Class Projects
The students in Civic Design are working on 3 different local challenges for the city of San Jose and the city of Sunnyvale.
Theme 1: Traffic + Mobility How can we plan for calm, safe, human-centered traffic in city neighborhoods?
- As the city considers more autonomous vehicle planning, how can it have human-centered policy-making and process?
- What are ways to create traffic calming along with denser housing & construction?
Theme 2: Activating Community Places: How can we design lively places that build community & belonging — and make a policy design process that includes community concerns at the center?
- How can we take the Covid-era pilots of pedestrian, ‘slow street’ zones, and think through how this activated space may be preserved — while also balancing business concerns — as a more permanent innovation?
- How can downtowns become more of an urban destination, for both locals and tourists — moving towards more pedestrian-friendly and inviting experiences?
Theme 3: Civic Identity & Inclusion: How can we establish a stronger sense of community identity in ‘overshadowed’ diverse cities that recognizes high levels of immigration and their heritage?
- How can diversity, equity, and inclusion be central to the city’s identity and woven into other projects? How do we make the diversity of ‘quiet’ cities really shine?
- How can we uncover and celebrate stories of diverse residents in a minority-majority city, and become a national model for civic pride, heritage, and inclusion?