Community Workshop

4/29/2014

Take a Look at our Survey Results!

Here's a look at the graphics we made to represent the results we retrieved from our survey:

4/3/2014

Rutgers University Physical Master Plan

Today a few of us ventured out off of Cook Campus to attend a planning forum for the university's master plan on the College Avenue Campus. We were happy to hear the term "landscape" emphasized in the emerging themes of the master plan. Elements that were discussed that were most relevant to our work included the poor lighting on Cook Campus that discourages students from walking around at night, the safety concerns along the lower end of George Street and the desire to use landscape to 'create legible and cohesive campus environments.' 

Opportunities for better open spaces & connectivity as well as a stronger framework for sustainability were also mentioned. Click the links below to check out more about the master plan & how you could get involved.

Click here to check out: University Physical Master Plan

Give your input: My Campus Survey

Also take a look at "The Swarm" video which depicts student movement between the various campuses on a typical day here at Rutgers.

3/27/2014

Facilities Workshop

On Tuesday we were fortunate to have the opportunity to speak with representatives from the Rutgers Department of Transportation, Rutgers Facilities and a campus planner.  The workshop was run very similar to the workshop we held with members of the community last month & led to a lot of insight into how and why the university does what it does.
At the workshop we discussed areas brought up at the community workshop such as the location of bus stops, pedestrian traffic and the fractured edge of Cook campus that affects the relationship between campus and community as well as new topics such as the history of both the Cook and Douglas campuses and elements of the Rutgers Master Plan.
Check out a few images of our meeting & for more on that and everything else we've been doing in studio head to our flickr account:   

http://www.flickr.com/photos/115856329@N08/

2/18/2014 

Community Workshop

This past week we met with various residents of the Nichol Avenue area and discovered several issues they were concerned with.  Speed of traffic, the potential removal of the Corwin buildings, and the location of the bus stop along Nichol Avenue were some of the concerns expressed at the workshop.  

Moving forward we plan on combining what we have learned from the mapping exercises with the concerns of the residents to improve the campus and community relationship along Nichol Avenue.

Community Workshop date

This Tuesday on Feb. 18th we are going to have six residents from Nichol Ave. coming to our studio from 7-9 pm.

Workshops or Charrettes (we use these terms interchangeably for this studio) are collaborative sessions in which a group of interested parties draft a solution to a design problem. The structure of a charrette varies, depending on the problem and the individuals in the group. They may take place in multiple sessions or in one session. Large groups can be divided into sub-groups.

The goal of the workshop is to present work to a group of stakeholders as material for further dialogue. These quick and informal sessions serve as a way of generating design concepts quickly while integrating the attitudes, interests and concerns of a diverse group of people. The Studio will use the charrette as a technique for consulting with all stakeholders in the Nichol Avenue Project.

Typically the process involves meetings with municipal officials, developers, and residents and the studio will strive to do so. The goal of the charrette is to promote communication, a shared vision and joint ownership of solutions.

Typical Agenda:

1. Introduction: Present the project, work to date and participants

2. Explanation of Activities and Process: Delineate the activities and their purpose. State the session goals, expectations and outcome.

3. Work Session: The actual work. Depending on attendance, large groups are divided into subgroups. Each group makes a list of relevant issue to discuss their views and opinions. Action items and recommendations are usually accompanied by graphic representations (plan, section or perspectives) of the main ideas.

4. Summary Session: Recap all the findings and recommendations. Chart next course of action. Inform on next meeting/deliverable/presentation.

5. Closing Remarks: Let participants remark on the process. Take notes.

The Role of the Designer:

There are several ways in which a designer can engage in a workshop. Note that within a group of designers at a workshop, the responsibilities may be divided among them.

1. Participant: Contributes as a resident, volunteer or as part of a larger group of participants.

2. Facilitator: Helps to collect information, clarify issues, provides graphic support, does not make recommendations or steer opinion.

3. Organizer/Leader: Sets the workshop structure and agenda, may set the design and issue identification criteria and lead the discussion.