VERTICAL CITY FOR LA

Skyvillage presents an envisioned vertical city which would bridge over freeway interruptions and connect the four quadrants around 101 and 110 freeways as a single architectural organism while boosting cultural exchange, urban activities, and social interaction.

The interchange 101 and 110 breaks Los Angeles east urban fabric into four disconnected quadrants: Downtown, Chinatown, Echo Park, and Temple Beaudry. The four quadrants have distinct cultural and social differences, lacking a coherent urban tissue. Moreover, the leftover space around the freeways reaches over 27 acre. Skyvillage aims to reclaim this terrain vague and provide green filtering towers to clean the freeways and also articulate various programs to revitalise the disconnected urban fabric.

Described as an ‘architectural organism’, the gigantic structure submitted by Ziwei Song would incorporate mixed use programming to promote a car-free lifestyle. “Residents would be able to easily fulfil all their living and entertainment needs within a half-mile radius,” said Song.

With pollution-fighting capabilities and a car-free, community-centred lifestyle, Skyvillage captures what many of us would love to see in our own neighbourhoods.