social urbanism

We tend to forget that our spaces are comprised of individuals with their own stories and livelihoods. The way our neighborhoods and communities function as a whole is important, but planners also design cities for the people who live there. This is one important reason why social development services such as positive youth development, financial literacy and workforce development are essential for overall neighborhood development.

 
 

Black Urban Planner's Seven Objectives for the Next Ten Years

Through a series of conversations with various Black planners, including those mentioned in the acknowledgement section, a consensus was met where a list of notable and obtainable objectives, that we all can work towards, was preferred, as opposed to “demanding” or “asking” another entity to provide change for us and our community. This idea falls into the same principle of what blackandurban was found on: Sharing Solutions to Improve Our Spaces.

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These seven objectives by no means represent all Black planner’s objectives. But they do, arguably, reach the general interest of some leading African-American/Black planning practitioners and academics.

The Process

This initiative started as a response to the continuous deaths of Black men and women by law enforcement officers with impunity coupled by a weak response from the planning profession. I worked with a few other outspoken planning professionals to collectively come up with our own goals that we all can advocate and work towards in our own capacities to help undue the historic wrongs that were conceived by the Planning profession which perpetuates social justice disparities in our communities today.

I initially approached a group of 3 planners, Gisla Augustin, Kristen Jeffers, and Jermaine Ruffin to help explore a list of demands for Black Planners. We first developed a list of 10 comprehensive demands. The list of demands were then introduced to Desiree Powell’s Blck Spces’s Black Urban Planner’s Discussion via zoom. The virtual space for Black Planners was used to catalyze a broader discussion about the initial demands which became objectives. Desiree was able to pull and engage approximately 50 planner attendees with various backgrounds per each meeting. There is no doubt that Desiree’s efforts were an integral part of the process.

Through a series of conversations with various Black planners, including those mentioned in the acknowledgement section, a consensus was met where a list of notable and obtainable objectives, that we all can work towards, was preferred, as opposed to “demanding” or “asking” another entity to provide change for us and our community. This idea falls into the same principle of what blackandurban was found on: Sharing Solutions to Improve Our Spaces.

Acknowledgements

Desiree Powell, Blck Spces, Founder

Gisla Augustin , Gigi the Planner, Founder

Jermaine Ruffin. The Streets Are Planning, Founder

Fabiola Alikpokou, Beyond Urban Planning, Founder

Kristen Jeffers, The Black Urbanist, Founder

Dru Maynus, Urban Planning Life, Founder

Coretta Mondesir, Urban Money Project, Founder

Brittany Drakeford, PhD Student

Jonathan Bush, Urban Planner and Designer

Jalyn Porchay, Land Use Planner

Implementable Equity Strategies in Planning

Research shows that substandard infrastructure and materials are used in Black/African-American communities compared to white communities.

True equitable practices would ensure the same use of techniques regardless of neighborhood demographics or political boundaries.

Actively seek Engagement between Black Academics and Black Planning Practitioners

Academics and planning practitioners have the opportunity to create a thorough nexus. Our planning goals can better off be reached by creating an effective pipeline between research pertaining to Black communities and implementing projects that provide fact-based solutions.

Implement a National Ambassador/Mentorship Program

Aimed to inform BIPOC and be intentional about recruitment to the Planning profession.

Introduced by Jermaine Ruffin, Founder of The Streets Are Planning, this objective is seen as one of the most tangible within a 10 year period. It can serve as an effective way to retain Black planners in the profession.

Advocate for Social Justice and Physical Neighborhood Changes

Encourage Black/African/American Heritage Commissions in historically Black communities to influence land use and transportation decisions.

Dru Maynus, Founder of Urban Planning Life, first introduced the idea of creating a type of heritage board in Black neighborhoods that would serve as a governing body to have authority over Black cultural assets and infrastructure that affects residents and businesses under its influence. This would give control to Black residents in predominately Black neighborhoods and allow them to create their own solutions to resolve failed urban planning policies that left Black neighborhoods behind.

Advocate for local city councils to pass sweeping reforms to repair generations of discriminatory practices that has affected Black communities.

Asheville, NC’s City Council passed a resolution to provide reparations to its Black residents. The resolution is a form of restitution to correct the wrongs of racist urban planning policies and systemic racist government policies that have prohibit Black people from accumulating wealth while inhibiting their white counterparts to accumulate generational wealth.

The Town of Asheville, NC shall be used as a precedent for future bills of restitution to the American slave trade.

Encourage Black Urban Studies in Higher Education Planning Programs

Advocate for accredited colleges to include required courses focused on Black/ African-American neighborhoods and developmental patterns cities within continental Africa.

