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  1. Assignment 1 Initial Reflection on Resilient Communities
    1. Prompt
    2. Format requirement
    3. Submission Deadline
  2. Assignment 2 Narrating Your Thoughts
    1. Prompt
    2. Format requirement
    3. Submission Deadline
  3. Assignment 3 Refining Your Thinking
    1. Prompt
    2. Format requirement
    3. Submission Deadline
  4. Assignment 4 Proposal
    1. Task
    2. Format requirement
    3. Submission Deadline

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Design Resilient Communities

EnD 4970, University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture, Spring 2026
Monday, Wednesday, & Friday 11:00 - 11:50 AM, Gould Hall 390
Dr. Wei Liu, AICP, CNU-A (Instructor), wliu@ou.edu
Office Hours: Mondays 2 – 3 PM at Gould Hall 245L or remotely by Zoom, request by email

Home Syllabus Assignments Research Project Charrette Canvas Zoom Classroom

Assignments

Assignment instructions will be posted on this page. All submissions must be made through Canvas.
For group assignments, one submission per group is required. Submitted work will be shared with all group members.

Beyond the Independent Research and the Final Project, students will complete six assignments over the course of the semester. Eash assignment is a milestone, building knowledge necessary to successfully complete the final project.

Assignment 1 Initial Reflection on Resilient Communities

Prompt

After the lecture, “What Do We Mean by Resilient Communities,” write a short reflection responding to the question:
At this point in the semester, what does the idea of a “resilient community” mean to you, viewed through your own disciplinary perspective or professional interests?

In your response, you might consider:

Format requirement

Submission Deadline

Assignment 1 is due on Wednesday, January 28 at 11:59 PM.

Assignment 2 Narrating Your Thoughts

Prompt

At this stage of the semester, you have been introduced to the final project and the community context, and you will soon be meeting with community stakeholders for an interview. Ryan Brewer, Parks and Facilities Manager for the City of Durant, will be joining us for this interview.

Provide a concise but thoughtful overview explaining the physical conditions of the study area and why revitalization of this site is necessary. Identify one pressing environmental issue affecting the site, drawing on the framework domains - social, environmental, economic, and institutional, discussed in class. While multiple issues may be present, focus on specifically on an environmental condition, as it is often the most immediately observable and measurable.

Next, develop at least three questions you would like to ask community stakeholders during the interview. These questions do not need to be limited to the environmental domain. Instead, they should help you with clarify uncertainties, validate or challenge your initial assumptions, and address gaps in your understanding that will inform your design.

Format requirement

Submission Deadline

Assignment 2 is due on Wednesday, Feburary 11 at 11:59 PM.

Assignment 3 Refining Your Thinking

Prompt

Identify one comparable public space case study (similar or relative in scale to our study site) and analyze how its design strategies respond to concerns that emerged from the stakeholder interview, particularly those connected to the environmental issue you previously identified.

In your response, you might consider:

Format requirement

Submission Deadline

Assignment 3 is due on Wednesday, Feburary 25 at 11:59 PM.

Assignment 4 Proposal

Task

Working in your assigned groups, develop a clear and focused design direction for Market Square. This assignment is intended to establish your project priorities and overall spatial strategy before advancing into more detailed design development.

As a group, identify the key priorities that will guide your proposal for Market Square. These priorities must be grounded in the Community Goals listed on the Final Project page. Then, write a concise 2–3 sentence thesis statement that clearly articulates your design intent. Your statement should address questions such as: What is the primary role of Market Square? What problem(s) is it addressing? What spatial or environmental strategy defines your approach?

Present your design direction through a concept plan in the form of a bubble diagram. The diagram should clearly communicate spatial organization and relationships. It may include:

The diagram should emphasize clarity, hierarchy, and logic rather than graphic embellishment.

Format requirement

Submission Deadline

Assignment 4 is due on Wednesday, April 1 at 11:59 PM.


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