Neutral Ground

In October 2010, students from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee School of Architecture & Urban Planning visited New Orleans as part of the Learning From New Orleans: An Integrated Research Studio course. The purpose of the trip was to conduct interviews and field research in order to better understand the socio-cultural implications of the city & its unique circumstance following the disastrous events of Hurricane Katrina – with a focus on the Lower 9th Ward. Observations made during the trip were compiled with research data that was collected throughout the semester and translated into a student-driven design project that kept a theoretical framework around issues of social justice. The following body of work represents a collection of our work that was done for this studio course. We begin with a brief overview of historical research and cultural precedents, and end with a design proposal (Neutral Ground) that, for us, was initiated by residents’ desires to expand upon an existing memorial.