Collective work and responsibility.
We leverage landscape architecture and urban planning to envision and build futures.
JIMA (jee-mah) Studio is a landscape architectural design and urban planning studio that collaborates with community groups, organizations and builders committed to culturally relevant placemaking and strategic implementation. We centralize participatory design methods to provide full site design and planning services, from idea to implementation.
What We Believe
JIMA stems from the Kwanzaa principle Ujima (ooh-jee-mah), which means “collective work and responsibility.” It is the ethos of this studio to work collaboratively with other changemakers and use design as a vehicle toward accountability in placemaking, placekeeping, and land stewardship.
This Is How We Do It
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Design
We provide high-quality design and implementable solutions that empower our partners, collaborators, and clients to enhance or transform their communities in a collective and forward-thinking way. We offer design services that elevate the needs of those who will be impacted the most, while leveraging both a cultural and environmental sensitivity that is required for longevity, relevance, and resilience.
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Engagement
We integrate community engagement and participation in all our design and planning processes as a foundational source for co-creation and development. Ranging from one-on-one interviews to large-scale public engagement forums, we sustain a “Listen first, Listen often” culture that keeps our projects grounded and reflected within the values of the communities we serve.
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Research
We contribute to the design profession through critical thought essays and assessments, and toolkit development that reflect on lessons learned from our projects as well as other trends and methods of design and practice. Our goal is to contribute to design literature and the menu of best practices in a way that helps other change makers approach similar projects and challenges with tact.
