Gallery Place-Chinatown District Urban Design Workshop
WXY architecture + urban design
2024
In January 2024, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser formed the Gallery Place/Chinatown District Task Force as part of a historic effort to reimagine this centrally located urban district in downtown Washington D.C. WXY was invited by the Task Force in a month-long charrette to present ideas to civic leaders, local residents, small businesses, and other key stakeholders, culminating in a day-long convening of design and urbanism minds in D.C.
Centered on the concept of reframing this neighborhood as a “Portrait of DC,” WXY’s final presentation argued that the “canvas” of Gallery Place/Chinatown presents an important opportunity for all the stakeholders and institutions in DC to benefit from becoming connected through a stronger public realm that stitches together a cohesive cultural district. Our research, analysis, and conversations with locals on-the-ground revealed it was important to provide inclusive solutions that would draw in all populations, including visitors and locals— through collaboration instead of displacement. With over 20 cultural institutions calling this neighborhood home, each of the stakeholders—large and small— became part of our plan. We chose a series of important institutions and sites as case studies to illustrate how programming would set the vision for both temporary and permanent public spaces. Inspired by Adrienne Marie Brown’s concept of an “emergent strategy” where change is centered on citizens as the catalyst and given that the historic National Portrait Gallery at the heart of the project site, our proposal for “Portrait of DC” provided an emergent plan that would expand residential opportunities, climate cooling strategies, and key programming and incentives to become a true Downtown destination for the nation’s backyard.
WXY also worked with professional videographers to create a video that would accompany our final presentation to reinforce the “Portrait of DC” concept as a reflection of the people of DC and their diverse perspectives. I supported the production and management for the film on-site, and I also facilitated interviews to gather a wide range of perspectives and faces from college students, a pastry chef, DC-natives, DC-transplants, AAPI-identifying people, and government workers.
Team: Claire Weisz, Chris Rice, David Vega-Barachowitz, ien Boodan, Moon Mengqi He, Mario Giampieri, Jessica Kong, Danny Pang
Collaborators: SITELAB urban studio, PUSH Studio, DVDL, Harrison Nalevansky Productions
Washington, D.C.
Centered on the concept of reframing this neighborhood as a “Portrait of DC,” WXY’s final presentation argued that the “canvas” of Gallery Place/Chinatown presents an important opportunity for all the stakeholders and institutions in DC to benefit from becoming connected through a stronger public realm that stitches together a cohesive cultural district. Our research, analysis, and conversations with locals on-the-ground revealed it was important to provide inclusive solutions that would draw in all populations, including visitors and locals— through collaboration instead of displacement. With over 20 cultural institutions calling this neighborhood home, each of the stakeholders—large and small— became part of our plan. We chose a series of important institutions and sites as case studies to illustrate how programming would set the vision for both temporary and permanent public spaces. Inspired by Adrienne Marie Brown’s concept of an “emergent strategy” where change is centered on citizens as the catalyst and given that the historic National Portrait Gallery at the heart of the project site, our proposal for “Portrait of DC” provided an emergent plan that would expand residential opportunities, climate cooling strategies, and key programming and incentives to become a true Downtown destination for the nation’s backyard.
WXY also worked with professional videographers to create a video that would accompany our final presentation to reinforce the “Portrait of DC” concept as a reflection of the people of DC and their diverse perspectives. I supported the production and management for the film on-site, and I also facilitated interviews to gather a wide range of perspectives and faces from college students, a pastry chef, DC-natives, DC-transplants, AAPI-identifying people, and government workers.
Team: Claire Weisz, Chris Rice, David Vega-Barachowitz, ien Boodan, Moon Mengqi He, Mario Giampieri, Jessica Kong, Danny Pang
Collaborators: SITELAB urban studio, PUSH Studio, DVDL, Harrison Nalevansky Productions
Washington, D.C.