The Brooklyn Bridge: Community-Driven Design

The Brooklyn Bridge was built to make life easier for citizens of New York City, to invigorate commerce, and to invite tourism. The three video clips in the gallery demonstrate the initial need for the bridge, the incredible amount of planning, materials, and labor that went into constructing it, and the legacy that remains 130 years later.

Structures like the Brooklyn Bridge are engineered to solve an identified problem. The Brooklyn Bridge specifically made it easier for people in New York City to commute and connect with others across boroughs. The bridge increased commerce and local efficiency. For all that it has brought to New York City and inspired engineers around the world, the Brooklyn Bridge remains a symbol of strength, vitality, and promise in American culture.

In this lesson, students will draw inspiration and an understanding of the engineering process from film clips to identify a need in their own area and design an object/project to address this need. To prepare for the work, students will read about Human-Centered Design to grow their understanding of how engineers and designers can center peoples’ everyday needs in their work.

Learning Objectives 

Students will aim to: 

• Establish grounding understanding of Human-Centered Design processes;
• Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution;
• Engage local community members to ensure proposed solutions meet local needs;
• Evaluate design solutions using a systematic and empathy-driven process.