Helping to plan for an affordable neighborhood

Fred Fung, left, and Sarah Cuthbertson, two students enrolled in Praxis, a design and planning practicum in Cornell's College of Architecture, Art and Planning, present their designs for affordable housing on a parcel of land owned by Ithaca Neighborhood Housing Service (INHS). Three student teams, dubbed "No Frills," "Insite" and "PraXicality," worked all semester on the project and proposed ways to create reasonably priced housing for families of different sizes and incomes while maintaining the scenic beauty of the land, which is on Ithaca's lower West Hill. A jury that included architecture practitioners and professors as well as Ithaca officials critiqued the end-of-semester presentations, which may inspire future plans for the land.

"I usually ask questions like, 'How much does it cost?' and 'Can I get it approved?'" Paul Mazzarella, director of INHS, told the students. "Your presentations helped me realize I need to think more creatively about this site." The service-learning course was taught by Felecia Davis, assistant professor of architecture, and co-instructor Michelle Thompson, a doctoral graduate of the college's City and Regional Planning program. For information on the project, see http://www.crp.cornell.edu/praxis/praxis2/default.htm.