Three buildings have survived from Weeksville, despite being located in bustling Brooklyn. A $32 million museum and community center will open next summer at the site.
The site is located along the historic Hunterfly Road, a trading route established by the Dutch over 300 years ago. The surviving houses have been restored to reflect different eras of the community.
From the museum's History page:
"In 1838, just eleven years after the abolition of slavery in New York, James Weeks, a free African American, purchased land on the edge of the settled areas of Brooklyn. This purchase marked the establishment of Weeksville, a village of free African Americans – laborers, laundresses, craftsmen, doctors, entrepreneurs and professionals – who worked and thrived in New York throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. A vibrant and self-sufficient community, Weeksville's residents established schools, an orphanage, an elderly home, churches, benevolent associations, newspapers, and participated in anti-slavery activities."
Fast Company reports that officials wanted the site to be more than a museum:
"New York City regulators wanted the new Weeksville to be current -- to give the area green space and a cultural, artistic hub."
"The center hosts concerts in the yard behind the houses and local children grow organic vegetables in the lot's small garden."
FULL STORY: A Time Capsule of Black History, Rediscovered and Preserved in New York
Preserving Fort Worth’s Historic Black Settlements
Communities dating back to the 1830s are under threat from development, pollution, and zoning regulations.
Georgia Partnership Seeks to Boost Clean Transportation in Black Communities
The Electric Black Future initiative seeks to address historic disparities in transportation, energy, and technology workforce by helping Black communities in three Georgia cities shape their e-mobility futures.
Climate Justice Advocate Named One of TIME's Women of the Year
Jacqueline Patterson has dedicated her career to intersectional approaches to systems change and social and environmental justice.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Canada vs. Kamala: Whose Liberal Housing Platform Comes Out on Top?
As Canada votes for a new Prime Minister, what can America learn from the leading liberal candidate of its neighbor to the north?
The Five Most-Changed American Cities
A ranking of population change, home values, and jobs highlights the nation’s most dynamic and most stagnant regions.
San Diego Adopts First Mobility Master Plan
The plan provides a comprehensive framework for making San Diego’s transportation network more multimodal, accessible, and sustainable.
Housing, Supportive Service Providers Brace for Federal Cuts
Organizations that provide housing assistance are tightening their purse strings and making plans for maintaining operations if federal funding dries up.
Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
An outdated rail network that privileges freight won’t be fixed by privatizing Amtrak.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions