WATCH: Through Unique Studio, Jefferson Students Reimagine Market East

The project works to restore the heartbeat of the Philadelphia neighborhood.

Students presented their Market East concept to University leadership, community stakeholders and city leaders on April 17. (Photo by ©Thomas Jefferson University Photography Services)

The Philadelphia neighborhood of Market East, which stretches from City Hall to Independence Mall, has long lacked an identity. Jefferson students in a unique College of Architecture and the Built Environment capstone studio plan to change that. 

Throughout the spring semester, students conducted intensive research, met with community stakeholders and city leaders, iterated and built models, and on April 17, presented their concept—an ecological district that restores the heartbeat of Market East. Rooted in history and driven by the voices of its itinerant populations, the capstone studio asserts a vision that embodies Jefferson’s mission and core values. 

“This is a visionary project,” says University President Dr. Susan Aldridge. “Our students have done an extraordinary job. I couldn’t be prouder of them.” 

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