New WSU Course to Explore Infrastructure and Racial History in East Pasco

The new graduate course, Issues in Architecture (Architecture 542), is a joint effort by Washington State University Pullman and WSU Tri-Cities. Set to start in spring 2024, the course will examine infrastructural racism, focusing on its impact on east Pasco's built environment. It aims to uncover the racial history of the area and highlight the experiences of its marginalized communities.

Professor Robert Franklin from WSU Tri-Cities College of Arts and Sciences and Professor Phil Gruen from WSU Pullman School of Design and Construction initiated the course. They planned it in 2022 to use the university's resources to better understand local histories and improve community relations. The choice of east Pasco as a focus area is linked to Franklin’s work with the Hanford History Project, which explores the history of the mid-Columbia region.

The course involves 24 graduate students from WSU Pullman who prepare extensively in the classroom before visiting the Tri-Cities for a day. During the visit, they learn about the historical and current challenges of east Pasco’s marginalized groups. They meet with local residents to gain insights into the area's issues with neglect and discrimination.

Students use their findings in semester-long projects that aim to document and improve east Pasco. Projects include a digital walking tour of important sites, historical essays for the Hanford History Project, architectural designs for community buildings, and a story map using GIS to place east Pasco within the broader Tri-Cities history.

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