Lunch & Learn with Legacy Lands Alliance
Legacy Lands Alliance (LLA) hosts a working lunch session, using the best of the past to frame the future.
Hosted by Urban Legacy Lands Initiative (ULLI) and Legacy Lands Alliance, community and civic leaders gathered at Flanner House on Friday, March 24th, to review Harvard Graduate School of Design (HGSD) students’ stunning urban design, thinking how Indianapolis’ near westside could have been different had not systemic displacement, erasure and blatant racism not created dramatic harm to the once vibrant area of greater Historic Indiana Avenue.
Claudia Polley, ULLI President, and Brandon Cosby, Executive Director at Flanner House, welcomed and thanked guests for their willingness to participate and understand the importance of identifying the future of greater Historic Indiana Avenue.
Ebony Chappel, LLA Program Coordinator, led a conversation on the genesis of Legacy Lands Alliance and introduced special guests Isabel Oyuela Bonzani, ULLI Fellow, and Alicia Seeley, both HGSD students.
Isabel led a discussion on “Conserving Intangible Cultural Heritage” with prompts and an open group conversation. Alicia shared a portion of her “Play as Medicine” presentation from the Legacy Lands | Protopian Futures studio with a follow-up chat with Ron Rice to discuss the impact.
Guests were invited to continue conversations and join Community Night to grow the discussion of greater Indiana Avenue’s future.
Legacy Lands Alliance Community Night
Thursday, April 13th
Join LLA and ULLI for a community night of interactivity and discussion about the past, present, and future of Indianapolis’s near northwest side.
At Legacy Lands Alliance Community Night on Thursday, April 13th at The AMP, Ebony Chappel will moderate a panel discussion with four Harvard GSD students regarding their intentions and processes in creating protopian futures for the west side of Indianapolis.
Engage in the history of Indiana Avenue and surrounding neighborhoods with interactive educational opportunities. Activities and discussions include highlights of Indianapolis's hospital and health systems, the state of White River, and cultural conservation.
Interested in being a part of the conversation?
Join ULLI and LLA for a Community night on April 13th. Register online.
Video courtesy of Tedd Hardy
Background on LLA and Legacy Lands | Protopian Futures
Legacy Lands Alliance’s formation
LLA was formed through the product of the civic and community leaders’ engagement with ULLI through the Legacy Lands | Protopian Futures design studio.
In Fall 2022, ULLI partnered with Harvard Graduate School of Design and Professor Toni Griffin on the design studio Legacy Lands | Protopian Futures. The studio's goal was to envision protopian versions of Indianapolis had systemic racism, eminent domain, and slum clearance policies not disrupted the lives of Black and Indigenous peoples. Twelve students composed narratives shaping their final presentations, featuring cutting-edge urban designs and imagined practices that celebrated communities of color in our city.
All images courtesy of Wildstyle.
