Image by HiWorks Architecture and Urbanist Design

Over the last several months, we've been working with HiWorks Architecture and Urbanist Design from San Antonio on a vision plan for the future of High Cotton, a homeless assistance facility located in Lubbock, Texas. This past Friday, the vision plan was unveiled by project partner Urban Tech at Lubbock's First Friday Art Trail event.

"Tent City."

What does this term evoke? An image of homeless sleeping under a bridge in makeshift cardboard structures, or perhaps one of the hoovervilles from the 1930's? Whatever image it conjures, tent cities don't exactly seem like the ideal place to be. But for the homeless population of Lubbock, Texas, that's exactly what Tent City is. Opened in 2011, High Cotton is Lubbock's version of one of the most unique homeless assistance centers in the nation, given the nickname of "tent city" because of the use of army surplus "modular command post" tents arranged in grid.

High Cotton site and proposed site plan. Image by Studio Outside.

Managed by Link Ministries, High Cotton is located just east of downtown on the site of a former cotton gin. The expansive and historic existing structure is useful for sheltering on particularly bad-weather days, but most of the time Tent City residents are happy to stay in the tents, individual 11'X11' units that allow the resident a little space to call their own. The tents provide some security and privacy, while avoiding the potential shock or confusion created by bringing the residents immediately indoors into the air conditioning, which is a matter of practice for most homeless centers. At its heart, High Cotton is a transitional facility.

“Every day I get at least one call from a potential resident that I have to turn down because we’re at capacity and have a waiting list. It’s a good sign that our services are helping people in the community, but it’s also a sign that it’s time to grow.”

— Les Burrus, Link Ministries Director

But Les Burrus, director of Link Ministries, has bigger aspirations for High Cotton. Knowing the opportunity for the Tent City concept to grow and become something greater, Burrus gathered a board of directors known as the "High Cotton Core" who would lead the expansion and visioning effort. The Core then reached out to Studio Outside Landscape Architects (us) and architects HiWorks and Urbanist Design to collaborate and present a vision plan.

Along with logistical and practical needs such as more restrooms, laundry facilities, and a kitchen, High Cotton is in need of an experiential transformation - from a barren, unwelcoming site into a more peaceful, hopeful place with plenty of resources to get residents back on their feet.

We're excited about the unveiling of this vision for not only the homeless in Lubbock, but also for the community and region as a whole. Link Ministries will continue to work to see their vision complete, making the future a bit brighter for the people who need help the most.

High Cotton Vision Aerial by HiWorks Architecture and Urbanist Design.

Read More:

Project Press Release

Link Ministries Announces Plans to Expand Tent City - LubbockOnline

High Cotton Writeup by HiWorks Architects

List of Tent Cities in the United States

Amanda Burden, who served as Director of the New York City Department of City Planning and Chair of the City Planning Commission under recent Mayor Bloomberg, will argue that it is so much more than simply the buildings that comprise it: “Cities are fundamentally about people. Public space is what makes cities come alive."

I don’t know about you, but my inner urbanist nerd gets excited when I hear this. This past Tuesday, March 18th, I had the opportunity to escape the office for a couple hours and attend Burden’s talk at a local simulcast of the TED2014 conference in Whistler, BC, Canada. I have long been interested in how people move through, react to, and live in their “space”. For me, this is what ties us together: the fabric that we navigate through in our everyday life, and makes up a city, a neighborhood, a community. For landscape architects, spatial designers by trade, it’s terribly exciting when the focus of the conversation includes not only some architecturally significant buildings, but also the space that is created between them.

Not all public spaces are created equal. Some are very successful and some are not. Why? Burden addresses this question with the example of Paley Park. This well-known and powerful little park, which just happens to be one of my favorite places in the city, offers a quiet, comfortable and green place to temporarily escape the city. As Burden talks, my mind drifts to a not-so-recent fall afternoon, the light filtering through the leaves of the trees, the sound of friendly chatter at the table next to me, and the splash of the water wall, gently masking the bustle of the streets just beyond the steps at the entry. It is this experience, the ‘human element’, Burden claims, that when added to an elegantly simple design and attention to detail is the key to creating a successful public space. Mere open space does not mean that it will be successful. On the contrary, she argues that large plazas, while offering tons of ‘space’ to occupy, are lacking. Where do you sit? Where is the green, the comfort? Instead these expansive areas of concrete and paving serve only as a “plinth to the architect’s creation.” Successful design depends on the individual’s experience.

As Director of City Planning, the first challenge Burden was faced with, was to find a solution to accommodate the additional million New Yorkers that were predicted to be moving to the city in the next few years. This is a major issue for a geographically limited city that is already built out to the last square inch. The planning team decided that instead of looking to build out they should build up, and Burden started to explore ways to accommodate this growth through rezoning. Focusing this effort along lines of public transit made the most sense, it not only spread potential development throughout all the city, but also eliminated the need for these new residents to own a car. A rezoning project at this scale is a massive undertaking, and Burden began her effort by listening… and walking. She personally visited and spoke with the public in each of these areas, giving her a special insight and understanding of the individual character of each neighborhood. It also resulted in a rezoning proposal that would offer a unique and sensitive solution that would focus 90% of New York’s new development within a 10 minute walk of a subway line.

It was during these walks that Burden realized that these newly developed areas were not only in need of easy access to public transit, but successful public spaces. She began to take notice of potential areas that could become vibrant and active spaces. Burden makes the point that successful public space doesn’t happen by accident; they are in “need of vigilant champions." Burden personally ‘championed’ the remake of the Brooklyn waterfront, the East River esplanade, and the Hudson Yards project. These innovative parks have transformed the city’s landscape with simple moves such as bringing activity to the waters edge, offering comfortable seating and opening new views across to the other side.

It is unfortunate that public space has always been at odds with private development. Another project that Burden personally championed was the wildly successful and popular High Line, that even just now had to fight a long hard battle against developers to extend in to the third and final phase (they won).

I wholeheartedly agree with Amanda Burden. Public spaces have power. They add to the common good of a city and give it the human experience that makes our cities great. People not only use these spaces but it ultimately changes their view of how they feel about a city. Burden said it best: “A successful city is like a fabulous party, people stay because they are having a great time.”

So can I ask you a question, where is your favorite space?