ABSTRACT
The COVID-19 pandemic and George Floyd’s death in 2020 refocused attention on structural disparities and their associated trauma, which still exist today in underserved communities. Advocates of trauma-informed approaches to design and planning argue that consideration of history and lived experiences of residents in Black and Brown neighborhoods is essential to building a just society. On the other hand, others call for bottom-up planning or resident participation to promote equitable and sustainable community development. In this chapter, we, Detroit Studio, ask what role design and planning can play to help traumatized people cope with their loss and change, considered here through a qualitative study within the city. Using the concepts of social justice, kindness (Forester, 2021), and hope (Inch & Crookes, 2020), this theory-building chapter aims to explore an integrative framework, taking the form of a six-point plan, thereby addressing trauma in the built environment. Our plan links these concepts to place-cultivating.
