Small Cities Lab expands community development efforts

Small Cities Lab — co-founded in 2024 by architecture professor Wes Hiatt and political science professor Karen Pooley — is launching projects across Pennsylvania aimed at rethinking community development in smaller cities. 

Launched within the College of Arts and Science’ Department of Art, Architecture and Design, the program focuses on planning, research and design in cities with fewer than 250,000 residents. Pooley said these places have historically been overlooked in urban studies. 

The lab grew out of Hiatt’s ongoing Alley House Program, which centers on building accessory dwelling units, or alley houses, in underused spaces in Bethlehem. Pooley said the broader goal is to create more accessible and affordable housing. 

Recent initiatives include partnerships with the city of Allentown, the city of Pottstown and the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce. Pooley said the collaboration with the chamber and the Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development is intended to strengthen community health and connection, expanding the focus beyond housing and commerce. 

Alison Pickel, the vice president of member relations at the Lehigh Valley Chamber of Commerce, said the partnership with Small Cities Lab is integrated into the chamber’s new community development campaign.

Although housing is a central component, Pickel said the effort addresses other key aspects of community development.

“Employment, workforce development, childcare, education, transportation: these are all topics that we’re talking about when we talk about community development,” Pickel said. “Our hope is to establish strategy and a sustainable plan as to what kind of initiatives and events that we will be doing in these communities.”

Pickel said the partnership is currently in “phase one,” which includes conversation between staff members from both organizations who are executing projects. She said they’re also evaluating underserved communities in the Lehigh Valley to determine which populations would benefit most from community-centered programming. 

In Allentown, the lab’s work takes a different form. 

Allison Bronson, ’25, a researcher with Small Cities Lab and the architecture department, said the program is focused on advising the city on its newest zoning ordinance and developing pattern books. 

The new zoning ordinance went into effect on Jan. 1, with the goal of expanding housing and development opportunities. Bronson said guidance is needed during the revision process to ensure the ordinance functions effectively. 

She said Small Cities Lab is serving as a post-adoption amendment adviser to the city. Bronson is also designing and developing pattern books — simplified blueprint booklets — for developers building alley houses.

“We kind of added a narrative to (the blueprint booklets) so that you could read through it,” Bronson said. “Kind of like a children’s book, to try to make it so simple to just move through.”

Bronson began working with the Small Cities Lab as an undergraduate through her architecture classes with Hiatt. She said the hands-on experience broadened her understanding of architecture’s potential impact. 

“It’s nice to have a real world impact on these projects,” Bronson said. “It also kind of guided where I think I want my career to go, like architecture that has more of a humanitarian approach and impact.” 

Pooley said the idea for Small Cities Lab began two to three years ago. As the program expands throughout the Lehigh Valley and across Pennsylvania, she said she hopes to continue broadening its reach. 

The lab has also begun building relationships with similar foundations in states including New York and Ohio that serve small communities. Pooley said smaller cities often receive less attention in policy and research conversations. 

“We’re very much thinking about how you get the network built out further,” Pooley said.