WSU design students bridge disparate Spokane neighborhoods

SPOKANE, Wash. – On one side of a knot of overpasses and railroads is Spokane’s thriving University District. On the other is the East Central neighborhood, where 63 percent of residents live at or below the poverty line and fewer than one in three own their homes.

Using smart design and technology, students at Washington State University are working to break down barriers between these adjacent areas. Their ideas could help East Central residents take advantage of education and health opportunities next door, said Steve Austin, instructor in the WSU School of Design and Construction (http://sdc.wsu.edu/).

“Right now, they might feel like it’s miles away, but it’s just half a mile away,” he said. “If we can improve those connections, residents benefit.” Read more.