Instructor: Rick Peiser

In this field study course, the students worked with both The Community Builders  and City Officials to create a development plan for three areas in the city, a new education district, and the waterfront.  East Chicago (In.), located 30 miles south of Chicago, is an industrial town that has suffered recent decades through de-industrialization and disinvestment. The students’ plan proposed creating high-quality affordable housing, attracting new businesses, and revitalizing the city’s downtown and waterfront. The project involved heavy coordination with the client—including a site visit, and several visits to Harvard by city officials— with the end result being a pragmatic development plan that looks to re-envision the city’s future.

The project was covered in the Northwest Indiana Times and the Chicago Tribune .

Young Ae Chung (MUP ’15), Christopher Colley (MUP ’14), Wei Li (MUP ’14), Yani Li (MUP ’15), Zhiping Liu (MDes ’15), Susan Nguyen (MUP ’14), Ning Pei (MUP ’15), Thomas Skwierawski (MUP ’14), Simon Willet (MAUD ’14), Tianyi Yang (MUP ’14)

Spring 2014