"In the heart of Indian Country": Indigenous urbanism in a settler-colonial city

Keywords: Indigenous urbanism, urban geography, human geography, inclusion, spatial production, planning and governance, settler colonialism,
Abstract Type: Paper Abstract

Abstract

Indigenous and urbanism are often not commonly used together in western planning circles. Indigenous urbanism has been practiced since time immemorial; in theory, it is an emerging term in settler-colonial countries. This new definition of Indigenous urbanism includes traditional and contemporary methods of spatial production and the presence of settlers, thus the need for the transformation of power and processes. Few have looked at the relationship between western planning and spatial production and Indigenous urbanism in the United States, but some research has been done in other settler-colonial countries. Therefore this study asks: Is Indigenous urbanism supported in the processes and outcomes associated with the production of urban space in a medium-sized plains City? Previous studies’ results are a mix of support and exclusion from space-making processes. But these studies occur in countries with more formalized recognition of Indigenous rights and sovereignty than the US. I employed qualitative semi-structured interviews with Indigenous inhabitants and city officials and map-marking techniques to investigate the relationship between settler-state place-making and Indigenous urbanism. Results from these interviews are analyzed using interpretation-focused coding and map marking compiled into a heat map. Results are forthcoming, though hypothesized results include: existing tension between Western planning processes and Indigenous inhabitants; Indigenous inhabitants are doing the majority of work to improve their quality of life; city officials rarely work with Indigenous people or consider their specific needs, though there are a few current positive partnerships; more opportunities for collaboration and self-determination in place-making are needed.