The Hood Preservation & Futurist Association (the “Association”) is committed to building sovereignty and autonomy for the Mandem and the Ends. We foster this mission through critical dialogue, research, education, and direct support for those who are preserving the Ends, and shaping the future of the Hood on their own terms.
Emerging in the wake of Privatise the Mandem (2021) and To Free the Ends (2024), which outlines how the Mandem can own the Ends and protect them from gentrification, our mission is to turn theory into practice. By taking control of the Ends through private ownership, we block outsiders from imposing visions that lead to dispossession and displacement, and instead open the door to futures shaped by the Mandem.
These futures aren't utopian fantasies — they're tangible, achievable, and grounded in the lived realities of the Mandem. Ownership gives us the freedom to experiment, to fail, to grow. Progress will be celebrated, mistakes will be lessons, and everything in between will move us forward. As the Ends evolve, we may lose some old comforts and encounter new challenges — but that’s the cost of freedom. And the freedom to be self-determining is worth everything. We envision a world where prosperity, dignity, and love are embedded into every Block, and where every auntie, uncle, young buck, sister, akhi, preacher, and sinner has a hand in designing the future of the Hood.
The Association is an institution and think tank dedicated to progressing, supporting, educating, connecting, and empowering those dedicated to the sovereignty of the Mandem and the Ends. Our work empowers individuals and groups working to transform the Ends into Free Hoods: sovereign, self-sustaining communities owned and run by the Mandem.
We serve as an infrastructure for accountability, and support — offering resources and guidance to ensure the Mandem’s work stays rooted in its core principles: autonomy, integrity, and prosperity. Through knowledge sharing, quality control, and strategic collaboration, we help make visions for the Ends real, sustainable, and self-determined.
Our work is delivered through three core functions:
At its core, Hood Futurism is a form of speculative realism (a “genre”) that imagines what the Ends could become if the Mandem owned the land beneath their feet. It isn't about distant fantasy or abstract utopias - it’s a grounded vision built on real histories, current realities, and future potential. At its simplest, Hood Futurism is a new genre of study, speculation, philosophy, and visioning.
Hood Futurism can be expressed through music, film, photography, literature, theatre, and fine art — but it also through architectural plans, estate management strategies, planning meetings, and legal contracts. It shows what happens when the Mandem start shaping the city themselves.