HOUSING & COMMUNITY DESIGN STUDIO: ARCHITECTURAL LABORATORY WITH THE COMMUNITY IN BOSTON Manuel Delgado Wentworth Institute of Technology Boston / USA E-mail: delgadom@wit.edu "Man needs an orderly environment in which life is enjoyable and stimulating. To merely supply a level of physical comfort and fulfill minimal functional demands is not enough. The environment should provide a continuing aesthetic experience and foster a community spirit which is an integral part of daily living." José Luis Sert Abstract Since the 1970’s, Boston has developed a model of participation that has changed the shape of the city. In the beginning, Community Development Corporations (CDCs) reactively opposed Federal sponsored Urban Renewal that destroyed entire Boston neighborhoods, including traditional communities and historic environments. Latter on, they discovered the potential to participate proactively in the local planning processes by creating and maintaining affordable housing, while shaping the public space. The Housing & Community Design Studio at Wentworth takes advantage of it location in Boston’s and learns from the CDC experience to teach students the forces that shape a city while helping communities to envision their neighborhood in terms of urban design, housing and sustainable landscape. The course introduces a wide range of approaches to analyze the urban environment, starting by the physical components: topography, urban fabric, open space and the buildings structure; followed by the study of the social, demographic, economic, cultural, and political forces that shape the form of the city. At the same time, the students participate in forums, study the zoning and regulations and propose architectural projects at different scales, from urban design, to mixed-use building, to the housing unit. The aim is to demonstrate that the city can be a laboratory where architecture is the bridge between the physical form and the social life. This paper will discuss the participation of the Studio with five Boston communities in the last 5 years. The communities that have participated so far are The Fenway, Allston-Brighton, Roslindale, South Boston and Lower Roxbury. The most remarkable findings come from the interaction of the residents and the students, as they work together in different site visits, meetings and presentations. Furthermore, this is a real teamwork where each one learns from the other, the community participates as active clients expressing their long-term needs and new ideas for their neighborhood, meanwhile, the students express their voice bringing new possibilities though beautiful renders and three- dimensional models. The paper points out the importance of collective engagement and teamwork to analyze our society and participate in its transformation. Keywords: Urban Renewal, Community Development Corporations (CDCs) 1 INTRODUCTION Since the fall semester of 2004, Wentworth Department of Architecture has developed a new curriculum involving changes in studio culture and service learning activities taking advantage of our location in the world, the city of Boston, the community of colleges and cultural institutions of the Fenway and the active and diverse community organizations that surround the Institute. The traditional forth-year housing design studio has been expanded into an Urban/Community Design Studio to incorporate existing neighborhoods and local communities in their design process. The students have the opportunity to participate in real case studies, helping communities to test design alternatives and shape their local planning processes. With this purpose, the Architecture Department in partnership with Institute’s Service Learning Committee and the Institute’s Center for Community & Learning Partnerships has being closely involved with local neighborhood organizations, searching for