Urban transformations | Immigration: re-opening of Nicollet Avenue & Lake Street. Community center for Hispanic immigrants in midtown Minneapolis

Abstract

Understanding a place from its geographical and physical aspects is not a simple task. We are used to learning about our surroundings and to relate to them empirically, by costume and association. However, once we leave our context and we inhabit a place different from the one we knew already, we go through a long process to be able to adapt to the differences in the new place. Even though the human being is very easily adapted to new conditions, the human being also tends to keep costumes and traditions, to settle in one place only to later develop more complex activities.When I first came to Minneapolis, I faced many contextual, social and cultural changes. It was a long time before I was able to grasp everything that was happening in my life. This was also a great opportunity for me to see the world with different eyes, and to understand human relationships and how they are affected by the physical environment. The possibility of understanding a site in different realms is vital for the development of urban and architectural projects. The field of Architecture has changed substantially in our times due to technology, politics, and economy. We know that the professional practice is not only a local duty, that every day we face different challenges and opportunities to find new sources for progress. This thesis explores a community and an important part of the city from which more opportunities for the city and eventually for the field of Architecture and Urban design might emerge.