Prt-cny (Port Coney) is a speculative urban design project that reimagines Cincinnati’s historic Coney Island site as a resilient and charmingly dense neighborhood shaped by water, memory, and community. The project responds to the increasing pressures of Ohio River flooding by proposing a development that does not retreat from water but embraces its presence.

The site is organized by a system of canals that echo Cincinnati’s infrastructural heritage, while working with the river’s natural current to carry water into the site’s deepest points. These canals carve a new ground, forming islands of inhabitable land where the elevation and flow of water become part of the experience. The islands are populated by diverse housing clusters and connected by elevated civic spines that act as bridges across water and program.

The housing clusters vary in density and form, from courtyard-based townhomes to detached dwellings. Inspired by Le Corbusier’s panel planning exercises that utilize the Fibonacci sequence in their design, each cluster is arranged on a platform that supports multiple uses: dwellings, gardens, water wells, and gathering spaces. These clusters emphasize human-scaled moments, encouraging interaction between neighbors while also responding to elevation changes and flood risk.

The civic spines form connective arteries that span across islands. They provide a layered experience of community-oriented programs such as recreation spaces, vendors, galleries, clinics, and learning pavilions. The spines adapt to site conditions and invite diverse use throughout the day and year. Informed by precedent studies such as Ponte Vecchio, the spines serve as both infrastructure and cultural scaffolding for the site.

Port Coney is an exploration of resilient design and architectural memory. Rather than resist the river’s cycles, it works with them by inviting water to define space, rhythm, and community structure.

Completed in conjunction with Luciano Filippi.