Milwaukee Freeway Cap

Project description: I’ve long been interested in the effects of Interstates on inner-city America. North Ave, the main street here, used to be a hub for diverse businesses and middle-class families but was destroyed when the highway came through. I spent one weekend designing a freeway cap over I-43 to imagine a future where the north side is reunited and there is increased equity in city development and transportation planning.

Lacking the base data that usually comes with a school project, I built the neighborhood from the ground up in Rhino. I rendered my model using Lumion and Photoshop.

My aim was to recreate the urban fabric. I did this by developing the new and vacant land with mixed-use building that would provide activation across the entire cap. I also am a strong proponent of Complete Streets so I put North Ave on a road diet to create more sidewalk space and protected bike lanes.