Contrasting the existing segregation in Coney Island with the gentrification generated by the housing projects developed by Robert Moses, this project aims to foster inclusion through an intervention in one of the most controversial projects on the island: the Luna Park Housing Corporation. The primary concept introduced is the internal connectivity of the project, which will then extend into its surroundings, creating a complete integration within Coney Island. By adding new community services and housing units, the idea is to plan a cohesion system between residents and visitors, primarily connected to the MTA system. Through specific design strategies, the project seeks to implement various systems that enhance connectivity and adapt to NYC’s 100-year flood hazard mitigation plan. This involves creating elevated interconnected pathways at different heights that traverse existing buildings, linking them with the new units, as well as creating public spaces on rooftops and at specific heights of these buildings, spaces that will adapt to rising water levels.
Additionally, structures were designed to adapt to building facades, expanding the usable space of existing apartments, improving them, and providing more natural light. These structures also include community gardens fed by rainwater collected through an installed system, which connects to the network on the ground floor that gathers water from rooftops and new structures, distributing it throughout the site. With these adapted systems and new community spaces that serve the residents and local wildlife, the result is a network that allows seemingly incompatible elements to coexist.
