Student Planning Association To Recreate Award-Winning 'BOXHATTAN' Project

News release prepared by: Emily Vietti, evietti@k-state.edu, 785-532-1090

PHOTOS AVAILABLE: Contact Emily Vietti

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Student Planning Association To Recreate Award-Winning ‘BOXHATTAN’ Project

MANHATTAN - Sometimes to get creative, you have to think inside the box.

The Student Planning Association in the College of Architecture, Planning & Design at Kansas State University has received the New Horizon Award from the American Planning Association — Kansas for their “Boxhattan” project presented at K-State’s Open House in spring 2011. The award is given for pushing the boundaries of planning in creative and innovative ways.

The project allowed children to plan their own city using boxes of various sizes. Children had to apply for “building permits” to create their addition to the city. The awards committee called the project “a very innovative approach for getting young people to think about planning.”

The award was presented to the K-State SPA members at a luncheon during the Kansas Planning Conference on Thursday, Oct. 13, in Topeka.

On Thursday, Oct. 20, the SPA will be celebrating National City Planning Month by creating another “Boxhattan” with Molly Emert’s fifth-grade class at Bluemont Elementary. SPA members will be teaching the fifth-graders about city planning, discussing the importance of planning and the different elements in creating a city’s master plan.

At the conclusion of the project, the students will be able to explain the reasoning behind the different locations of businesses and residential areas.

“This is a great way to interact with the community and teach kids about planning,” said Jessi Preussner, Regional & Community Planning graduate student and SPA officer.