As a native Washingtonian who grew up in Southwest and Northwest D.C., Maia Shanklin Roberts (M.C.P. ‘14) embraced being in an urban environment surrounded by a majority-Black community.
“Everything was so Black,” she said, from her neighbors to her doctors—indicative of why D.C. was once known as “Chocolate City.”
Although her upbringing helped Roberts value the importance of Black community, she knew she lived in a segregated city where there were inequities east and west of the Anacostia River, a dividing line between affluent white neighborhoods and those majority-Black. Issues such as poverty, poor housing conditions and food deserts continued to heavily impact Black neighborhoods, which prompted her to ask the question, “What creates this disparity?”
The question compelled her to obtain a bachelor's degree in urban studies at Stanford University, a law degree at American University, and a master's in community planning at the University of Maryland.
"Something is inherent in the way that [our] communities are structured that disables us,” she said. “It's creating this sickness within our neighborhoods and it made me think more critically about what changes need to happen in the physical environment."
Now, as the vice president of real estate development at Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) for the Mid-Atlantic region, Roberts is redeveloping Barry Farm, a historically vibrant Black community that fell victim to the ravages of poor housing conditions, overcrowding, poverty and crime. As part of D.C.'s New Communities Initiative, Barry Farm could set a standard for addressing long-standing disparities in the District.
Barry Farm is a historic Black community established by the Freedmen's Bureau in 1867 east of the Anacostia River; it provided a home for refugees who escaped slavery during the Civil War. The residents constructed their own homes, churches and schools, and formed a thriving and close-knit community. Over time, the area deteriorated due to the city's neglect; residents lived in terrible conditions until redevelopment plans by the District displaced many of them in 2019.
Since joining POAH in 2022, Roberts has led the effort to modernize and implement POAH's 2013 master plan, which aims to provide affordable housing for former residents in today's new economic environment. The development will comprise a mix of apartments and townhomes of varying sizes, along with a community center, retail spaces, a cultural center, amenities and green spaces. It includes approximately 900 housing units: At least 380 replacement units will be available for former Barry Farm residents, with an additional 320 affordable units for rent and 200 homeownership units.
POAH finished construction on the first new mixed-used building in August and expects the full project to be complete by 2030. Named The Asberry, the affordable rental housing and commercial space honors the late Asberry Sanker Jr., an activist and leader in the neighborhood.
Roberts admits there have been challenges surrounding the decade-long initiative. Former residents of Barry Farm have dealt with trauma and displacement, and there is a sense of mistrust surrounding the project. The multigenerational families who still live there developed a culture in Barry Farm they're fighting to preserve. The site's design, construction and operations, said Roberts, must reflect that legacy and must be intentional. She aims to resurrect the events and activities that were once a part of the community to help residents heal and feel a strong connection to their neighborhood.
“I tell residents that I'm a Black girl from D.C.,” she said. “I'm designing this and creating this because I'm you. I'm from this city. I know what it feels like, and I empathize with them from that lens."
Roberts believes that every detail in community development has a purpose and principle. This perspective also guides her business, Shanklin Hall, a brick-and-mortar social club located in D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood. She opened Shanklin Hall in 2023 with her siblings and family friends to create a space that honors the legacy of Black entertainment and socialization in a rapidly gentrifying city. The goal is to curate a space and community that feels good, organic and authentic to residents.
Roberts acknowledges that the work she is doing at Shanklin Hall is essentially a smaller-scale version of what she does at POAH.
"It's so beautiful to see how everything ties together," she said. "It's creating the physical infrastructure for the community to engage and grow and take shape. That's my job. I don't see myself as an architect, but my mission and drive is to help us to reclaim space."