Graduation Semester and Year
Fall 2025
Language
English
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Landscape Architecture
Department
Landscape Architecture
First Advisor
Dr. Austin Allen, Ph.D., ASLA
Second Advisor
Dr. Diane Jones Allen, PLA, FASLA, FCELA
Third Advisor
Dr. Joowon Im, Ph.D., ASLA
Abstract
Open flexible spaces are often underutilized, undefined, or lacking identity, hold immense potential to become vibrant artistic places that support leisure, culture, and community life. transforming such flexible spaces into Community-led arts places serve as adaptable environments that can shift to meet evolving cultural and recreational needs. By integrating artistic intervention through public art, interactive installations, and creative spatial programming, formerly Underutilized open space becomes an anchor of activity drawing residents and visitors and influencing adjacent areas to align with its renewed identity. Arts-driven public spaces attract consistent foot traffic and recurring events, stimulating social and economic exchange. When artistic interventions reflect local narratives, histories, and district character, they deepen community pride and foster belonging among residents. Through this transformation, a flexible urban space evolves into a dynamic leisure destination activating its surroundings, promoting cultural expression, enhancing public safety, and contributing to a more inclusive, socially connected, and resilient downtown environment.
This research employs a mixed-methods approach including literature review, survey analysis, behavioral observation, and interviews, developing criteria for assessing how flexible spaces in Downtown Arlington can be reimagined as art-centered public environments that stimulate urban directed growth and activation. The study uses a parking lot that functions as the Downtown Arlington Farmers Market each Saturday as the primary site for transformation with a detailed research-through-design proposal. The proposed design intends to envision the site as an inclusive, art-oriented, and accessible public destination, positioning the Farmers Market as a catalyst for revitalizing adjacent areas and establishing a spatially programmed art corridor.
Keywords
Flexible space, urban activation, Art, Artistic Intervention, Interactive Installation, Safety, creative spatial programming, Art Corridor, placemaking, Artistic place for Leisure.
Disciplines
Art and Design | Environmental Design | Landscape Architecture | Urban, Community and Regional Planning
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
KANAKA, SOWMYA, "TRANSFORMING A PUBLIC FLEXIBLE SPACE INTO AN ARTISTIC PLACE FOR LEiSURE – AN ARTISTIC INTERVENTION FOR DOWNTOWN ARLINGTON." (2025). Landscape Architecture Masters & Design Theses. 319.
https://mavmatrix.uta.edu/landscapearch_theses/319
Included in
Art and Design Commons, Environmental Design Commons, Landscape Architecture Commons, Urban, Community and Regional Planning Commons