Applied Science, Faculty of
Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of
DSpace
UBCV
Robinson, Sarah
My people are here! celebrates Black culture in Vancouver. Black communities have migrated from Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States into Vancouver neighborhoods, such as Hogan's Alley, for the last couple of centuries. While other provinces in Eastern Canada continue to maintain visible epicenters and enclaves, Vancouver struggles to exhibit similar strengths, especially in regard to Black folks. Unfortunately, the city has built a reputation that has encouraged a particular curiosity in new residents and tourists: “Where are the black people?" They are isolated, suffer from loneliness, and are acutely aware of the communal disparity within the major city centers. This project is a spatial project about people. It is a teaser, a conversation starter about how we, as a collective, can foster a reevaluated sense of belonging, by using even the most abstract or mundane architectural typologies. In this case, the front porch is adopted as a tool for fore-fronting Black culture, landscapes, and togetherness. The project employs the past and present, histories, ideologies and events of Black culture to engage with Afrofuturism as a dynamic way to spearhead the reinventing of the porch and its socio-cultural connection to Black communities. The porch, although largely an American invention, has acted as an unifier for Black communities. Porches are vessels for cookouts, familial and friendly bonding, for artistic and activist expression, and for garnering support among others. Ultimately, these day to day activities hold enough fluidity to be activated and amplified to the larger collective, fostering the belonging, companionship, connection, freedom of thought, speech and movement, and security and support that many within the Black community yearn for. These phenomenons have been conceptualized as porchness.
my people are here!Inspiring Black Empowerment and Connection in Vancouver Through Black Futurist InterventionsSarah RobinsonInspiring Black Empowerment and Connection in Vancouver Through Black Futurist InterventionsBA in History and Theory of Architecture, Carleton University, April 2021Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture’ in The Faculty of Graduate Studies, School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, ArchitectureProgram.Chair: Rana AbughannamCommittee:Lys Divine NdemeyeCurry HackettAïden Mezidor© May 2024Sarah Robinsonmy people are here!fig.1ii iiiTo my grandparents, Thelma and Roy.iv vmy people are here! ABSTRACT FRONT MATTER My people are here! celebrates Black culture in Vancouver. Black communities have migrated from Africa, the Caribbean, and the United States into Vancouver neighborhoods, such as Hogan's Alley, for the last couple of centuries. While other provinces in Eastern Canada continue to maintain visible epicenters and enclaves, Vancouver struggles to exhibit similar strengths, especially in regard to Black folks. Unfortunately, the city has built a reputation that has encouraged a particular curiosity in new residents and tourists: “Where are the black people?" They are isolated, suffer from loneliness, and are acutely aware of the communal disparity within the major city centers. This project is a spatial project about people. It is a teaser, a conversation starter about how we, as a collective, can foster a reevaluated sense of belonging, by using even the most abstract or mundane architectural typologies. In this case, the front porch is adopted as a tool for fore-fronting Black culture, landscapes, and togetherness. The project employs the past and present, histories, ideologies and events of Black culture to engage with Afrofuturism as a dynamic way to spearhead the reinventing of the porch and its socio-cultural connection to Black communities. The porch, although largely an American invention, has acted as an unifier for Black communities. Porches are vessels for cookouts, familial and friendly bonding, for artistic and activist expression, and for garnering support among others. Ultimately, these day to day activities hold enough fluidity to be activated and amplified to the larger collective, fostering the belonging, companionship, connection, freedom of thought, speech and movement, and security and support that many within the Black community yearn for. These phenomenons have been conceptualized as porchness.fig.2vi viiCONTENTSabstractcontentsfiguresacknowledgmentspositionthesismethodologyI: afrofuturism definition application in designII: Hogan’s Alley Blackness in Vancouver history present dayIII: the front porch in North America in Afro-Caribbean cultureIV: porchness the Black porch in media public space thresholds defining porchnessV: the Black porch site studies site and program design approach timeline speculation gallery of porchnessconclusionbibliographyivviviiixiixivxvixviii24812141824303238444654565860667276789496my people are here! CONTENTSFRONT MATTERviii ixmy people are here! FIGURESFRONT MATTERfig.1 Author, Collage in hommage Hogan’s Alley. Visualizes early aspirations for the conclusion of the research, 2023, Collage, Adobe Illustrator.fig.2 Author, Collage in hommage to Afrofuturism, 2022, Collage, Adobe Illustrator.fig.3 Author, Brampton, ON, 2023, Collage, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator.fig.4 Author, 2024, Procreate.fig.5 Author, 2024, Procreate.fig.6 Author, 2024, Procreate.fig.7 Author, 2024, Procreate.fig.8 Author, 2024, Procreate.fig.9 Author, Georgia Viaduct, Mural, 2024.fig.10 [REDACTED] Black Lives Matter, Accessed 2024.fig.11 Author, Hogan’s Alley, Collage, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, 2023.fig.12Author, Hogan’s Alley, Collage, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, 2023.fig.13 Perkins+Will, Siblings prepared for church takes a quick family photo on front porch, “Hogan’s Alley Working Group Workshop Report,” City of Vancouver, 2017, pg. 2fig.14 Perkins+Will, Siblings prepared for church takes a quick family photo on front porch, “Hogan’s Alley Working Group Workshop Report,” City of Vancouver, 2017, pg. 2fig.15 Perkins+Will, Siblings prepared for church takes a quick family photo on front porch, “Hogan’s Alley Working Group Workshop Report,” City of Vancouver, 2017, pg. 2fig.16 Perkins+Will, Siblings prepared for church takes a quick family photo on front porch, “Hogan’s Alley Working Group Workshop Report,” City of Vancouver, 2017, pg. 2fig.17 Perkins+Will, Siblings prepared for church takes a quick family photo on front porch, “Hogan’s Alley Working Group Workshop Report,” City of Vancouver, 2017, pg. 2fig.18 City of Vancouver, Illustration of the plan for the new street network, “Northeast False Creek Plan,” 2018, pg. 99fig.19 Author, Perkins+Will Plan, 2023, Collage, Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator.fig.20 [REDACTED] Perkins+Will Site plan.fig.21 Author, Nora Hendrix Place, Mural, 2024.fig.22 Author, Depiction of hypersocial North American porches. Design of this type is directed at commercial / hospitality establishments, 2023, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshopfig.23 Author, Depiction of hypersocial North American porches. Design of this type is directed at commercial / hospitality establishments, 2023, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshopfig.24 Author, Depiction of a double sloped gable roof known within French Creole residential design, porch is articulated as a wrap around gallery, 2023, Adobe Illustratorfig.25 Author, Greek and Italianate Revival blend with a veranda type porch. This a common residential articulation in the south, 2023, Adobe Illustratorfig.26 Author, Entirely