The Resilience of Ruinous Futures: Color, Urbanism, and Ecology in the Post-Jim Crow South
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25071/1913-5874/37326Abstract
This paper explores the roles topography and segregation played in the development of an urban African American community in Raleigh, North Carolina. Southeast Raleigh is a historically African American neighborhood on the edge of downtown. It suffers from being in a low-lying area, poor city planning, and the legacy of residential segregation. Hurricane Fran caused flooding and damage near a forested wetland. A grassroots development proposal includes remaining in the area and creating a wetland education park for economic revitalization. This proposal emerged from non-designers and was born of the everyday casual use of the wetland as a de facto community park. The paper argues that translating a perceived community liability into a perceived strength is an example of a counter-narrative. This counter-narrative challenges Raleigh’s imposed power systems that have marginalized Southeast Raleigh.
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