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GROUNDWORK

Groundwork is partnership framework where community nonprofits and technical colleges work together—so trades students can earn certified training hours by building what their neighborhoods need.

Project details

For

Capstone on affordable housing in Wisconsin, MS Design + Innovation

Team

Sammy Supatchaipisit, Bingxuan He, Mya Lovett

Timeline

8 months

01 / Context

As part of the Master of Science in Design + Innovation (MD+I) program’s capstone on wicked problems, our team spent eight months on one of Wisconsin’s most urgent challenges: housing.

We started with a six-week intake sprint, immersing ourselves in the state’s housing system through guest speakers, research, site visits, and conversations with residents, advocates, developers, policymakers, and community leaders. We looked for design opportunities asking the question:

What helps people and communities thrive?

02 / Work

After mapping systems, we identified two substantial levers:

Communities need revitalization but lack the labor and funding to get projects built.

A growing trades labor shortage is contributing to rising housing costs—and fewer people are entering the field because the value and impact of the work isn’t always visible.

Groundwork playbook cover mockup: A Playbook for Community-Integrated Trades Training

MD+I students gathered on a Milwaukee build site listening to two community leaders

What if the trades were seen for what they actually are?

Not just a pathway into manufacturing. A creative practice. A form of community care. Generational knowledge passed through hands.

Ground UP MKE is a partnership framework where community nonprofits and technical colleges work together—so trades students can earn certified training hours by building what their neighborhoods need.

How it works: a nonprofit identifies a build opportunity, students match the project to their coursework, training happens on site, and the community gets the build

Render of a timber community pavilion with a mural wall and children playing in the courtyard

Render of the pavilion from the street with residents reading posted community notices

03 / Impact

We produced two tools: a playbook and case study.

The playbook walks each side through what common ground they need before and during a partnership: what they can offer, supervision and funding, what success looks like.

The case study acts as a speculative artifact to help parties paint a rich, detailed picture of this future.

This project is currently in pilot with the city of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

CHICAGO, IL

THE GREAT LAKES REGION

12:08 CDT

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MADELINEZMEYER@GMAIL.COM