Greek Revival design. These homes are buillt with veranda or loggia style porches to accomodate the grandeur. This style may be seen with commercial and finaancial buildings as well as residential, 2023, Adobe Illustratorfig.27 Author, Depiction a colonial influenced porch resided and occipied by local Afro-Carribean families and neighbours, 2023, Adobe Illustrator, Photoshopfig.28 Author, Veranda style porch designed through vernacular found in the Democratic Repblic of Congo, 2023, Adobe Illustratorfig.29 Author, The Greek Revival are some of the few colonial styles to penetrate African vernaculars, such as this version that can be found all over Nigeria, 2023, Adobe Illustratorfig.30 Author, Depiction of the shotgun house, design with Carribean roots but can be found reinterpreted in the south, 2023, Adobe Illustratorx ximy people are here! FIGURESFRONT MATTERfig.31Author, 2024, Procreate.fig.32 Wiz Khalifa, We Dem Boyzfig.33Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.34 J. Cole, Wet Dreamsfig.35 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.36 Gorilla, Little Simzfig.37 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.38Author, 2024, Procreate.fig.39 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.40 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.41 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.42 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.43 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.44 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.45 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.46 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.47 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.48 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.49 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.50 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.51 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.52Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.53 Author, Collage in hommage to porchness, 2022, , Adobe Illustrator.fig.54 Author, Collage in hommage to Afrofuturism, 2022, Collage, Adobe Illustrator.fig.55 Author, Collage in hommage to Afrofuturism, 2022, Collage, Adobe Illustrator.fig.56 Author, Collage in hommage to Afrofuturism, 2022, Collage, Adobe Illustrator.fig.57 Author, Collage in hommage to Afrofuturism, 2022, Collage, Adobe Illustrator.fig.58 Author, Collage in hommage to Afrofuturism, 2022, Collage, Adobe Illustrator.fig.59 Author, Collage in hommage to Afrofuturism, 2022, Collage, Adobe Illustrator.fig.60 Author, Collage in hommage to Afrofuturism, 2022, Collage, Adobe Illustrator.fig.61 Author, 2024, Procreate.xii xiiimy people are here! ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS FRONT MATTERA special thank you, Rana Abughannam, for your unfaltering support and engagement with this topic; and to my committee and mentors Lys Divine Ndemeye, Curry Hackett, and Aïden Mezidor, who were paramount to engaging with my identity as raw and close as possible in order to facilitate this work.Thank you to my SALA family, those who helped me materialize this project and those who have instilled confidence in me and have been by my side from day one.Thank you to my family for believing in me and making those sacrifices that led me to completing this degree; and my closest friends for your care and support from afar.xiv xvThe author of this research, Sarah Robinson, is a 2nd generation immigrant of Jamaican (maternal) and Guyanese (paternal) heritage. She was born in Toronto and raised in Brampton, Ontario on Treaty 19 territory, the unceeded, ancestral, and traditional lands of Mississauga of the Credit and territory of the Huron-Wendat, Haudenosaunee, Anishinaabe, and Mississauga peoples. This thesis is researched, created, and designed at the University of British Columbia, lands belonging to xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and səli̓lwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations, where she is also living and studying. my people are here! POSITION FRONT MATTERfig.3xvi xviiIncorporating Black speculative futures enables traditional typologies akin to the front porch to transcend their conventional roles and accentuate the concept of 'porchness' within public spaces by incorporating Black socio-cultural dynamics and resilience, ultimately fostering connection and empowerment within the broader community.thesis statementxixxviiiHISTORICAL TO SPECULATIVEThe sequence for this thesis project employs interpretive historical research through the collection of past to present documentation of Hogan’s Alley to assist in informing the future endeavors. Within this collection, will historical events leading to the destruction of the alley, any site analyses of the 800 block, and any socio-cultural recounts that aids in the ethos of this project.This method of research (in action and content) will proceed to blend with present day analyses through personal observations and interactions with the site. It will also contribute to the examination of media to increase understanding of the porch typology and it’s relevance to Black culture.As the study of these themes struggles to have rich academic documentation, the author will be tasked to interpret information garnered from secondary source collection, including, concluded surveys, statistics, interviews, multimedia, and blogs in order to supplement any academic sources collected throughout the process. This is a notable caveat in respect to discussing and visualizing Afrofuturism.my people are here! METHODOLOGYFRONT MATTERfig.42 3Throughout architectural history, terms have continuously been reestablished to fit the socio-cultural norms and values of the current day. What can make a thesis such as this excel beyond this framework, is to introduce terms that have penetrated the creative realm but have yet to wholly appreciated once here. It is necessary in this profession to break the necessary boundaries defined by colonial theory and offer alternative terms and ideologies to further progress the way architecture is understood. In the case of this project and the research, that term is Afrofuturism. This chapter will define Afrofuturism and visualize its importance and potential impact within the design world. Afrofuturism is a term enveloped in factual data, but flourishes when defined by experience, desire, and valuation of people. A term like Afrofuturism will not only spark conversations, but simultaneously deconstruct prescribed ways of thinking.01afrofuturism4 5my people are here! DEFINITION AFROFUTURISM "Afrofuturism is an intersection of imagination, technology, the future, and liberation. 'I generally define Afrofuturism as a way of imagining possible futures through a black cultural lens,' says Ingrid LaFleur, an art curator, and Afrofuturist."1 "Afrofuturism is a way of looking at the world. It is an assertion of being, or what we refer to as an ontology. It is a way of aesthetic, a self-evident range of creative styles.2 Coined originally in 1994 by American writer, Mark Dery, Afrofuturism is a movement: it describes whether Black culture is present within the discussion of space and time and considers this narrative through analyzing how experiences of past and present relate to future phenomena. The two quotes above describe Afrofuturism in two ways: how it relates to Afro-Caribbean society from a humanized lens and from a temporal framework. Too frequently has society seen Black culture in a way that suggests that the future of the community is unknown. That the ideas, contributions, and cultural collaborations, within academia, entrepreneurship, industry, media, and entertainment 1. Ytasha L. Womack, Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture, Chicago, IL:Chicago Review Press, 2013, p. 9. 2. Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures, Edited by Kevin M. Straight and Kinshasha Conwill, Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books, 2023, p. 21.fig.56 7Afrofuturism can address this, by taking advantage of this variety of sectors to substantiate that there are, indeed, Black people in the future. What makes Afrofuturism so intriguing, is its nature to tightrope between present-day issues and unforeseen futures, while juggling the consequences of the past. The standard habit is to isolate one or two of these conditions at a time, but Afrofuturism responds to the acute interconnectivity between past, present, and future, notably post-colonialism and the Transatlantic Slave Trade. Afrofuturism challenges society to re-frame the mechanisms of our present and strive towards contemplative communities where listening, freedom of speech, and support are at the forefront of creativity, ideology, and accomplishments.3 This is a particularly inviting thought within the realm of design, an environment where there is no shortage of communication, interdependency, and collaborative decision-making. Contemplative communities and workspaces allow for recognition of the other, broadening the scope of curiosity, and being more open to having more difficult but important conversations.my people are here! DEFINITION AFROFUTURISM 3. Ibid, 28.fig.68 9my people are here! APPLICATION IN DESIGNAFROFUTURISM This leaves the last distinctive quality of Afrofuturism: it is considered a prism for examining societal and cultural issues through art and discourse in a way that is not exclusive to the Afro-Caribbean diaspora alone.4 All people can adopt the aesthetic principles to explore and transform their own worlds or use them to break free of their personal limitations.5 It remains true that Afrofuturism is a movement towards better futures for Afro-Caribbean people, but all humans, in ever-changing societies, some of which have their personal socio-cultural and socio-political issues, could seek comfort in the mindset of connecting with the collaborative reconstruction of mindset and narratives through art, design, fashion, film, literature, music, and technology. Similar to most events, engagements, and phenomena, it is a designer’s job to create spaces to be able to house these moments. What Afrofuturism gives designers, and especially designers of color, are the tools to imagine and create engaging futures.6 The goal is to create a generative and transformative framework of guiding principles not only for the future in the profession (and the resulting project work), but for life.7 4. Ytasha L. Womack, Afrofuturism: The World of Black Sci-Fi and Fantasy Culture, Chicago, IL:Chicago Review Press, 2013, p.192. 5. Hadley Dyer, Watch This Space : Designing, Defending and Sharing Public Spaces, Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2010, p. 10. 6. Lonny Avi Brooks, “From Algorithms to Afro-Rithms in Afrofuturism,” in The Black Experience in Design Identity, Expression & Reflection, ed. Caroline Russomanno and Anne H. Berry (New York, NY: Allworth Press, 2022), 325. 7. Leslie Ann-Noel, “Chapter Introduction,” 321.fig.710 11my people are here! APPLICATION IN DESIGNAFROFUTURISM As a Black designer working in constant battle under colonial frameworks through Black diaspora and oppressive histories, Afrofuturism becomes a necessary, less-familiar term to recover counter-futures, new memories, and imagine virtual, augmented, and real spaces.8Beyond the intricate designs and sustainable practices, designers and architects are also known as storytellers and public servants. An Afrofuturist mindset in the design realm solves problems without allowing instilled boundaries and barriers dictate good design.9 It strives for a sense of belonging among all living things, and it teaches how to avoid being inclusive of all wisdom, knowledge, rituals, and technologies of those who have been othered.10 This way, design becomes more equitable, preservable, and futures become regenerative and desirable to all. 8. Lonny Avi Brooks, From Algorithms to Afro-Rithms in Afrofuturism,” 337. 9. Addah Parris, “What Type of Ancestor Do You Want To Be?” 357. 10. Ibid.fig.812 1302Hogan’s AlleyThere is speculation as to where the name "Hogan's Alley," originates from and who Hogan may have been. Decidedly, the most agreed upon connection is to a racist comic strip by Richard F. Outcault called Yellow Kid, which highlights ghetto Hogan's Alley in Hell's Kitchen, New York City, occupied largely by Irish immigrants.11 It is not truly confirmed why as of 191412, the Black community of the Vancouver based district adopted the name. Perhaps it may be related to themes of immigration, community bonding, and combatting oppression. Ultimately, the first 40 years in Hogan's Alley was not immediately considered a ghetto. Hogan's Alley is a particularly interesting site, coined as the first and last known Vancouver neighborhood to accommodate the largest visible congregation of Black folks. Curiosity and activism in regard to the “invisible” demographic within the Canadian city has led to an increase in curiosity in the neighborhood and left residents and new generations wondering how can the past be revived or reimagined. 11. “Secret Vancouver: Return to Hogan’s Alley”, YouTube, 2016, 1:50, URL. 12.“Hogan’s Alley.” The Canadian Encyclopedia, February 19, 2014, URL.14 15my people are here! BLACKNESS IN VANCOUVER HOGAN’S ALLEYThe word "Black" is used to describe a group made of African, Caribbean, South American, and Middle Eastern diaspora within the North American context. Although not used by everyone, it is an overarching term that could allow a sense of collectivity. It is another term that justifies reclamation, as it can be argued it is a more “efficient” word among governments and the larger society. It has a relationship to oppression and a paralleled tie with celebration. Blackness can be rooted as far back as settler colonialism in Canada and the North American / Transatlantic African slave trade in an effort to render these countries, communities, tribes, cultures and people irrelevant.13 Although much has changed since the 18th and 19th, centuries, accounts and sentiments arguing that Canada is a discursive space where people of Afro-Caribbean descent are pre-imagined, constructed, and treated as 'Blacks' by hegemonic discourses and groups, remain persistent.14 As most have acknowledged, the history of Black people is complex and varied, constantly running on a series of timelines. Many of the themes of racial injustice, segregation, ignorance, and other societal issues have peaked several times, but have 13. Gillian Laura Creese, “Where are you from?”: Growing up African-Canadian in Vancouver, Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press, 2020, p.21. 14. Ibid. fig.916 17my people are here! BLACKNESS IN VANCOUVER HOGAN’S ALLEYyet to resolve themselves in respective communities. Loneliness and isolation, in the context of the Greater Vancouver Area, is a symptom of these larger issues. Black individuals and families who immigrate into the city, struggle to find the connection and support they are familiar with back home. People who are residents here and those who have felt the effects of the city have nowhere accessible to be able to celebrate individuality and culture. The concept of place-making within the Black community can no longer be easily identified as a practice in the city. "Where are the Black people?" is a common inquiry for those not used to the shift, truly bringing to light the issue of invisible communities and invisible minorities in Vancouver. This is not to say that a change in the status quo is impossible. Immigrants and 2nd and 3rd generations tend to learn together as everyone is searching for better livelihood, and supportive communal environments, overcoming obstacles while doing so.15 What can take partial blame for how the community lives today are the events in Hogan’s Alley, the first and last Black enclave within Vancouver. 