Students’ Plan for Hill District Grocery Store Wins JP Morgan National Competition

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"This project is a wonderful example of the role of the Urban Laboratory in the Pittsburgh region. Since 1990, the Urban Laboratory and the Heinz School have been supporting Pittsburgh neighborhoods by putting multidisciplinary teams of students to work side by side with citizens, public officials, public and private organizations and different stake holders in order to create visions for future development," said Luis Rico-Gutierrez, associate dean of the College of Fine Arts.

"In all of this we have built up wonderful friendships in the Hill, and we have built tremendous credibility for our students. And the Hill has been good for our students. The Hill not only faces severe problems, but problems that are faced by every inner-city neighborhood in the United States," Lewis said.

Roy said The Hill House is now making preparations for a formal planning process that will begin this fall. She said the process will include input from Hill District residents and an advisory board with representatives from various organizations.

“We are hoping that through the non-profit business model, a strong network of community partnerships, a sound financing plan and an environmental building design, the Hill District will finally have what we believe is the most comprehensive solution for the grocery store,” Roy said.

The Carnegie Mellon student team members are Roy, Andrews, Rebecca Aarons- Sydnor, Nick Ennis, Erica Shinohara, Stanley Sun, Ryan Will and Rob Wilson. They represent the Tepper School of Business, the H. John Heinz III School of Public Policy and Management, the College of Engineering, the School of Architecture, and the College of Humanities and Social Sciences.

The students received advice and support from Carnegie Mellon faculty and staff members including Lewis, Rico-Gutierrez, Bob Gradeck, Kristen Kurland, Jerry Paytas and the Heinz School Career Services Office. Numerous Hill District residents as well as professionals around the city also provided their time and expertise as advisors.

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Related Links:
The Centre Food Proposal
Urban Design Laboratory
David Lewis
Luis Rico-Gutierrez

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