University of New Mexico landscape architecture master's student Shafee Jones-Wilson is one of only 15 students selected from a field of 250 applicants to participate in a summer internship and planning charrette to tackle downtown visioning for Salt Lake City.
The planning and design firm, Design Workshop, Inc., made the selections and will lead the process in partnership with The Salt Lake Downtown Alliance, which is an affiliate of the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce.
The interns – students in planning, landscape architecture, urban design, environmental planning, real estate and business – will formulate strategies for revitalizing a 40-block section of downtown Salt Lake City.
Half the participants are currently working at the graduate level. The charrette, which runs from May 31 through June 10 at the firm's Salt Lake City office, will culminate in presentations to local business stakeholders, government officials and the public. Each participant will then serve a 10-week internship in one of Design Workshop's seven U.S. offices.
Jones-Wilson said that Kenneth Francis of Design Workshop in Santa Fe has been teaching digital studio integration to UNM's 400 level architecture students.
“I have been sitting in on the class and have gotten to know Kenneth, who is an extremely talented instructor. He encouraged me to apply. I don't think I would have applied without his encouragement. I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work and learn from such a talented group,” Jones-Wilson said.
Jones-Wilson, a native of Albuquerque, graduated from Armand Hammer United World College and received her bachelor's degree from the University of Denver. She is finishing her thesis – she designed and built a prototype modular wall panel for hydroponic vegetation growth indoors.
Contact: Carolyn Gonzales (505) 277-5920 or cgonzal@unm.edu