Livia Bell, Negotiable {Boundaries} [×]

Cities are facing an unprecedented set of challenges that demand new strategies to tackle a growing population, increased social segregation, environmental decline, housing shortage and overrun infrastructure. With a precarious future looming this research project inquiries into whether cities could address social, cultural, and environmental issues by being more communal.
The division caused by borders and boundaries have been greatly emphasised in response to the Covid-19 pandemic which has further contributed to the social segregation of our society. The research question asks, can an active negotiation of boundaries and territories develop a more connected community?
A design intervention is proposed at the state border between the two cities Albury in NSW and Wodonga in Victoria. The border is defined by the natural flow of the Murray River but is now a hard delineation affecting the ability for exchange and negotiation between the cities.
To dismantle the rigidity of the boundary and create an opportunity for exchanges to occur between the residents of both cities, a proposal of an open adaptable system of floating structures change people's relationship with the river through new modes of interaction.
Seasonal variations are marked by fluctuations in the waterline which requires different programs and events to have to negotiate and adapt to the different site conditions and user groups. By being part of the surrounding ecosystem links the proposal to the land and water. This encourages reciprocity between the two communities.
Through a process of de-territorialisation and re-territorialisation combined with the need to respond to the ephemeral conditions, facilitates a strengthening of these connections. By fostering a greater connection between these communities and the ecology to the natural environment it is hoped to bring about a more resilient network that could go beyond the site to impact our cities making them more communal.