The following curricula should be a mandated throughout accredited Planning schools:

  1. Coursework about African-American neighborhoods within the United States and the government’s role to perpetuate contemporary adverse physical and socio-economical neighborhood conditions due to historic and contemporary policies related to housing, transportation, zoning, gentrification and other exclusionary policies and practices. 

    For example, the curricula around this topic should be conducive to facillitate student discussions about development projects and/or plans that have created disparate impact in African-American communities, i.e. Pruitt-Igoe Apartments in St. Louis, MO and Black Wall Street/Greenwood community in Tulsa, OK.

  2. The Color of Law by Richard Rothenstein should be a mandatory read.

  3. African cities, their historic development patterns, and their successes and shortfalls due to western principles and native practices.

  4. Other electives should take a look at racial injustice, and the social-economic and psychological impacts of racism within the built environment. 

Include prominent Black Urbanists of Historical and contemporary significance at accredited planning schools. The curricula should/must consider the following notable black planners, sociologists, and activists, as listed below from Gisla Augustin, Founder of Gigi the Planner’s recommended list:

  • Ethel Lawrence, considered the Rosa Parks for affordable housing with the historic Mt. Laurel Case. 

  • W.E.B. Du Bois, well renowned sociologist who studied the effects of racism on African-Americans in Philadelphia, PA.

  • Benjamin Banneker

  • James Baldwin

  • Charles Claybourn Allen

  • Reginald Griffith

  • Arthur Campbell

  • Harvey Gantt

  • Michelle Obama

  • Samuel [James] Cullers

  • Hilanius L. Phillips

  • Mitchell Silver 

  • Curtis E. Green

  • Herman Kobe

  • Glady West

  • W.E.B. DuBois

  • Horace Clayton Jr. / St. Claire Drake

  • John Hope Franklin

  • Gordon Parks

  • Dorothy Mae Richardson

  • Rev. Dr. Calvin Butts

  • William Julius Wilson

  • Geoffrey Canada

  • Mary Pattillo

Urbanists - Academia

  • Julian Agyeman

  • Robert Bullard

  • Sheila Foster

  • Toni Griffin

  • Michael Lens

  • Mary Pattillo

  • June Manning Thomas

  • William Julius Wilson

  • Dr. Destiny Thomas

Urbanists - Community Activists

http://cornersideyard.blogspot.com/2017/11/black-urbanists-part-2-community.html 

  • Christopher Alston

  • Erma Henderson

  • Mel King

  • Teka Lark Lo

  • Fannie Lewis

  • Ayesha McGowan

  • DeRay Mckesson

  • Liz Ogbu

  • Olatunji Oboi Reed

  • Najari Smith

  • Derrick Braziel, William Thomas, III and Allen Woods

Urbanists - Local Government Management

http://cornersideyard.blogspot.com/2017/11/black-urbanists-part-3-local-government.html  

  1. Keith Benjamin

  2. Kelley Britt

  3. Maurice Cox

  4. Kimberly Driggins

  5. Aaron Foley

  6. Majestic Lane

  7. Justin Garrett Moore

  8. Mitchel Silver

  9. John Watson

Prioritize Healthy Cities

Prioritize healthy food equality, and mitigate food deserts. Utilize urban informatics to correlate health data with land use and development patterns, Integrate biophilic design to maintain a good physical and mental health.

Promote inclusive design that encourage physical activity for all users to mitigate cardiovascular and asthmatic health disparities.

Mitigate toxic air, noise nuisances, and urban heat islands while increasing fresh water and waterfront access.

This objective was introduced by Jonathan Bush, planner and urban designer. These are some objectives that should be prioritized to reverse the devastating health disparities in African-American/Black communities set forth by racist housing and transportation policies from the United State’s Federal Housing Authority and Federal Highway Administrations.

In Architecture, form is known to follow function, but so to in planning, shall our health be the motivating objective to create beautiful and sustainable neighborhoods for African-Americans to live, work and play.

Uplift, Support, and Engage with BIPOC Organizations

Black businesses generate revenue to stabilize black communities' tax-base. BIPOC social entrepreneurs focused on helping communities of color should be given preferential treatment  to help resolve the problems within our communities.

There are quite a few BIPOC organizations advocating for social and environmental change. It's imperative that we connect, collaborate, engage and foster relationships with one another.

 
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Transportation, Social Urbanism Byron Nicholas Transportation, Social Urbanism Byron Nicholas

Meet Chadd Roberts: A True Bicyclist of New York City

Chadd in Rockaway Beach, Queens, N.Y. - Courtesy of Chadd Roberts

Chadd in Rockaway Beach, Queens, N.Y. - Courtesy of Chadd Roberts

While studing urban planning in college you have probably came across the book: Bicycle Diaries by David Byrne. It is a collection of Byrne’s thoughts about the urban realm, in cities across the world, from his perspective as a bicyclist- the good, the bad and the ugly.

