From Cultural Memory to Implementation | Participatory Co-Design as a Planning Tool for Black Community Self-Determination in West Savannah, Georgia
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darby-ddarby-mcp-dusp-2026-thesis.pdf
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Author(s)
Darby, Deena
Advisor(s)
Harriel, Holly
Date Issued
May 2026
Publisher
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Abstract
Focusing on the historic spatial practices of African American communities, this thesis examines how participatory co-design processes can transform cultural memory into tools for implementation to resist displacement, preserve local culture, and advance collective self-determination in West Savannah, Georgia. Through a reparative planning lens, I analyze how urban policy has both constrained and enabled Black spatial practice, particularly in communities shaped by continuous land stewardship and strong traditions of community building. This thesis documents how residents imagine, contest, and enact collective self-determination, challenging dominant paradigms of city planning and economic development. Centered on a community vulnerable to displacement, this research draws on oral histories, collaborative workshops, and archival materials to co-create alternative spatial futures rooted in equity, memory, and self-determination.
A combination of digital data and hand-crafted artifact, the thesis introduces Threaded Cartography, a textile-based methodology for tactile engagement. This method visualizes Black land tenure and stewardship through census data, archival research, and community oral histories using embroidered outlines, fills, and points layered on cotton fabric. Threaded Cartography humanizes quantitative data and materializes Black Epistemologies, adding depth to the stories, histories, and legacies of communities that have persisted. Functioning as both an archival record and an engagement tool, Threaded Cartography is designed to be touched, felt, and experienced, offering a tactile way to engage with generations of history, labor, and resilience embodied by Black residents of West Savannah.
MIT Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Urban Studies and Planning
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