The Woodlawn Initiative is an interdisciplinary studio and consultancy founded in 2025 by Walker Thisted on Woodlawn Ave. in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. The Initiative draws on Walker’s experience founding a series of technology and design startups as well as supporting early growth of a number of companies as an early team member. Our name highlights the power that place plays in our practice and, in particular, the important role of the University of Chicago and the many invaluable researchers, professors, thinkers, and practitioners that call this community home. At the same time, our name points to our intention to actively contribute to building the future through initiatives that lead to action. This takes the form of actively pursuing the 3 initiatives via research, white papers, products, and events while also bringing together cultural producers that want to apply this work. At the same time, we aim to ensure our work empowers cultural producers at the level of government, education, and commerce. Ultimately, this should allow us to foster cultural continuity and innovation while providing ongoing infrastructure for dialogue, experimentation, collective action, and progress.