LSU students engaged in Mid City Studio projects will regularly post their experiences and thoughts here to share with the community, the University and one another. For architecture students, education is project-based. It happens in the context of the design studio. We work, we test and we make things. Students are given parameters from environmental conditions to social issues and challenged to propose solutions through the representation of architecture. Community-based work, however, means that the design studio moves beyond the edges of a drawing or the walls of the classroom. It gives students an opportunity to envision new ideas with people in their communities while engaging their design skills to illustrate and test those ideas. Courses taught in conjunction with the Mid City Studio typically consist of students in the 4th and 5th year of the undergraduate curriculum participating in a required service-learning studio. A quality service-learning experience demonstrates both excellence in community service and excellence in education. It should address community needs, build student leadership skills, and reinforce excellence in design. Courses taught in conjunction with the Mid City Studio are certified by the University as Service-Learning.