Urbanist Media Information

Our mission is to elevate underrepresented voices and ensure the places significant to them are preserved. Because of decades of top-down, systemic, and racist decisions, communities of color have lost many of the physical assets that were/are meaningful to them. Saving those places matters. However, if #preservation only considers the physical buildings that remain, we perpetuate the injustices that attempted to erase these communities. We must also value, and preserve, the intangible stories of the #people and #places these communities hold dear. Why? History is a springboard for the future: it informs how people shape policies, programs, and development in their communities — it enables them to offset the inequities of the past and set up people to thrive. We call this approach preservation-based economic development. At Urbanist Media, we're sharing the histories of the past, tangible and intangible, and highlighting the people who are today using history to create a more equitable future. We produce the Urban Roots podcast, Queens of Queens City blog, create educational resources, and offer preservation services at a sliding scale. Learn more at urbanistmedia.org.