Site Location: Cherry Street, Ithaca, NY, USA

Within our Fall 2025 Engaged Practices studio, we examined the role of housing in today’s context, emphasizing the challenges of affordable housing insecurity, rising construction costs, and the limitations of current housing models. These models often fail to meet residents’ needs and lack the flexibility required for long-term adaptability and resilience.

Cherry Street began as an industrial site, shaped by hardscapes and contaminated soil left behind by former land uses. Today, it remains a desolate corridor in Ithaca, more a place to pass through than a destination with purpose. Recognizing this disconnect, we see soil remediation and urban agricultural practice as essential starting points for restoring both ecological integrity and community potential.

By grounding the area in agricultural intervention and earth-centered design, Cherry Street has the potential to support a resilient future for members of the community. Our scenario envisions a vibrant, diverse hub where working families, farm interns, Cherry Arts patrons, outdoor enthusiasts, and long-term Ithacans gather around farm-fresh foods, nature, and creative community life.