Using Socio Spatial Practices to Create the Citizen Architect
Authors:   Ferris State University, O'Connor Kate , Pannone Michelle ,   Marywood University
Published: August 2024

The community of Idlewild, located in Yates Township, Michigan, United States, possesses a significant history as the largest historic African American resort community created during the Jim Crow Era. Established in 1912, it thrived for more than fifty years but declined in 1964, with the passing of the Civil Rights Act. Listed in the Green Book, the historical impor¬tance of Idlewild was recognized at the time as a safe space for African Americans to vacation during the segregation era. At a time when African Americans were systematically pushed to the margins of society, Idlewild was viewed as a place where the luminaries of the black community could safely gather and discuss issues of vital collective interest. With a history of vacillation, today, Idlewild is experiencing a measured resur¬gence in its re-population. and has begun to revitalize, with a new influx of full-time residents. These citizens are moving to Idlewild looking for work-life balance in a rural context as a result of societal factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the Black Lives Matters Movement and most importantly, seeking residency in a historically safe African American community. Notably, this incoming population resides within infrastruc¬ture that was originally designated for seasonal residents, resulting in a new set of needs for community sustainment. The community’s current needs are twofold: first, significant changes to the system that support full-time residents and second, progress that will respect and revive the historical origins of Idlewild. As an African American community discrim¬inatory infrastructure impedes the ability of the community to thrive, and prevents the support required for a robust quality of life. Local systemic change is required, beginning primarily at the township level. Significant concerns include rural tourism, worker retention, cooperative economics, and local living, among other considerations. Recognizing the need to rectify these burgeoning issues, the Yates Township Board approved the pursuit of development of a Strategic Plan. Overarching Outcomes of the approved Strategic Plan were twofold: first, the township grows strate¬gically with prosperity impacting the township’s year-round residents and tourism, and second, the township celebrates and promotes Idlewild as a nationally historic African American cultural community. This paper will focus on the process and introduce the projects of the Ferris State University fourth-year Small Town Studio as they worked with stakeholders in the Idlewild community and aligned their designs with the needs of the client and the newly Overarching Outcomes implemented in the Strategic Plan. This studio is designed to address challenges that archi¬tects face in the field in its social and environmental context. Students research and analyze existing conditions and client needs, define project requirements, and develop macro-level schematic solutions based on input and feedback of a client community. Emphasis is placed on the analysis, process, and synthesis of architectural problems and their solutions.