15. Ytasha L. Womack, Post Black: How a New Generation is Redefining African American Identity, Chicago, Ill: Lawrence Hill Books, 2010, p. 64.fig.10 Black Lives Matter.CONTENT REMOVED18 19my people are here! HISTORY HOGAN’S ALLEYHogan’s Alley is located on the northern side of False Creek and just west of Strathcona. To the east, it is circled by Chinatown and the Downtown Eastside.The neighborhood is documented in the form of a 'T’, consisting of (from east to west) Union St. and Prior St. and (from north to south) Main St. and Gore Ave. In the early 1900s, Hogan’s Alley became largely Afrocentric due to migration from the United States, namely, California and Oklahoma, and international countries from the Caribbean and West Africa.16 Among the Black community, largely in the Strathcona area, were Italian, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, and Indigenous groups. These communities built up Hogan’s Alley with established artisan shops, groceries, restaurants, clubs, and speakeasies. Nora Hendrix, grandmother of Jimi Hendrix, who also lived in this neighborhood, had co-founded the African Methodist Episcopal Fountain Chapel in 1918.17 These varieties in venues allowed for Black culture to be enacted and celebrated freely amongst those who supported the community. 16. Farah Aldaghestani, “Traces of Hogan’s Alley: The First Concentrated African-Canadian Community,” The Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, October 19, 2022, URL. 17. Ben Mussett, “Hogan’s Alley,” British Columbia - An Untold History, accessed May 1, 2024, https://bcanuntoldhistory.knowledge.ca/1960/hogans-alley.fig.11fig.1220 21my people are here! HISTORY HOGAN’S ALLEYOne of the largest reasons for the localization of the Black community to Hogan’s Alley was the proximity to the Great Northern Railway Station. Black men looking for work would be seeking jobs as porters to run the passenger cars.18 After World War II, the United States announced the country would be undergoing urban renewal, and naturally, by the 1950s Canada began to question its smaller cities and districts, many of which were resided by people of color. CMHC's "To Build a Better City," documents the rhetoric in and outside of the media and the, arguably, intentional lack of governmental support in protecting and maintaining neighborhoods like Hogan's Alley. The neighborhood was deemed a blighted community and, in light of civil rights issues across the continent, Hogan's Alley itself was considered a ghetto and its people were ostracized. Despite the uproar to put money into fixing the community rather than clearing it, two blocks between Prior St. and Union St. were razed. In their place would be two viaducts supporting two freeways originally intended to run through Strathcona and Chinatown to connect to Clark Drive and First Avenue.19 Due to 18. Wayde Compton, “ Seven Routes to Hogan’s Alley and Vancouver’s Black Community,” After Canaan: Essays on race, writing, and Region. Vancouver, B.C.: Arsenal Pulp, 2011, p. 89. 19. Ibid, 95.fig.13fig.14 fig.1522 23my people are here! HISTORY HOGAN’S ALLEYthe loss of housing, income, and community, the vast majority of original residents were forcefully displaced to other regions of Vancouver or into poorly made project apartments. Many residents had no choice but to leave British Columbia entirely and live in Eastern Canada or return to the United States.The freeway was never built due to a number of successful protests against it, including by the Millitant Mothers, in the early 60’s. The Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts are what remain today in the form of an overpass connecting the Downtown Core to Strathcona. fig.16fig.1724 25my people are here! PRESENT DAY HOGAN’S ALLEYAs renewed deliberations regarding the livability of Vancouver arise, new discussions regarding the city’s past have been put into question. In recent years, a new Northeast False Creek plan has been developed as a critical way of redeveloping the False Creek area, which includes the western side of Strathcona and, namely, Hogan's Alley, into an area with increased affordable housing, more pedestrian-friendly passageways and greenspaces. The most significant change will be the the removal of the Georgia and Dunsmuir viaducts, making way for new urban planning that would be in favor of all communities in the surrounding area. The plan suggests that the design of these districts would build upon the connections to the False Creek waterfront while creating new places to gather around the shoreline.20 These changes envelop Hogan's Alley. If used the way that is envisioned, it will dramatically change the current characteristics of the neighborhood, including affecting the density of area, the affordability of housing and amenities, and a dramatic increase in noise levels, especially with knowledge that St. Paul’s Hospital is currently in construction near Hogan’s Alley. 20. City of Vancouver, “Northeast False Creek Plan.” Report, 2018, p.100.fig.1826 27my people are here! PRESENT DAY HOGAN’S ALLEYNeedless to say, most of these changes are not necessarily a bad thing. However, it considering that this is a modern urban renewal for the city, it is surprising at how general the proposed spaces are. In reference to the Black community, for example, the continued lack of space, especially in Hogan’s Alley, to conduct themselves autonomously and rebuild those enclaves within the heart of Vancouver seems like a missed opportunity. In relation to this, architecture practice, Perkins+Will, has proposed a multi-unit, multi-purpose housing complex for the 800 block of Hogan's Alley in light of the potential removal of the viaducts. Their plans consist of commercial ground floor units, upper residential units, office spaces, a childcare center, and a cultural center. The condition of the ground floor, in between this collection of apartments, is a promenade. On the rooftops are gardens and basketball courts. These design decisions are loosely based on a series of smaller surveys conducted with a few people within the Black community, many of whom were already involved in reestablishing Hogan’s Alley, such as the Hogan’s Alley Society. fig.1928 29my people are here! PRESENT DAY HOGAN’S ALLEYNone of the above design initiatives are necessarily of significant issue - having a cultural center for Black folks in itself is seems necessary for regrowth. However, considering this as the proposal for Hogan’s Alley as the new official representation of rebuild for the Black community, does not illustrate as such. The complex is designed with Western conventions and building practices with minimal intervention or community involvement from the Black community. What currently resides in the 800 block, Nora Hendrix Place, a temporary, low-income housing model constructed in 2019, is an example of how fleeting the city and corporate firms treat invisible minorities. Nora Hendrix is built pre-fabricated and with easy ability to be removed. The community garden that frames it, is the same.This thesis searches to restructure these values before jumping into the design process. By understanding the Black community and how they view a prosperous future, it’ll offer tools to make the design process and community interaction much more equitable and effective.fig.20 Ground floor of proposed unit