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City Studies

Field Guide to Federalism

What’s the role of the government? These days, we constantly hear arguments about how big or small the government should be. To better understand the role of government in our neighborhoods, Academy of Urban Planning teacher Jorge Sandoval, his 9th grade US History students, CUP, and CUP teaching artist Stephen Fiehn took to the streets looking for evidence of city, state, and federal government involvement in Bushwick. They interviewed a bodeguero, a liquor store owner, a bank manager, and an Army recruiter to understand the role of the government in local businesses and institutions.

To share their findings, they created a booklet called “Field Guide to Federalism”: it’s both a primer for US History students preparing to take their exams and a handy guide for anyone interested in doing this kind of investigation in their own school or neighborhood.