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BUILDING ACADEMIC QUALITY
For more than two decades Kent State architecture students have played a quiet, yet significant role in revitalizing the City of Cleveland by offering effective design solutions for a variety of urban projects, including the Flats, Warehouse District, and the Inner Harbor. Now, through funding from The Cleveland Foundation and the George Gund Foundation, Kent architecture students will have even greater opportunities to help create inviting public spaces, redevelop neighborhoods, and preserve historic structures.
Each foundation has committed $340,000 over two years to launch the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, an enhanced program option for Kent State's graduate-level architecture students. Classrooms and studios for the program will be located in Cleveland's Playhouse Square District. With a major American city as a hands-on laboratory, students will be better able to solve practical design problems; interact with local planning and design professionals; and learn about the political, economic, and social complexities of urban design.
"Urban design, development and housing are critical issues in which we've made significant investments over the past 10 years," said Steven A. Minter, executive director and president of The Cleveland Foundation. "We were sufficiently impressed with Kent's track record that it just naturally evolved into a partnership," he said.
Another factor that impressed Minter about the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative was the number of local architects who saw exciting possibilities for the project. Among them was Alan Ambuske, '69, '76, whose Akron-based firm, HFP/Ambuske Architects, made a significant contribution to the collaborative. Minter also sees the potential for synergy between Kent State's School of Architecture and Environmental Design and a program at Cleveland State University that focuses on urban planning.
David Bergholz, executive director of the George Gund Foundation, said Kent's architecture program will become even more effective now that students can immerse themselves in the urban environment. "I think it will be very exciting for students to work closely around issues in a city that has set standards for engagement and change." Perhaps more importantly, he said, the collaborative will stimulate community debate on how urban space is used and how good design can enhance the quality of life.
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