A City for Childcare

Columbia GSAPP Adv V Fall 2020
Studio Critic: Bryony Roberts
Location: New Yor,k Flushing

Project in collaboration with: Cherry Qu

Exhibited at Penn Museum, “On the Critical Point: Wanderlust and Nostalgia in Pennin the New Age”, 11/2024

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This project envisions a future-oriented urban fabric centered around childcare and fabric production as a means to foster community, cultural identity, and environmental sustainability. Rooted in the everyday needs of Chinese and broader Asian immigrant communities, the design integrates programs such as childcare centers, community hubs, textile factories, and urban farms. Fabric becomes both a sensory learning tool for children and a powerful medium for cultural expression—especially through traditional dyeing techniques that evoke tactile memory and ancestral heritage.

By juxtaposing nostalgia for handcraft with forward-looking urban strategies, the project reflects on how immigrant communities can preserve their cultural legacy while adapting to new environments. It offers an inclusive vision of the city where intergenerational care, economic resilience, and ecological consciousness are woven into the built environment—welcoming not only Asian communities but people of all backgrounds.