Space for Black Joy

Space is a necessity of life. Space to celebrate, mourn, grow, breathe, and refresh. To live. To matter. Black Americans have long had to carve out space for these life needs out of places not specifically designed for them. And too often, once these niches have become neighbourhoods and communities, they are destroyed under the guise of urban renewal. This has occurred in numerous Black communities across the nation. One might say the practice of creating space for life’s purposes falls into the category of “urbanist” – our combined knowledge and experience in multidisciplinary areas of art, design, engineering, urban