During the Spring 2024 semester, the Institute for Quality Communities, Environmental Design Practicum, and Interior Design Studio IV students worked in collaboration with the community of Taft; one of Oklahoma’s 13 surviving Black townships and what was once a collective of over 50 Black townships across the state. Known for its deep legacies connected to education, entrepreneurship, innovation, and resiliency, Taft community leaders are embarking on several initiatives to preserve their town’s history while revitalizing the community to help it thrive once again. Students were tasked with exploring two existing project sites to help strengthen quality of life in Taft that involve a stretch of an abandoned railway that was repurposed into a walking trail and a historic, underutilized nearby school.

Throughout the semester, students had opportunities to engage with community leaders and subject matter experts to inform their research from the perspectives of placemaking, cultural preservation, economic development, design, and revitalization. Their final projects included design and programming concepts to help advance Taft’s revitalization goals into future implementation.

On April 11, 2024, President and CEO of the Atlanta BeltLine, Clyde Higgs, visited the college to share about lessons learned from the iconic BeltLine project and how the once historic railway has created opportunities cultural representation, inclusive economic development, mobility, and community revitalization. In attendance were students involved with the Taft project, members of the Taft community, event sponsors, other Gibbs College members, and friends from the broader Norman/OKC community.