ALT Design: Brent Spence Community Engagement

k. kennedy Whiters on Preservation as Repair

Join Deqah (host) as she sits down with guest, k. kennedy Whiters– a preservationist, registered architect, business owner, educator, writer, and founder of interdisciplinary firms wrkSHäp kiloWATT [https://wrkshapkilowatt.com/],  studio kW Architecture + Preservation [https://studio-kw.com/] for an IRL chat about architecture, preservation, reparative action, and the power of language in shaping historical narratives. In addition to managing wrkSHäp kiloWATT and Studio kW, kennedy has founded historic preservation initiatives Beyond Integrity in (X) [https://www.beyondintegrityinx.com/home], (un)Redact the Facts [https://www.unredacthefacts.com/], and Black in Historic Preservation [https://www.blackinhistpres.com/].  In this convo, Deqah and kennedy talk about their shared experience in a Columbia University studio co-taught by Whiters and Dr. Erica Avrami (and TA-ed by Deqah) about New York’s Tenderloin district and dive into kennedy’s “The Pledge to (un)Redact the Facts [https://www.unredacthefacts.com/pledge],” a framework that helps students and practitioners confront the ways grammar, narrative structure, and omission can obscure Black harm when writing about history.  This is a conversation about more than buildings. It is about repair, truth-telling and care.  Credits:  Hosted and produced by Deqah Hussein-Wetzel [https://www.arch.columbia.edu/phd-students/5568-deqah-hussein-wetzel]. Edited and mixed by Skyler Ficklin. Urban Roots⁠ [http://www.urbanrootspodcast.com] is brought to you by ⁠Urbanist Media⁠ [https://urbanistmedia.org/], a non-profit dedicated to preserving place through story. Please consider supporting us on ⁠Venmo⁠ [https://account.venmo.com/u/urbanistmedia] or ⁠Paypal⁠ [https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=e8Y8akuCADxI_ALvfoqDQMwzFPSmCzR56lT1QgPjSJ95fOQ3HII7uFRWX06_xu2cS1rah2bDlY2KmxN0].  Sign up for our Newsletter: @urbanistmedia [https://urbanistmedia.substack.com/]  Other Links YouTube: @urbanrootspodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@urbanrootspodcast/featured]. IG: ⁠urbanrootsculture⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/urbanrootsculture/]  TikTok: @urbanistmedia [https://www.tiktok.com/@urbanistmedia?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc]  Patreon: @urbanist_media [https://www.patreon.com/urbanist_media]

Juneteenth Voting Promo

Hey friends! We’re bringing back Juneteenth programming—and this year, we want your input on topics! Choose between local Black Architects and Green Book sites!  Cast your vote at https://cinradio.org/juneteenth-special-programming-from-urbanist-media/ now through April 20th.

ALT Design: Brent Spence Community Engagement

Since October 2023, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have advanced a new iteration of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, proposing to replace the existing bridge and expand capacity along I-71 and I-75. In 2025, community engagement sessions in the West End (OH) and Covington (KY) were led by Hub + Weber in collaboration with the Devou Good Foundation's Greater Cincinnati Coalition for Transit and Sustainable Development [https://www.sustainablecincy.org/events/community-listening-session-iii-cincinnati], A Picture’s Worth [apicturesworth.org], and Urbanist Media⁠ [www.urbanistmedia.org] as part of a broader people-over-pavement initiative. This audio piece, narrated by Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and produced by the Urban Roots podcast team (Deqah, Vanessa Quirk, and Connor Lynch), centers West End resident voices reflecting on the proposed highway expansion and envisioning more equitable transportation futures. For more information, visit the Sustainable Cincy website [https://www.sustainablecincy.org/events/community-listening-session-iii-cincinnati].

