Design Charrette: Broadview Bend & Brighton Park

Each year, graduate students from Kent State’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design and the staff of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative partner with a community organization on a Community Design Charrette. A charrette is a short, intense community workshop that addresses a real-life urban design and community development  challenge.

Brighton Park, a new green space in Cleveland’s Old Brooklyn neighborhood that is part of the Cleveland Metroparks system.

The 2023 charrette took place March 10-12, in collaboration with the Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation, Cleveland Metroparks, and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. The event included middle and high school students from the CUDC’s Making Our Own Space Rapid Response Team who have been working in the Old Brooklyn neighborhood for over a year.

Making Our Own Space Coordinator Ben Herring on a site visit with MOOS students on Broadview Road in Old Brooklyn.

The charrette focused on Brighton Park, a new green space established and operated by Cleveland Metroparks on the site of the former Heninger Landfill on Pearl Road. The charrette also focused on Broadview Bend, a mixed use district that turns the corner from Pearl Road to Broadview Road. During the charrette, students and community stakeholders explored the relationships between Brighton Park and Broadview Bend, reflecting on the history of the neighborhood while identifying new infrastructure investments, development opportunities, and public amenities. Broadview Bend is the boundary between Wards 12 and 13 so the charrette also explored the spaces where the two wards come together.

Small teams of MOOS students and graduate students looked at:

  1. Broadview Avenue: proposals for infill development and infrastructure investments throughout the corridor.

  2. Entry points into Brighton Park: strategies for integrating the park into the neighborhood and drawing people in at all the locations where the park and the neighborhood intersect.

  3. Broadview and Pearl Road intersection: ideas for anchoring the neighborhood and pointing visitors and residents toward neighborhood amenities.

MOOS students measuring street widths and exploring options for pedestrian improvements.

Community input was encouraged throughout the charrette process. Design recommendations are summarized in this Community Presentation.

For more information, please contact the CUDC at cudc@kent.edu or 216.357.3434.

Pedestrian enhancements and wayfinding signage at the intersection of Broadview and Pearl Roads.

Welcome Dawn Mayes, New Director of Design Entrepreneurship and Inclusion!

 
Dawn Mayes Welcome
 

Kent State’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design welcomes Dawn Mayes, the inaugural Director of Design Entrepreneurship and Inclusion at Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC).

The CUDC created the new Design Entrepreneurship and Inclusion initiative to support the development of new design firms and to expand the diversity of design practitioners in Northeast Ohio. The Cleveland Foundation has provided generous funding for this important new initiative. 

After an extensive national search, the CUDC is thrilled to launch the program under the leadership of a Kent State graduate. Dawn has a Masters of Architecture with a Certificate in Urban Design from Kent State, and a Bachelor of Science in Architectural Studies from Florida A&M University.

Dawn has worked for local architecture firms, including Robert P. Madison International and Ubiquitous Design, in addition to running her own business, Designs by Danico. She also served as Senior Program Manager of DEI for the Cleveland Guardians’ Progressive Field Renovations, advising team leadership on meeting and exceeding their goals for diversity and inclusion in large construction projects. 

“It was a struggle as a minority to see myself succeeding in the design industry due to the lack of diversity,” said Dawn. “This new initiative is a step in the right direction to allow room for growth, expansion, and innovation within the DEI realm and design industry.”

In her new position, Dawn will provide coaching and technical assistance for designers starting their own firms, with targeted assistance toward young professionals and Black, Indigenous, Latinx, and Asian-American designers. She’ll also work with local developers, non-profits, and government agencies to expand the diversity of designers in leadership roles on civic, institutional, and private sector design and development projects in Northeast Ohio. She will also create a viable pipeline for more diverse student enrollment through intentional partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU).

“Dawn is a visionary who will work to strengthen pathways into the design professions for women and people of color,” said Terry Schwarz, Director of the CUDC. “We’re excited to see how this new initiative will unfold.”

For more information, contact Dawn at dmayes@kent.edu.

New Handbook on Shrinking Cities

Just Published: HANDBOOK ON SHRINKING CITIES

Compelling and engaging, this Handbook on Shrinking Cities addresses the fundamentals of urban population loss including causes of decline and innovative solutions for revitalizing shrinking cities.

Contributors provide a wide range of perspectives on governance, greening, right-sizing, and regrowth in European and US cities. Chapters explore economic prosperity, livability, social stability, and innovation in cities dealing with persistent population decline and urban vacancy. One chapter explores temporary strategies for urban vacancy through the CUDC’s on-going Pop Up City initiative.

The Handbook is geared toward students and faculty in human geography, urban planning, and urban design. A wide range of case studies also makes this a vital read for planning practitioners and community activists.