Knowledge is the most democratic source of power.
Before graduating, every planning student must participate in a two-semester 'studio' intended to apply skills learned in the classroom to the real world. Under the guidance of a project coordinator, student teams undertake a community-based project employing all of the same policy-driven research and development methods they will soon be expected to perform as professionals. It is the culmination of everything they have learned at Hunter.
Fall 2007
Staten Island Planning Studio
The Staten Island Planning Studio focused on the physical and social transformation of two defined neighborhoods in the North Shore of Staten Island: Richmond Terrace and Stapleton. Like so many American cities, where the construction of highways and bridges in the 1950s and 1960s impacted the growth of older town centers, these two neighborhoods, formerly vibrant urban centers became impoverished areas.
The studio group turned their attention to the social aspects and physical environment of Richmond Terrace and Stapleton. From redesigning the St. George Ferry Terminal as a way to retain more visitors on the North Shore, to involving youth in a garbage can painting campaign to create cleaner streets, this project offers plans that will revitalize economic activity and appeal along the major corridors in the two neighborhoods.
The students of the Fall Studio were Ralph Blessing, Fiona Carbin, Chester Cheng, Eileen Downing, Denis Felix, Vincent Hertier, Matthew Ides, Dominique McAfee, Kerry McLean, Lindsay Quartini, Laura Stella, Sheik Tunis, Paige Waranis and Lin Zeng; they were led by Pablo Vengochea. The project was prepared for the clients of this studio, the St. George Civic Association and Downtown Staten Island Council.
Full report available here.
Spring - Summer 2007
Aging in Place in Yonkers
With 78 million baby boomers approaching retirement, planners will increasingly need to address the needs of a rapidly growing senior citizen population. Surveys of older adults consistently find a preference among seniors to age in place within their community. As such, reliance on local services and amenities becomes imperative to meet the social, mental, and physical needs of seniors. Are government entities and planning support adequate to meet these
future needs? Are neighborhoods prepared to facilitate healthy, sustainable aging in place? What preparations are necessary to meet the emerging needs of future senior citizens? To answer these questions, twelve Hunter College graduate students embarked on a unique studio project that critically examined issues related to aging in place in Yonkers, a suburban community in the New York metropolitan region.
The Yonkers studio comparatively analyzed trends, issues, and opportunities on a national, citywide, and neighborhood scale. Based on this comprehensive analysis, the students made recommendations to ensure the creation of sustainable, senior-friendly communities and developed planning tools and models to assist local communities in the development of guidelines to support the demographic transition of older communities. By analyzing aging place, greater attention is focused on the preference of older adults to remain integrated in their local communities and, subsequently, the responsibility of planners to consider how this population will fundamentally change the urban social and economic environment.
The studio was led by Professor Laxmi Ramasubramanian and Harry Schwartz.
Student participants: Stephanie Camay, Melissa Cerezo, Kate Ervin, Claudia Filomena, Benjamin Herold, Angela Kelly, Melisa Lima, Jennifer Macleod, Mercedes Moreno, Elizabeth Pereyra, Anna Slatinsky, Rachel Stogel
Client: City of Yonkers, Office for the Aging
Full report available here.
Spring/Fall 2006
Brooklyn Atlantic Yards Study
Students of Profesor Angotti's Brooklyn Atlantic Yards (BAY) studio produced an exhaustive, 88 page analysis of the proposed project. Their study covered redevelopment and land use policies, an examination of proposed alternatives, analysis of neighborhood character and demographics, effects on transportation, and security and anti-terrorism measures. The result is a comprehensive planning document that is available here.
Fall 2005/Spring 2006
Los Sures Studio
Hunter College once again entered the JP Morgan Chase Manhattan Bank Studio Competition this past academic year. A team of 13 urban planning students worked with not-for-profit Los Sures Community Development Corporation, Inc. to develop affordable senior housing in the Southside of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. It was an incredibly rewarding experience for all involved. We were able to provide Los Sures a feasibility study including architectural schematics and financial plans. With our help, Los Sures will be able to apply for HUD this year, and being construction much sooner than originally planned. Additionally, our report and presentations have awarded Los Sures $10,000 towards their project.
Spring 2005
Sunnyside Studio
This report describes the findings from the capstone studio planning project "Creating Community in Sunnyside: A Comprehensive Community Plan for A Highly Multi-Ethnic Neighborhood" researched and written by Hunter College Urban Planning graduate students for the New York City Department of City Planning and Queens Community Board 2. It is meant to provide a comprehensive community planning framework for this evolving, highly multi-ethnic community. It describes existing conditions, results from interview analyses, case studies, and key recommendations for Sunnyside to ascertain and better address the needs of all Sunnyside residents.
