Wood City

This project proposes a new framework for collective stewardship—one that reclaims power, autonomy, and agency by equipping residents with the tools to shape their own futures. Rooted in a bottom-up design strategy, the proposal links a historically displaced community in Vine City with Georgia’s abundant forest resources, creating a regenerative model of place-based development.



In response to ongoing displacement fueled by land speculation, media narratives, and the commodification of housing, the project rejects top-down development models. Instead, it champions community-driven action through the formation of the “Wood-City Co-op”—a resident-led cooperative. This co-op partners with local churches and grassroots organizations to provide skills training in woodcraft and construction, alongside temporary housing for those facing housing insecurity.



Through this cooperative structure, the community gains the capacity to acquire vacant lots and sustainably sourced lumber—both reclaimed and locally harvested. These resources fuel a local micro-industry of wood product manufacturing and the construction of new wood-frame homes. The co-op reinvests a portion of the revenue generated from product sales and rental income back into its own infrastructure, enabling the ongoing growth of a self-determined and economically resilient neighborhood.



Beyond building physical structures, the project cultivates an ecosystem of communal living, local production, and shared ownership. It reimagines land not as a commodity, but as a collective resource—fostering active relationships between people, materials, and place. The result is a model that resists extractive cycles and instead supports long-term community autonomy, environmental stewardship, and cultural continuity.



By harnessing vernacular industries and empowering residents as both makers and stakeholders, this project offers an alternative urban development strategy—one that is resilient, inclusive, and deeply rooted in the local context of Atlanta.