There’s been a lot of talk at D:Center gatherings about the ways in which the Baltimore design community could better apply research and action in urban neighborhoods. People often point to the Rural Studio in Hale County, Alabama by way of example. The Rural Studio immerses students from Auburn University’s architecture program into the community to build projects to support local needs. (There’s an interesting article in the latest edition of Metropolis magazine about their latest endeavor: the $20,000 house).
So how to translate the rural studio concept to the city? There’s a good model at Carnegie Mellon. Their Urban Studio was founded in 1963 and it uses Pittsburgh, where the university is based, as an integral part of student learning. From their Web site:
Through its programs, the Urban Lab provides interdisciplinary education in hands-on ‘real life’ contexts. It engages public agencies, elected officials, the private investment sector, and citizens, to jointly research and find solutions to community issues.
Until recently, our own regional design schools did not spend much time outside their respective campuses, but that is starting to change as MICA, Morgan, University of Maryland College Park and others look to develop community-based projects in the city. (I’m writing a bit about this in the October issue of Urbanite magazine, so stay tuned for that article).
How might we develop valuable urban studios in the city? How can the various disciplines, schools, practitioners, and funders work together for the most impact? And most importantly, how do we get this integrated into the way building and planning and design happens in the city? I’m curious to know what people think…
6 Comments
This would seem like a great thing for the city’s planning institutions to partner with the schools on. It would give them a chance to let more people know what they do, and give the students a chance to see how real processes work in the city. I would love to think more about how to facilitate something like that.
I too would love to figure out how to facilitate something like this. Seems that we would just need to get the right university, foundation, and developer/city agency/non profit in the same room to hash out the details and put something together.
Here’s one successful model with which I’m familiar: http://mitatlawrence.net/about/
Morgan has begun to do this by studying areas in Baltimore and having crits in varying location throughout the city. Having a place for collaboration where design professionals mix with students would be great. The largest, the BAC in Boston, is great and has a huge impact in Boston ( http://www.the-bac.edu/x230.xml ) . They would be willing to help guide us here in Baltimore if we would reach out. There seems to be quite a bit of academic “attitude” among the colleges & universities here that holds things back I have noticed.
It would be great to have an “open studio” in the Arts and Entertainment District.
I spent the last 4 years teaching at the BAC; it’s an interesting and potentially appropriate model, though I think it would be hard to start something like the BAC out of scratch… their program evolved over several generations. But yes, I imagine that the BAC folks would be happy to discuss their role in Boston’s design world with us.
I was just at Team Boston’s (BAC + Tufts) party for the Solar Decathalon last Friday. Incredible energy in the room . It is hard to see Baltimore doing the same thing anytime soon. We are just at the beginning of something and the BAC started out as a sketch club in the 1890’s I believe. Perhaps we should get Ted Landsmark down here for some advice on a talk – he is an African American leader in Design and given our city is 67% African American he may have some insight on multi racial engagement.
Fights from Boston are cheap.
I haven’t visited the blog recently because it had become clogged with my name as one who had posted on several topics. This format is not very interactive.
I have to disagree, Craig, when you say “It is hard to see Baltimore doing the same thing anytime soon.” Maybe you forgot the last solar decathlon? The one where University of Maryland came in a close second to Germany and ranked #1 in among U.S. schools? That’s a far superior showing to Boston’s #15 ranking this year. The University of Maryland design involved the work and collaboration of many Baltimore architects and designers, including Julie Gabrielli of Gabrielli Design Studio and Mark Melonas of Luke Works. The energy and excitement around that was incredible and the school is now turning the design for their LeafHouse into a saleable home.
Sometimes, we can get so used to bemoaning the state of our own city that we forget to see the positive work that is actually being accomplished.