Healing Space in a Divided City
This conceptual video explores Kintsugi Park, a design proposal that transforms a fractured urban landscape into a place of healing, reflection, and community. Set beneath the I-5 underpass in Seattle's Chinatown-International District, the project reclaims a site scarred by decades of racist federal transportation policy—policies that divided and displaced historically Black, Asian, and immigrant communities.
Drawing inspiration from the Japanese art of kintsugi—the practice of repairing broken pottery with gold—the park’s design turns wounds into beauty. Layered terraces, reflective water elements, and LED-wrapped bridge columns create a living monument to resilience. The space connects Little Saigon and the International District, offering refuge, visibility, and a platform for storytelling, digital art, and cultural celebration.
More than a public space, Kintsugi Park is a community-powered vision: one that embraces brokenness not as a flaw, but as the foundation for something stronger, more inclusive, and uniquely whole.
