re: newark

BORDER ZONES

Serving as a major business and transportation hub Newark should be a prosperous city. On a large scale Newark can be seen as a functional

city, with a busy airport and a bustling downtown center. The quality and value of housing is rising, and most schools’ graduation rate is comparable

to major cities nationwide. However Newark is home to high crime, unemployment, and poverty. The crime rate is one of the highest in the nation.

Over one third of the people are in poverty and the best paying jobs don’t belong to Newark’s own residents. Neighborhoods are bound physically

by highways, major roads, transportation - and socially by class and income. Problems lie within the borders between major areas of the city. These

borders aren’t just lines separating a street or train tracks that split two neighborhoods in half. Instead of creating a transition from business to

residential the border has grown into an area of its own. Inside are the broken parts of either side, within you fi nd the reasons for the city’s decay.

Border zones have a mixture of different building types including industrial, residential and commercial, lacking any hierarchy between buildings with

different uses. Abandoned buildings and unfi nished construction are common as well.