complex on 898 Main St.fig.21 Nora Hendrix Place, west side, with community garden and mural.CONTENT REMOVED30 3103the front porchIt may not be as common knowledge how representative the front porch is of human history. Those who are curious will find several of the socio-political, socio-economic, cultural, architectural, and temporal shifts are physically and metaphorically attached to the porch. The concept and design typologies of the porch is largely a Westernized phenomenon, although there are some exceptions, including the shotgun house, which is a Caribbean born interpretation. Conceptualizations including the American Dream, domesticity, plantations and the Antebellum South are all interrelated with the front porch. However, the porch has become also become a unifier, not only for Black culture, but across nationalities. It is a symbol of agency and fluidity of space, and a communal bonder. This chapter of the thesis will not only take a closer look at the history of the front porch in North America, but also take an opportunity to question its characteristics, its function, and its symbolic nature relative to the Black experience.32 33my people are here! IN NORTH AMERICATHE FRONT PORCHThe North American porch is defined as the "transitional realm that straddles thresholds betwixt and between indoors and out, between private and public, and even perhaps between sacred and secular [.] Porches may host many curiously memorable activities, experiences, and impressions."21 The front porch is quite the phenomenon within North American architectural history as it remains one of many distinct symbols of design produced in this country. Granted, the porch is also a unique symbol of colonialism and settlement, reflected through how influencing they are on external cultures: Greek, Roman, Mexican, Indian, African, and Caribbean. Some of the earliest adaptations of a porch were derived from Indigenous architecture, such as the ramadas, which were exploited from the Akimel O'odham and Tohono O'odham tribes with unceded territory in the Southwest of the United States.22 "A porch strengthens or conveys expression of purpose, because, instead of leaving the entrance door bare, as in manufactures and buildings of an interior description, it serves both as a note of preparation, 21. Thomas Durant Visser, “History,” Porches of North America, Project Muse University Press, 1st ed. Hanover: University Press of New England, 2012, pg. 1, doi:10.2307/j.ctv1xx9b6z. 22. “Ramadas of the Southwest (U.S. National Park Service),” National Parks Service, Accessed December 22, 2023, URL.fig.22. Depiction of hyper-social North American porches. Design of this type is directed at commercial / hospitality establishments.34 35my people are here! IN NORTH AMERICATHE FRONT PORCHand an effectual shelter and protection to the entrance."23 Despite the numerous design iterations over time, the philosophy porch increasingly expressed colonial characteristics of luxury, consumption, elitism, and short term value. Upon the release of new technologies that fulfilled these desires, the porch quickly became obsolete. Nevertheless, visuals of how people employed the porch, to chat with neighbors, exercise, work, read, date, or sleep could all potentially be characteristics of a front porch shared by any culture. It is issues of dominance, competition, exploitation of wealth, and the 'this is mine, that is yours,' mentality of North American history that sets the symbolism of the porch apart from, say, the Afro-Caribbean relationship with it. Upon closer inspection, one would find that the porch is a phenomenon that could transcend its typical role, which can primarily be reinterpreted based on the definitions given to it throughout its evolution. Architecture has always continuously evolved based on contemporary values, and the porch will be no different. 23. Thomas Durant Visser, “History,” Porches of North America, Project Muse University Press, 1st ed. Hanover: University Press of New England, 2012, pg. 6, doi:10.2307/j.ctv1xx9b6z.fig.23. Depiction of hyper-social North American porches. Design of this type is directed at commercial / hospitality establishments.36 37my people are here! IN NORTH AMERICATHE FRONT PORCHThese examples of porches are some of many design iterations to develop. Regardless of the grandeur of the porch (and in ratio to the home itself) there always is a "to see, and to be seen," disposition.fig.24. Depiction of a double sloped gable roof known within French Creole residential design, porch is articulated as a wrap around gallery.fig.25. Greek and Italianate Revival blend with a veranda type porch. This a common residential articulation in the south.fig.26. Entirely Greek Revival design. These homes are built with veranda or loggia style porches to accommodate the grandeur. This style may be seen with commercial and financial buildings as well as residential.38 39my people are here! IN AFRO-CARIBBEAN CULTURETHE FRONT PORCHWalter Hood, in writings on "Black Landscapes," shares, "Black landscapes matter because they are renewable. We can uncover, exhume, validate, and celebrate these landscapes through new narratives and stories that choose to return us to origins."24 The front porch as it relates to Afro-Caribbean history is just as complex as that of North American history.Undeniably, research can express how the translations of Black design, as it relates to the front porch, had migrated to America as early as colonial settlement and the African Slave trade. The timeline of the physical attributes of Afro-Caribbean porches requires particular attention to detail as the characteristics of porch articulation for a lot of Afro-Caribbean porches are direct results of the colonization of their countries. What is particular to understand about Afro-Caribbean porches, however, is the distinct difference in philosophy it had with its American counterparts, especially as the discussion of Black communities and the front porch moved north. "Here, the entanglements of racialized prosperity and 24. Walter Hood and Grace Mitchell Tada, “Black Landscapes Matter,” Charlottesville: University of Virginia Press, 2020, p. 4, https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv19cw9rx.fig.27. Depiction a colonial influenced porch resided and occupied by local Afro-Caribbean families and neighbors.40 41my people are here! IN AFRO-CARIBBEAN CULTURETHE FRONT PORCHhardship is best understood in the sharing of everyday battles and the collective practice of making do and surviving in the space between our front doors."25 The architectural theory of the front porch to African and Caribbean culture lies in not only the 'every day', in acknowledgment of the functional, domestic life20 and for the fluidity of space where front doors and backyards are open to interacting with each other freely and openly but also in the collectivity expressed through times of celebration right through to moments of hardship. As a community, hardships are heard within the moment, deliberated amongst each other, and petitioned for better outcomes. What can a porch ingrained with Black culture, history, and experience provide for the larger Vancouver community? A chance to be connected, to be thoughtful in a fast-paced city, to find support, not judgment, when it is necessary, and to feel a sense of belonging and presence beyond what any statistic would describe otherwise. Black porches vary considerably, but these themes tend to remain consistent. 