The Africatown International Design Idea Competition

Africatown, Alabama, USA.

What once was an African town– is now an African/American descendant neighborhood-a truly unique American settlement, in poor repair threatened by generations of benign neglect…

Since the Alabama Historic Commission's sensational announcement in May 2019 that Clotilda, the last known slave ship, was discovered in Mobile River delta, this 160 year old historic settlement was "rediscovered." Now, Africatown is an important CULTURAL heritage site whose cultural assets must be saved just as much as the remnants of the slave ship. Descendants of the Clotilda Africans and Africatown residents hope the Clotilda Discovery leads to the kind of cultural heritage tourism that becomes a major driver of economic activity and spurs the regeneration of their historic community.

Africatown is the only 19th century settlement built by Africans in America after the Civil War.

The Competition purpose is TO ESTABLISH THE AFRICATOWN CULTURAL MILE: 

CONSISTING OF THE DESIGN OF 4 SITES AND 16 VENUES THAT TRANSFORM AFRICATOWN AND THE AFRICATOWN STORY INTO A FIRST-CLASS WORLD CULTURAL HERITAGE DESTINATION EXPERIENCE,CAPABLE OF GENERATING TOURISM REVENUES FROM THE LAST SLAVE SHIP CLOTILDA DISCOVERY--TO REGENERATE AFRICATOWN BEYOND ITS EVER-SHRINKING NATIONAL HISTORIC DISTRICT. SPONSORS MOVE CDC, STUDIOROTAN, AIA, NOMA

https://africatowndesign.com