Hidden In Plain Site - Episode Seven - "Limitless" - Mike Ford
Michael Ford, known as the "Hip-Hop Architect,” is an architect, designer, educator, and keynote speaker whose years of research, publications, and lectures seek to fuse his two passions, hip-hop culture and architecture. In hip-hop architecture, Mike provides an alternative to the western canon in architecture and urban theory. This model not only celebrates diversity but also appeals to young people of color, encouraging them to join the profession and think critically about the built environment they live in.
Mike was born and raised in Highland Park, Michigan, a city within Detroit, and is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy. He’s a professor in the architecture program at Madison College, founder of BrandNu Design, a full-service architecture, design, and research firm, and founder of The Hip Hop Architecture Camp®, a week-long intensive experience designed to empower underrepresented youth to explore and excel in the fields of architecture, urban planning, and creative placemaking through the lens of hip hop culture. The Camp has operated in cities across the U.S. and internationally.
Mike was born and raised in Highland Park, Michigan, a city within Detroit, and is a graduate of the University of Detroit Mercy. He’s a professor in the architecture program at Madison College, founder of BrandNu Design, a full-service architecture, design, and research firm, and founder of The Hip Hop Architecture Camp®, a week-long intensive experience designed to empower underrepresented youth to explore and excel in the fields of architecture, urban planning, and creative placemaking through the lens of hip hop culture. The Camp has operated in cities across the U.S. and internationally.
Detroit City of Design Spotlight
Hamtramck, Michigan
Albert Kahn (architect)
Celebrate Fat Tuesday with Paczkis
Detroit Stars (Negro League Baseball)
Hamtramck Recreation District Plan
20th Century Civil Rights Sites (Michigan)
Henry Ford, Ford Motor Co.
Model T Ford Plant - Highland Park
Davison Freeway - First modern urban freewayShow Topic Notes:
OWN Super Soul Sunday
Hip Hop Architecture: The Post Occupancy Report of Modernism (TEDxMadison)
Did you know there are only 10 licensed Black Architects in The State of Wisconsin? As President of the Wisconsin Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects, Mike Ford's goal was to increase the visibility of these architects while also increasing the number of Black architects in the State of Wisconsin.
- Marion Clendenen- Acosta
- George Edwards
- Abdelweli Elmi
- Michael Ford
- Daniel Inyang
- Anina Mbilinyi
- Isaac Menyoli, AIA, NCARB, LEED
- Chitani Ndisale
- Nicholas Hans Robinson, AIA, NCARB
- Walter Wilson