Des Moines, Iowa
Walking in Place - 1434 Street is a short film that blends historic GIS and storytelling to reconstruct lost landscapes and archive personal narratives of displacement. Led by Amal Barre, a PhD researcher at the University of Amsterdam, the project explores the interplay between memory, place, and urban change. This film highlights a Des Moines-based jazz musician reflecting on his family’s home at 1434 Street, one of many lost to the construction of I-235 in the 1960s. Through this narrative, Walking in Place examines cycles of preservation and erasure, reclaiming collective memory within transformed urban landscapes.
Walking in Place explores the intersection of place and identity, examining how displacement and urban renewal policies shape individual and collective experiences. Drawing on a broader body of research that includes historical and archival analysis, the film focuses on the role of urban renewal in the displacement trajectories of households and communities, particularly in Des Moines and Amsterdam. Through participatory storytelling, the film engages storytellers as they reflect on memories of the past, experiences of the present, and hopes for the future.
The project aims to highlight the deeply personal connection between individuals and the places they inhabit, exploring how these connections are disrupted by redevelopment. The method of walking in place with participants, is part of the way the film aims to uncover the emotional and physical impact of displacement, offering a platform for marginalized voices to share their stories.
In this process, Walking in Place sets out to interrogates the politics of preservation—who gets to decide which places are preserved and which are erased—and the consequences of these decisions on communities. The film serves as a reminder of the legacies of urban change, inviting viewers to reconsider the power dynamics involved in shaping spaces and the ways in which we collectively remember and imagine the future of our cities.