Understory is a placemaking studio working at the intersection of research, art, and lived experience. We understand placemaking not just as the design of physical space, but as the cultivation of relational and cultural infrastructure.

Through ethnographic research and artistic practice, we partner with cities, nonprofits, and developers to translate community identity, history, and values into shared experience.

We design and produce engagements, immersive experiences, public programs, and participatory installations that bring people into meaningful contact with place, with one another, and with shared narratives.

Our work spans cultural strategy, experience design, and ongoing programming, creating opportunities for connection that are felt in the moment and built over time.

With over 15 years of experience, we design for connection that lasts beyond a single event—shaping how places are experienced, remembered, and valued.

Ways We Work

01 Consultation
and Cultural Strategy

Research-driven guidance on place, identity, and experience, providing cultural insight, strategic frameworks, and actionable recommendations for programming, design, and engagement. Available as a stand-alone service or as the first phase of a larger collaboration.

02 Design
and Production

Full-scale projects from concept through execution, bringing research and strategy into immersive experiences, public programs, and participatory installations. We lead creative direction, experience design, and production to deliver work that is impactful in the moment and meaningful over time.

03 Ongoing
Partnerships

Long-term collaboration across strategy, programming, and activation—supporting continued engagement through evolving experiences, public programs, and cultural initiatives. We work alongside partners to build connection over time and adapt the work as places and communities change.

Our Practice

Understanding

Consultation and Strategy
Cultural Research
Understanding place through lived experience
Interviews, observation, site analysis, insight reports

Placemaking Strategy
Translating insight into direction for connection and identity
Strategy frameworks, narrative positioning, spatial + audience plans

Shaping

Design and Production
Relational Design
Designing for interaction, participation, and shared experience
Engagement frameworks, audience flow, co-creation models

Artistic Direction & Experience Design
Shaping narrative, space, and emotional arc
Creative direction, experience concepts, spatial storytelling

Activation

Bringing work into the public realm through production and engagement
Production management, installation, programming, on-site execution

Continuity

Partnership & Ecosystem Development
Building aligned networks of collaborators and supporters
Sponsorship strategy, partner integration, stakeholder engagement

Documentation & Narrative Extension
Extending the life and impact of the work
Photo/video, story assets, content strategy, impact storytelling