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Students Redesign Brooklyn's Fulton Street Mall

A panel of Brooklyn-based architects, urban planners, and artists will judge designs April 17.

Mairi Beautyman -- Interior Design, 4/2/2008 1:00:00 AM

New York City High School students are taking a fresh look at the Fulton Street Mall, Brooklyn's historic shopping district, as part of a community-based design education and advocacy initiative launched by the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum. Thirteen students in the spring edition of the Design your Hood youth program are challenged to kick-start an urban revival in this culturally diverse community.

Offering real life professional experience to students keen on design, Design Your Hood is an extension of two Cooper-Hewitt programs: City of Neighborhoods (a community-based design education and advocacy program for youth, educators, designers, and civic leaders working with young people) and Design Directions (a series of free design-education programs for New York City high-school students).

The six-week after school program encourages critical thinking, visual literacy, collaboration, and problem-solving and includes opportunities to work with architects, urban designers, community leaders, and historians. Students participate in hands-on workshops and walking tours, and design architectural drawings or models that address the neighborhood's needs.

Participating students are from five New York City High Schools: Chelsea High School, Brooklyn High School of the Arts, Millenium Art Academy, Murry Bergtraum High School, and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Art.

On April 17, from 4:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m., students will showcase their projects at a final presentation at Brooklyn Borough Hall. A panel of Brooklyn-based architects, urban planners, and artists will judge designs.

Brooklyn Borough Hall is located at 209 Joralemon Street in Brooklyn.