There would be homes and industry surrounded by trees, hills and lakes. Above all, there would be no prejudice, poverty or slums, according to a Soul City brochure...Despite its name, Soul City was never intended to be an all-black town, but rather, a multi-racial community built and managed by black people.
[But] Portions of the area resemble a ghost town, rotting – or perhaps waiting. Could Soul City ever be resurrected?
— The Guardian
Read up on the rise and halt of Soul City, a suburb that attorney and civil rights activist Floyd McKissick envisioned for North Carolina's Warren County in the late 1960s-70s.
More on Archinect:
"Quintessential America" at play in the Museum of African American History and Culture
For Libertarian Utopia, Float Away on ‘Startup’ Nation
How one urban planner is helping revamp a Miami suburb "without gentrification"
2 Comments
99% Invisible did a show on Soul City that i just listened to this weekend. it's heartbreaking, and fascinating to me that in all my urban design history classes it was never covered.
http://99percentinvisible.org/episode/soul-city/
Donna, I think this project has been marginalized in a manner similar to what Aaron Betsky was describing with respect to sexual preference and space. The implicit and explicit politics are somehow seen as counter or abnormal, allowing it to be considered to as not relevant.
Block this user
Are you sure you want to block this user and hide all related comments throughout the site?
Archinect
This is your first comment on Archinect. Your comment will be visible once approved.