B HERE INITIATIVE
The B Here Initiative is an initiative set up by Carnegie Mellon's School of Architecture. I served as an Instructor and Designer during the program's first year (2014)
My partner and I collaborated with residents of under-served neighborhoods in Pittsburgh to design a project that would solve an issue in their community. We designed two instructive workshops, one on storm water mitigation in Larimer, and one focusing on recreation in the Hill District. We led two events in each neighborhood to educate residents and empower them to work toward further change in their community.
ABOUT Larimer
Larimer is a neighborhood in Pittsburgh that suffers from constant flooding. I completed research on green techniques for mitigating water run off, and created an informational pamphlet to share with residents of the neighborhood.
Larimer Workshop
At right is a map we created for the storm water workshop in Larimer. After learning about methods to control floodwater, community members could draw new designs for their neighborhood. These designs included solutions like additional drainage, rain gardens, community gardens, and other green mitigation solutions easily implemented by the community.
Below, photos from the workshop.
The hill district
The Hill District in Pittsburgh suffers from a lack of recreational space. We identified locations that the community could use to build their own small parks or recreation places, and presented them at a community day during the summer.
We also held two short workshops during the day, in which community members could draw out their own designs for the new Hill District. These were then shared with important leaders of the community.