Transform | Classroom to Pods

Written By Tal Fuerst

In the summer of 2019 I was in the midst of planning a project for the Sunset Park neighborhood in Brooklyn, as part of my Urban Design Master Program at Columbia University. In Sunset Park, kids of all ages congregate in the streets and public spaces. Data showed that the schools were overcrowding (~150% occupancy in classes, DOE enrollment capacity and utilization report). That was an astonishing number! As an Architect and Urban Designer I immediately thought about how the spaces and environments in which students learn affect their ability to acquire education.

Streets For Kids - Tactical recycled plastic installations | Sunset Park | Work by Tal Fuerst, Mansoo Han, Zhen Hua | Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation

A year later I met with Noa and Shlomit, the founders of Pods.NYC and I got the chance to think again about education and space, but in a totally different context. It’s unbelievable to see how COVID has changed educational spaces. Crowding kids in a closed space is unthought of these days, while the alternative remote learning experience that has emerged has taken it to the other extreme. An additional factor to consider is how remote learning has affected the dynamics of the family and parents who are now working from home

Together Rather Than Apart

Pods.NYC creates an opportunity to rethink the educational experience of children, and allows their parents to take stewardship of it. Using strong community connections and technology Pods.NYC was able to respond to one of the most imperative issues in our new normal.

Mega Cities like New York, are the most vulnerable during the pandemic. Mega Cities have the highest concentration of people, dependant upon mass public transportation and are big economical centers. They also attract a large number of visitors and tourists each year. In NYC, as in many cities, the first response was to stop everything and keep distance from each other. That was the immediate line of defense. Now that we are slowly beginning to understand how we can maintain an active life while protecting others and ourselves, it’s time to embrace the positive features of living in a dense urban environment: Communities and Social Capital.

Pods.NYC is suggesting a different approach: don’t run away, but stay stronger together. Through a matching process between entities composed into a system - children, parents, educators and physical spaces, they offer mutual support to one another.

What Can We Do?

The relationship between crisis, needs and solutions often seem linear, while the reality is far more complex, and consists of interrelations and reciprocities between different entities in the chain. The particular crisis we face during the COVID pandemic requires a more robust and innovative solution.

Pods that are already forming give a new space for children to learn and express themselves, and also have the potential to encourage inclusivity and teach adaptability and creativity indirectly. It’s time for education to be in the forefront of innovation and change, and not stay behind while the world progresses.

NACTO (National Association of City Transportation Officials) has published a response and recovery manual for how to utilize the streets and public spaces during the pandemic. They included implementation guidelines which can inspire every community to take initiative and collaborate. Here is their fantastic example for school street-

Imagine the opportunities adaptability can bring: Utilizing the public space as an outdoor classroom at summertime, reuse vacant spaces for small classes during less pleasant weather conditions, and mainly emphasize what the city does best - Adjust.

Now we need to ask, Is Covid19 really a disruption or transformation?

Tal Fuerst is a recent graduate of the Master of Science in Architecture and Urban Design program at Columbia University and holds a Bachelor’s degree in Architecture from Tel Aviv University. As an experienced Architect and Urban Designer she managed a wide range of projects. In her work she strives for integrating intangible social factors in decision making and design processes, through constant engagement with the community.