Architecture as a communicator of values and identity: design for a police substation in a minority neighborhood

Architecture has the potential of clearly defining the values and identities of its users; civic buildings have traditionally demonstrated such values, along with a feeling of community ownership. However, perception is based on identity and experience, so this is not always the case; for example, a police station sometimes finds itself the object of mistrust and suspicion because of the community's lack of confidence in its police.

This design thesis for a police substation in a poor, minority area of Dallas, Texas, seeks to develop a building which could heal the breach in confidence between the neighborhood residents and the police department through user-friendly visual clues and symbols.

The activities that the current six Dallas substations cover are different from those of the centralized downtown station; they do not handle auto theft, robbery, rape and murder cases, nor do they deal with suspects and alleged criminals, but only on the streets. The police activities in substations include interviewing witnesses, public relations, and all internal affairs. In addition, the substations have community outreach programs, such as gang divisions, high school internships, and/or after-school programs. In a substation, detectives, civilian support staff and uniformed patrol officers are the occupants and main users of the facility. Thus, while the building will include their professional needs and activities, the needs of the public will not be ignored.

The site for this substation is in the south Oak Cliff neighborhood called Kessler Heights. The lot is on the south side of Ledbetter Drive at its intersection with Bronx Avenue. This low-income neighborhood is populated mostly by African-Americans. The proposed building will be firmly planted into the residential area with as much physical and visual access as possible between the substation and the residents. Clear vehicular access between the new building and the main roads, bus and rail transportation, and the neighborhood commercial district will be carefully addressed