News – Page 18

SBAN toolkit covered in the Diamondback

The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network’s new anti-displacement toolkit was covered by UMD’s Diamondback. Professor Willow Lung-Amam was interviewed for the article.

“The Small Business Anti-Displacement Network, an initiative founded by the National Center for Smart Growth at the University of Maryland, developed a toolkit last month that provides resources for small businesses affected by gentrification.

The toolkit outlines 34 policy and community-oriented solutions to cater to businesses from varying economic backgrounds, according to Dr. Willow Lung-Amam, an associate professor of urban studies and planning and director of community development for the National Center for Smart Growth.”

You can read the rest of the article here at the Diamondback.

Nick FinioNov 11No Comments

Prof. Eisenbach interviewed for Colorado Public Radio story

Ronit Eisenbach, an architect, artist and professor at University of Maryland who specializes in public art and placemaking, says “sense of place” is the idea that a space has a unique character and set of qualities.

“It’s defined by the spatial character, by the materials, by the colors, by the smells,” she said. “And our actions in those places and the actions of others often allow us to associate meaning with those places.”

She said public art can help shape a sense of place by contributing to an implicit or explicit sensory experience.

“We move through spaces with our bodies. All our senses are engaged,” she said. “We respond through our senses. That’s what hits us first. So maybe that’s the unspoken character of what makes a palace.”

Read the article here.

Nick FinioOct 07No Comments

Project to Bring Wi-Fi to a Park Near You

No one would think twice about finding a water fountain in a public park, and if a University of Maryland research team has its way, free-flowing Wi-Fi could soon complement Frisbee games and picnics as another everyday amenity in urban green spaces. NCSG Staff Kimberly Fisher and Tara Burke are research team members.

Nirupam Roy, an assistant professor of computer science and expert in wireless networking and mobile computing, is leading a project funded by a $150,000 National Science Foundation (NSF) award to expand Wi-Fi infrastructure in area parks. The goal is to develop a new wireless architecture that would expand access to Wi-Fi in neighborhoods with low coverage as well as help keep communication lines open during disasters.

The need for new approaches to ensure internet access and bridge society’s “digital divide” became clear to Roy last year when instruction shifted online during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nick FinioSep 26No Comments