Download the Executive Summary | Download the FullReport here
Chase Studio, 2004-2005:
An Art Center in the Bronx
Hunters Graduate Urban Planning studio took second place this year in the JPMorgan Chase Community Development Competition. Hunter competed against graduate schools from throughout the region and continued a strong tradition of excellence in the competition. Eleven students, most of them completing their degree, worked under the guidance of Professors William Milczarski and Alice Blank to complete a comprehensive plan for the Bronx River Art Center. The organization sought to re-habilitate their East Tremont building, expand their programming, and capitalize on their position along the Bronx River and the planned Bronx River Greenway. Students assessed the community need, researched the neighborhood and the site, drafted detailed architectural plans, identified potential sources of new funding, and created a 10-year financial plan. They presented the project at the finals Tuesday, May 2.
Fall 2003/Spring 2004
Corona Studio
This studio, overseen by professors Tom Angotti and Lynn McCormick, focused on studying quality of life factors in an around the area of Corona Plaza at 103rd Street and Roosevelt Avenue. The students were: Julie Alighieri, Joel Burgess, Brad Cantor, Mike Dominelli, Tim Lampkin, Johanna Novales, Elinor Pedro, Diana Perez, Keturah Suggs, and Onicka Voglezon. The Corona Business Corporation (CBC) and Queens Community Boards 3 and 4 partnered with these students to study local land-use patterns, transportation usage, noise, pollution, and the impact of nearby cultural amenities.
Corona, located in northern Queens, to the east of Jackson Heights, is one of the fastest growing and most ethnically diverse communities in New York City; and still has many of the problems typical of an area undergoing such rapid expansion. These include overburdened transportation infrastructure, increased noise and pollution, and a rising cost of housing. While the short-term goals of the project included improving both the living conditions of local residents and the economic vitality of the area, the group also analyzed the impact that the 2012 Summer Olympics might have on Corona, should New York City be chosen as its venue. Corona is close to many of the possible Olympic venues in nearby Flushing Meadows Park. The students also studied housing costs and the effects of overcrowding in the neighborhood. Also on the agenda was an analysis of the possible creation of a Business Improvement District along Junction Boulevard, and the alleviation of the chronic traffic congestion in the area.
Fall 2003/Spring 2004
JP Morgan Chase Competition/Amber Charter School
Participating in the JP Morgan/Chase Community Development Competition, students from the Hunter Graduate Program in Urban Planning team took first prize among local planning schools with their proposal to develop a new school facility for the Washington Heights section of Northern Manhattan. Professors Bill Milczarski and Alice Blank, along with the studio class, made up of Rachel Bright, Tom Brown, Alain Byron, Andy Clark, Christopher DiIorio, Brian Knott, Rigoberto Lopez, Aiko Nose, John Pallante, Vanessa Rauschenberger, Patrick Rodgers, James Rubin, Chandana Sikund, and Gary Washinsky, partnered with the staff of Amber Charter School (ACS) to create a new facility for grades 6-12. This $25,000 grant-winning, collaborative effort resulted in a report and presentation that demonstrated the need to expand ACS, the appropriateness of the selected site, the resources from which the project will be funded, the fiscal sustainability of the new school, the physical design of the project, and the project timeline - including contingency plans. The envisioned 320-student, 6-story school will be constructed to conform to green building principles and local architectural character. In this new facility, ACS staff will continue to fulfill the school's charter: to provide educational services using a dual-language curriculum that enables all of its students to attain fluency in both Spanish and English. The site selected for the new school was a 7,850 square foot city-owned vacant lot at the corner of Amsterdam Avenue and West 172nd Street.
Spring 2004
Undergraduate Policy Class Project for the City of Mt. Vernon, New York
Students in the undergraduate urban studies class on Introduction to Policy Analysis were asked to focus their class research on different policy suggestions for revitalizing downtown Mount Vernon, New York. Although not a studio class per se, class readings and research were tailored to meet the needs of a real client, the Mayor of Mount Vernon. The goal of the project was to provide a detailed bibliography of cases and other evaluative material on various district strategies that have been utilized in revitalization efforts. These include: arts districts, historic districts, and business improvement districts. Students also researched best practice examples of these policy prescriptions in action elsewhere throughout the country. Their report complemented earlier planning and architectural work done.
Planning Studio, 2002-2003:
A Comprehensive Plan for Dutch Kills
Last year's planning studio was creating a comprehensive plan for the neighborhood of Dutch Kills in Long Island City, Queens. The graduate planning students partenered with the Dutch Kills Civic Association, a non-profit community-based organization in Dutch Kills, to study the neighborhood's socio-economic composition, land use patterns, housing stock, immigrant population, transportation issues, and other aspects. The students performed extensive research utilizing the U.S. Census and other data sources; conducted an exhaustive land use survey; and interviewed many residents, businesses owners, managers & employees, non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and experts on New York City's economy, as well as government officials and planners. An interim report was produced midway through the studio to present the group's findings. At least two meetings were held with the community of Dutch Kills. The first was to introduce the project and the second was to present the findings and to make recommendations for the neighborhood's progress. The planning studio presented its work at the American Planning Association's annual studio presentations at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
