In the words of Institute President Shirley Ann Jackson the term communiversity refers to "the idea of the university as part of a community and knowing that community." One of the key points outlined in The Rensselaer Plan is an initiative to redevelop the community fabric and its gateways with an emphasis on neighborhood renewal.

The Institute sponsored a community design forum Saturday for the Hillside and Beman Park neighborhoods just north of RPI.

The forum brought together a wide range of participants, including students, the chair of the Students Senate’s Community Relations Committee, Pi Kappa Alpha brothers, the vice mayor of Troy, and members from the Beman and Hillside neighborhood associations.

Although the group’s work is in the very earliest phase of the design process—airing and generating ideas—many concrete proposals have already been suggested.

The central idea reverberating throughout the discussion was the vision of the current infrastructure of the neighborhoods and transforming how this affects the well-being of the community. A great deal of the discussion touched on revitalizing Troy Plaza, the home of Price Chopper, Radio Shack, and Friendly’s, which is located on Hoosick Street.

Forum participants looked at opening the plaza to the neighborhoods and greater pedestrian traffic. The idea of a pedestrian bridge last week across the eight-lane-wide Route 7 from Troy Plaza to St. Mary’s Hospital also generated significant discussion at the forum. Not forgotten were smaller neighborhood-specific issues, like the cleaning up of the area around the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity house, owner-tenant education programs, and neighborhood kiosks.

"There was great feedback from the neighbors. They were very enthused, and that was what we were really looking for. I’m new to the class, but it’s giving the real life design experience that I was looking for," said Leigh McMullen, a student from the class.

Beman Park Neighborhood Association member Gerri FitzGerald came to the event to show support for the program. "I wanted to show my support—It’s wonderful that RPI has finally taken an interest in the community around it. I’m especially encouraged by the idea of communiversity. It went very well. We’re at the very beginning stage, but it’s a very good beginning. We’re laying a foundation."

"It was extremely productive compared to other community forums that I have been to. It was very informative," said local resident Michelle Delair.

The group plans to hold another large forum on November 10 where information from Saturday’s workshop will be enhanced and presented as a cohesive plane.

While the goals of the community design program are numerous, Frances Bronet, associate professor of architecture, and Barbara Nelson, project manager in Campus Planning and Facilities Design, who is also teaching the class, hope to educate community members and students so that they can articulate a plan that will provide the foundation for professional development and implementation.

The community design workshops are funded by Campus Planning and Facilities Design.

The Hillside and Beman neighborhoods run between Burdette Avenue and 10th Street in the east-west direction and from Sage Avenue to Hoosick Street in the north- south direction. The forum is part of a new course in community planning offered by the School of Architecture.