25. Ibid, 19.fig.28. Veranda style porch designed through vernacular found in the Democratic Republic of Congo.fig.29. The Greek Revival are some of the few colonial styles to penetrate African vernaculars, such as this version that can be found all over Nigeria.42 43my people are here! IN AFRO-CARIBBEAN CULTURETHE FRONT PORCHWhat is particularly intriguing in regard to the stylistic relationship with the porch, similar to this snapshot to porch design in Afro-Caribbean architecture, one can see where this is Black cultural influence imposed on a structure, and when it is a westernized phenomenon. Nevertheless, the Black community's relationship to the porch is complex. From a negative perspective, one might consider the gaze of a slave master from the heights of a Greek Revival to a contemporary setting where the connotations of "ghetto," and "delinquency," are used for a group of young Black people in conversation on a porch. From a positive perspective, it brings collective memory of conversations of civil rights, elders watching over the children who live on the block, cookouts amongst family and neighbors and the welcomed fluidly of circulation between public and private space, rendering the porch as much more than a median between thresholds.fig.30. Depiction of the shotgun house, design with Caribbean roots but can be found reinterpreted in the south.44 4504porchnessWhat does the porch mean to today's society? What are the values of a porch that are acute to modern needs and values? Research on the porch suggests that similar to all architectural features, has undergone a series of shifts in design that are prompted by the values of the period and location. The end goal of this thesis is to rediscover a porch's purpose - to question its typology and redefine its thresholds. What can reincorporated cultural values, symbolisms, and characteristics of the Black community offer to a vessel like the porch? What could the individual see as a meaningful way of reintroducing the porch to society through this lens? The beauty of Afrofuturism philosophy lies in its ability to be steadfast in seeing a future for Black people but be fluid and dynamic in allowing external cultures to communicate and incorporate themselves into a plan for the future.46 47my people are here! THE BLACK PORCH IN MEDIAPORCHNESSIn order to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the front porch, it was paramount that this thesis resourced multimedia,where past and current creators who have facilitated the necessary research or is speaking from experience, can offer a different, socio-cultural perspective of the porch. In this section, the author reviewed:We Dem Boyz - Wiz KhalifaWet Dreamz - J. ColeGorrilla - Little Simzfig.3148 49my people are here! THE BLACK PORCH IN MEDIAPORCHNESSThis music video center’s Wiz throughout what seems to be a childhood home. In his song, though the phrases are catchy, it speaks to his relationship with Black people around him. It is more of a celebratory anthem. What is curious about this video is how the viewer is taken through the household to meet Wiz in his room, and then proceeded to be redirected back through the house. We end the first act on the porch before he begins to interact with other individuals in the neighborhood. Here we see those socio-cultural layers. The fluidity of movement, sound, and smell and the porosity of space for this to happen. We also notice the levels of visibility and agency of space: the public street, the front yard, the porch, and the private realm (the house).fig.32 fig.33We Dem Boyz - Wiz Khalifa50 51my people are here! THE BLACK PORCH IN MEDIAPORCHNESSThis video by J. Cole is primarily focused on the perspective of two puppies as he tells the story about the nuances of virginity, especially growing up as a young, Black man.What is interesting about this video is similar to that of Wiz Khalifa in regard to the directional choices for the porch. Everything is coupled in the shots, and you can really see the different levels of visibility and agency of space here - especially as he discusses inviting new and unfamiliar people into his life.fig.34fig.35Wet Dreamz - J. Cole52 53my people are here! THE BLACK PORCH IN MEDIAPORCHNESSGorilla by Little Simz is a playful video where her first couple minutes is spent on the front porch. What seems to be a common trend between these videos and others in likeness to it, is the front porch being the beginning and end of their stories. It is almost a metaphorical nod to the porch being the center of an individuals roots.This video is much more playful and colorful, but it is noticeable of Simz’s use of bikes, instruments, and African based color schemes. It is an engaging video as she talks about her journey as a female rapper.This video additionally portrays many of the threshold patterns seen in the previous work.fig.37fig.36Gorrilla - Little Simz54 55my people are here! PUBLIC SPACE THRESHOLDSPORCHNESS"It's not the size of public space that makes it valuable. It's the way it's used."26 The definition of public space has been, and will always vary from person to person. This is largely due to a single individual or group of people experiencing spaces differently at all times. Although, we understand public space is an area that everyone (should) be allowed to be in and no single individual owns, the nuances of this becomes complicated. How does one know that a public space is truly theirs? Is it something to claim (or reclaim) for themselves or their communities? This becomes an interesting conversation when extended to the concept of private space. Public and private are two thresholds that always seem to hover around each other but have trouble truly finding an even common ground. The discussion of public vs. private space will be significant in later discussion about the porch, as this vessel acts as a threshold between the two entities. If one were to consider the western, North American model of the front porch, then this would be true. However, in the case of its relationship with Afro-Caribbean culture and history, does this hold true exclusively? If the term public space were to be broken down into its basic components: people/collectivity in space (at any scale) area fluidity/freedom function there is an argument to be made that based on these components, not only is public space is its own entity, but its theory could be stretched to corroborate that dividing two thresholds of public space is acceptable. Therefore, architectural elements that are defined by the public / private relationship, like the porch, sits on new grounds for reinterpretation. Public space is generated by the freedom of activity among individuals or groups, but such activities are conditioned to the space, which in turn, is dictated by public freedoms. Public space itself is so multi-layered, that it naturally builds its own thresholds, offering architectural and theoretical opportunity to how we view spaces. 26. Hadley Dyer, Watch This Space : Designing, Defending and Sharing Public Spaces, Toronto, ON: Kids Can Press, 2010, p. 10. 