South of 8th: a community vision
In partnership with the Oklahoma City Urban Renewal Authority and over 400 NEOKC community members, Open Design developed the city’s first co-designed, cultural master site plan and a reparative justice action guide to address the historical harms of urban renewal practices and to reimagine the focus area’s future.
South of 8th (So8th), conducted over the course of a 2-year period from 2021-2023, resulted in an inclusive and community-centered framework to guide the Urban Renewal Authority (OCURA) on strategies to address inequities caused by urban renewal practices, and how to approach releasing property that the institution still owns in a way that advances equity and aligns with community goals.
Open Design designed and implemented a community engagement strategy that reached over 400 NEOKC community members through workshops, tactical committee sessions, and various community convenings to ensure that NEOKC voices shaped the future vision of the focus area. Centered on reparative justice, the project established a master site plan and policy recommendations focused on five community-identified priorities: Black culture, ownership, land use/density/massing, connectivity, and ecology. The plan includes strategies for preserving cultural assets, preventing displacement, fostering economic opportunities, and creating sustainable and vibrant spaces that reflect the community's rich history and aspirations.
Key deliverables include a master site plan for OCURA-owned lots, recommendations for improving the Request for Proposal (RFP) process, and a vision for equitable development that promotes community ownership and cultural preservation. The project acknowledges the generational harms inflicted on the NEOKC community and lays a foundation for restorative practices that empower residents to thrive and remain in their neighborhoods.
Research Report
The research report consists of a compilation of the extensive research that the Open Design team conducted over the course of the project. The intention is that it serves as a community data tool that can be resourced for various initiatives and efforts to revitalize the NEOKC community. This version also includes development and design recommendations for OCURA that were directly informed by the community.
Action Guide
The action guide is a condensed version of the research report and lays out recommendations for OCURA to further develop inclusive approaches to releasing properties, and for surrounding property owners to learn from.
Community Context
Throughout this project the Open Design team worked to prioritize the inclusion of Black voices that have been left out of and underrepresented in planning processes, including those who currently live in the focus area (So8th Residents). Additionally, space was created for individuals who currently live or are from NEOKC (NEOKC Community Members) and individuals who work to support the community (Allies).
Priority Themes
The community engagement process allowed for the Open Design team to deepen its understanding of the desires and concerns of focus area residents and NEOKC community members. As community members shared personal accounts of the area’s history, ranging from memories of living in a vibrant Black community to experiences of the area in decline, priority themes emerged that were translated into the master site plan and recommendations unfolded in the reports:
Black Culture:
Future development must connect with and bring visibility to the Black experience - historic, present, and future
Ownership and Agency:
Inclusive opportunities for past and current residence to have permanency and for residents to be included in ongoing decision making processes
Land Use/Density/Massing:
Restoring multimodal opportunities to strengthen connectivity internally to significant areas and assets, and externally to the greater OKC community
Connectivity:
Respecting the historic scale of the neighborhood while creating a diverse range of housing, commercial, and mixed use development and ownership opportunities
Ecology:
Eco-friendly strategies that protect the natural environment while strengthening resident access to communal and healing benefits of green space
