BOXES & THE PARK: WAREHOUSES AS THE NEW PASTORAL
Logistics Warehouse Campus in the Lehigh Valley, Pennsylvania
Academic
Fall 2023
Assuming current trends persist—continued population growth in the Northeast, reliance on the Lehigh Valley for distribution, and rising e-commerce demands—Pennsylvania’s existing land use practices will lead to increased truck traffic and the steady conversion of agricultural land into residential and warehousing developments. This proposal responds by concentrating future growth along Route 22, a major freight corridor already acting as a development vector, in order to relieve pressure on surrounding landscapes. While it accepts the likely redevelopment of land along Route 22 for warehousing, it challenges the conventional notion that these facilities are incompatible with other land uses. Instead, the project reimagines warehouses as part of a new pastoral vernacular—one where infrastructure, industry, and technology are integrated into the agrarian landscape rather than imposed upon it.
Recognizing the burdens warehouses place on local communities—from pollution to infrastructure strain—the proposal calls for developers to provide greater public benefit. By treating the entire site as a park, and embedding warehouse boxes and supporting programs within a layered, multifunctional landscape, the design creates shared value for both the surrounding community and the nomadic trucking population.