MUD program and middle school partner to create ‘tiny park’

A new “tiny park” near the corner of 10th Street and Jackson Avenue is the result of a community collaboration that brought students of the UNC Charlotte Master of Urban Design (MUD) program together with seventh-graders from Piedmont Open IB Middle School.

Two years ago, MUD students, led by Professor José Gamez and architecture graduate student and research assistant Amy Stewart, joined Piedmont’s seventh-grade honors art students in an interactive workshop to design concepts for the area across from the school. Their proposals ultimately informed the efforts of the city of Charlotte and the Arts & Science Council (ASC).

The “10th Street Tiny Park” project includes new sidewalks and curb extensions to improve safety for students; a low retaining wall designed to double as seating for an outdoor classroom; and “Prospect of a City,” a public art work coordinated by the ASC and created by artist David Wilson.