SECOND CLASS OF SCHOLARS AFFILIATED WITH KNIGHT PROGRAM IN COMMUNITY BUILDING GRADUATE

Aug. 30, 2002—The second class of Knight Program Scholars received their master’s degrees in architecture from the Suburb and Town Design Program at the University of Miami School of Architecture in August 2002.

The Knight Program in Community Building awarded scholarships to five graduate students during the 2001-2002 academic year. Knight Program Scholars receive a full scholarship to attend the distinguished Suburb and Town Design Program, which provides cutting-edge training in community building as well as the design and philosophy of New Urbanism. In addition, Knight Scholars benefit from their involvement in Knight Program research projects, seminars and publications (each student works ten hours per week for the Program) and from the opportunity to interact with the Knight Fellows, an interdisciplinary group of mid-career professionals whose work focus is on community building. The Knight Scholars, along with the other students in the Suburb and Town Design Program, play an active role in the Knight Program’s annual charrette, functioning as the core of the design team. Their work is featured in charrette-related publications and exhibitions.

“The Knight Program has been an invaluable experience,” said Chris Podstawski, 2001-2002 Knight Scholar. “It has put me in contact with a number of professionals in a variety of fields who share a similar vision. It has also allowed me to build upon the knowledge I have gained in the classroom and to pass this knowledge to others through the work I have done for the program.”

The scholars played key roles in the Knight Program charrette held in the Beall’s Hill neighborhood of Macon, Georgia in November 2001; the School of Architecture charrette held in downtown Coral Gables in January of 2002; the Palm Beach County Code Revision Peer Review project managed by the Knight Program; the preparations and events supported by the School at CNU X held in Miami Beach in June of 2002; and other events involving the Knight Program and School of Architecture during the 2002-2003 academic year. The Scholars also produced drawings of planned communities in South Florida for an exhibit at CNU X.

The 2001-2002 graduating Knight Scholars are:

Hector Burga
Before entering the Suburb and Town Design Program, Hector received his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Miami. He has worked in several small architecture firms in Miami. Over time he became aware that urban design was as important a part of the built environment as architecture. He believes that the practice of architecture is a civic responsibility of the individual to his/her community.

Hector has been very involved in work that focuses on the role of young adults as leaders and designers of their own communities. He is a cofounder of the "Cityzens" program at the School of Architecture, a program geared to working with youth to enhance their sense of place and promote civic consciousness.

In addition to his studies, Hector teaches design at Miami-Dade Community College and DASH (Design and Architecture High School).

Ivette Mongalo
Ivette graduated from the School of Architecture at the University of Maryland in 1999. It was there that she was first exposed to the principles of New Urbanism. During her undergraduate years she participated in several types of community service activities that influenced her growing interest in community building. After graduation she worked at Design Collective, Inc. in Baltimore, where she was involved in several planning projects.

As part of her assistantship work at UM Ivette worked with Dean Plater-Zyberk to begin cataloging materials collected from architects, planners and public officials throughout the United States and abroad that will become the foundation of a New Urbanism library based at the School of Architecture. In addition to her future work as a designer, she is interested in participating in the political and educational process that will permit the New Urbanism to become standard building practice.

After graduating from the Suburb and Town Design Program, she will begin a two-year internship with Urban Design Associates (UDA) in Pittsburgh, PA, working on the development of urban design projects.

Christopher Podstawski
Chris is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture, where he was introduced to the philosophy of New Urbanism. After graduation, he worked for Robert A.M. Stern Architects in New York for three years.
As part of his assistantship duties Chris played a key role in the preparation of photographs for a book published by the Urban Land Institute titled Place Making: Town Centers, Main Streets and Transit Villages. His career goals include becoming licensed and educating the public about good urban design. While attending the Suburb and Town Design Program he worked at Dover, Kohl and Associates, a town planning firm based in Miami, where he will continue to work after graduation.

Erin Pryor
Erin is interested in building tectonics and the social implications of community building. She graduated from the University of Miami with a bachelor’s degree in architecture in 1999. She then moved to London, England to work under Demetri Porphyrios in his architecture and planning firm Porphyrios Associates. In London, she worked on a wide range of projects that varied in program and complexity, including the West Palm Beach Library Competition, which placed first.

Erin returned to the University of Miami to receive her master’s degree from the Suburb and Town Design Program. As part of her assistantship duties Erin assisted in the preparation of the Palm Beach County Peer Review Reports for Sessions 1 and 2. She now works with Professor Frank Martinez at his Miami-based architecture and planning firm Caruncho Martinez Alvarez. She is involved with local residential projects and also collegiate projects including Carollton School of the Sacred Heart and Florida Memorial College.

Felipe van Cotthem
Before entering the Suburb and Town Design Program, Felipe worked in Colombia for several years on commercial and residential projects, both for large firms and on his own. It was then that he began working on projects related to public space, including such projects as a ten-year territorial development plan and formulating codes for public space standards. He became interested in community building as a result of a thesis he wrote that examined the rail system and advanced the idea that public transit should be viewed as a community-building opportunity rather than simply a means of moving people from place to place.

As part of his assistantship duties Felipe assisted in the preparation of the Palm Beach County Peer Review Reports for Sessions 1 and 2. After graduation, Felipe plans to remain in Miami and work as a designer.

About the Knight Program in Community Building

The mission of the Knight Program in Community Building is to advance the knowledge and practice of effective community building through an innovative series of interdisciplinary initiatives including fellowships, scholarships, conferences, charrettes, and publications.

The Knight Program is based at the University of Miami School of Architecture and is funded by the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, which promotes excellence in journalism worldwide and invests in the vitality of twenty-six U.S. communities.