reclaiming the arno
a regeneration of the arno river space along pescaia di santa rosa
Adding three more points of entry will enhance and ease access in and out of the riverbank. Along with new entrances, new paths within the riverbank will result in improved mobility. People can now travel continuously throughout without reaching a dead end. This will create new nodes of activity and provide people access to the limited green space within Florence.
reclaiming the arno
florence, italy
type: academic individual project
year: 2016
Several meters below street level, the Arno riverbank in Florence, Italy lacks connectivity with the city. The specific site of intervention extends west of the Ponte Vecchio from Ponte Santa Trinita to Ponte Amerigo Vespucci. Just past those three bridges there is one formal entrance to the riverbank. However, over the years, an informal access has been created right next to Pescaia di Santa Rosa. This informal entrance brings an active spirit to the river bank as people climb over the wall, down the bank wall to the pescaia.
The old pescaia has become a found space that people are increasingly drawn to. The gentle slope of the pescaia provides a natural area for people to sit and lay down—an unintended, but perfect use. This design proposes light interventions to the riverbank, in order to promote an active interaction with the pescaia, bank wall, green space, and water. It transforms the unintentional found space into an intentional public space.