From the Pillared Portals to a Brilliant World - Winchester Thurston ...

Urban Research and Design: Compelling New Course for Seniors Finishes Its First Year
In Urban Research and Design, Michael Naragon challenged his 60 seniors to explore and
develop research-based solutions to an array of economic, social, environmental, and other
issues. Not only did they deliver on this rigorous year-long assignment, they also developed the
intellectual skills and credible voices they will need for the demanding world ahead.
For Ari Schuman and Rogan Grant, collaborating on projects has been part of
their learning process since the sixth grade. A shared interest in neuroscience,
coupled with awareness of the growing rates of addiction in Pittsburgh, spurred
their most impressive collaboration to date, culminating in a documentary
film, A Return to Normalcy: Addiction, Rehabilitation, and Reintegration in
Pittsburgh, along with their recommendations about models for treatment.
For Kat Bojvberg, an
interview with the
mayor of Braddock,
Pennsylvania, inspired
an abundance of
research on urban
renewal and the pitfalls
of gentrification. Her
project discussed the
“creative class” and its
usefulness in fueling
economic renewal in
this distressed town
south of Pittsburgh.
Moved by murals throughout the city,
Blake Uretsky investigated the process of
engaging a community in the creation of
public art. She turned that lesson on herself
by creating a mural that would both reflect
a sense of identity and the values of her
community, while illustrating that “creative
thought does matter.”
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