My Streetscape Summer School is an interdisciplinary program on urban technology and trust organized by the Trust Collaboratory and the Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3) at Columbia Engineering. This internship is designed for high-school students who wish to hone their interests in engineering and the social sciences, regardless of their level of experience or knowledge. The summer program enables students to learn and conduct research alongside Columbia University scholars and work closely with our center to engage local communities. Participating students gain deep insights into the methods, strategies, and data used by engineers and social scientists who share the belief that technology when it is introduced in consultation with local communities, can improve the livability, safety, and inclusivity of New York City and West Palm Beach, Fla.

My Streetscape students in New York and Florida have the opportunity to investigate how urban technology shapes life in their respective communities and how it could be implemented in ways that elicit trust, safeguard privacy, and serve the needs of the local community. Throughout the summer program, students learn the fundamentals of social science research in combination with visual-narrative strategies from the humanities and arts that are grounded in the photovoice method to reflect critically but also productively on the impact of technology on the built environment of both urban centers.  The program concludes with a community-facing event in each location that engages the wider community around students’ research and project contributions and creates new opportunities for dialogue and action.

Host: Center for Smart Streetscapes (CS3)
Duration: 6 weeks (July 8 - August 15, 2024)
Internship: $2250 (25 hours/week)
Locations: Columbia University (Harlem cohort) and Florida Atlantic University (West Palm Beach cohort)
Eligibility: High school students in Harlem, NY & West Palm Beach, Fla

Quick Facts

My Streetscape Instructors 2024

Cristian Capotescu (The Trust Collaboratory)
Lead Instructor

Madisson Whitman (Anthropology, Columbia)
Workshop: Ethnographic Analysis

Ari Galper (Sociology, Columbia)
Workshops: Technology and Society, Interviewing

Jack LaViolette (Sociology, Columbia)
Workshop: Conducting and Designing Surveys

August Taylor Smith (Sociology, CUNY Graduate Center)
Workshop: Content Analysis

Jenny Fondren (The Trust Collaboratory)
Workshop: Participatory Research

Student Voices

“This program helped me expand on certain aspects of engineering that I didn’t know much about, especially research. Now I know that speaking directly to the community and finding out their perspectives are methods I’d need to use as an engineer.”
— Christopher Grullon

Our Program in the News

09/25/2023 “Local Students in Columbia Summer Program Spark Dialogue on Urban Tech Through Photography” (read in Columbia Neighbors)

09/11/2024
”Local Columbia Program Students Meet with Senior Residents to Discuss Safer Streets” (read in Columbia Neighbors)

Program Highlights 2023-2024

  • Learning the nuts and bolts of social science research: August Smith introduces students to content analysis for their research projects.

  • Marrying the social sciences with engineering: Our program trains students for "field work" in the neighborhood where they conduct interviews with residents and gather data.

  • The streetscape is full of technology, sometimes more, sometimes less visible. Students in Florida study how street cameras and censors are embedded into public spaces.

  • Learning and applying theory on the streetscape: Students are getting ready to conduct ethnographic observations with Madi Whitman during a field trip in Manhattanville.

  • Interviews and surveys are fundamental methods from the social sciences to better understand where residents stand on a range of issues related to streetscape technology.

  • Visualizing social issues in the neighborhood: Students explore how technology shapes social life in Harlem through the photovoice method with Taylor Alarcon.

  • Doing Research in the community: Students visit Randolph Senior Center in East Harlem for a conversation with community members on mobility in the neighborhood.

  • Wrapping up the journey: Student teams present their final research findings on privacy, safety, and trust at CS3.

  • Success: Together with students in the Columbia ENG program, the first cohort of the My Streetscape program celebrates the conclusion of six weeks of learning in 2023.

Doing Research with the Community in Mind

My Streetscape trains students who live, study, and work in Harlem and neighboring areas as community youth researchers. Students are trained in basic social science methods such as interviewing, survey design, and ethnographic observation through this participatory research format. Equipped with these methods, students return to the neighborhood to analyze how residents interact with the built environment and existing technology and gather information about what technological changes, improvements, and safeguards the community requires. This consultative process surfaces local knowledge and creates a mechanism to involve residents in Harlem in the co-production of urban technology at CS3.

Watch our feature to learn more about our vision of community-based research on trust and urban

Assembling Residents: My Streetscape Photovoice Exhibit

In September 2023, the My Streetscape Photovoice Exhibit launched at The Forum, featuring the artistic work of our students. The Opening Night on September 27 assembled students and their families, school representatives, community-based organizations, neighborhood associations, journalists, local leaders, residents, and scholars for a dialogue about safety, privacy, surveillance, and trust. Click below to view the gallery.