Activist Architecture and Design Studio (LTU)

Nicolas Lamoureux, a resident of Windsor, Ontario, investigated the economic disparities across his hometown, and the impacts upon its citizens. He noted that here is high level of economic inequality across Windsor’s ten wards, and that the downtown core has some of the highest poverty rates in Canada. “Many of the residents in the least affluent wards deal with inadequate housing, small areas of park land, disconnected active transportation networks, and difficulties accessing the rest of the city’s public and private spaces without owning a vehicle,” he noted. ...

Community Connections Nicolas Lamoureux, a resident of Windsor, Ontario, investigated the economic disparities across his hometown, and the impacts upon its citizens. He noted that here is high level of economic inequa…

A mother of two children married to an Iraqi war veteran, Jamie Stone was keenly aware of the struggles her husband and children faced. Moreover, over the previous thirteen years, she discovered that while the Veteran’s Administration could serve the needs of the veteran themselves, no formal structures existed to provide aid and comfort for the caretaking spouse, who often was ill-prepared to manage the familial effects of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)....

Sharing Our Stories A mother of two children married to an Iraqi war veteran, Jamie Stone was keenly aware of the struggles her husband and children faced.  Moreover, over the previous thirteen years, she discove…

Note: The location of this project has been withheld as no official announcement or public review has yet been conducted by the municipality. Jeremiah Rose has been a life-long resident of his hometown, but – like many young people – had often pondered leaving after earning his college degree. “I started to give more thought as to why I had wanted to leave the town as a kid,” Jeremiah states....

Skate On Note: The location of this project has been withheld as no official announcement or public review has yet been conducted by the municipality. Jeremiah Rose has been a life-long resident of his home…

Art, and access to it, is a meaningful topic to student Spencer Lippert. While recognizing the value of art to individuals and communities, his research indicated that “when art access is studied in terms of ethnicity/race & highest level of education completed, the elitist quality of art becomes strikingly apparent. People within the BIPOC community express roughly 1.3 times less access to art experiences and education than adults that identify as white....

Arts Access Art, and access to it, is a meaningful topic to student Spencer Lippert.  While recognizing the value of art to individuals and communities, his research indicated that “when art access is stu…

Baltimore-area resident (and the mother of a young son) Rose Vito had a specific interest in the city’s school system, as well as issues that contribute to the failure of urban revitalization projects. Rose decided to focus her attention on the Curtis Bay neighborhood located along the harbor on the southwest side of Baltimore City. Her research revealed that Curtis Bay is a highly impoverished neighborhood, and that many families suffer from inter-generational poverty....

Design for Healing Baltimore-area resident (and the mother of a young son) Rose Vito had a specific interest in the city’s school system, as well as issues that contribute to the failure of urban revitalization proje…

Student Me Me Thinn was born in Myanmar (formerly Burma), and has watched the plight of her home country with great interest. Of particular concern to her was the overthrow of the democratically elected government by the military junta Tatmadaw in February 2021. Among the many negative effects of this insurrection was the impact upon the already-struggling rural education infrastructure in Myanmar....

Hope for Rural Education in Crisis Student Me Me Thinn was born in Myanmar (formerly Burma), and has watched the plight of her home country with great interest.  Of particular concern to her was the overthrow of the democratica…

A great deal of attention is paid to the issues facing urban school districts (large class sizes, budget deficits from low tax bases, difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers), but student Trent Schmitz sought to put a spotlight on the unique challenges facing students in rural schools. Urban school districts, he found, also suffer from lack of funding, which impacts the number of teachers, the ability to offer AP classes, and forces guidance councilors to be shared between schools....

Eight Steps to Innovation A great deal of attention is paid to the issues facing urban school districts (large class sizes, budget deficits from low tax bases, difficulty in recruiting and retaining teachers), but student T…

Jenna Atkinson’s interest in the needs of children raised in single-parent households is anchored in her own experience. She is one of four children who were raised by her single mother. Single parents not only endure the sting of social stigma, but also are forced to make tremendous personal sacrifices to raise and care for their children. The economic strain and disadvantage placed upon single parents is staggering: Jenna’s research found that married couples with two children would need to have an annual income of $79,308 in order to “live comfortably” in the Metro-Detroit area, while the annual income of single parents in Detroit is a mere $26,249....

Reading Heroes on Wheels Jenna Atkinson’s interest in the needs of children raised in single-parent households is anchored in her own experience.  She is one of four children who were raised by her single mother. …

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, student Jacob Bonacorsi was particularly concerned about the effects of extended hospital stays in children. Jacob found that these children were statistically more likely to develop anxiety and depression, which could have both short-and-long term impact on their mental and physical well-being. This is compounded by the necessary isolation experienced during a pandemic, when children are unable to receive regular visits from their parents and other family members....

Small Comforts In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, student Jacob Bonacorsi was particularly concerned about the effects of extended hospital stays in children.  Jacob found that these children were statis…

Seldom has work in this class been as personal as that undertaken by student Rawan Ita. In January of 2017, she was struck by an SUV, and had to endure over a year of medical treatments, physical therapy, and insurance issues. Her injuries (and recovery) forced her to step away from worm, as well as her graduate studies. To this day, Rawan deals with pain and limitations to her mobility....

Project Access Seldom has work in this class been as personal as that undertaken by student Rawan Ita.  In January of 2017, she was struck by an SUV, and had to endure over a year of medical treatments, phys…

We are under an hour away from pur final celebration of the semester