ABSTRACT
In ecology, the edge effect is a concept that refers to changes in population or community structures that occur at the boundary of two habitats. Where ecosystems overlap, the influence of bordering communities on one another creates a greater diversity of life. While the form of transformation varies based on the specifics of place and condition, the concepts of the edge effect are universally transferrable. This chapter explores how that phenomena and associated sensibilities inform the public interest design work of the Carnegie Mellon University Urban Design Build Studio and the formation of PROJECT RE_. Explored through the lens of four contexts: (1) design leadership, (2) embedded understanding, (3) infrastructural capacity, and (4) community-based entrepreneurship, content outlines educational, collaborative practice, and outreach methods employed over a three-year period as the facility, nonprofit partnership, and transactional entity were formed.
