Architectures of Belonging: Ownership in NYC
Interview Series, Interview Visualization
Independent Research _ 2022-2023
Cambridge / NYC
Qualitative Researcher, Data Visualizer, Narrative Builder
Research funded by the Ennis Research Award at MIT SAP.
Architectures of Belonging: Ownership in NYC is an interview series with NYC residents that addresses questions surrounding self-identified belonging and the built environment. The research was particularly interested in how minority-identifying bodies foster a sense of belonging within environments designed for exclusivity. More generally, I was interested in how residents can grow feelings of ownership over spaces in the city.
In the summer of 2022, I conducted a series of interviews over Zoom, where I spoke with 16 participants who live or have lived in New York City to inquire about how they find belonging in public spaces. After digesting the interviews, I found that while the participants had various relationships with public space, many interviewees described a connection with a feeling of ownership to a local with a consistent point of return. Another interesting phenomenon was a connection with clear and unique spatial identifiers (e.g., a large sculpture or a unique piece of furniture) or environments in different parts of the city that have similar sensorial stimuli. Almost all participants felt on guard while waiting in the subway.
The featured interview is with longtime NYC resident Cecley Hill.