FESTIVALS FORMING FUTURES

FESTIVALS AS TEMPORARY INTERVENTIONS TO PROPOSE PERMANANT INFRASTRUCTURES

Chinatown has a history of always being threatened by many developments, from expressways to current gentrification. The community of Chinatown has had a long history of fighting for their communal spaces. From an expressway threatening to dissect the community to multiple developments, the area has survived so far because of its community of activists. There are various issues threatening the existence of Chinatown today which must be addressed so that this prominent area of Philadelphia remains one where the Chinatown community can thrive and grow without fear. There is no question that Chinatown’s history reflects a decade of community fighting tooth and nail for its own survival. In this project, we are proposing to use this existing protest culture, to protect their own space and the create the equity future they’ve dreamt of. Moreover, Chinatown is also famous for its vibrant cultural festivals, thus the activism culture and the rich Asian festival culture together would as a catalyst to drive this project. These festivals aim to represent different issues to highlight what the community needs as their permanent infrastructures. Being away from their home countries means it is the community’s responsibility to preserve their culture and tradition for the next generation, so they won’t forget their own roots. Many Chinese & Asian communities emerged to preserve their culture in Chinatown. Festivals are also one of the main attractions to get people into Chinatown and this means it is an excellent opportunity for the community engagement, voices, and activism. Our proposal uses the history of the activism of the Chinatown community through the methodology of using different festivals to tackle the issues faced by the community. These festivities aim to highlight and address the needs of the people for the upliftment and development of the whole community.

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