56 57my people are here! DEFINING PORCHNESSSPORCHNESSAfter careful inspection and deliberation of the porch and the needs of the community, it felt justified to reveal a new and progressive way of understanding the porch. Porchness is a term that lends itself to the socio-cultural norms that have a positive effect on the Black community.For this project, porchness is defined by how the space is engaged with over time and how the actions on site are mobilized through the city. Porchness becomes a series of interventions, as those from the community can dissect the porch by removing the pieces that make the structure and engage with it how they please, similar to migrants first engaging with the front porch in order to make it their own. People can remove the porch elements, which are modular blocks of different colours, textures, and patterns, and implement them on site or across the city.fig.38595805the Black porchWhat could make a porch "Black"? How can it evolve into a collective representation? The utilization of Hogan's Alley as a site allows for true consideration of diaspora, shifting values, and what is deemed as contemporary design. History has demonstrated social patterns and ways of life that remain persistent today could assist in singling out the needs of society. This thesis isn't going to single-handedly revive the neighborhood or bring communities back to it. Nor is the formulation of the porch going to tackle every single Black experience and impose it on a design, for fear of murky over-representation. Nonetheless, the remaining articulation of this thesis is to assemble and highlight the cultural issues, values, and characteristics necessary so that those of the Vancouver Black community can see something they recognize and identify with, as individuals and collectives. By extension, this thesis shows how agency of the Black community can then be mobilized across the city in order to regenerate the enclaves the community craves.60 61700-800Expo Boulevard800HamiltonSt 700Cambie St900Cambie St 800Beatty St800 Cambie St700Richards St 600Homer St0 Smithe St700Homer St900Beatty St700HamiltonStCambieBridge0 NelsonSt1000Marinaside Crescent1000 Pacific BoulevardCoopers' Park0 E Cordova StVictory Square700-800 Pacific BoulevardGeorgia Viaduct600-700Quebec St500Taylor St 0 E Pender St0WHastings St0 E Hastings St600Citadel Parade500HamiltonSt0 Keefer Place600Beatty St800 GriffithsWay500AbbottSt100 W Pender St0 W Pender St500Cambie St600 Expo Boulevard0 Expo Boulevard 0 Expo BoulevardDunsmuir Viaduct0 Keefer St0 Pacific Boulevard1000Quebec St600 CarrallSt500Beatty St800-900 Carrall StSun Yat-sen Gardens ParkAndy Livingstone Park0 AthletesWay100 AthletesWay1600 Quebec StHabitat Island ParkPark Site On South EastFalse Creek (Hinge Park)Creekside Park300 E Cordova St100 E Cordova St900-1000 Station St400 Prior St100 E Pender St500 Malkin Av200 Prior St200 E Georgia St200 E Pender St200 Keefer St500 Union St500 Keefer StDunsmuir Viaduct100 Union St100 Keefer St500 Prior St200 Union St 400 Union St100 Prior St400 Keefer St900-1000GoreAv1400Station St500-600 Terminal Av200-300 Terminal Av200-400 National AvThornton ParkTrillium Park800 Cordova Diversion600-700Malkin Av800 E Hastings St800 Keefer St800 Prior St700 E Hastings St700 Prior St800 E Georgia St700 Keefer St800 E Cordova St700 E Cordova St800 E Pender St900 E Hastings St900 E Cordova St900 Venables St700 E Georgia St800 Union St700 E Pender StMaclean ParkStrathcona Park500-700 National Av700-900 Evans Av800-900Malkin Av1200-1300 Chess StContoursContour Line - ContoursBuilding Footprints1/30/2024, 7:10:36 PM0 210 420105 m±Scale: 1:9,028my people are here! SITE STUDIESTHE BLACK PORCHJervis StGranvilleStW Cordova StHowe StThurlow StRobson StButeSt W Hastings StNicola StBurrard StW Pender StSmithe St Seymour StMelville StHornby StNelsonParkHarbourGreenParkPacific BoulevardExpoBoulevardHamiltonStHamiltonStGranvilleStPacific StDavie StHelmcken StRobson StBurrard StDrake StBeatty StCambie StHomer StSmithe StRichards StGeorgeWainbornParkDavidLamParkCoopers'ParkMainStWater StPowell StWHastings StE Cordova StW Cordova StW Cordova StAlexander StCRABParkatPortsideDunsmuir ViaductPacificBoulevardW2nd AvTerminal AvQuebecStMain StMain StExpo BoulevardPrior StE Pender StE Hastings StCambie StBeatty St AbbottStCarrallStKeefer StTrilliumParkAndyLivingstoneParkPowell StPowell StTerminal AvGrandview ViaductClarkDriveE Hastings StVenables StPrior StCommercialDriveCommercialDriveE 1st AvE Cordova StStrathconaParkVictoriaDrivePowell StVictoriaDriveCity of VancouverTransitwaysBuilding FootprintsBridges and Related StructuresMajor Road Network (MRN)BikewaysProtected Bike LanePainted Bike LaneLocal Street Bike LaneShared Bike LaneGreenwaysEstablishedProposedRailwaysCanadian NationalCanadian PacificIsland Corridor Foundation1/30/2024, 10:49:39 PM0 430 860215 m±Scale: 1:18,056fig.39 Contour map. fig.40 Transit-ways map.62 63Jervis StGranvilleStW Cordova StHowe StThurlow StRobson StButeSt W Hastings StBurrard StW Pender StSmithe St Seymour StMelville StHornby StNelsonParkHarbourGreenParkPacific BoulevardExpoBoulevardHamiltonStHamiltonStGranvilleStPacific StDavie StHelmcken StRobson StBurrard StDrake StBeatty StCambie StHomer StSmithe StRichards StGeorgeWainbornParkDavidLamParkCoopers'ParkMainStWater StPowell StWHastings StE Cordova StW Cordova StW Cordova StAlexander StCRABParkatPortsideDunsmuir ViaductPacificBoulevardW2nd AvTerminal AvQuebecStMain StMain StExpo BoulevardPrior StE Pender StE Hastings StCambie StBeatty St AbbottStCarrallStKeefer StTrilliumParkAndyLivingstoneParkPowell StPowell StTerminal AvGrandview ViaductClarkDriveE Hastings StVenables StPrior StCommercialDriveCommercialDriveE 1st AvE Cordova StStrathconaParkVictoriaDrivePowell StVictoriaDriveVanMap ViewerUrban Forest Canopy CoverageLess than 5%5.01 - 10 %10.01 - 25 %25.01 - 50 %Building Footprints2/4/2024, 2:39:57 PM0 430 860215 m±Scale: 1:18,056my people are here! SITE STUDIESTHE BLACK PORCHJervis StGranvilleStW Cordova StHowe StThurlow StRobson StButeSt W Hastings StNicola StBurrard StW Pender StSmithe St Seymour StMelville StHornby StNelsonParkHarbourGreenParkPacific BoulevardExpoBoulevardHamiltonStHamiltonStGranvilleStPacific StDavie StHelmcken StRobson StBurrard StDrake StBeatty StCambie StHomer StSmithe StRichards StGeorgeWainbornParkDavidLamParkCoopers'ParkMainStWater StPowell StWHastings StE Cordova StW Cordova StW Cordova StAlexander StCRABParkatPortsideDunsmuir ViaductPacificBoulevardW2nd AvTerminal AvQuebecStMain StMain StExpo BoulevardPrior StE Pender StE Hastings StCambie StBeatty St AbbottStCarrallStKeefer StTrilliumParkAndyLivingstoneParkPowell StPowell StTerminal AvGrandview ViaductClarkDriveE Hastings StVenables StPrior StCommercialDriveCommercialDriveE 1st AvE Cordova StStrathconaParkVictoriaDrivePowell StVictoriaDriveGreen InfrastructureGreenwaysBuilding FootprintsParksBenchesSpray ParksParks (Areas)Dog Off Leash AreasSwimming PoolsIndoorWading Pools1/30/2024, 11:04:30 PM0 430 860215 m±Scale: 1:18,056fig.41Canopy Map. fig.42 Green space map.64 65500Taylor St0 Keefer Place0 Keefer St500Columbia St600Carrall St500CarrallStSun Yat-sen Gardens ParkGeorgia Viaduct Georgia Viaduct600-700Quebec St0 Expo Boulevard0 Expo BoulevardDunsmuir Viaduct Dunsmuir Viaduct0 Pacific Boulevard700CarrallSt900 Quebec St1000 Quebec St600 CarrallSt800-900 Carrall StAndy Livingstone ParkDowntown SkateboardPlazaCreekside Park600Gore Av200 E Georgia St200 Keefer St500Gore Av300 Keefer St600Main St500Main St100 Keefer St900-1000 Station St1000MainSt100 Milross Av700Gore Av800 Gore Av200 Prior St200 E Georgia St700Main StDunsmuir ViaductDunsmuir ViaductGeorgia ViaductGeorgia Viaduct100 Union St900Main St800Main St200 Union St900-1000GoreAv200 National Av100 National Av200-400 National Av500DunlevyAv600JacksonAv500JacksonAv500 Keefer St600PrincessAv400 Keefer St400 Prior St800JacksonAv900PrincessAv500 Malkin Av500 Atlantic St800PrincessAv500 E Georgia St700JacksonAv600-700Malkin Av800DunlevyAv500 Union St600 Prior St700PrincessAv500 Prior St400 Union St1100-1200 Thornton StTrillium Park600 Keefer St600 Union St600 E Georgia St600 Prior StCity of VancouverTreesTreesBuilding Footprints2/4/2024, 3:19:03 PM0 100 20050 m±Scale: 1:4,514my people are here! SITE STUDIESTHE BLACK PORCHfig.43 Ortho 2022. fig.44 Diaspora map in Metro Vancouver.66 67my people are here! SITE AND PROGRAMTHE BLACK PORCHfig.45. Quick visualization of the public to private relationship discovered in the music videos, amplified for a larger public realm.68 69my people are here! SITE AND PROGRAMTHE BLACK PORCHfig.461:1000CHINATOWNDOWNTOWN EASTSIDESTRATHCONAFALSE CREEKN70 