Learn the history of Black homeownership, map local needs, and organize toward policy and partnership. Move from questions to early actions with a cohort of congregations.
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Co-design early site concepts for your property alongside faculty and student teams. Shareable visuals help your board and partners see what’s possible.
Start your plan
Translate learning into a funding-ready strategy: goals, governance, phasing, partnerships, and a pitch deck. Use it to brief donors, civic partners, and technical teams.
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Co-design early site concepts for your property alongside faculty and student teams. Shareable visuals help your board and partners see what’s possible.
Explore the workThrough a multi-year partnership with the University of Washington and student leaders, the Nehemiah Studio invites students to co-create community-centered development models rooted in land justice, faith, and legacy.
Each studio brings together faculty, church partners, and emerging leaders to explore how Black church-owned land can be reimagined as a source of housing, healing, and generational stability.
Each studio centers the lived experience of Black churches, prioritizing design that serves placekeeping and spiritual purpose.
Rather than speculative development, our studios imagine land use as a tool for collective care, economic inclusion, and dignity.
Our work draws on the Black faith tradition to shape strategies that are restorative, ethical, and driven by vision, not extraction.
We train students to become practitioners who design with community, not for it — transforming the future of planning and real estate.
“The work of the studio provides real value to the
community by presenting visions for future
development that meet the needs of the currently
community, building on the social and physical
assets, and anticipate a vibrant future.
We trained students to be aware of how their cultural
mindsets affected the way that they listened to and
perceived the needs of the church leaders and others
who visited the classroom. ”
Graduate students collaborated with local congregations to develop stakeholder engagement strategies that elevate community voice in land-use planning.
Instructed by Branden Born, Urban Design and Planning
Students from urban planning, architecture, and real estate co-developed conceptual site plans with church partners, rooted in cultural identity and community priorities.
Instructed by Rachel Berney - Urban Design and Planning, Donald King - Architecture, and Al Levine - Real Estate
Focused on designing meeting formats and materials to support participatory decision-making with Black churches navigating early-stage development.
Instructed by Branden Born, Urban Design and Planning
Students conducted site analysis on active church properties to assess feasibility and contextual needs for community-centered development.
Instructed by Ann Marie Borys, Architecture
The first interdisciplinary studio explored place-based strategies for resisting displacement and restoring land-based power within Black faith communities.
Instructed by Rachel Berney - Urban Design and Planning, Donald King - Architecture, and Al Levine - Real Estate
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