SKATEBOARDING AND THE CITY

Students:

Farhan Alam, Kelsey Cirincione, Alex Demott, Rosangely Guzman, Daniel Ibalio, Min Hyoung Kang, Jae Beom Lee, Nick Lividini, Irene Mallano, Nick O’Leary, Jessica Pawelek, Julia Rodgers, Nick Sidles, Taylor Smith, Danny Truong

Faculty:

Term:

Course:

Program:

Annie Schentag

Fall 2022

Cities offer playgrounds for children and parks for adults; yet rarely do they feature spaces designed specifically for teenagers and their physical activities. This Environmental Design studio asks, “why?,” tackling “designing for teenagers” by activating once “dead” spaces in West Seneca, NY. By repurposing post-industrial spaces into skateparks, students examined how skatepark culture impacts urban populations. Working with professional planners and local stakeholders, students set their sights on bringing a new form of civic engagement to an underserved population in West Seneca.

Skateparks and skate culture have a long lineage in US history, often used as a way to blend art and culture with an industrial landscape. They can provide youth with safe spaces for exercise and places for building relationships with like-minded individuals.

In conjunction with their client, West Seneca Bikes, undergraduate environmental design students gathered data and developed proposals to bring to the Town Board of West Seneca. Student work included fieldwork, social and racial studies, interviews, and more. In order to establish a wider following for their work, the class created a social media presence to further introduce skate culture to West Seneca.

“We asked the West Seneca residents what they wanted to see in the skate park and then picked out eight elements that we wanted to include."

- Irene Mallano

The final report includes original design renderings of potential skateparks. While skateparks are primarily seen as concrete-dominated areas, the students illustrated how they could offer valuable environmental considerations. Bowl and pool elements allow water or snow to exit and flow into the surrounding green scape. Other park features brought design elements for local youth or artists to graffiti to highlight community art. The renderings were ultimately handed off to the West Seneca Town Board, who will decide whether or not to move forward with implementing a skatepark.

Writing grant proposals, surveying, and continuing to keep community members actively involved is a tall task for anyone. This studio got the project off the ground; however, a project of this magnitude takes a collective community effort in urban placemaking.