Designing the city: a collaboration with PYC School

Community Design Group Director Antonio Rosell, P.E. was hired as a visiting artist by the Minneapolis Public Schools' Arts for Academic Achievement to work with 11th and 12th grade students at Plymouth Youth Center (PYC) School, an alternative school located near the intersection of Penn Avenue and Broadway Avenue in North Minneapolis.

Working at an intense pace during six weeks in February and March of 2009 (two classroom sections per visit, three visits per week, culminating in a community showcase held at the school), this collaborative project explored the history, issues and methods of urban planning, and developed students' skills with tools used in urban planning work, including mapping, 3D visualization, and publishing and documentation tools.

Students were introduced to the history and impacts of urban planning in both the national and local context, exploring and evaluating the condition and context of the area surrounding their school, and using their observations and experiences to map assets, propose improvements, and communicate their ideas for their school's surroundings.

The principal computer technology tools used included free versions of Google Earth (a satellite imagery mapping program), Google SketchUp (a 3D building/visualization program), and Blogger (a web-publishing platform). Versions of all of these tools have extensive application in professional urban planning, architectural and urban design work.

The final session, which included the participation of State Representative Bobby Joe Champion, was held at PYC School's main building and featured each of the students' visions for vacant sites near their school, including a large stretch of vacant land along Broadway Avenue across from their school and a prominent corner of Golden Valley Road and Penn Avenue located about five blocks distant.

Please see below for additional resources related to this project.

Resources

• Final presentation, full version (28MB PDF, includes introductory description) >
• Final presentation, student work only (12MB PDF) >
• Class websites - include student work, photos and narrative:
  Ryan Virden's / Sara Fugarino's class >
  Sarah Knox's class >

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