Rural Studio, an undergraduate program in Auburn University’s School of Architecture, Planning and Landscape Architecture, gives students the opportunity to put their architecture skills to the test in some of west Alabama’s most underserved and poverty-stricken counties.
The program—which has been around for 20 years—has been in the news lately because of efforts to market its well-known $20,000 house to the broader public (see USA Today’s piece from last week for more details).
Rooted in the philosophy that both the rich and poor deserve good design, Rural Studio’s “citizen architects” have completed over 150 community-oriented projects over the past two decades. Students are involved in every step of the process, including identifying problems and solutions within the community, designing, fundraising and eventually, building.
Participants in the program have created low-income housing, greenhouses, and animal shelters, among other projects.
See more of the great work Rural Studio is doing here.
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