For over a decade there has been a national discussion on PlaceMaking. Among Indigenous people, the concept of PlaceMaking has not resonated nor has it accurately described the experience of their communities over time and space. PlaceKnowing is grounded in the idea that places have been inherited and that the role of community is to both acknowledge and sustain the meanings of culture and identity into the future. This process is characterized as 7 Generations planning and it acknowledges that the meaningful staging of events cannot be understood unless we first acknowledge the past, determining how it influences the present and is staged to inform and project into the future. Moreover, it restructures the conversation away from the notion that traditional knowledge has been lost, but that it has only been forgotten and can be reinstated when culturally appropriate. The weight of this understanding is critical for both planners and designers when they work with place-based Indigenous communities.

Dr. Ted Jojola with the University of New Mexico’s Indigenous Design and Planning Institute will give us a lecture on Indigenous Landscapes and Planning

Registration confirmation email will have the zoom information.