Pedestrian Bridge Community Board
In Collaboration with Ava Maghsoodlou
The Problem: While the Michael S. Van Leesten Memorial Bridge connects two sides of Providence, it often functions merely as a thoroughfare. The existing lack of engaging green space and community programming leaves commuters isolated from the environment and one another.
The Solution: We propose a pop-up messaging system embedded in the bridge’s planters. By using native seed paper as a canvas for community thoughts, we create a cycle where residents write, display, and eventually plant their messages—transforming social isolation into a blooming, native ecosystem.
01 Site Research
02 Material Research
Left: Experiments in homemade paper-making, sprinkling in native seeds to make “seed paper” that can be composted and planted.
Right: Appointment at Biomaterials Library, recording recipes for foam and cork substitutes (typically a non-water resistant gelatin mix, didn’t end up using).
General assembly of our community board, in which we used birch plywood for the outer frames and homasote (a board made of compressed recycled paper fibers and wax) for our pin board.
Machinery used: Table saw, spindle sander, belt sander, router, bandsaw, and hand drill.
03 Sketching & Prototyping
Preliminary form sketches to imagine how the message board would fit on the bridge — is it a standalone object with legs? It is connected to the bridge’s railing? What organization on the actual board is the most intuitive for users?
Cardboard full-size model of the community board cut with X-Acto knives, to start thinking about physical connection points, model dimensions, and materiality.
Documentation of our bioplastic fabrication with a hot plate, gelatin, corn start, water, and glycerin, based off of recipes from the NatureLab library. We created four different samples with various natural dyes (e.g. coffee) to differentiate the type of seed paper found in each box.
We laser-cut our bioplastics into our box shape templates, as well as our seed paper into the notes that can be written and pinned onto the community board.
04 Scale Model Fabrication
Research done in collaboration with Katie Kim, Jesse Baltazar, and Hailey Seo
05 The System
01 Approach the community board. Read the educational blurbs about what seeds are ingrained in the paper post its.
05 Tear off the invitation to a community-wide event happening once the pop-up is complete. Everyone gets to plant their messages into the planters of the bridge.
02 Select your paper – what plants do you want to be putting into the earth with your message?
06 Write your message and pin onto the board using the provided pins!
03 Grab the pen from its centralized clip.
07 Take time to read other community messages and postings.
04 Get inspired by the prompt.
08 Save your invitation to come back and plant your message, re-populating the planters in the spring after a sparse winter.
