Society. Spaces. Screens

Abstract

The space and environment in which the Latinx and Hispanic community in Memphis, Tennessee, reside have an absence of ‘character.’ The literature review indicated that character is the intersection of culture and programmatic spaces suitable for a particular population’s needs. In addition, the literature review stipulates that the assets and values needed to develop a sense of community and belonging are informed by a built environment that affords an atmosphere of inclusiveness and safe cultural demonstration. The existing rhetoric of the migrant Hispanic and Latinx communities has caused a reverberating fear through the population, choosing to stay hidden or invisible in a nation recognized through centuries as a melting pot. In Memphis, this is gradually affecting the identity and the exposition of the Latinx culture with the risk of negatively impacting future generations of these migrants. This also influences the neglect of the community in a symbiotic system, where the community also neglects its built environment. As a result, it creates a philosophical dilemma: is the lack of suitable infrastructure because the community would not use it out of fear, or would they not use it because those spaces for shared values do not exist? This deepens the conflict of belonging, identity, and being proud of their heritage. This research uses mixed methods of analysis for data collection, aiming to understand an approach to infrastructure that maintains the cultural identity represented in the city while providing a sense of belonging and safety.