Tuesday, July 6, 2010

Alley Project "Up Students Alley"

The "alley engineering" that UC San Diego seniors in the Urban Studies and Planning program performed on a Hillcrest is described in a recent story "Students turn alley into oasis" in the San Diego Union Tribune.

Hillcrest is very much a UCSD community, especially given that the shuttle between the UCSD Medical Center in Hillcrest and the La Jolla campus means people can go back and forth without using a car.


The students collaborated with the Hillcrest Business Association to research how to transform the urban element into a pedestrian-friendly area. They applied their findings to a Hillcrest alley between Fourth and Fifth avenues near Robinson Avenue by covering graffiti-stained walls with art and bougainvillea.

That’s not all.

Students also proposed replacing the concrete road with permeable pavement, which soaks up stagnant water. During a recent exhibition, they set up a coffee shop for passers-by. They also strung lights from fire escape to fire escape.

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