About the Project
“The space of the Flatbush African Burial Ground is a space that holds trauma. How can we heal trauma in real time,” asks Shanna Sabio, Co-Founder of GrowHouse Design + Development Group. Over the course of 18 months, GrowHouse, in collaboration with design team Creative Urban Alchemy, activated the Flatbush African Burial Ground and developed a Black history corridor connecting sites of resistance and connection in Central Brooklyn.
When Shanna and the GrowHouse team discovered that the vacant plot at 2286 Church Avenue was an African Burial Ground, their goal became clear: to create moments of pause and reflection for their community to learn neighborhood history. This idea became the seed for the future Black History + Heritage Corridor.
Building on GrowHouse’s two years of organizing around the space, Creative Urban Alchemy joined the GrowHouse team to engage community members and a broader coalition of partners on creative activations and their long-term visions for the space. . They facilitated a Youth Design Competition and produced a series of placards featuring work from local artists, to mark the Corridor. These placards “create the tangible and visual connection between the Flatbush Avenue Burial Ground and Lefferts Houses, which is a relocated former plantation home,” says Ifeoma Ebo, founding principal at Creative Urban Alchemy. “You see these placards along the street that allow people to learn more about the history and legacy of Black Brooklyn.”
In August 2024, he team brought the broader community together with the “Brooklyn. Black. Utopia.” activation, which showcased cultural heritage performances, a design forum led by Emmanuel Thingue, seed bombing activities, self-defense workshops, and mental health support.
The team hopes to continue to expand the walkable Black History + Heritage Corridor, connecting sites of memory with contemporary Black-owned businesses and organizations, to create a living connection between past and present.
Learn More About the Project
Explore the team’s full report on their process, findings, and vision for what’s next.
Explore the team’s presentation at the Local Center Summit in November 2024.
Learn more about GrowHouse’s vision for Flatbush.
Team
GrowHouse Community Design + Development Group uses the intersections of urban planning, design, storytelling and technology to fight displacement. They build community wealth by allowing young Black creatives and their allies to become developers of our own neighborhood through collective ownership of artistic production and a portfolio of neighborhood real estate and land, businesses, and cultural institutions.
Shanna Sabio
Warner Sabio
Creative Urban Alchemy, Liminal, Partners in Public Design and studio aoa make up a multidisciplinary team of designers, planners, strategists, artists and community engagement practitioners passionate about serving communities of New York City. Their collective engagement philosophy is rooted in cultivating relationships, supporting capacity building and moving at the speed of trust.
Ifeoma Ebo
Alicia Ajayi
Jeffrey Shumaker
Emmanuel Oni
Special thanks to Tei Carpenter, Michael Lenihan, Bloque and Youth Design Center, who contributed to the first phase of the project.
Images Credit: 1. NYC DOT Art 2. Zachary Schulman 3 – 4. Tenneh Sandimanie
Support
Our Rooted Cultures projects are made possible with lead support from the Mellon Foundation and with additional major support from the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Robert Sterling Clark Foundation, the NYC Green Relief & Recovery Fund and the Lily Auchincloss Foundation.
Urban Design Forum programs are made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
To learn more about supporting the Local Center, please contact Katherine Sacco, katherine@urbandesignforum.org and Lauren Nye, lauren.n@anhd.org.