From Root Shock to Urban Alchemy: The (Re)making of Urban Space through the Lens of Black Older Women

Abstract

Historically Black communities are frequently depicted as victims of urban conditions. However, a rich tradition of placemaking, placekeeping, and community care, often led and stewarded by Black women, exists. Drawing from theories that name macrosystems that contribute to the fracturing and disruption of urban Black communities (e.g.'root shock'), and strategies that attempt to heal and redress these processes (e.g. 'urban alchemy'), this paper examines the (re)making of place through the lens of Black older women living in lower-income, urban neighbourhoods.