Insights
May 28, 2024 _ insights
Leveraging Schools to Build Equitable Neighborhoods: Urban Academy & Larimer’s Vision
Like many Black neighborhoods across the United States, Pittsburgh’s Larimer neighborhood has suffered from redlining, urban renewal, and disinvestment, resulting in many abandoned properties. Despite this, Larimer is resilient.
As part of its Campus Plan Strategy, the Urban Academy is working to leverage its campus masterplan as a way of catalyzing development within the residential portion of Larimer. The plan seeks to create a community-centered residential core in Larimer that incentivizes investment, empowers Black students, and provides public space and resources. Part of the thinking is that schools are critical in creating a more equitable future, but they need the support of a larger ecosystem and built environment to succeed. The plan leverages the investment in the Urban Academy to densify a vital street connecting the residential core to the already developing Mainstreet through communal space, educational resources, and housing.
At the Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group’s 2024 Community Development Summit, we presented with Urban Academy CEO, Chase Patterson, and Urban Academy Board Chair Marita Bradley. Our talk focused on how the creation of these new activity corridors will promote pedestrian safety and accessibility, anchor the residential zone with a community-focused space, and provide support for families and students in transition while fitting into the urban context and respecting Larimer’s historical identity.
One of the region’s oldest charter schools focused on the educational empowerment of Black children, the Urban Academy is a legacy institution located in the heart of Larimer’s residential zone. The school acts as more than an educational hub, it brings together residents in rebuilding the neighborhood around a central and active, residential corridor.
See our presentation here.
Chris Guignon, AIA, LEED AP BD+C, CPHD is an associate at GBBN and a Certified Passive House Designer. He believes architecture shapes how we live, how we interact with others, and how we connect to the environment. He creates sustainable designs by helping to ensure the built environment supports the needs of its inhabitants today, and into the future.
Sabreena Miller is the client development manager in GBBN’s Pittsburgh office. A visible advocate of innovative community development approaches throughout Pittsburgh, Sabreena champions collaborative development, informed engagement, productive reuse of vacant properties and develops intentional partnerships to reach creative solutions.
Sean O’Connor is passionate about the ways thoughtful, sustainable, and equitable urban development can positively shape communities. His understanding and empathy, combined with his skills around 3D modeling and rendering, help clients envision their futures and understand how design can help achieve their goals.
