Studio KIN is BlackSpace’s bi-annual accelerator program designed to empower urbanist ventures fostering more equitable and inclusive urban landscapes in Black spaces.

Applications for the Studio KIN pilot cohort will open on November 12th and close 11:59pm EST January 12th.

The program is a 12-month long hybrid program with virtual and in-person commitments. The program will run from May 2025 – May 2026.

Sign up for our interest list here

Yes, we will accept applications from businesses of all ages. However, we will prioritize businesses that are 3-5 years old.

We encourage all businesses that contribute to the improvement of our community to apply. Apply if your business may provide products or services that enhance public spaces, promote sustainability, or foster community engagement.

An urbanist product or service is a solution that improves the quality of life for community members within a specific neighborhood or city. This could include:

• Physical improvements: Architecture, urban planning, landscape design, or public art projects that enhance public spaces.
• Community engagement: Programs or initiatives that foster connections between people and their neighborhoods, such as community gardens, neighborhood associations, or cultural events.
• Environmental sustainability: Products or services that promote eco-friendly practices, such as green building materials, renewable energy solutions, or sustainable transportation options.
• Social impact: Businesses that address social issues, such as affordable housing, job training, or healthcare access.

Urbanist business meaning your business is providing place-based solutions benefiting residents, businesses and/or community members. These include but are not limited to:

• Architecture
• Landscape Architecture
• Interior design
• Urban Design
• Public Art
• Product Design
• Community Engagement / facilitation
• Environmental Conservation
• Historic Preservation

• Ventures that are a legally established business entity that has brought at least 1 urbanism related product and/or service already to market. 
• Ventures operating within the BlackSpace Cousin network including Chicago, New York City, Indianapolis and the state of Oklahoma.
• Selected leadership representative’s experience must demonstrate a strong familiarity of Black/African diasporic lived experiences demonstrated by successful delivery of at least 3 urbanist related products or services throughout their career.   
• Ventures should be established entities that have launched their products/services to the public market 
• Ventures aligned with the BlackSpace vision and mission

Unfortunately for our pilot year we cannot invite fiscally-sponsored organizations to apply, but we will keep that organization status in mind for future years as we grow.

May 2025 – May 2026

Participation modes will vary over the 12 months but include: virtual monthly group learning sessions and 1:1s, along with quarterly in-person small or full group gatherings.
First in-person full group gathering will be May 2-4, 2025 in Oklahoma City, OK. Full schedule with dates will be released with offers in March 2025.

You may have one leadership representative participate in the program, selected participants must be able to commit to the full year. Please only submit one application per company.

Program session formats will include guest speakers with Q&A, interactive panels and workshops, small group discussions, 1:1 conversations.

The program is hybrid. Virtual sessions will take place virtually via Zoom, see below for in-person components.

The 12 months hybrid programming includes:

• Business Development Trainings (virtual and in-person) 
• Service and Product Development Coaching (virtual and in-person)  
• National Weekend Intensives (in-person) 
• Local Community Gatherings (in-person) 
• $5000 Philanthropic Micro-Grant (for business) 
• Pitch Event at our annual Collective Convening 
  • with a chance to win up to $15,000 in cash/in-kind prizes 

TBD, we will announce the open application period on our website and socials.

The Collective includes an active board circle, hired support, alumni, and affiliate groups we affectionately call Cousins. Together, we’re able to bring the core principles of the BlackSpace Manifesto to life and grow our vision.

All Collective circles are represented on our board and use a consensus model to make decisions about how the organization cultivates our time, talent, and treasure.

Our ecosystem is ever-evolving and we work with neighborhood partners, our Slack community, BlackSpace alumni, Black brands and vendors, and many others! We’d love to meet you!

“Cousins” is our nickname for nationally affiliated BlackSpace groups. Formally speaking, they’re autonomous entities that create local gatherings, events, and artifacts that explore Black urbanism aligned with the Manifesto. In short, “affiliates” is their “government name,” but to us, they’re our Cousins.

We find that a general term like “urbanist” helps our group unify across people working or passionate about urban infrastructures, public systems, or the built environments around us. Some of the folks in BlackSpace are: architects, designers, artists, planners, and more. And no, we don’t only work in cities. We work in neighborhoods, towns, buildings, etc., that invite our collaboration. As Black urbanists, we explore ways to preserve and amplify Black culture in built environments regardless of profession or location.

Within each of our work pillars (Urbanist Experiences, Neighborhood Strategy, and Customized Learning) we co-create bespoke projects based on how it meets our goals to acknowledge and amplify Black spaces. Things we’ve done in the past include memory mapping, building re-design, lectures, walking tours, design workshops, celebrations, and more.

