A neighborhood vacant lot can be a vehicle for teaching children about architecture and community planning. A Portland, Oregon, teacher explains how studying the lot can involve exploring neighborhood history, gathering data on local needs, and designing an appropriate building. (PP)

Design education includes those projects or activities where children are actively engaged in a process of making and doing with architecture, landscape architecture, urban design, and/or city planning as a context for the learning activity. The goal of such experiences is to sensitize children to their surroundings and better inform them about…