INFO5420
INFO5420 is a project-based seminar exploring how human-centered design processes and modern technologies can support urban design in the 21st century. In Spring 2026, student teams used the Gowanus Business Improvement District as a real-world testing ground, moving through four connected lenses: Insight, Transformation, Prediction, and Consensus.
The course brought field observation, unconventional urban data, mapping, scenario testing, simulation, and public-facing decision-making into one iterative design process. Each team translated its research into a public website or web application documenting the neighborhood, testing possible interventions, anticipating their effects, and creating tools for collaborative urban change.
2026: Gowanus BID: Urban, Environmental, and Political Systems
- Streets for the People — Jay Huang, Edmond Chak Chun Kong, Nadav Yochman, Nikhil Jain, and Ishan Parag Patwardhan
- Gowanus Trees — Zening Wang, Yixuan Liu, Zexun Yao, Helenna Yin, and Jiayu Zhang
- Polluted Flood Mitigation — Xuexin He, Wenzhuo Zhang, Fengze Cai, and Hanqi Guo
- Policy for Housing Equity — Alina Kapanova, Sean Hardesty Lewis, and Shutian Fang
- Gowanus Arts Corridor — Matthias Corkran, Michelle Hui, Nina Mantegna, Atmika Pai, and Gabriela Yaulli Herrera