Nostalgia hits San Antonio with a new architectural exhibit created by University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) Assistant Professor of Architecture Dr. Antonio Petrov and his team of students. “1000 Parks and a Line in the Sky: Broadway, Avenue of the Future” is currently on display at the Institute of Texan Cultures from Oct. 21 - April 16, 2017. The exhibit proposes a linear park system of 1,000 parks and a skybus public transit system that would connect the San Antonio airport to Travis Park. SciTechNow learns more about the monumental plan, inspired by the Brackenridge Skyride, to turn Broadway street into the next biggest urban avenue.
Iconic to San Antonio, the Brackenridge Skyline outlines a time before 1999, reminiscent of childhood play dates at the park. The concept of open space is being reintroduced with a more modern vantage point. Architecture has always been built on the notion of linear construction and for Dr. Petrov, constructing in a nearly unthought-of aerial space would combine the unused interstitial spaces and landscapes along the corridor of Broadway street. With little public space for people to gather, a linear skybus transit system would change the way public parks are viewed in the future. The idea is to develop a place for public engagement that connects both architecture and nature.
The exhibit includes a 50- foot long model of Broadway and the accompanying design proposal. An added element of surprise is one of the original Brackenridge Skyride gondola’s is on display where the public can sit in and choose to face either the “future” or the “past” -- guaranteed to provoke a wave of nostalgia. The exhibit is introduced as an interactive installation with a focus on public input and roundtable discussion in conjunction with the photo collection of the Brackenridge Skyride and the new skybus public transit proposal.
Watch this episode of SciTech Now airing Friday, December 9, 2016 at 7:30 p.m. on KLRN.
