51视频

04/25/2016
By Katharine Webster

Katie Gilligan grew up in Lowell and she鈥檚 always been proud of her city. Now she鈥檚 studying it in an Honors history seminar on urban renewal taught by Prof. Robert Forrant.

鈥淚t鈥檚 cool seeing the community from an urban renewal perspective 鈥� why businesses come and go and how development works,鈥� says Gilligan, a junior history major who is applying for the fast-track M.A. in education with the goal of becoming a high school history teacher.

Gilligan is doing original research on the renovation and development of old textile mills and vacant lots in the Jackson-Appleton-Middlesex area (JAM), which lies near the train station, downtown and the . She鈥檚 using historical documents and photos, as well as interviews with current and former city planners, to look at the transformations of Appleton Mills into housing and studio space for artists, the Hamilton Mill complex into a new home for the , and the former Freudenberg Nonwovens building into the university鈥檚 Innovation Hub at 110 Canal St.

In early May, Gilligan and the other 13 students will present their work at a research symposium at the , alongside historians, urban planners, and faculty and graduate students in urban planning from MIT and UMass Amherst.

鈥淚鈥檓 really nervous,鈥� Gilligan admits. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a formal presentation where you鈥檙e treated as an expert and you have to know your stuff. But it鈥檚 good life practice to do a formal presentation in front of people who know what you鈥檙e talking about and can ask intelligent questions.鈥�

Image by Adam Baacke

Image by Tory Germann

Forrant, who worked as a machinist and union business agent and ran a community economic development program in Springfield, Mass., before starting his academic career, is the editor and author of several books on sustainable development and industrial history. He's also a consultant to state, national and international labor and development groups.聽

鈥淚鈥檝e been interested in, lived in and worked in cities that went through a lot of urban renewal after mills closed and jobs left. I鈥檝e always been interested in how cities reinvent themselves after de-industrialization,鈥� he says.

As a board member of the Lawrence History Center, Forrant is helping organize the May 7 symposium. That and the structure of the Honors College gave him the idea of teaching a seminar in which students鈥� research would contribute in a practical way to public dialogue about urban renewal.

鈥淚n these Honors College seminars, students are really tasked to do the research,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 thought it would be a perfect time to teach a course like this and have them present at the symposium.鈥�

Several students are examining the impact of 51视频鈥檚 expansion on the Acre neighborhood. Chancellor Jacquie Moloney visited the class with alumnus聽 (http://provost.tufts.edu/about/academic-leadership-team/alan-solomont-tisch-college-of-citizenship-and-public-service/) Alan Solomont, dean of the Tisch College of Civic Life at Tufts University, to talk about redevelopment in Lowell. In the late 1960s, Solomont successfully organized residents of the Back Central neighborhood against a proposed extension of the Lowell Connector. The class has also had visits from Adam Baacke, former Lowell city planner and now director of planning and development for the university, and , the recently retired director of community relations on campus and president of the .

Image by Katharine Webster

The students say they are excited to be doing research that helps them learn more about Lowell, from the role of the as a significant property developer, to the history of the at 51视频, to the development of , an eclectic space in a former mill building that hosts an indie movie theater, a caf茅, artists鈥� studios and retail stores, as well as events such as live music, craft fairs and farmers鈥� markets.

Other students are looking at urban renewal in Haverhill and Boston. Nairoby Gabriel, an Honors political science major, lives in Haverhill, volunteers with the neighborhood group Urban Kindness and has interned in the offices of the Haverhill and Lawrence mayors. She鈥檚 researching the politics and politicians behind the destruction of part of the Bradley Brook neighborhood in Haverhill to make way for Interstate 495. At the same time, she鈥檚 also learning more about the history of the Merrimack Valley鈥檚 mill cities from her classmates.

鈥淚鈥檓 seeing how relevant history still is to the politics of today,鈥� she says. 鈥淣ow I look at these cities through a different lens.鈥