Bridging People and Place: A Design Framework for Cermak Road
The Berwyn Project
This Fall 2023 studio effort focused on a 1.3 miles-long stretch of Cermak Road within Berwyn, IL. Building upon previous planning efforts students developed an urban design framework plan for Area Redevelopment illustrating current conditions and future vision for the corridor’s potential development. The studio was guided by the following questions –What help can the studio render to improve the place in terms of advancing the economic base and enhancing visitor footfall? How can we help align existing place character, community identity and cultural prerogatives? What useful lessons and insights can be drawn from this studio effort for other similar places in Chicago that seek to improve their main streets? To answer these questions studio redesigned the right-of-way, established a new urban core with a community gateway and converts the Cermak corridor from an urban periphery into a community link.
