EDUCATOR
College Park, MD, USA
Restorative Justice in Lakeland
EDUCATOR
College Park, MD, USA
Restorative Justice in Lakeland
Project Team
Clara Irazábal
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Visioning Lakeland is a Planning Studio project that partners with Lakeland residents to advance restorative justice and a just future for a historically African American neighborhood in College Park, MD, USA.
Overview
Visioning Lakeland is a Studio project that partners with Lakeland residents, the diaspora, and local institutions to advance restorative justice and a just future for this historically African American neighborhood in College Park, MD, USA. Building on community engagement, we centered community stories, assets, and priorities to shape education- and community-led strategies that strengthen belonging, opportunity, and cultural pride. Proposed actions include transforming the school into a welcoming community hub with culturally sustaining, project-based learning; family programming; and pathways to internships, mentoring, and youth leadership. The project also envisions an interactive living-history museum and digital archive—co-created with residents—to preserve, interpret, and share Lakeland’s legacy.
Institution
University of Maryland, College Park
School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Community Organization
Lakeland residents and diaspora, City of College Park Department of Planning & Community Development, and University of Maryland Urban Studies and Planning faculty and students. — College Park, MD, USA
Additional Team Members
Hannah Cameron and Bi’Anncha Andrews
Community Engagement
Community engagement centered on Lakeland residents and the diaspora through community events and conversations that elevated stories, assets, and priorities. Their input shaped planning proposals and community strategies—grounding recommendations in lived experience, cultural legacy, and locally defined goals.
Partners
Lakeland residents and diaspora
City of College Park Department of Planning & Community Development
University of Maryland Urban Studies and Planning faculty and students
Contact
References
- “Visioning Lakeland: Restorative Justice through Scenario Planning” 2023 DRUM files
- Scenario Planning for Restorative Justice in Lakeland, 2022 DRUM files
- Irazábal, C., B. Andrews, J.M. Braxton, M. Gross. “Decolonizing Planning Studio Pedagogy: Grappling with Tensions and Dissonances.” In B. Sletto, T. Winkle, and E. Huq (eds.), Decolonizing Planning: Process and Knowledge in the Informal City. Decolonizing Research Series. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2025, 227-247.
