Join Deqah (host) as she sits down with guest, k. kennedy Whiters– a preservationist, registered architect, business owner, educator, writer, and founder of interdisciplinary firms wrkSHäp kiloWATT, studio kW Architecture + Preservation for an IRL chat about architecture, preservation, reparative action, and the power of language in shaping historical narratives. In addition to managing wrkSHäp kiloWATT and Studio kW, kennedy has founded historic preservation initiatives Beyond Integrity in (X), (un)Redact the Facts, and Black in Historic Preservation.

In this convo, Deqah and kennedy talk about their shared experience in a Columbia University studio co-taught by Whiters and Dr. Erica Avrami (and TA-ed by Deqah) about New York’s Tenderloin district and dive into kennedy’s “The Pledge to (un)Redact the Facts,” a framework that helps students and practitioners confront the ways grammar, narrative structure, and omission can obscure Black harm when writing about history.

This is a conversation about more than buildings. It is about repair, truth-telling and care.

Credits:

Hosted and produced by Deqah Hussein-Wetzel. Edited and mixed by Skyler Ficklin.

Urban Roots⁠ is brought to you by ⁠Urbanist Media⁠, a non-profit dedicated to preserving place through story. Please consider supporting us on ⁠Venmo⁠ or ⁠Paypal⁠.

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Hey friends! We’re bringing back Juneteenth programming—and this year, we want your input on topics! Choose between local Black Architects and Green Book sites!

Cast your vote at https://cinradio.org/juneteenth-special-programming-from-urbanist-media/ now through April 20th.

Since October 2023, the Ohio Department of Transportation and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet have advanced a new iteration of the Brent Spence Bridge Corridor Project, proposing to replace the existing bridge and expand capacity along I-71 and I-75.

In 2025, community engagement sessions in the West End (OH) and Covington (KY) were led by Hub + Weber in collaboration with the Devou Good Foundation's Greater Cincinnati Coalition for Transit and Sustainable Development, A Picture’s Worth, and Urbanist Media⁠ as part of a broader people-over-pavement initiative.

This audio piece, narrated by Deqah Hussein-Wetzel and produced by the Urban Roots podcast team (Deqah, Vanessa Quirk, and Connor Lynch), centers West End resident voices reflecting on the proposed highway expansion and envisioning more equitable transportation futures.

For more information, visit the Sustainable Cincy website.