Where did the idea for this project come from?

Note: One of the strategies I used to overcome feelings of overwhelm was to write my thoughts and ideas on large sheets of butcher paper. This specific image highlights a moment in my process where I was struggling to decide how to focus my attention. I had three main interests, Everyone Village (EOV), trauma-informed design, and the insidious studio culture of architecture education. Ultimately, I decided to tackle all three for my master’s project (though studio culture was a topic more indirectly addressed through my process).

I first learned about the importance of trauma-informed care when working with vulnerable populations of people while working in social services and education. Moved by the stories from individuals, the extensive research documenting the long-lasting impacts, and my own personal struggles living with trauma, I began to see how powerfully healing a trauma-informed approach could be.

But it wasn’t until I heard about trauma-informed design during my second year of grad school that I discovered it could be directly applied to my work as a landscape designer. As I began working with Everyone Village staff and previously unhoused individuals at an emerging transitional housing community in Eugene, I felt a responsibility to attend to more than the programmatic or site development needs. More importantly, I wanted to meet the needs of the people, plants, and animals connected to the village. I felt compelled to develop a trauma-informed process that placed human healing, health, and wellbeing as the top priority and to better understand how trauma shapes a resident’s needs.

However, it’s important to note that this project started as an opportunity for me to learn more about trauma and the impacts of trauma on my ability to perform in school. It allowed me space to reject the pervasive and competitive “studio culture” that permeates so many architecture-related fields of study. It was an opportunity for me to explore and learn about trauma for myself. It was radical to center my healing and wellness as a graduate student and to resist the hustle culture of my architecture program. In part, this project was an experiment to see if my work could be both healing and useful as a tool of research. And while some may disagree, I’ve found the relationships and experiences of this project to be richly rewarding, both for myself and my community.