Absolutely! You can subscribe to it via the sign-up in the website footer or via the link below. You can also stay up to date on our progress by following us on social media. We’re active on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.

The BlackSpace NWSLTR is a quarterly feature of original content for Black urbanists! The NWSLTR will produce and disseminate Black intellectual thought on issues including (but not limited to) urban design, planning, the arts, architecture, landscape architecture, and community development.

Our alumni are past organizers with BlackSpace. Their institutional knowledge and backgrounds in various urbanist fields enable them to cheerlead our growth from any platform, even after their time in the Collective.

Afiya Wilkins, Ajamu Brown, Aldea Coleman, Amina Hassen, Ashley Dickens Oso, Beryl Briane Ford, Breanna Robles, Brittney Drakeford, Brysan Brown, Camille Applewhite, Cheria Caldwell, Christina Harris, Christina Beatty, Christopher Rice, Corey Henry, Danicia Malone, Ethan Lassiter, Etienne Jackson, Euneika Rogers-Sipp, Ifeoma Ebo, Gina Sofola, Jasmine Graves, Jenneh Kaikai, Jennifer Allen, Jessica Smith-Peterson, Joyous Pierce, Joshua Broadway, Justin Garrett Moore,  Justine Johnson, Kethia Joseph, Krystin Hence, Kyra Assibey-Bonsu, Laurel Brown, Ladipo Famodu, Lillian Webb, Michael Williams, Nathalie Jolivert, Natt Slober, Nicholas Forest, Nick Forest, Nmadili Okwumabua, Quardean Lewis-Allen, Rafael Smith, Rasheed Lucus, Ron Romi Morrison, Rosanna Valencia, Shady Radical, Shawn Whitehorn, Dr. Sophonie Joseph, Tawkiyah Jordan, Ujijji Davis Williams, Walter Cruz

If you identify as a Black urbanist, you can sign up to join the Slack via the link below. We ask our co-conspirators who do not identify as Black to help us curate a safe virtual space by not joining the Slack community. We invite you to sign up for our newsletter via the Contact Us page and follow us on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter to keep in touch.

  I identify as a black urbanist

Join our slack

Our board members largely have a longstanding relationship with us and are chosen by the Collective. If you or someone you know is interested in starting a conversation with BlackSpace about joining the board, please reach out via the Contact Us page to start a conversation.

We’re looking for folks looking to grow their urbanist practices and who have flexible time to dedicate to projects and workshops. Visit the Contact Us page and choose “Become a Project Partner” from the dropdown menu to start the conversation.

We’re a small team that’s constantly growing! We’re regularly looking for full-time and contract support. Our open positions are announced in our newsletter and social media accounts.

Visit the Contact Us page and choose “Start or join a Cousin group” from the dropdown menu to start the conversation.

Visit the Contact Us page and choose “Book a workshop” from the dropdown menu to start the conversation. Sharing which workshop(s) you like, estimated group size, and timeline helps us meet you where you are!

We partner with non-profits, community groups, universities, and more on events and special projects. Visit the Contact Us page and choose either “Collaborate on a neighborhood strategy project” or “Collaborate on an urbanist experiences event” from the dropdown menu to start the conversation.

Donations are a big part of how we fund our staffing, programming, and general operations.

For all media requests, visit the Contact Us page and choose “Press” from the dropdown menu.

Visit the “Contact Us” page to speak with us directly. And of course, if you identify as a Black urbanist, you can sign-up to join our Slack community.

Participating in a Customized Learning workshop is a great way to work with us and deeply explore practical applications of the Manifesto’s teachings. Urbanists of all identities are welcome to explore our workshop offerings. We also encourage non-Black folks to donate or follow us on social media and subscribe to our newsletter to stay in touch with what we’re up to.

Visit our Donation page or use the Contact Us form to find out how to send a check.

We use donations to hire staff and contractors as well as expand our programming and operational capacity. While the board and Cousins are strong and mighty, they all work on a volunteer basis. Your support helps build our organization and are tax deductible!

We encourage you to use the Manifesto in all of your work and relationships. The 14 principles took a year to to craft so, to honor the collective work, we ask that BlackSpace is credited or cited. And we’d love to hear how you used the Manifesto in the link below!

Yes! We are a federally recognized 501(c)3 organization (EIN: 83-4620589) and registered NY State Charity!

Go to “Who We Are” at the top of the page. You can filter profiles based on city and their role in the Collective.

The 14 principles are featured on our Homepage and in the footer of all our pages. Get the full Manifesto via the link below.

The “Who We Are” page links out to each Cousin page. Each city has their own page with its history, current projects, organizers, and more.

Get the downloadable report via the link below. We also provide the link in the footer of all our pages.