BONUS: The Real Value of Real Estate w/ Cecily King

Dive into all things real estate in our latest convo with Cecily King [https://www.arch.columbia.edu/faculty/486-cecily-king], a real estate professional and educator whose work focuses on equitable development, racial justice, and community-driven investment in Detroit.  She is also an Associate Professor of Real Estate Development at Columbia GSAPP. As the founder of Kipling Development [https://www.kiplingdevelopment.com/], Cecily draws from her experience in affordable housing, community finance, and development strategy to unpack how Detroit’s real estate landscape is shifting—and what it takes to ensure longtime residents benefit from change. Big thanks to our episode sponsor, Leila Yusuf, a licensed real estate agent in New York State and Pennsylvania with Compass, with over 13 years of experience handling over $150 million in transactions.  Lastly, if you want to give back this holiday season, consider giving to the community as you give to family. Join our Kinfolk Giveback program by donating via ⁠Venmo⁠ [https://account.venmo.com/u/urbanistmedia] or ⁠Paypal⁠ [https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=e8Y8akuCADxI_ALvfoqDQMwzFPSmCzR56lT1QgPjSJ95fOQ3HII7uFRWX06_xu2cS1rah2bDlY2KmxN0].  Credits:  Hosted and produced by Deqah Hussein-Wetzel [https://www.arch.columbia.edu/phd-students/5568-deqah-hussein-wetzel]. Edited and mixed by Skyler Ficklin. Urban Roots⁠ [http://www.urbanrootspodcast.com] is brought to you by ⁠Urbanist Media⁠ [https://urbanistmedia.org/], a non-profit dedicated to preserving place through story.  And don’t forget, you can be a part of our Kinfolk Giveback program by making a tax-deductible donation via ⁠Venmo⁠ [https://account.venmo.com/u/urbanistmedia] or ⁠Paypal⁠ [https://www.paypal.com/donate?token=e8Y8akuCADxI_ALvfoqDQMwzFPSmCzR56lT1QgPjSJ95fOQ3HII7uFRWX06_xu2cS1rah2bDlY2KmxN0].  Newsletter: @urbanistmedia [https://urbanistmedia.substack.com/] YouTube: @urbanrootspodcast [https://www.youtube.com/@urbanrootspodcast/featured]. IG: ⁠urbanrootsculture⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/urbanrootsculture/] TikTok: @urbanistmedia [https://www.tiktok.com/@urbanistmedia?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc] Patreon: @urbanist_media [https://www.patreon.com/urbanist_media]  And don’t forget to check out the latest episode of the Black Preservation Stories podcast [https://bghpn.org/podcast] by the Grassroots Black Heritage Preservation Network, all about the ongoing fight to preserve Glendale Public Housing in Minneapolis, MN.

BONUS: Preserving Joy: A’Lelia Walker’s Harlem Renaissance

Join Deqah Hussein-Wetzel (host) and award-winning journalist and historian A'lelia Bundles (guest), in a Black history and preservation-focused conversation about A'lelia's newest book Joy Goddess: A’Lelia Walker and the Harlem Renaissance. A’Lelia Walker—daughter of Madam C.J. Walker and heiress to America’s first Black woman-made fortune—was more than a symbol of inherited wealth. She was a cultural impresario, a connector of artists and activists, and an architectural patron whose Vertner Tandy-designed Villa Lewaro Estate and (rehabbed) Harlem townhouse became vital gathering places for the Black intelligentsia of the 1920s. Together, Deqah and A’Lelia Bundles, the great-granddaughter of A’Lelia Walker, explore her interest in her family's history and what she’s learned about her ancestor's role in shaping Harlem’s cultural landscape through hospitality, preservation, and community. The episode also delves into the challenges of researching Black women’s histories, the overlooked architectural legacy of Vertner Tandy, and the significance of cultural memory in contemporary preservation work.  🔗 More about the book: https://aleliabundles.com/writing-biography-an-update-on-the-joy-goddess-of-harlem [https://aleliabundles.com/writing-biography-an-update-on-the-joy-goddess-of-harlem]  🎧Listen to the full interview on Columbia GSAPP’s Soundcloud,  https://soundcloud.com/columbiagsapp [https://soundcloud.com/columbiagsapp]  Credits:  Your host and producer is Deqah Hussein-Wetzel [https://www.arch.columbia.edu/phd-students/5568-deqah-hussein-wetzel]. This episode was edited by Skyler Ficklin and Vanessa Quirk. Mixed by Skyler.  Urban Roots⁠ [http://www.urbanrootspodcast.com] is a project by ⁠Urbanist Media⁠ [https://urbanistmedia.org/], a non-profit dedicated to preserving place through story.  Subscribe on YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@urbanrootspodcast/featured] (and Patreon [https://www.patreon.com/urbanist_media]/Substack [https://urbanistmedia.substack.com/] for exclusive content)!  Follow Urban Roots on Instagram at ⁠urbanrootsculture⁠ [https://www.instagram.com/urbanrootsculture/] and at urbanrootspod [https://www.instagram.com/urbanrootspod]