Many of America’s cities have witnessed the dis
Cultural Indentity/
Many of America’s cities have witnessed the disintegration of many of its urban neighborhoods as more and more people and businesses move to the suburbs. The people who are left in these deteriorating neighborhoods are often poor and often predominately African American. The question that needs to be answered is how can we improve these neighborhoods for the people that continue to live there. Learning about cultural identity and identity of place can be a tool in helping us understand how to help the residents revitalize their neighborhood. This web site contains a compilation of sources and links to web sites pertaining to aspects of cultural identity and neighborhood historic preservation and revitalization.There is a relationship between design and community and rebuilding a community begins with the ability of ordinary citizens to influence important planning decisions that affect their lives. No one understands a neighborhood’s needs better than the people who live there. Understanding the needs of the residents and encouraging community participation in the design process promotes the collective voice of the neighborhood to be heard above the singular voice of the designer. The community design and planning process can raise the level of awareness of the cultural framework of the people and institutions that give a neighborhood its strength. Non-traditional historic preservation tools that focus on cultural preservation engage people in visioning the future of the buildings and sites that they value are important to making neighborhood renewal happen.
