East St. Louis Action Research Project  University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Master planning and design
for the Alta Sita Neighborhood

      youth activities
    livability
                revitalization
employment
        community center
    cultural resource

Collaborators:
Architecture 374, Prof. Robert Selby, Architecture
Landscape Architecture 338, Prof. Brian Orland, Landscape Architecture
Urban and Regional Planning 378, Prof. Kenneth Reardon, Urban and Regional Planning

Class meets 1:00-4:00pm on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays
Class Outline, Class Information Resources.

Since 1990 ESLARP has completed several master planning studies in partnership with neighborhood action groups in East St. Louis, most recently an Emerson Park Development Corporation (EPDC) initiative to site 200 new housing units to take advantage of a new light rail station starting construction in Emerson Park. (ESLARP Update here)

1998 workshops laid the groundwork for major new initiatives in the provision of housing for lower income residents, include an ESL Housing Authority investigation of the market for, and potential siting of, a range of housing options including cluster homes and scattered site developments both in the public and private sectors.  LA338-Spring '98 focused on the siting and green space development issues associated with housing plans at scales ranging from city-wide strategic plans to green space design associated with particular housing layouts.

Our proposal this semester is to focus on the Alta Sita neighborhood and somewhat smaller scale proposals to illustrate the various options available to citizens both in making appropriate responses to the constraints of existing site and neighborhood conditions, and in achieving satisfying and enhanced quality of life for future residents.

Introduction

• Students will seek to understand what constitutes a "good" or livable neighborhood.  We will ask:
• "Who says so? Why?"
• "What good qualities does Alta Sita have?"
• "What good qualities does Alta Sita now lack?"

Students may wish to see examples from a similar planning process for the Emerson Park Neighborhood.

Students will meet with residents and others to develop agendas for the eighborhood plan.  Design projects will be selected after the plan has begun, and in consultation with community partners.  Accordingly, this class will be more open-ended than typical design studios.

This studio will work in teams, share interdisciplinary experience, and work with people in Alta Sita to plan their neighborhood in accordance with their vision of what the neighborhood should be.
 

Course Outline

 

Part One:	Background research, project definition program development   Two weeks, 10% of final grade
Part Two:	Analysis phase.   Two weeks, 10% of final grade
Part Three:	Concept development phase.   Two weeks, 10% of final grade
Part Four:	Design development   Two and a half weeks, 20% of final grade
Part Five	Final presentation preparation   Seven weeks, 50% of final grade

Course Attendance

We will be working with studios in Architecture and Urban and Regional Planning who in past years have had somewhat different schedules than ours.  Architecture 374 meets MWF 1:00 to 4:00pm, Urban and Regional Planning 378 meets Wednesday, Thursday, Friday 2:00 to 4:00.  Working with Prof. Harkness we have moved our traditional class times so that we can effect a closer collaboration.  You are asked to make special efforts to make our collaboration work.  If this schedule causes you any special difficulties with other required or supporting elective classes talk to me immediately and we will work to accommodate your needs.

You will be expected to attend every scheduled class period, Wednesday through Friday, so that I can keep in touch with your progress.  I expect you, in addition, to meet with your team partners out of class time and to make arrangements to meet me at non-class times as you feel necessary.  You are expected to be in class unless told explicitly that attendance is not necessary. There will be mandatory field trips during the semester, usually leaving early Friday mornings and returning Saturday or Sunday afternoons. Even within class times I must occasionally take time out to attend meetings elsewhere on campus.  I will arange make-up times as required.

In addition we are setting-up an electronic, on-line forum for information-sharing, problem-solving and discussion. For that we will use FirstClass software.

It is easiest to reach me via e-mail -- b-orland@uiuc.edu
You can try the phone too -- 333-0177, but I rarely check voice mail
Or you can drop by -- 308 Temple Buell Hall

Attendance:

I will keep a record of attendance/non-attendance which will influence your final grades in the following manner:

1. If a student collects four unexcused absences during the course of the semester, the students final grade will be reduced one full grade;
2. An unexcused late arrival (after 1:30) will be counted as one-half of an absence.  Therefore eight late arrivals, or a combination of late arrivals and unexcused absences totaling four unexcused absences, will result in a full grade reduction;
3. Excused absences will be granted for medical reasons, or if some work needs to be done in a different location, and can only be done during the class period (this should be discussed ahead of time).  If you need to be away from your work area during class time, leave a note clearly visible on top of your table.

Grades:

A:    The student is able to work consistently and rigorously (display an excellent understanding of design process), and is able to present and explain a thoughtful, excellent, well-conceived project.
B:    The student displays a good understanding of design process, and is able to present and explain a well-designed project.
C:    The student displays some understanding of design process and is able to complete and present a design project, which is deficient in conceptual strength.
D:    The student is weak in their understanding of design process, as well as weak in their design ability, or the project is incomplete and poorly presented.
E:    The work and student are nonexistent.

Minus (-) will be applied to the student’s grade when the work comes close to, but still hasn’t reached, the evaluation criteria of a grade level.

The instructor will be available for appointments to discuss grades or other issues throughout the semester.  Grade sheets will be distributed after each review. 

Group working

Preliminary dates:

Wed Mar 18:  Alta Sita Neighbors, Inc. Meeting

Web and Bibliographic Resources