EMPOW{HER}: Architecture as a Tool for Healing, Dignity, and Collective Power in Underserved Communities

This thesis investigates the role of architecture as a catalyst for empowerment, healing, and social transformation within underserved communities, with a specific focus on the lived experiences of Black women. Empow(her) centers Black women as co-victims — individuals who are often forced to carry the emotional and economic weight of losing loved ones to gun violence, a crisis perpetuated by systemic neglect and ineffective gun legislation. These women, frequently overlooked in policy and design conversations, navigate generational trauma in environments that fail to support their healing or acknowledge their pain. Through the lens of feminist, trauma-informed, and justice-oriented design, this work reimagines the built environment as a vehicle for dignity, safety, and collective power. It critiques institutional frameworks that have historically excluded or harmed Black communities, and instead proposes spatial interventions that uplift Black women’s voices, needs, and resilience. Grounded in precedent analysis, community narratives, and critical spatial theory, the design proposal introduces a community-centered hub — a space for healing, support services, cultural expression, and civic empowerment. By positioning Black women not only as survivors but as agents of change, this thesis affirms the power of architecture to restore, resist, and reimagine futures shaped by justice and care.