SPOTLIGHT

ESLARP, in collaboration with the Community Informatics Initiative and Department of Landscape Architeture, will be supporting a Design Workshop and Seminar on Sao Tome starting this December.  This is the outcome of a collaboration has been growing for several years now between faculty and students from the University of Illinois and governmental and non-governmental organizations in São Tomé, an island nation off the coast of West Africa.

Professors Laura Lawson, Rebecca Ginsberg, and Lynne Dearborn will be the team leaders on a unique interdisiplinary design opportunity.  Participants will travel to São Tomé during winter break and work will continue throughout the spring semester.  Find out how to apply for the Design Workshop and Seminar.

 ESLARP in Action Blog

Neighborhoods and Planning

Over ten neighborhood plans have been developed in partnerships between neighborhood organizations and ESLARP. After meeting with neighborhood leaders, urban planning student gather historical material and document existing conditions – land use, current zoning, housing conditions, parks and open space, flooding areas, etc. – to be analyzed through GIS mapping.  Through participatory processes, residents are engaged in dialogue that clarifies local problems, draws out a shared vision for the future, and identifies key actions necessary to achieve short- and long-term goals. Students generate interest in the neighborhood planning process by meeting with leaders, surveying residents door-to-door and organizing neighborhood-wide meetings. These activities build the capacity of organizations to utilize existing internal resources and identify outside support sources. The final plans typically include both physical design and programmatic recommendations. 

Examples of Past and Present Projects:

 
See a List of Completed Plans
Neighborhood Planning Documents