-A Catalyst Insertion-
Women's Empowerment Network (WEN)
Architectural Community Engaged Events
For three months, students in the Environmental Justice Lab Studio at the School of Architecture and Urban Planning worked alongside residents and community organizers in the Center Peace Neighborhood. We hosted a series of community engagement workshops and events in an attempt to develop a catalyst that could be placed in Unity Orchard for everyone to enjoy. This page is dedicated to acknowledging the process, goals, and achievement of each of these community engaged events. It is to act as a reflection board.
Janes Walk in Center Peace
The purpose was originally to explore a neighborhood in by allowing residents in the area to point out specific hot spots and allow people to network and build community. In the Center Peace Community, we conducted a Janes Walk to discover hidden gems within the neighborhood and to discuss some the issues impacting the growth and development of the community. While on Janes Walk, the Mayor joined us to get input from the community. ZIP Milwaukee was there, along with community organizers, residents, architecture students from UW-Milwaukee, and people interested in learning about Sherman Park and the Center Peace Community. The conversations that ensued were regarding various aspects of business development, parks and recreation, community gardens, foreclosed properties and art.
Design Charrette in Center Peace
The idea to have a community engaged event within the Center Peace community came out of the interest in prompting conversations between architectural students seeking design input and residents of the neighborhood seeking involvement with incoming projects.
The Process.
Planning this event has been a bit stressful—but only because I have never done this before. I think it will turn out to be fine if I am working with trusted people living in the community. My biggest concern is really figuring out what to do at the event. The class is extremely indecisive, and we do not have that much time. The flyer I made was ugly, and it did not have many details regarding what the event will be. I do not really know what the event will be. I wonder if we will just end up winging it. I hope not. However, I feel like it won’t turn out to be a disaster because Arijit does this all the time, and he will help us fix it.
I made a new flyer and Arijit liked it. The class liked it too…hopefully people in the community like it. We figured out how we want to break the event up, and I think this could work. Everything is beginning to come together—people are responding and being proactive. We went to pass out flyers today and secured at least two kids from the neighborhood. I don’t know if Cheri will attend because she looked like she was in a lot of pain. Hopefully Tremerell and Camille show up and bring people. One day left to get everything ready. Cariah and I sent in laser cut files, but they will not be ready before this event. Oh well, we’ll make this work.
I made a new flyer and Arijit liked it. The class liked it too…hopefully people in the community like it. We figured out how we want to break the event up, and I think this could work. Everything is beginning to come together—people are responding and being proactive. We went to pass out flyers today and secured at least two kids from the neighborhood. I don’t know if Cheri will attend because she looked like she was in a lot of pain. Hopefully Tremerell and Camille show up and bring people. One day left to get everything ready. Cariah and I sent in laser cut files, but they will not be ready before this event. Oh well, we’ll make this work.
The Event.
After an hour of set-up, we only had about three people stop by. One of those people was because of Cheri. Tremerell has not arrived yet, and Camille will not be here at all. If we don’t start getting foot traffic soon, we are going to go door to door. We have three different tables set up for people to interact with. We also have the balloons set up with the frames, so people can take a picture of their dreams. I really like that idea. Even if it doesn’t happen, it’s out in the world. People are starting to show up. The food is kind of good…especially the cookies. Thanks Jessica. This event is turning out nice.
The Reflection.
I had the best conversation today with this dude. One of the volunteers that Cheri sent had her dad stop by. It was kind of awkward at first because he did not even go look at any of the tables we set up. Instead, he started talking about how if people with good intentions don’t acknowledge the root causes of issues communities face, we are just wasting time. I tried to tell him that we were working on environmental justice claims, and to do that, we must acknowledge the root causes—that is the main point. He was not trying to hear it. So, I just listened instead. He told me that no matter how much money he makes, he will never leave the hood. Young children need to be able to see something different. He talked about the kids standing on the corner—and asked me if I thought they wanted to be on that corner, or if they felt they did not have a choice.
Cultural Catalyst: Planter-Seats
The planter seats that were inserted into the Unity Orchard open space located in the Center Peace community. The structural components of the planter/seating catalyst was a collaborative effort with teams of architecture students.
A Work in Progress-Catalyst Influence on WEN
The series of community engagement events that ensued helped to influence the design of the WEN typology. The conversations and activities that occurred shed light to many of the issues WEN already hopes to address. They also promoted new ideas forward. The gained perspectives provided different approaches, and confirmed that we have a common goal.
