Biloxi Studio - Bayou Auguste Restoration

As an outgrowth of partnership between Eran Ben-Joseph’s 2008 East Biloxi Studio and Mississippi State University Gulf Coast Community Design Studio (GCCDS), a neighborhood wetland park in Biloxi MS was completed in February. Initially  suggested, designed and planned by MIT and MSU students, the idea became part of a larger community effort.  It resulted in the transformation of a neglected bayou in an historically under-valued neighborhood into a constructed wetland nature park that has increased environmental stewardship and formed lasting partnerships.  

What began as a group of students canoeing down a bayou four years ago, culminated with Lisa Jackson, the EPA Chief Administrator choosing the bayou as the site for a media event to stand in front of TV cameras with a group of school children and say, "this is exactly the type of community project EPA hopes to see all over the country."