The semester begins as we embark on a set of exciting new design projects that challenge and expand our thinking. This semester’s studio titled Made in Brownsville, taught by AAP B.Arch. alumni Peter Robinson and Ifoema Ebo, is focused on community–centric design aimed at establishing an immersive relationship between the design studio and the Brownsville community.
The site is in Brownsville, Brooklyn an historically African American residential neighborhood in eastern Brooklyn, NYC. Although Brownsville’s history has been plagued with high rates of crime and poverty, in recent years the community has enjoyed a rich heritage of entrepreneurship, creativity and dynamism. This is illustrated by the community motto, “Brownsville Moving Forward,” that demonstrates community resilience.
As we toured around the neighborhood during our site visit, we begin to think about the different types of spaces and how the neighborhood changes as we move from one block to another. We also begin to think about the different relationships and what kind of culture it cultivates. We brainstormed on how we may create active and safe public spaces for people to grow as well as improve connections throughout the neighborhood.
As part of our site visit, we also visited Made in Brownsville a nonprofit on “a mission to reduce the number of disconnected youths in Brownsville by lowering their barriers to entry to the STEAM professions and increasing their relevant experience in the innovation economy.” There, we participated in a workshop where we got the opportunity to interact with students from Made in Brownsville. During the workshop, we were split into two groups and tasked to come up with ideas on what we envision our ideal community to look like. It was incredible to see the visions we had for community building, which centered around providing knowledge and education, improving economic and social connectivity, providing resources to support healthy living as well as cultivating inclusivity and togetherness.
The second part of the workshop involved establishing a language of shared values within the Studio and Brownsville Community. We shared our personal experiences in different spaces in relation to ideas of scale, space and the Black-Space Manifesto. The manifesto served to guide our growth as a group and our interactions with one another. As we shared our experiences, we began to empathize and understand each other. We each had something to give and that brought us closer as a community.
As we move forward this semester, I look forward to seeing our visions for the community be realized as well as continue to foster close relationships with the Brownsville community.