When we think about bicycling in New York, we often think of Citibike used in the streets of Manhattan for short work and leisure trips. It is rare that we meet people who extensively use this mode of transportation in the city’s outer boroughs.

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Who is Chadd Roberts?

With approximately 700 square miles of residential, commercial, industrial, Chadd’s pictures proves that New York City is far from homogoneous and documents the true cosmopolitan characteristic of the city.

Chadd identifies as Afro-Caribbean. He was born and raised on a little autonomous island in the Caribbean called Grenada where he has spent his adolescent years in Grenada Boys’ Secondary School and then T.A. Marry Show Community College.

After leaving Grenada, he became a U.S Navy Corpsman with 6 years of tenure.

Some of his main hobbies includes playing billiard, video games, hiking, swimming at the beach, recreational photography, biking and exploring various waterfronts.

Bicycling for a Living

There is no doubt that the bicycling population appears to increase due to the expansion of the shared economy. We now see cities and other municipalities passing complete street resolutions and installing bicycle infrastructure. Bicyclists like Chadd depends on his bicycle for work and leisure. His pictures provides a bicyclist’s experience not only in Manhattan, but also in the the outer boroughs. Chadd works as a bartender at Japan Village, a bustling new market in Brooklyn’s Industry City. Chadd also works as a courier - using his bicycle - for Postmates and Uber Eats. By using Google Map’s timeline Chadd was able to record his bicycling routes within 24 hour periods. Below, you would see the distances Chadd has taken. In one day, Chadd has bicycled for an amazing 52 miles within 7 1/2 hours traversing throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn. In another trip, Chadd has bicycled between Far Roackaway, Queens, Brooklyn and Midtown, Manhattan for 35 miles and walked another 5 1/2 miles for a total of 4 hours. During his third trip, he has bicycled for 28 miles within a 3 1/2 hour period during the West Indian Day parade on Labor Day 2018.

Urban Art

I love the independence of being able to pedal and go places by my own effort; seeing life unfold while I’m on the road and experiencing new things every day.
— Chadd Roberts

Chadd’s journey throughout the streets of New York displays a vibrant public art gallery that expresses the characteristics of everyday people. Graffiti, murals, or some like to call it “Urban Art” is one of the best examples of self-expressionism. As we can see through Chadd’s pictures, many artists take to the streets to glorify their love for Dragon Ball Z, Puerto Rican patriotism, humanity, mysticism, Black pride, or simple warm color palettes to brighten a neighborhood.

When asked, which neighborhood stands out the most, in terms of character, history, architecture, and culture, Chadd replied “ I enjoy bike riding through all the neighborhoods, but so far, mostly for the art and food, I love riding through Bushwick.”

The placement of the above various murals and graffiti art was just as interesting as the art itself. At times, it seems like technological distractions can prevent us from fully engaging with our environment. Much of the art are in conspicuous locations while others were located at high building facades. Some engulfed entire building facades while others were simply on moving trucks as though they were mobile art galleries. Chadd’s Instagram page provides a great collection of all the public art he comes across during his trips. You can see more at: @supersaiyan_aaron

Transportation

In a city where 56% of commuters take public transit, 26% drive, 10% walk. 4.1% work at home, 1.2% bike, and the remaining either carpool or taxi to work, the City of New York has attempted to accommodate safety, mobility and accessibility for all modes of transportation throughout the five boroughs (U.S Census). A lot of steam has been picking up for the loud minority of bicycle riders. Every year, the city is investing time and effort into protecting cyclists. In fact, according to NYC Department of Transportation the city continue to implement 50 lane miles of bicycle facilities a year, including at least ten lane miles of protected bicycle lanes and create or enhance 75 lane miles of bicycle facilities in Priority Bicycle Districts by 2022.

Do you think the city has done a good job promoting the safety and welfare for bicyclists?

Chadd agrees the city is doing a great job to protect cyclists. “I think we can see this by the addition bike lane miles, Vision Zero program (including free helmets, bells and lights), and the city’s collaboration with the Ghost Bikes campaign to raise awareness for bike safety.” Chadd also mentioned, “ ever since the terrorist truck attack that mainly affected cyclists on the West Side highway, the city added bollards, and other protective barriers at vulnerable areas to separate vehicular traffic from bicycle and pedestrian traffic.

What recommendations would you make for the city to improve bicyclist's safety?

Chadd believes its up to cyclists, drivers and pedestrians to stay alert, mindful and aware of other modes of transportation. “I think the city is going in the right direction when it comes to safety we can’t be overly dependent on them for it. As long as people are being vigilant and aware of their surroundings whether as a pedestrian, motorist or the cyclist themselves, they’ll be better off prepared to avoid mishaps.” After all, a little compassion goes a long way.

Check Out More Photos from Chadd’s Cycling Journeys Below!

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Instagram

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