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Thirty freshmen in the School of Architecture's new Hewlett Program, "Community Building, Building Community," have taken to the streets to examine firsthand the complex interrelationships between St. Louis' inner city, nearby municipalities and outlying suburbs.
In walking tours, interviews with residents and visits with key St. Louis figures, the students have been wrestling with the role of architecture and what it means to be a neighborhood, a city, a community.
The freshmen have come face to face with abject poverty. They have spent the night in an inner-city housing development and, through a dramatic simulation, they have experienced the plight of those who lack the most basic human resources. And they have learned that as architects they can help bridge the gap between the "haves" and the "have-nots" -- but their solutions must be people-based and address suburban and urban issues in tandem.
"I used to think architecture was about designing on a computer and learning about space and architectural form," freshman Sabri Farouki said. "Through Hewlett, I've learned that the most important aspect is how people will be affected. While the program might make me a better architect someday, it is already making me a better person."
Bob Hansman, assistant professor of architecture and director of the Hewlett Program in Architecture, has been challenging students to question their assumptions as they examine how architectural design relates to politics, economics, behavior, culture, race, transportation, housing, employment and the environment.
"The program pushes students to get outside their own comfortable belief systems and to look at things from a different view," Hansman said. "It's about becoming critical thinkers. They're learning that communities don't exist in a vacuum. In many ways, what is happening in the suburbs and in the cities are causes and effects of one another, and both areas need equal attention."
Throughout the semester, the students have been tackling issues ranging from urban sprawl to resource inequities to individual freedom vs. community responsibility. They've had candid discussions with key players in shaping St. Louis' future, from community activists to newspaper publishers to those involved in redevelopment and public art initiatives. The students next will be hearing from St. Louis' current mayor and his two predecessors.
"Half the architecture freshman class signed up for the new Hewlett Program, and their enthusiasm for it has been extraordinary," said Cynthia Weese, FAIA, dean of the architecture school. "Under Bob's guidance, the out-of-the-classroom-into-the-community approach really has driven home the critical role of design in addressing issues in all parts of the metropolitan area -- inner city and suburban alike."
It's been an intellectually challenging and at times emotionally intense experience, as the students have moved among dramatically contrasting conditions in University City, East St. Louis, downtown St. Louis, the near South Side and Chesterfield.
Gazing from the Clinton-Peabody public housing units back across the 14th Street bridge to the glitter of the Kiel Center, freshman Levi Rippy observed: "It's just wrong. Looking out your bedroom window, all you see is the wealth and beauty of downtown toying with you, reminding you of what you don't have. It makes you feel oppressed, like you aren't getting your fair share."
For classmate Michael Schwartz, the poverty simulation conducted by the nonprofit Reform Organization of Welfare was the most eye-opening. "For the first time, I really had an understanding of what the poverty stricken are going through," he said. "I used to think 'I am not those people; it doesn't affect me.' But by the end of the simulation, I was near tears. It's a reality we all need to face."
The Hewlett students said their overnights at Hansman's art studio for resident youths in the Clinton-Peabody housing development also drove this point home. Yet, despite the bleak living conditions, the architecture students said they were surprised that they felt as safe as they did and that they were able to meet so many Clinton-Peabody residents. The small-group overnights provided a sharp contrast to their trip to suburbia, which has its own set of problems.
"We've been looking at areas where people live in poverty, but we've also been faced with issues of community spirit as well," said freshman Brian Hindman. "For example, Chesterfield differs from Clinton-Peabody in the fact that the houses are bigger and everyone is expected to have a car and sufficient money, but each of these communities is isolated from other areas. Peabody is economically isolated. Chesterfield is physically isolated. In another aspect, the Peabody neighborhood proved to be rich with community spirit, whereas Chesterfield had the appearance of being shut off to its surroundings."
Classmate Jason Easter said he was beginning to rethink what makes a workable community, including the roles of sidewalks, nearby businesses and public areas in which people can interact. "The Hewlett program has allowed me the opportunity to develop a strong understanding of what a city, a community or a street, for that matter, really is," he said. "I have begun to question whether growing up in a vehicle-dependent suburban area as I did is better than growing up in a well planned and developed urban area."
Piloted in 1997-98, the University's Hewlett Programs are funded by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and include those in American culture studies, environmental studies and studies of the mind-brain.
"The Hewlett Programs immerse students in an innovative learning experience from the moment they arrive at the University," said James E. McCleod, vice chancellor for students and dean of the College of Arts & Sciences. "The new Hewlett Program in Architecture was a natural addition, combining the broad-based multi- disciplinary aspect of a liberal arts education with the hands-on approach to design and commitment to community issues that have been fundamental to the architecture program."
In addition to diverse reading assignments, in-depth discussions and journal observations, the architecture students use their design skills for on-site sketches during the tours and building models of their dream homes back in the studio. Later in the course, the students will find ways of adapting their dream homes into a theoretically workable community. The final aspect of the program will be to determine how to apply what they have learned to an actual project for the betterment of the St. Louis region.
"The Hewlett Program is helping to develop a social conscience among those of us who might be involved in the design processes of the future," Nathan Brandenburg said. "We've looked at the successes, but we're also trying to learn from the failures. There is no reason for repetition of the past mistakes when you're are dealing with something as important as humanity."
