on tap toolkit 

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Columbia Tap Trail is a historic rail corridor that begins in East Downtown and travels south through the Third Ward, terminating at State Highway 288 and connecting with the Brays Bayou Greenway. This corridor is a vital historic and cultural asset, offering the potential to foster connectivity among neighborhoods while promoting well-being and active living.

 

The On TAP project was a community-engaged and interdisciplinary collaboration between students and faculty at the University of Houston Kathrine G. McGovern College of the Arts and the Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design and the Friends of Columbia Tap. Seven student teams were formed comprised of senior graphic design students and fourth and fifth year architecture students. Each team selected a site along the trail to create an interactive installation. The installations were designed to engage the public and surrounding communities and raise awareness of the trail and its potential amenities.

 

On TAP installations supported broader community efforts to enhance the Columbia Tap Trail while celebrating its rich history and cultural heritage. The installations served as catalysts—small but meaningful steps in the ongoing advocacy for trail improvements and community investment. For students, the project provided an immersive introduction to the power of design in uncovering hidden histories, creating inclusive public spaces, expanding access to recreation and nature, and bridging the divides between neighborhoods. Through collaboration with community members students gained firsthand experience with the intricacies of community-based work. In the process, the students developed essential skills in site-specific research, proposal development, design, fabrication, installation, and public engagement within the built environment.

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2024

 

Project Team: Associate Professor Susan Rogers, University of Houston, Gerald D. Hines College of Architecture and Design and Director of the CDRC (Community Design Resource Center); Associate Professor Cheryl Beckett, University of Houston, School of Art, Program Coordinator; Student Design Teams: Diana Cao, Brissa Estrada, Emma Matocha, Amber Quinn, Calo Penedo Silva; Samah Hassan, Widad Hayali, Rochelle Matus, Yanci Ramirez, Ana Tejeda; J Dylan Burkett, Christian Barrera, Kai Wen Chua, TJ Jordan, Zoe Schomburg; Joan Ku, Natalia Marmolejo, Daniel Sabillon, Adam Smith, Nina Torres; Ashley Guzman, Julissa Herrera, Sarah Jordan, Hannah McCreary, Andrew Thai; Natalie Costello, Alex Crow, Luis V. Matson, Cindy Muñoz, Yebin Song; Catherine Cantú, Tanner Hodgkinson, Saray Mata, Esther Par, Jose Romero, Gerald Sastra

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Credits:

Photography by Jeff Stark

Video by Ed Pettitt

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Partners:

Friends of Columbia Tap and Historian Naomi Carrier

 

Project Sponsor:

The project was funded by the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts

 

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