IN-PERSON: Livable Cities – New York

Abstract

The Community Design Workshop (CDW) is an Institute within the School of Architecture and Design at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The CDW has been involved with community urban design projects in architecture and planning for over twenty-five years. Completed designs include revitalization of small-town neighborhoods, redevelopment of downtown city spaces, complete streets, and various campus designs for the University of Louisiana at Lafayette. The CDW operates as an outreach Institute to the community for urban design and provides graduate architecture students an opportunity to gain practical experience with real-world design problems. The paper focuses on the development strategies implemented to design and complete the University Bike/Pedestrian Path. This process engaged university administrators, students, and the general public in charrettes and collaboration for the design and development of construction documents, and also consult with local engineers. The project links the University Research Park to the main campus, approximately four miles. Since the project evolved over a 20-year time span, it was developed in three phases. Phase I: common plan for the University Research Park, Phase II: University Bike/Pedestrian Path System, and Phase III: incorporating the Bike/Pedestrian Path plan into the Campus Master Plan and into the City of Lafayette’s city-wide bike plan. Completed in 2023, the University Bike/Pedestrian Path demonstrates the importance for public engagement in the design process and the benefits for student involvement in the design development/construction process from idea to completed product.