There’s nothing like hands-on learning.

Quinderious Roberts, one of the students taking a class in housing and community development at the University of West Georgia, said it best:

“You can analyze all the data you want, but you will never gain perspective unless you conduct field research.”

This spring, Roberts was among the UWG students who helped out the city of Newnan as it works on a redevelopment plan for Chalk Level, a longtime African-American community near downtown.

The dozen students walked the neighborhood and photographed its streets. They organized a community meeting, prepared and analyzed a residents’ survey and offered Newnan city officials some preliminary recommendations.

The experience was invaluable. “In class they talked about the theory. But when we went on the walk, we saw the real-life conditions,” said Jared Ogle, a graduate student who worked on the maps as well as the community facilities and land use sections of the project. “They didn’t want gentrification, with old houses torn down and the neighborhood losing its identity. They wanted more activities for younger children. They wanted child-friendly amenities.”

That’s learning at UWG at its best.

For more go to: http://www.westga.edu/ucmassets/news/3209.php