Planning In Negative Spaces
At their core, planners and designers are problem-solvers. They fix things and try to find solutions to problems within spaces. One problem they often try to fix is emptiness, working under the mindset that unused space is wasted space. Because of this mindset, planners and designers love to maximize every part of a space.
In school and in practice, planners and designers are trained to activate, revitalize, program, and beautify places considered empty or that have wasted value. However, spaces are never truly empty: they can hold good memories, intimate moments, and generational connections. But some spaces hold trauma. Activating these places too soon can erase what happened and make it harder for people to heal.
When it does come time to design and plan within these sensitive areas, it is important that we approach them in a trauma-informed way.
Defining Negative Spaces
What happens to the places we would rather not talk about?
Often, these are considered “negative spaces.” While they may not be physically empty or negative, they are defined by social or emotional attachments: loss, harm, silence, or things that are missing. They are often forgotten, ignored, or misunderstood, and they are not easily visible on a map or within a dataset. The people that are most connected and affected by these sites may not speak publicly, resulting in them being overlooked or misinterpreted during a typical engagement.
Sometimes, the most respectful way to go about these spaces is to plan for absence and leave room to breathe. As planners and designers, an important lesson that needs to be learned is when to take a step back. Choosing to leave something empty, like not building, not drawing attention to a site, or choosing not to activate a space, is a real decision that planners can make. Emptiness does not always have to be a problem.
When Action Is Necessary
What do we do when we still have to plan and design within these spaces?
In many cases, leaving a space alone is not always possible or wanted. This can be for a number of reasons, such as safety, memorialization, or community needs and wants. When it does come time to work in these areas, it is important that we approach them in a trauma-informed way:
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Listen first: Do not begin conversations with an immediate solution in mind. Be prepared, but arrive with an open mind and listen closely to what the community is saying.
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Let people choose how and if they participate: Offer a diverse range of engagement options that allow people the option to participate in a group or privately. People should be able to opt out at any time without any reason, besides the fact they do not want to participate anymore.
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Be transparent and do not over-promise: In a perfect world, we would be able to offer anything. However, our abilities and scope can have limits. Be honest with people about constraints, as trust is very easy to lose when people feel like they are just being consulted for show.
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Prioritize cultural safety: Spaces and processes should respect and reflect the values, histories, and identities of the people that are involved and affected.
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Be aware of existing relationships: Sometimes there are power dynamics or prior interactions that should be acknowledged. It is important to be aware of the community’s history and avoid repeating harmful patterns, creating more hurt, or causing trauma.
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Follow the community’s timeline: Healing does not follow a linear path, nor does it run on a project schedule. Move at the community’s pace, taking a step back or pausing when necessary.
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Support your team: This approach should extend to the project team as well. The stories that are shared can be heavy, so debriefing and ensuring your team feels supported should be part of the process.