"Atlas for the North West City Region" - setting the context for Graduate Design School, Harvard
Representatives from Letterkenny Institute of Technology, Donegal County Council, Derry City & Strabane District Council, and the Irish Centre for Local and Regional Development visited Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) last week to set a context for the work being undertaken by the school. In examining the region and its potential, the GSD are preparing an analysis of the city regions landscape and looking at the potential future scenarios for the area in a post-Brexit era.
Eunan Quinn, Senior Planner with Donegal County Council, explains that the work brings a fresh perspective on the region's landscape and seeks to define the place-based issues that the two local authorities can continue to work together on.
An intensive series of lectures and workshops by the representatives from the North West provided the students with local perspectives, challenged assumptions and worked to bring added value to the extensive work already undertaken by the GSD under the guidance of the project's Lead Investigator, Prof Gareth Doherty.
Karen Phillips, Director of Environment and Regeneration with Derry City and Strabane District Council, believes that this is a unique project and has the potential to bring new thinking and fresh insights that can only enrich plans for the future development of the city region.
The Graduate Design School are undertaking field work in the North West in late March during which the students will get the opportunity to engage with local communities and organisations and to examine the rich landscape of the North West at first hand.