ClevelandDesignCity

Terry Schwarz wants to save our cities– and she is prepared to do it in a bear suit.

Schwarz, a senior planner at the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative (CUDC) and adjunct professor at Kent State University, has been coordinating creative temporary uses of vacant land through Pop Up City, an initiative of the Shrinking Cities Institute at the CUDC.  Events have included the February 29^th Leap Night, a one-night winter festival on a vacant lot complete with a snowboard ramp, bonfire, music performances and, yes, bear suits.   Schwarz’s work has centered on developing more sustainable models of development and addressing Cleveland’s vacancy problems through art, creativity and community engagement.

Terry sat down to talk with me before her presentation, Ad Hoc Urbanism: Adventures in Temporary Use, sponsored by the Community Design Collaborative as part of DesignPhiladelphia… (go to article)