Lesson Plan Possibilities- Turning Plans into Realities

So I've been thinking about ways my lesson plan described previously could extend outward and actually effect the community and I think I've found a possible solution.  I think that since it is supposed to be taught at the high school level, it would be a perfect way to get any boy scouts or girl scouts to start thinking about their Eagle Project/Gold/Silver Award Projects.  Sadly, I never received my Gold Award due to some unforeseen circumstances in my troop during my senior year, but I did manage to get my silver and bronze awards.   For my silver award project, my troop and I updated and redesigned part of Bower Park:
http://pleasantvalley-ny.gov/community/parks/bower-park/

I was responsible for mapping out the entire park and trails and the rest of my troop made trail signs and a kiosk for the map and information about the trails.  I lived near this park for years and never even knew it existed until we started this project.  It helped me look at my community with a more critical eye of how we can make the most out of what we already have.  The park when we first visited was spacious enough and had plenty of trails, but they were hard to follow and left hikers confused on what direction to go.  After plenty of town hall meetings and setbacks, we were finally able to make our vision a reality and our project brought attention to the park.  Though it is highly unlikely my student's projects will ever come to fruition, I still want to open up the conversation of how to make the community better and maybe someday, we can make that happen.

Lesson Plan Background

So today I posted my final lesson plan for the class (Hooray!) For my lesson, I decided to do a 3D digital design project in which students choose a space within their community they think needs improvements and then redesign it to better serve their community.

My initial inspiration for this project came from a recent trip back home (30 minutes away).  I went to the Poughkeepsie Galleria and then went to the Christmas Tree Shop in the South Hills Mall Plaza.  I have so many fond memories of the South Hills Mall, but now it resembles something closer to a ghost town.  The parking lot for it is almost as big as the mall itself, yet there are lots that have not been filled in 10 years or more.  Whenever I visit the plaza, I always think of what that parking lot could be changed into - like a park or a garden for the community.  I think of the same thing when I pass this one site on my way home from Red Oaks Mill.  It used to be a lawn and garden center, like Adams, and every Christmas they would put a giant inflatable snowman on top of the roof so you could see it from the road as you passed by.  It's probably been abandoned for at least 10 years now and through the years, I've watched the building collapse and all of the other businesses in that area seemed to disappear along with it. The overgrown lot is still for sale, but no one wants it.  I would love to see something done with it and I believe this is a growing problem in cities around the world, not just here.