High Rise with a High Dive

Abstract

The “In Between” is not a discrete space, but emerges from a continuum, a common pool of overlapping resources. It is the place touched by the boundaries of private, public, and institutional entities. Intentional, well-designed places in between buildings can act as a synapse between such agents, facilitating what Bruno Latour described as an “Actor Network.” What better site to imagine such a life between buildings for Chicago than 420–430 W. North Ave.? Straddling the border between two distinct Chicago neighborhoods — “The Wick” to the South, and “Old Town” to the North — this location has a hidden potential to provide youth (among others) the opportunity to observe the intermingling of both communities through a transit-served urban corridor. “High Rise with a High Dive” synthesizes multiple site-specific research methods into a restorative, socially conscious, and synergistic design proposal.