Fall 2023
The anti-displacement studio conducted design action research in collaboration with Chinatown-based organizations including the Asian Community Development Corporation, Pao Arts Center, and Castle Square Tenants Organization. Participants explored arts-based inquiry and creative engagement as tools for community and movement building to challenge politics of space and land in the context of Chinatown.
A PEOPLE’S GUIDE TO CHINATOWN
For this first studio exercise, students created visual narratives about urban displacement and community-based resistance focused on Chinatown buildings and sites that could be used by partners for youth leadership development and coalition building purposes.
ARTFUL LIVES OF CHINATOWN
For this second studio exercise, students conducted archival research on how arts and culture have shaped– and been shaped by– everyday lived experiences within Boston Chinatown’s built environment and social fabric. They then composed photo essays on the meaning and significance of artful lives in Boston Chinatown, considering the who, what, when, where, why, and how.
OPEN SPACE OBSERVATIONS
For the final project, students worked with Media Maker Interns at Castle Square Tenants Organization to create area maps and base maps of seven Chinatown open spaces, conduct a series of site observations at the open spaces, and map/record their usage patterns. They then created visual summaries of their joint analysis and findings.
YOUTH THIRD SPACE
For the final project, students also worked with Media Maker Interns at Castle Square Tenants Organization to codesign Parcel 26 as a Third Space for Youth. They explored precedent cases and ideas to reimagine Parcel 26 as a fun, recreational, and restful space that serve Boston youth and their families.
