Connection Leads Youth Design Team at The Metro

April 30, 2024

The theme of connectivity was central to a recent presentation by The Metro Youth Design Team. A group of Kingston community members, including elected officials, youth leaders, NoVo in Kingston team members, as well as friends, family, and neighbors in the Midtown area gathered to listen to the youths’ ideas and input for the forthcoming project, which is currently under preliminary construction. Students from the YMCA Farm Project and The Boys and Girls Club comprise the Youth Design Team, and have been researching and designing ideas for The Metro building over the last year.

In the Fall of 2023, the first cohort of youth shared their programmatic and design ideas during a public community presentation on site at the building. In March of 2024, this second group of young people expanded upon the inclusive and creative ideas with the partnership of KaN Landscape Design. During a six-week process, the teenagers underwent a design charette, merging nine separate designs into a single proposal.

Located at the intersection of Greenkill Avenue and South Prospect Street in Midtown, the Metro is a major project of NoVo in Kingston and is designed to enhance youth, individual and community development possibilities for residents, as well as provide a Fabrication Center for area makers. Overall, the campus will include opportunities for hands-on education, training, and career opportunities, with an emphasis on the trades and local production. Located within the Metro will be a 15,000 sq. ft. Fabrication Center, which will enable access to new technologies such as 3D printing, as well as traditional tools for woodwork, metal work, fabrics, and more.

At the presentation, the group shared the three themes they explored while engaging in the design process: safety, connectivity and intention.

“Connectivity as a theme for the Metro means bringing the community together. While the Metro will be a youth focused environment, we want to foster multigenerational connections,” explained Lisa Vargas, a member of the Youth Design Team. “We want the signage and murals around the Metro to represent the various communities in Kingston. Signage should be multilingual to ensure people feel like the space is intended for them. Sidewalks, park seating, and entry points should be accessible by wheelchair users. Whether it be age, mobility, or language we don’t want any barriers stopping people from enjoying the Metro.”

The young people also emphasized the importance of green space, creating walkable access, and pedestrian and cyclist safety, speaking from their personal experiences of living and learning in the neighborhoods adjacent to The Metro. “For us, safety is creating an environment that makes people feel at ease and protected,” said Heavenlee Lovlid. This means considering Midtown teenagers usual mode of transportation; their feet. “Many of the people visiting the Metro will be youth who typically don’t drive. It’s essential that we cater to their mode of transportation,” she said.

The youth said presenting their design elicited valuable feedback from those in attendance. “The Mayor….said how we have the basketball court and the parking lot right next to each other; based on his feedback we could (adjust) the design so balls don’t hit cars,” commented Youth Design team member Matteo Corona- Castillo. Other ideas from community members were also incorporated into the design during the first and second round of revisions.

The thoroughness of the Youth Design presentation impressed Metro project architect Chris Smailer. “It was exciting to see the presentation by the Youth Design team,” he said. “A number of very compelling ideas were presented, and while intended for The Metro project specifically, they could also apply as a guideline to many projects throughout our region. Our entire project team looks forward to working with the these young people as phase one of the project commences construction, and we enter the phase two design process.”