STS.S20 Special Topic: Resilient Urbanism: Coop Culture, Co-Ops, and Commoning
Spring 2026, Wed 2-5pm | 3-0-9 | Prof. Kate Brown
This hands-on studio investigates how artistic, architectural and historiological methodologies can shape ecological and civic systems through the collaborative adaptation and construction of two mobile, site-specific chicken coops. Cross listed and co-taught by Justin Brazier (Arch 4.181) Nida Sinnokrot (ACT 4.s32) and Kate Brown (STS.S20), the course connects critical histories of urban farming in Boston with practical skills in community-responsive design and fabrication. Students will work to develop adaptive proposals for Eastie Farms and Common Good Co-Op that merge form, function, and narrative, while interrogating how food systems, civic infrastructures, and public space can be reimagined through creative, operational aesthetics.
This workshop represents the second part of Resilient Urbanism, a joint commitment with community partner Common Good Coop a local community owned urban farm organization in the heart of Dorchester, to envision and reimagine architectural infrastructure as local resilience. Previously, students explored ideas pertaining to collective ownership structures, urban agricultural histories, the history of racial segregation in Boston. The outcomes produced an accessible zine documenting how a reader would navigate municipal code and regulations to start a community garden or urban farm along with a larger design proposal for the land in which the Co-Op occupies.