Our heartfelt congratulations to Keli’i Kapali, DArch 2021 – recipient of the Hawai‘i Chapter American Planning Association “Student Project Award”– for her DArch project “Indigenizing Urban Spaces”.
The annual awards are given to recognize individuals, communities, private organizations, public agencies, and professional planning and design
firms whose work exemplifies the planning profession’s highest goals and ideals. Award nominations were reviewed and winners selected by a jury of professional planners from the APA Hawai‘i Chapter.
From the Jury Panel:
“Indigenizing Urban Spaces by Tammy Keli‘i Kapali proposes an innovative planning and design framework to rethink urban spaces through an indigenous lens and a whole systems approach. By exploring the underlying patterns and histories of places in Mō‘ili‘ili, it reveals the potential for a new urban typology that merges Hawaiian indigenous design with the large urban area. The proposed design competition provides a potential to expand the typology, transfer the approach, and catalyze incremental changes.”
Project Description:
Urban Hoa‘aina is a new urban typology that is in service to Indigenous design and perspectives for a more inclusive city. Urban Hoa‘aina coordinates a suite of planning and design mechanisms for Indigenizing urban spaces including reforming existing structures that are no longer useful, designating an Indigenous urban land use zone, innovating for cultural infrastructure without causing environmental harm, and fostering connections to people and place for continued community engagement and social cohesion.
DArch Advising Committee:
Karla Sierralta, Associate Professor, School of Architecture (chair)
Konia Freitas, Associate Specialist at the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies
Kuha‘o Zane, Creative Director of Sig Zane Designs and Sig Zane Kaiao
