Michigan-Mellon’s renewed Egalitarian Metropolis cycle of funding focuses on the city of Detroit and ways that creative practice and the urban humanities can equitably address urban recovery. In tangible ways, The University of Michigan Architecture Preparatory Program (ArcPrep) is already doing just that: creating a sense of optimism and agency for Detroit public high school juniors interested in design and its affiliated fields. 

Through an intensive, semester-long studio taught by our Mellon Fellows in Architecture, young designers learn to critically discern Detroit’s complex spatial histories as they explore ways to shape the city’s possible futures. The program takes the students’ talents, creativity, and expertise very seriously, nurturing an inclusionary pedagogical model based broadly on egalitarian educational ideals. In the process, we bring together a network of Taubman College faculty and students, Detroit institutions, community and government organizations, and professional enterprises into conversation and collaboration with students. In the past, ArcPrep has partnered with the Detroit Public Library, the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Cultivator Community Land Trust, and the Sidewalk Festival, to name a few. With each partnership, we situated culturally contingent, place-based design exercises for students to directly engage with the city and its leaders.

FORTHCOMING PUBLICATION FT. ArcPrep: “Junior Architects”

“Junior Architects” is a publication focusing on early-learning design programs in the U.S. It explores their role in diversifying the field of design and transforming educational methods, knowledge creation, cultural awareness, support systems, and evaluation standards. This publication gathers insights from educators, professionals, and policymakers, advocating for pluralistic and equitable approaches in design education. Divided into three parts – ‘Building Society,’ ‘Pluralism & Pedagogy,’ and ‘Civic Professionalism’ – it draws from Michigan’s ArcPrep program and similar initiatives to propose a comprehensive framework for analyzing pathway programs as tools for inclusive recruitment, institutional growth, and innovative practices.

Publisher: Park Books. Editors: Anya Sirota & Suzanne Lettieri.