What Came to Be
Project Thesis
On view from Thursday, January 22 to Friday, February 27, 2026, in the Orange Room.
The exhibition presents The Community, a collective thesis project centered on the design of a master plan to transform the former Northland Shopping Center in Southfield, Michigan into a mixed-use development, capturing both the completion of a shared urban vision and the collective process through which it emerged.
The Northland Master Plan reimagines the site, originally designed by Victor Gruen, through five core design principles. These establish a flexible yet structured urban framework that promotes spatial equity through a diverse mix of housing types and income levels within a walkable environment. A no-zoning policy supports a high-density mix of residential, work, and care spaces, while the ownership model identifies Northern Friends as the entity proposing to lease and develop the site in partnership with the City of Southfield.
Engaging the site’s historical, social, and spatial contexts, The Community unfolds through multiple forms of architectural inquiry. Exhibitions, podcasts, publications, events, and films communicate both collective and individual propositions through drawings, models, texts, and other spatial media, examining the role of design in shaping the built environment. The exhibition, the culmination of Project Thesis, will be on view from Thursday, January 22 to Friday, February 27, 2026, in the Orange Room.
For more information, please visit thecommunity.theberlage.nl