Design | Penn Today

two scooters parked next to a bike rack with bikes parked on a sidewalk

Public scooters may soon zip through Philadelphia

The School of Design’s Megan Ryerson assisted with the city’s debate over the scooter as a safe and viable transportation alternative, as Pennsylvania assesses a bill to legalize electric scooters on public streets.

U of Pennsylvania to rename design school for Stuart Weitzman

Alumnus Stuart Weitzman and his wife Jane were highlighted for their contributions to the School of Design. The gift, commemorated by the school’s new name, will go toward financial aid and academic programming as well as a redesign of the School’s central plaza.

booklet questionnaire about a home's history

PennPraxis launches toolkit for neighborhood preservation

In the past decade, Philadelphia’s building boom has been accompanied by a string of demolitions touching almost every corner of the city, and resulting in the loss of everything from iconic churches to vernacular row houses. But even as a growing number of Philadelphians lament these losses, advocates for historic preservation have sometimes struggled to make a case for keeping Philadelphia’s built fabric intact.

Designing with nature, now

Thanks in large part to the foundation Ian McHarg built, the Stuart Weitzman School of Design Landscape Architecture Department has led the field for decades. Here’s how it’s staying relevant as the importance for the profession—one that is central to solving some of the world’s greatest challenges—grows.

Blue stripe with Determination written on it in stairwell

Using stairwells for wellness

StairWELL, a Penn Sustainability Green Fund project, completed a yearlong pilot project last July that aimed to test how effective a stairwell makeover could be in increasing physical activity and reducing energy costs.

Scooter companies hope to be street legal in Pennsylvania by summer

The School of Design’s Megan Ryerson said the popularization of shared scooters could make everyone’s commutes safer by increasing drivers’ awareness and a resulting demand for protected bike lanes. “When we give Philadelphians access to safe and affordable alternatives for transportation, they will use them,” she said.

University of Pennsylvania Names School of Design in Recognition of Stuart Weitzman’s Lifetime Commitment and Support of Penn

The new name will be the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design.

Luxury shoe designer Stuart Weitzman is the new namesake of University of Pennsylvania’s design school

The School of Design is getting a new name in honor of Wharton School alumnus and luxury shoe designer Stuart Weitzman.

Philly applies a ‘light touch’ to get dollars flowing for middle-income homes

Vincent Reina of the School of Design discussed Philadelphia’s new Workforce Housing Credit Enhancement program, which guarantees loans to small and mid-size developers building income-restricted projects. The enhancement “is a nice way of releasing pressure on the housing market,” says Reina.

Taliesin West house exterior with cactus and trees

PennDesign partners with Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation

The Graduate Program in Historic Preservation at the School of Design has entered into a collaborative research agreement with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation to assist in activities leading to the study and preservation of Taliesin and Taliesin West.

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