300+ College Students Dream Up Improved Downtown Warren

If you drove through Warren Friday morning, you may have seen packs of college students milling around, sketching scenes of downtown. No, they weren't drawing just for fun. They were part of a day-long architecture competition hosted by .

Approximately 300 architecture students are participating today in Design Charrette, a unique challenge that has tasked them with dreaming up a revitalization plan for our historic downtown. The event is a joint effort by RWU's School of Art, Architecture and Historic Preservation and the SAAHP's new Community Partnerships Center.

The students, who were broken up into teams and partnered with architects and preservationists, spent about an hour in downtown Warren. They then returned back to campus, where they've spent the afternoon working to produce plans for an urban design project that redevelops key parcels of the area, while enhancing the pedestrian experience along Market and Child streets. Students were tasked with creating a design that entices visitors off of Main Street, while referencing the character of Warren and establishing the old and the new.

The effort piggybacks on the , which collaborated with the Warren Preservation Society to come up with a historic preservation plan for the town. The at First United Methodist Church.

Students participating in the Design Charrette today are from throughout New England. They'll continue to work on their plans throughout the afternoon, then prep to present them at 3:30 p.m. Winners will be announced at 6.