Urban Negative is a design proposal that addresses the growing distance between the urban dweller and the immediate environment. The intervention of the design proposal enables a declaration of space, a link between edifice and environment.

The Chicago Loop was the site selected for this design proposal due to the cyclical program of the Loop and the 500,000 commuters that travel to and from the greater Loop area every weekday. The cyclical nature of the Loop parallels with that of the cyclical nature of the alley which transitions from a utilitarian program, to a potential threat of danger during the night in a similar 24 hour cycle.

The design proposal is a modular canopy system, composted of different components that enable the alley to retain its utilitarian function and conform around existing program while facilitating a new public space. The five different components vary in form based on their function, from a lighter component, to a planter component, to an air-filtering component that is coated with titania nanoparticles to help remove allergens from the air. The placement of the components is indicative of the program beneath.