A Community Education Center
Urban Systems Studio
Location - Oakland, Pittsburgh, PA
Instructor - Prof. Stefani Danes
Instructor - Prof. Stefani Danes
Community Education Center
What Gives Oakland its Sense of Place
The neighborhood of Central Oakland has very unique sense of place. It is the meeting place of large institutions (UPMC and University of Pittsburgh on the north side and the Carnegie Museum of Art to the east) and a low but dense residential area to the south and west. The Forbes/Fifth corridor forms the north edge of the neighborhood. Central Oakland has a remarkably diverse population in age, background, occupations, and languages.
The Oakland 2025 Plan suggests introducing new educational resources into the neighborhood. This proposal considers both programmed activities (intangible) and physical urban improvements (tangible). It is based on the concept of “community service hub” that was presented in the Department of City Planning’s Oakland Plan. The purpose of the Community Education Center, which would be an expanded function of OPDC (Oakland Planning and Development Corporation), is two-fold: 1) to create a facility with spaces for both formal and informal learning for all ages and 2) to provide a local network of other community functions that improve the livability of Central Oakland.
A phased model
The design for the Community Education Center is envisioned in four phases: 2-year, 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year plans. In the first two years, a survey of needs and talents throughout the area of central Oakland will be conducted to create an “asset map” of the neighborhood. Also, work will begin within the OPDC to expand on partnerships with institutions in the neighborhood. Third, a suitable site where the Community Education Center will be located. This proposal suggests using a parking lot currently owned by UPMC along Sennett Street.
The design for the Community Education Center is envisioned in four phases: 2-year, 5-year, 10-year, and 20-year plans. In the first two years, a survey of needs and talents throughout the area of central Oakland will be conducted to create an “asset map” of the neighborhood. Also, work will begin within the OPDC to expand on partnerships with institutions in the neighborhood. Third, a suitable site where the Community Education Center will be located. This proposal suggests using a parking lot currently owned by UPMC along Sennett Street.
In five years, when the Oakland Plan anticipates that public space and housing improvements are already in progress, the Community Education Center activities will be initiated in existing spaces while construction on the new building gets underway. The Center is located where it mends the seam between the small scale residential and the large-scale commercial/institutional fabric. The building mass is highest along Sennett Street and steps down in terraces toward the south, to meet the residential properties at their same height.
Support for alternative transportation, including the new bike lanes on Forbes, will be provided by modular cycle repair stations. The first is a prototype that can eventually be replicated throughout Oakland.
Support for alternative transportation, including the new bike lanes on Forbes, will be provided by modular cycle repair stations. The first is a prototype that can eventually be replicated throughout Oakland.
The Community Center along with its allied activities: Cafe, Bike repair, open library, community farm
As a part of the ten-year goal, efforts to increase localization in businesses development will be launched. The business district on Forbes Avenue as well the local business district of Central Oakland on Atwood Street will be supported by intensified marketing and monthly street
markets. Also a sustainability resource center will be initiated in collaboration with CMU and Pitt and educational programs with the existing Oakland Avenue Farm will encourage community involvement.
markets. Also a sustainability resource center will be initiated in collaboration with CMU and Pitt and educational programs with the existing Oakland Avenue Farm will encourage community involvement.
In the fourth phase, with a twenty-year planning horizon, the Community Education Center is a fully operational facility that has enabled Central Oakland residents to find better employment and enrich their lives. Local initiative has led to hillside remediation and a fund for the maintenance of the city steps. OPDC’s expanded role in the neighborhood and its partnership with People’s Oakland has produced a foster home for a children and elderly.
Community Education Center
The new facility provides not only a variety of learning spaces inside but also outdoor open spaces at different levels to serve community as well as the day care facility, day care center for children and older adults, and classrooms. A plaza along Semple Street serves as a welcoming open space to all the users in the community. The programs in the building attract people of all age groups for learning activities during weekdays, evenings, and weekends. The building streetface is reserved for a café and shops. All the spaces in the center are designed to be very flexible to accommodate a wide range of activities.
View of the Community Education Hub from the central courtyard
The success of the Community Education Center will be assessed in terms of resident employment, local business vitality, neighborhood social connections, household and community self-reliance, neighborhood livability, the care of the physical environment, and the strength of the sense of place of the neighborhood of Central Oakland.
