UR CONNECT: 
URBAN RURAL 
CONNECTIONS

PROJECT: urban design proposal, hour city design competition

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TEAM: michaela kramer & leonore snoek

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YEAR: 2017

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LOCATION: bronx & catskills, ny

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THEMES: urban-rural linkages, economic development, broadband access, mesh networks, community technology

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RECOGNITION: semi-finalist - hour city design competition

UR Connect aims to strengthen linkages between urban and rural communities and establish new connections for shared economic, social and political prosperity. UR Connect–shorthand for Urban Rural Connections–is a community-driven internet service cooperative that builds digital equity in the Catskills and the South Bronx. At present, populations in the Catskills and the South Bronx are facing a digital exclusion crisis, with far reaching consequences on economic opportunities, public health, environmental resiliency and participation in the social and political realms. The failure of the market and state to provide equal access to this 21st century basic utility illustrates the need to radically rethink current approaches to internet access.

UR Connect approaches broadband connection not as an individual consumer good but rather as a tool for social exchanges and economic prosperity. Localized mesh networks, centralized educational hubs and a cooperative structure allow UR Connect members to support online and offline development in their communities.The outcome opens opportunities for new connections of solidarity between rural and urban communities.

urban design proposal

hour city design competition

michaela kramer & leonore snoek

2017

bronx & catskills, ny

urban-rural linkages, economic development, broadband access, mesh networks, community technology

semi-finalist - hour city design competition