Inclusive Placemaking: Creating Urban Habitats and Sanctuary

Randall’s Island, located next to Manhattan, is well known as a home for numerous public institutions, and as a destination for sports and outdoor music events. That said, most New Yorkers are unaware that it is also home to many acres of wetlands, woodlands, meadows, and ornamental gardens that create beauty and sanctuary on a landscape that is surrounded on all sides by the bustle of New York City. In this presentation Veronica will show how native gardens were planted to enhance biodiversity and create greater access for the highly diverse surrounding community.

The act of shaping the built environment has historically been the domain of the few and the privileged. Angela Kyle will show examples from her work in New Orleans, Louisiana and Pensacola, Florida, using play and experiential learning to shape child-friendly environments, and invite young people and under-represented communities to the table. She will also illustrate how she has used personal history and narrative to engage Black residents in the restoration of cultural landscapes historically significant to the African-American community.

Thursday, July 21, 2022, 1:30 – 3:45 PM