Yesterday I lunched with David Fox, an old classmate of mine from Cranbrook. We caught up on the past 20 years, and he invited my help on an axciting new project called Green Magnolia. David’s an architecture prof at UT with an interest in inner city redevelopment. He’ll have UT architecture students work with Austin-East High School students to re-envision their neighborhood, and then begin rebuilding it. I’ll be working with Melissa Brown and a team of A-E students doing community relations and research.
David’s previous projects in Chattanooga are impressive. Together with contractors, city leaders, and Howard High School, David taught students how to re-imagine their neighborhood on South Market Street. Over seven years the Urban Program in Sustainable Design Education designed and built eight houses in Chattanooga. It’s one thing to dream up redevelopment, but quite another to get stuff built. David and his students got the job done.
I believe in redeveloping older neighborhoods, and I’m excited about the project. We’ll use blogging, video, photography, and interviews to get students excited about the possibilities in their neighborhood. East Knoxville is a beautiful neighborhood that has been neglected for too long. If things work out Green Magnolia will have students re-imagining their own neighborhood with cameras, pencils, and keyboards within a few weeks. Stay tuned!
