Around 30 residents, youth and community leaders came together on Saturday, July 12 for a powerful conversation about the future of Austin’s Central Avenue and its Creating Space location, sharing ideas and concerns as momentum builds to transform the corridor into a thriving, people-centered destination.
Hosted by Territory, a youth-based design studio in Austin, the community conversation featured discussions on public art, placemaking, cultural identity and land ownership, offering neighbors a chance to help shape ongoing redevelopment efforts for Creating Space, a public art display in an empty lot across from the former Pink House at 557 N. Central Ave.
Creating Space was developed by Territory to transform a formerly troubled lot into a community-driven art and gathering space that reflects neighborhood voices and addresses issues of safety, identity and ownership. Creating Space officially opened last Oct. 12.
The conversations began with Territory addressing a letter that was written by a group of residents expressing the unintended consequences of Territory’s mini-park activation.
In the letter, it supported Territory’s mission and stated that the current setup had become a hotspot for drug activity, sex work and loitering by registered sex offenders, endangering youth and families. The letter called for the removal of the mini-park, proposing a youth-designed community garden in its place and greater collaboration on long-term safety and land use solutions.
After discussing the letter, Dr. L. David Stewart, Territory’s director of design practice, led a panel and a discussion with community members.
Panelists included 15th District Officers Michelle Williams and Jill Camplegi; artist and Austin resident Vanessa Stokes; La’Shawna Bundy, Austin Coming Together’s land trust coordinator; and Jenna Pollack, a consultant who has been working with the Oak Park Regional Housing Center on building community land trusts in West Cook County.
The panel aimed to address concerns raised by residents about recent developments at Territory’s art garden and broader issues along Central Avenue.
Stewart referenced American singer-songwriter Erykah Badu’s quote, “I’m an artist and I’m sensitive about my ish,” to highlight Territory’s protective stance toward the youth’s creative work and the care they put into the project.
“But in community design, you can’t be sensitive because it involves everybody,” Stewart said.
When Stewart asked what their initial thoughts were upon hearing the letter, the panelists responded adding in their own perspective from their backgrounds.
“(The letter) is making people in the community feel heard, or at least like they have a voice in the matter. Even if they don’t necessarily like it, it’s sparking something within them,” Bundy said.
For Pollack, the letter feels like the visible part of the iceberg, while beneath the surface lies a much larger conversation about systems of care, support, and community.
“How are we acknowledging the ecosystem of concerns and issues at play — not just the symptoms or what’s visible on the surface? It feels clear to me that we’re calling for a deeper reflection on that broader ecosystem, the larger system at work,” Pollack said.
When it was time for open discussion, participants grappled with tensions between community concerns about crime and the desire to avoid exclusionary practices like fencing, which may send harmful messages.
Sid Zulani, a member of the audience, spoke and stated that instead of broadly discussing “crime,” he suggested reframing the issue by distinguishing between people causing harm and those being harmed. His proposed focus was to shift from reducing crime to reducing harm.
“Territory is the only design firm in Austin. We can’t do this work without the community. I know the work is valued and appreciated. How can we make it better for the community? We need to learn who the community is,” Stewart said.
