At a glance
“Our students demonstrated extraordinary collaboration and creativity in working with the Town and Village of Cuba. We’re excited that the community is eager to build on the ideas and designs our students produced, and we extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to this year’s project, enabling us to continue our commitment to local and regional civic engagement.”
Matt DiRado
Eight Alfred State College (ASC) architecture students participated in the 24th annual Appalachian Collegiate Research Initiative (ACRI) symposium, a regional economic development conference sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC).
The ACRI is an applied research training program for Appalachian college students to work together to build on community assets to shape a positive future for the region. As a capstone to this work, student teams travel to Washington, DC, to formally present their research to other participating schools, community leaders, and ARC leadership.
The 2024 ACRI symposium was held at the Renaissance Arlington Capital View in Arlington, Virginia, and featured students representing fifteen schools from eight Appalachian states. The team from Alfred State represented 31 fourth-year students enrolled in Design Studio 5: Urban Design. The research was directed by William Dean and Matthew DiRado, professors in Alfred State’s Department of Architecture and Design.
The team of Trevor Allen (Livonia, NY), Brianna Fagan (Spencerport, NY), Selena Fullone (Webster, NY), Kaylee Griffith (Niagara Falls, NY), Girardo Siena (Middletown, NY), Isabelle Warfield (Schenectady, NY), Jenna Warholic (Vestal, NY), and Nicole Youngberg (Falconer, NY), presented Leveraging Historic Transportation Networks to Promote Heritage Tourism and Community Connectivity: A Vision for Sustainability and Growth in Allegany County, New York.
The presentation was the culmination of a seven-week project that involved two architecture studios completing a visualization study for the Allegany County village of Cuba. The purpose of the study was to help residents and municipal officials envision potential strategies for preserving and revitalizing their existing business district and proposed improvements to the Genesee Valley Greenway.
“Our students demonstrated extraordinary collaboration and creativity in working with the Town and Village of Cuba,” DiRado said. “From the outset, community members, including our partners at the Allegany County Department of Planning, the Town and Village of Cuba, and Cuba Friends of Architecture, were deeply invested in this project. We’re excited that the community is eager to build on the ideas and designs our students produced, and we extend our gratitude to everyone who contributed to this year’s project, enabling us to continue our commitment to local and regional civic engagement.”
Since the first ACRI was held in Nov. 2001, more than 3000 students from thirty-four colleges and universities in twelve Appalachian states have participated in the program.
Summaries of each research project are available at www.arc.gov/acri . ACRI is one of four academies and institutes sponsored by the Appalachian Regional Commission. Through these experiential learning opportunities, participants build networks, hone skills, and cultivate an enduring commitment to Appalachia’s future.
Supported by ARC and organized by the Center for Appalachian Studies and Services at East Tennessee State University (ETSU), students receive college credit for participating in ACRI. Schools participating in ACRI offer a directed seminar guiding students in developing and executing field-based research projects specific to the needs of their surrounding communities and in alignment with one of ARC’s strategic investment priorities.
About the Appalachian Regional Commission:
The Appalachian Regional Commission (www.arc.gov) is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments focusing on 423 counties across the Appalachian Region. ARC’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.