71my people are here! SITE AND PROGRAMTHE BLACK PORCHfig.4772 73my people are here! DESIGN APPROACHTHE BLACK PORCHfig.48fig.4974 75my people are here! DESIGN APPROACHTHE BLACK PORCHfig.5076 77my people are here! TIMELINE SPECULATIONTHE BLACK PORCHfig.51 The Site in 2024. fig.52 The Site in 2034.78 79my people are here! GALLERY OF PORCHNESSTHE BLACK PORCH Based on the Black Strathcona Ressurgence Project and the Vancouver Mural Festival, express yourself dedicated to existing artists and creatives who have imprinted on their work on facades in Hogan’s Alley and across Eastside Vancouver in representation of the minority groups across the city. There is beauty in the porch blocks being a part of this phenomenon, as they act as a signature of presence. In the project 10+ years, when these blocks are scattered across the city or rearranged back on the porch, the phenomenon lends itself to a mosaic of express yourselfCollage, Adobe Suite11” X 14”fig.5380 81my people are here! GALLERY OF PORCHNESSTHE BLACK PORCHprovider is a personal representation. It speaks to the role I had as an older sister and daughter growing up with two younger brothers. Though my parents were diligent in providing for us, I was periodically tasked with that provisionary role, largely in ensuring my brothers were taken care of when my parents were not immediately available. I extend this concept of being a provider, alongside a giver and samaritan in society, and how there should be more acceptance of the highly interdependent relationship we share with one anowther. The Black community is not the only Vancouver demographic to require care, nurturing and support, however, it can be a vanguard to how these connedtions can be made over time.providerCollage, Adobe Suite11” X 14”fig.5482 83my people are here! GALLERY OF PORCHNESSTHE BLACK PORCH In the neighborhood is in direct conversation with Hogan’s Alley and the residential community that was once on the proposed site of this project. Similar to any neighborhood, and even similar to any front porch, this pays hommage to community life. To the activities and pass times that occupy the streets that did not invove a motorize vehicle. To the (inter)connections among various groups of people at various stages of their lives. The porch blocks are equally representative of the habitual and the transitory here, signifying the day to day activities and the fleeting moments.in the neighborhood Collage, Adobe Suite11” X 14”fig.5584 85my people are here! GALLERY OF PORCHNESSTHE BLACK PORCHOne characterstic that made the front porch so special is its welcoming traits for conversation. Said convrsations can materialize in a multitude of forms, but it is particularly empowering to know that support and care for another seem to ignite within the realm of a porch. In take care, sharing the porch blocks and amplifying the attributes of the original porch, highlights the poential to reach larger audiences and attack collective issues, including loneliness.take careCollage, Adobe Suite11” X 14”fig.5686 87my people are here! GALLERY OF PORCHNESSTHE BLACK PORCH raise your voice, a sister piece to hands up! is in conversation with Black activism within the Canadian, and by extension, the North American context. The words raise your voice has many connotations. This piece is particularly interested in the power of music (gospel) and its abilities for activation and transcendance, . It is also an idiom for proclamaition, for vocalization that filters through all barriers. These ideas are particularly engaging for the Black community when we engage with the history of Hogan’s Alley and present day interactions to reconnect the community.raise your voiceCollage, Adobe Suite11” X 14”fig.5788 89my people are here! GALLERY OF PORCHNESSTHE BLACK PORCHCornrow drives home the original ideologies behind porchness, where it begs the questions: if there was one more unconventional event or phenomenon to occur in the public realm as facilitated by the porch blocks, what would it be? Hair is not only a particular defining trait within Black culture, but the act of hair braiding is a ritual. Hair continues to be a point of contention, affecting how Black people, especially Black women, are viewed in society. Being that hair, particularly the cornrow, has an extensive history in relation to communication, connection, and support, the act of hair braiding pairs well with the gols of the porch blocks.cornrowCollage, Adobe Suite11” X 14”fig.5890 91my people are here! GALLERY OF PORCHNESSTHE BLACK PORCHAs this thesis states, this project is about people. In order to reconnect the people through the porch intervention, there must be an intervention where we acknolwedge who these people are. One of the more simpler examples of porchness, our boys continues the story about the going-ons in the neighborhood. It brings out the playfulness that the front porch facilitates for Black communities and suggests an extension of these qualities by interacting with the porch blocks.our boysCollage, Adobe Suite11” X 14”fig.5992 93my people are here! GALLERY OF PORCHNESSTHE BLACK PORCH hands up! is the second primarily activist showcase of porchness that encompasses the two main interactions associated with this phrase. The first, is a call out of police brutality but discrimination as a whole, highlighting the treatmnt of Black people within and outside the Canadian context. Secondarily, hands up! refers to public protest, the everyday intervention of people fighting for the rights of themselves and others. What could be very interesting for the porch blocks is being given a position in these calls for action, especially with their significance to Hogan’s Alley. hands up!Collage, Adobe Suite11” X 14”fig.6094 95conclusionDesigning for the larger community through Black design and Afrofututrism is certainly a productive and provocative subject as it allows for Black culture to share a spot in academia and architectural theory that is never truly sought after in today's society. Perhaps part of the reason for this is Black history and culture are so diverse and complex. However, the fight to have an increase in minority voices in changing and bettering the futures of all people should be seriously considered. Black people, along with other minorities that reside in Canada, should never have to be labeled as an invisible contributor to society. The project that is being proposed in this thesis booklet will not solve the deeply rooted prejudices and exclusions still facing minorities when it comes to architecture and city planning, or from a smaller scale, just being recognized as valid thinkers within our society. As a Black woman in Vancouver searching for community, I am hopeful that with continued development of this research will excite my wishes for a more engaged future.fig.6196 97my people are here! BIBLIOGRAPHYEND MATTER- Afrofuturism: A History of Black Futures. Edited by Kevin M. Straight and Kinshasha Conwill. Washington, DC: Smithsonian Books, 2023.Aldaghestani, Farah. “Traces of Hogan’s Alley: The First Concentrated African-Canadian Community.” The Society for the Study of Architecture in Canada, October 19, 2022, URL. Anderson, Reynaldo, and Charles E. Jones. Afrofuturism 2.0: The Rise of Astro-Blackness. Lanham, Maryland: Lexington Books, 2016.Beachler, Hannah, Jacqueline Najuma Stewart, and Toni L. Griffin. 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Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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University of British Columbia. ARCH 549
my people are here! : Inspiring Black Empowerment and Connection in Vancouver Through Black Futurist Interventions
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