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LV. Glass City Gardens


Toledo, Ohio


Toledo, Ohio — Glass City Metropark

 


 
Left: Toledo, City Center.
Right: Toledo, Old West End Neighborhood


Toledo District Map:
Toledo, Ohio
 
Population: 
Urban: 497,952 people
Metro: 646,604 people

Area:
Urban: 623 km2
Metro: 4,190 km2

Population Density:
Urban: 800 people/km2
Metro: 155 people/km2

Politics:
Toledo utilizes a mayor and city council system, where a mayor is democratically elected every 4 years and a councilmember every 2 years. The city council serves as the city’s primary legislative body, while the mayor’s office serves as the executive branch. The mayor serves as the city’s chief executive and is responsible for proposing a budget, signing legislation into law, appointing departmental directors, and overseeing the city’s day-to-day operations. The mayor also represents the city on the state, national, and international levels.The current Mayor of Toledo is Wade Kapszukiewicz (nonpartisan). Kapszukiewicz assumed office in 2018. The Toledo City Council is responsible for adopting the city budget, levying taxes, and making or amending city laws, policies, and ordinances. This city council is made up of 12 members. Six are elected by district, while the other six are elected at large. Many neighborhoods in Toledo have decided to create neighborhood associations. These organizations typically have democratically elected leaders in the form of a council and president, which advocate and organize for change on behalf of the residents of their neighborhood.


FROM LEFT TO RIGHT
1 AERIAL VIEW HISTORIC VISTULA NEIGHBORHOOD
2 ROOFTOP VIEW OF HENSVILLE NEIGHBORHOOD
3 AERIAL VIEW OF UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO
4 AERIAL VIEW OF OLD WEST END NEIGHBORHOOD


Toledo, Ohio. High Density Building Typologies

Toledo, Ohio. Urban Void Spaces

ANALYZING URBAN FABRIC

1. Vistula:



2. East Toledo: 


3. Hensville:




Glass City Gardens

Like many American cities, Toledo lost much of its urban progress due to the economic downturns and the urban renewal programs of the late 1900s. Many of the properties in its highest density districts became more valuable as surface parking lots for the commuting public than as housing or offices. The striking juxtaposition of surviving dense structures surrounded by vacant lots is what has defined this project.

Accessible and engaging living is paired with the momentum of the many wildlife and natural initiatives throughout the city. Glass City Gardens is developed on the banks of Swan Creek, which was once of major importance to the city’s industrialized past. A forest of proud towers rises from reintroduced wetlands surrounding the banks of the now recreational Swan Creek. Taking advantage of existing building stock, these buildings contain not only housing, but options to work and play.

  Project Overview

Cross-Section




1.https://www.google.com/maps/
2.https://earth.google.com/
3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWt4LMzRuFo
4.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rander_Surat8.https://cadmapper.com/Surat
Running on Cargo
Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning 2025 — Ann Arbor, US