Meet the Two Women Changing the Future of American Neighborhoods – Yahoo Life

Photo credit: Julia Ludlam

Lately, it seems as if so many industries are discussing the idea of creating a more equitable future, but what does that actually mean in practice? When it comes to the future of American neighborhoods, how can we as architects, designers, developers, and creators build neighborhoods that are not only inclusive but also equitable? Neighborhoods that dont deny the people and cultures that came before but instead celebrate and honor these communities and ensure their future generations will always have a place there. Its easier said than done, but we think its time to stop talking and start doing.

Perhaps we can follow the example of Nakita Reed, an architect at Quinn Evans dedicated to preservation and both environmentally and culturally sustainable design, and Kia Weatherspoon, interior designer and founder of Determined by Design, a design firm committed to design equity. These women have devoted their careers to ensuring that the most historically overlooked communities (and by default, their buildings) are not left out of what we hope will be Americas bright future. We cant wait to follow their lead.

Reeds fascination with buildings came from an unlikely source. Instead of glittering skyscrapers or uniquely designed structures, dilapidated and abandoned buildings along the train corridor from Washington, D.C., to Pittsburgh caught her eye as she traveled to visit friends. She wondered what sort of past life the buildings had, who had lived there, and why they were now vacant.

Her curiosity led her to pursue a bachelor of science in architecture from the University of Virginia in 2006, then a master of science in historic preservation and a master of architecture from the University of Pennsylvania in 2010. A deeper understanding of preservation transformed the idea of sustainability for Reed, making the idea of sustainable design so much more than green technologies.

A lot of people think of sustainability as just solar panels, but ultimately, preservation as reuse of an existing building is inherently environmentally sustainable, said Reed. I often think of the 1980s campaign of Reduce, reuse, recycle and thats what preservation is. We reduce the need for new buildings, reuse the buildings we already have, and recycle them into something new.

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However, a lack of intentional preservation, especially for buildings in or near marginalized communities, is where there still seems to be a disconnect. Without intention behind preservation, it can exacerbate the gentrification currently taking place in so many American neighborhoods.

Intentional green retrofits of our existing buildingslike better insulation in the walls, ensuring the building is air sealed, and proper mechanical systemsaddress environmental sustainability, but theres also the cultural side of sustainability as well, said Reed. Historic buildings continue a sense of place and create a cultural connection among the community thats always been there and for the people to come. They give a tangible connection between the past, present, and future in a way that can also be more sustainable and more energy efficient.

So much cultural connection is lost in many neighborhoods when developers dont prioritize adaptive reuse of existing buildings in a sustainable way forand withthe often marginalized communities that were there first. If developers dont know, or worse, dont care, what existed before, the chances are low that they will work with the existing community to create a space that is meaningful and impactful for residents.

One example other architects and developers can use as a blueprint is Reed's recent work to renovate a series of vacant rowhouses in the 800 block of Harlem and Edmondson avenues in Baltimore. Ten of the 38 rowhouses have been completely renovated, and there has been coordination between the local community and various organizations in Baltimore to offer down payment assistance and other incentives to make them affordable for veterans and other local residents. In 2020, Reed also launched the Tangible Remnants podcast that highlights historic buildings and speaks to the people of color, women, and LGBTQ people who lived and thrived in them.

Reed hopes her work will continue to show the clear connections among preservation, sustainability, and equity, one day transforming both the look and feel of American neighborhoods. Imagine if we were able to actually reuse existing, vacant building stock in cities to house people who need to be housed and provide more opportunities in an equitable way. It would totally change how it feels to experience and move through a city, she said. It would just be amazing.

Two pivotal moments in Weatherspoons life made her realize that our homes are connected to our self-worth. When she was 15 years old, her older brother was incarcerated for 15 years, and the prison facility was the first time she assessed a built environment, one that seemed designed to be inhumane. At age 19 she joined the U.S. Air Force three months before September 11, 2001, and found herself deployed to the Middle East and living in a tent with 14 other women. Desperate for privacy, she took three sheets and hung them from the top of the tent to create walls so she could cry and comfort herself in private. It was the first space she ever created.

Something about that moment healed me and brought me comfort and solitude, she said. I did that four more times at different deployments, and when I got out of the military, I knew I had to create spaces for people.

She returned to the United States and immediately sought out ways to make her dream of being a licensed interior designer a reality. She received her bachelor of fine arts in interior design from Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia, then moved to Washington, D.C., and worked in a hotel management company designing luxury spaces for affluent people. Quickly becoming disenchanted, Weatherspoon realized she wanted to start a business that reflected the way she valued people.

In 2012 she launched Determined by Design, an interior design firm dedicated to the core belief that well-designed interior spaces are not a luxury for a few but a standard for all. Its first project was for a nonprofit for domestic violence survivors, 12 women and 32 children. Though Weatherspoon and her team were excited about the project, it took awhile for the residents to warm up to the idea.

When I came to speak to the women to tell them what we do and design with them and not for them, they were like, We dont need this; its not relevant to our lives, she said. But I know the value of space, and when we finished this project, one of the women approached me and said, Miss Kia, when I walked into this room, I realized that change was possible for me. I knew in that moment that people who need access to well-designed spaces the most, they dont know they need it and they need an advocate.

Weatherspoon and Determined by Design advocate for historically overlooked communities in every room they enter. From educating developers about the importance of intentional interior design in affordable housing communities to pushing back on property management companies that express doubt over whether a certain demographic of people deserve interior design, Weatherspoon and her team lead with a level of empathy unheard of in the design industry.

When my partners on certain projects dont understand what were trying to do, I simply ask them, Would you want someone from your family to live here? she said. Thats where the empathy and equity comes in for me because I can see my family and my loved ones in those spaces so I have to be relentless in my desire to do better for them.

Photo credit: Hearst

This story was created as part of Future Rising in partnership with Lexus. Future Rising is a series running across Hearst Magazines to celebrate the profound impact of Black culture on American life, and to spotlight some of the most dynamic voices of our time. Go to oprahdaily.com/futurerising for the complete portfolio.

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Meet the Two Women Changing the Future of American Neighborhoods - Yahoo Life