Team Better Block recently received a $155,000 grant from the Knight Foundation to pursue an innovative project in Akron, Ohio. They’ll be converting excess housing stock in a Bhutanese neighborhood into boutique hostels and cultural hubs utilizing the Airbnb platform. Loeb Andrew Howard, co-founder of Team Better Block, describes the project in the LOEBlog.
In the last century, stereotypes and attempts at social engineering have narrowed housing options in America, to the detriment of our ability to provide housing for all segments of society, argues Barbara Knecht (LF ‘93). But new middle class norms and well-designed small housing configurations are changing attitudes and providing hope for dealing with our current housing crisis. Read her contribution to the LOEBlog series, "Loeb Lab: From SROs to Micro-Units."
In her recent contribution the Beirut-based Portal 9's "Forest" issue, Rosetta S. Elkin, assistant professor of landscape architecture, explores the history and usage of the term "desertification," with a particular lens to the Middle East and Africa.
Working with Loeb Fellow Thaddeus Pawlowski during J Term on their Boston Living with Water submission paid off for Lindsay Woodson (MArch), Jon Springfield (MUP) and Kira Sargent (MLA). Their entry, No Building is an Island, is a finalist in the building category, along with another entry by GSD alums Stephanie Goldberg (MArch ’93) and Mark Reed (MArch ’92), Prince Building Piers. There was GSD representation in the Neighborhood category with Resilient Linkages by Alex Krieger (professor of urban design), Kelly Lynema (MUP 13) and Brandon Cuffy (MArch) of NBBJ; and Chris Reed (associate professor of landscape architecture) was awarded Honorable Mention for Fort Point’s Living Basin in collaboration with Perkins and Will. Read more in the LOEBlog.
In 37 years of practice with Grupo de Diseño Urbano (Mexico City), Mario Schjetnan has…
The Rockefeller Foundation initiative 100 Resilient Cities announced yesterday that Santiago, Chile, has just made the cut. Out of 330 applications, Santiago—nominated and submitted by a team of Harvard University Graduate School of Design students and alumni—was selected as a site to "become more resilient to the physical, social and economic challenges that are a growing part of the 21st century."
The interdisciplinary team composed of Judith Rodríguez (MLA/MAUD ’13), research associate for the Zofnass Program for Sustainable Infrastructure, and Abner L. Calixter, research associate for GSD Exuma, was selected finalist for the Mojdeh Baratloo Urban Urge Awards 2014 for their proposal titled "CAJU - Refresca São Paulo."
Bing Wang (associate professor in practice of real estate and the built environment) was selected a Young Leader by the 2014 World Cities Summit. WCS Young Leaders are prominent individuals from diverse urban sectors who are committed to actively catalyze change in cities and help shape urban development agendas. They are selected once every two years for a 3-year tenure. The WCS YL initiative provides a platform to carry out intellectual discourse on urban issues and launch initiatives to tackle the challenges of tomorrow. Learn more about the World Cities Summit Young Leaders.
At the GSD, Urban Planning and Design studios often offer students the opportunity to grapple with global issues at the local scale. During spring 2014, students delved into the challenges of the coffee trade in Medellin and land reuse in Barcelona.
Students from UPD’s second semester core urban planning studio have published “Connect Chelsea: Three Visions for a Gateway City,” a report of their recent work in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Their proposals range from converting industrial waterfront into parkland to incubating businesses, designed for lasting impact.