABSTRACT

This study aims to explore a systematic method to stimulate and maximize the use of the urban space in the context of urban densification, expanding urban space usage in the dimension of time and space. In this context, urban space is reclaimed as the notion of overlap between public and private space in urban figure-ground. 

The research focuses on Providence as a study area that encompasses different transects of the urbanized American city and faces typical densification issues. It has strategically turned the issue of densification into opportunities for improving social interactions and space utilization. The “Driftscape” principle with its three dimensions: boundary, temporality, and connectivity has been proposed as a flexible strategy that rethinks the potential dimension behind existing areas and doubling their uses, which questions the power of the conventional “right of way,” provides a new understanding of the utilization of urban space.