Reyna, Katya2018-08-252018-08-252018-08-25https://hdl.handle.net/1794/23673Examining committee chair: Roxi ThorenMemories of displacement, loss, and discrimination are oten present in designed sites. A decline in memory and story sharing has let these memories lingering on sites, open wounds waiting to be unearthed, discussed, and healed. These memories are hidden windows to the cultural identity or spirit of a place, experienced individually and collectively through generations. This project proposes a new mode of site analysis that recognizes memories of displacement and racial tension as necessary aspects of understanding the agency of design within community context. This method challenges current standards in landscape architecture practice by suggesting that we look beyond the physicality of a site and delve deeper into buried experiences through community and interdisciplinary partnerships to create more inclusive, honest and just places. Using Mindy Fullilove’s analysis of root shock and Pierre Nora’s concept of sites of memory as frameworks, a case study was conducted, examining how projects have implemented memory and story collection strategies. The case study informed a proposal for a site analysis memory mapping method, which was piloted at three community gatherings in the Chicago neighborhoods of Pilsen and Little Village. Both are Mexican immigrant neighborhoods facing rapid gentrification and fragmentation. A current proposal for a multi-modal trail would connect both neighborhoods. As a first step in community engagement and design, residents of the two neighborhoods were asked to map their memories - good and bad - and describe any other sentiments about their community. These were then aggregated into an analysis map depicting the untold narratives and collective memories of Pilsen and Little Village. The analysis informed where and how healing strategies could be implemented. Site analysis and design can reveal histories – even dificult ones- and engage in healing, rather than be complicit in the denial and erasure of people’s experiences. Strategies like memory mapping, interviewing, and archival research can move landscape architects beyond traditional site analysis and help foster community responsive design that nurtures connections with those who have been historically disenfranchised.Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0-USTerminal Project