Outside In is a research and storytelling initiative exploring the under-recognized histories and cultural landscape of Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) suburban communities in the American South. This project intends to gather and interpret stories of migration, belonging, and placemaking in the decades following the 1965 Immigration and Nationality Act, illuminating how AAPI communities have reshaped the Southern suburban landscape by retrofitting strip malls, transforming neighborhoods, and reshaping the region’s cultural and physical landscape.

Through oral histories, archival and site-based research, and community-driven artmaking, the project will center memory, identity, and belonging in the places these communities call home. It will also build a cross-sector network of artists, cultural workers, historians, planners, designers, and community leaders to support long-term preservation, advocacy, and equitable development led by AAPI communities.

The two-year initiative will take place across several Southern regions, with SGA convening and facilitating community partners, artists, and researchers to map significant places, interpret shared histories, and design strategies for cultural placekeeping and community stewardship. Findings and creative works from the project will be shared through exhibitions, public programs, digital storytelling, and a final report from Smart Growth America.