This essay is a narrative collage in the folkloric tradition, weaving together stories from staff and community members at Fathers & Families of San Joaquin (FFSJ), men and women, elders, youth and in between. These are also stories about FFSJ's work, method and approach to community development and community design. FFSJ serves the Stockton community through culture-based … [Read more...] about THIS IS THE COMMUNITY WE NEED TO CREATE
SMALL BUSINESS DISPLACEMENT: THE DISAPPEARING NEW YORK CITY BODEGA AND THE NEED FOR COMMERCIAL RENT
By Oksana Mironova On February 2, 2017 1,000 locally owned businesses across the city closed their doors in protest of the anti-Muslim executive order on immigration. Dubbed the Bodega Strike, and organized by Yemeni-American business owners, the action brought to the forefront the humble neighborhood institution that plays a major role in the lives of many New Yorkers and … [Read more...] about SMALL BUSINESS DISPLACEMENT: THE DISAPPEARING NEW YORK CITY BODEGA AND THE NEED FOR COMMERCIAL RENT
IN RESPONSE TO PROGRESSIVE CITY: PLACEMAKING WHEN BLACK LIVES MATTER
By Madhuri Shukla This cutout explores accessibility, the manifestation of race and ethnicity in the built environment, and the racism implicit in language like “resilient communities.” The chain link fence is behind the white picket fence. The pink bubble in the sky is an example of a divisive and superficial design solution, inspired by a photo I took in 2013 that came … [Read more...] about IN RESPONSE TO PROGRESSIVE CITY: PLACEMAKING WHEN BLACK LIVES MATTER
PLACEMAKING WHEN BLACK LIVES MATTER
By Annette Koh What would placemaking look like when Black lives matter?[i] Washington D.C.’s director of planning illustrated the racial limits of DIY optimism, stating, “I’ve told my staff that PARK(ing) Day is really nice. But if five black males took over a parking spot and had a barbecue and listened to music . . . would they last 10 minutes?”[ii] Who gets to … [Read more...] about PLACEMAKING WHEN BLACK LIVES MATTER
THE POVERTY OF PLANNING
By Samuel Stein All over American people are rising up in anger over the repeated murders of Black men and women by police, and the impunity most of them are granted in the courts. This is a distinctly urban phenomenon. Mass movements have sprung up in most of the country’s major metropolitan areas – New York, San Francisco, Chicago, St. Louis, Los Angeles, Madison, and … [Read more...] about THE POVERTY OF PLANNING