A holy grail of community-minded designers has been the establishment of a Federal loan-forgiveness program for architecture and planning students who pursue careers in public or community service upon graduation. Such a program exists for teachers who work five consecutive years in low-income communities, as well as for other occupations.
The College of Environmental Design at the University of California, Berkeley, led by architect, urbanist, and dean Vishaan Chakrabarti, has stepped into the breach by offering donor-funded, free-tuition fellowships for those of its students who commit to three years of work in the social justice arena. The college is planning a four-year pilot of the fellowships, the website Inside Higher Ed reports.