U of M Design Collaborative Will Hold Kickoff Event March 21 at Central Station

Memphis, Tennessee - The University of Memphis Design Collaborative will hold a kickoff event Saturday, March 21, at Central Station’s Hudson Hall (at South Main and GE Patterson). The event is called “Let’s Stay Together, Memphis: Relationship Therapy for the City and Its Citizens.”

An open house/drop-in session will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Those who attend can join their fellow citizens in writing “love letters” to the city of Memphis. This input will help the Design Collaborative set priorities as it engages in public planning and design. There will be an interactive community meeting and entertainment by Stax Music Academy.

A second session, from 2 to 4 p.m., will focus on “sticky issues” conversations. Interactive “therapy” sessions will address some of the issues that cause the most tension in the city-citizen relationship, including transportation, public investment, neighborhood revitalization and place-making. Entertainment will be by The Passport.

Lunch will be provided by local food trucks between sessions.

The Design Collaborative is a joint venture between the Division of City & Regional Planning and the Department of Architecture. This collaborative will be an outreach arm of the University, focused on critical community challenges in urban design and community development. The program will be built on collaboration, with partnerships between different disciplines at the University, and partnerships between the University and the community (including grassroots organizations, non-profits, practitioners, philanthropists and local government).

The Design Collaborative will start taking on projects next fall through a structure of graduate studio courses.

For more information, visit memphis.edu/planning or email umdc@memphis.edu.