Community development projects : the impact it has on the Muncie community

Freedom by Design is a program that not only helps better the community, but also gives the architecture students that are involved the chance to gain more experience outside of their college curriculum. The program is designed to challenge students in ways that they have not been challenged in the classroom, giving them opportunities to learn about different aspects of architecture and to gain hands-on experience while also serving their community. Our design team has begun to discover what it takes to give back to the community and how rewarding it is to see the significant impacts that their community projects can have. With students participating in Freedom by Design throughout the nation, there has been an increase of community development projects on a larger scale that have an even greater impact on the connection between architects and their communities. Our Freedom by Design project, based in a neighborhood that is suffering from the effects of underdevelopment, will give the community some encouragement to come together and strive to build a stronger, more engaged community. Though our project is small and may not have the immediate impact that we envision, we hope that, in the future, more projects will be carried out in addition to ours that will continue the community's movement in a positive, new direction. We have designed and begun to construct a little free library that will be located in a pocket park in a Muncie neighborhood. With this addition to the park, we hope that both children and adults will be able to increase their reading levels as the result of access to a constant exchange of books located right next door to their homes. We hope to encourage the community to not only increase their reading, but also spend more of their time outdoors and in the company of family, neighbors, and friends. The team hopes that the little free library will bring the neighborhood together to create a stronger community that will work together to create a better environment for everyone.Honors CollegeThesis (B.?