Towards a New Studio Pedagogy: Improving Social Determinants of Health through Community-based Participatory Research and Design

Abstract

The social determinants of health (SDOH) are cited as a common reason for disparities in public health and social medicine literature. However, the interlinkage between SDOH, such as neighborhood and built environments with healthcare access and quality, education access and quality, economic stability, and social and community context, is less explored and is handled independently. Therefore, this research asks what role design- based interventions play in improving SDOH. The method includes a combination of quantitative and qualitative approaches completed by the author with multiple collaborators and built upon their previous works before the multi- year senior-level studio investigation began. Using the prompts from these works, the studio integrated the community-based participatory research (CBPR) model and Jamie Learner's urban acupuncture approach to examine the role of design-based interventions for low-income black communities in Cincinnati, OH. The main contribution of this work is repurposing existing vacant lots and buildings to improve spatial, social, and service environments by integrating them with the existing community fabric via proposing programmatic gaps and improving the connection between SDOH. Over thirty individual design interventions are proposed, ranging from short (1-year), mid (1-3 years), and long-term projects (over 3 years), including fixing existing structures, green infrastructure, and community gardens, and new building projects hosting various community functions, such as a community clinic, pharmacy, zero-energy homes, co-op grocery store, education, and training center for renewables. Integrating individual interventions with the existing community's physical, social, and economic structure provides opportunities to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events and improve SDOH while making it actionable research. Currently, community partners are pursuing these projects with the help of academic, civic, and industry partners by seeking external funding (such as the EPA EJ grant) and availing the existing state-funded programs. Progress is slow but steady, and financial challenges remain a primary barrier.