ARCH 572: Realizing a Healthy “Heart of Peoria” – Spring 2016
Course Instructor: Associate Professor Lynne M. Dearborn, Ph.D.
Project Assistant: Ali Momen-Heravi
This studio focuses on the design of neighborhood environments, important due to its impact on health, well-being, and quality of life for residents and daily visitors. The goal of the studio is to understand and imagine a neighborhood environment in the City of Peoria, Illinois that supports positive health, well-being, and quality of life outcomes for all people who experience the place on a regular basis.
There was a team of fifteen students over the course of an entire semester including: Elisa Laurini, John Nelson, Elsa Reifsteck, Michael Osterloo, Drew Nuding, Connor Chelmecki, Claire McDermott, Nineveh Rasho, Jake Forby, Kristen Reifschneider, Guangjie Jin, Kelly McCaffrey, Guillem Ramon Pernau, Gaoda Jiang, and Xiaoyu Wu, who developed research-based design proposals for the Peoria’s South Side neighborhood.
“A crucial part of maintaining the walkability and livability of neighborhoods is insuring that each neighborhood is complete, in the sense that it is possible to take care of most of one’s daily needs within the neighborhood. In addition, it is important that each neighborhood have its share of public and ‘third places’ where neighbors can encounter each other in their daily round. This is especially important for lower income neighborhoods, where people tend to rely more heavily on the resources immediately available in their neighborhood.”
Heart of Peoria Plan by Duany Plater-Zyberk & Company (DPZ), 2002