A few weeks prior to the election I was asked to facilitate the first Plan for All Safe Space. Plan for All is a sub-committee of the student governing body of the UNC Department of City and Regional Planning (DCRP); its mission is to increase inclusivity, equity, diversity, and social justice within DCRP and the broader planning profession. The concept of a “Safe Space” emerged … Continue reading Planners as Warriors
A special post from participatory practitioner James Rojas Immigrants bring new, innovative urban planning ideas to this country based on their prior lived experiences, yet these ideas are rarely heard in an urban planning meeting or incorporated into zoning and plans. Most immigrants don’t attend public meetings. Many are busy struggling and often live in the shadows of our communities. Many may be too humble, or … Continue reading Incorporating Immigrants’ On-the-Ground Knowledge and Lived Experiences into the Planning Process
On September 28th, Durham City Councilwoman Jillian Johnson and Mel Norton of Duke University’s Cook Center on Social Equity visited UNC’s Department of City and Regional Planning to discuss with students and faculty the work of balancing social justice advocacy while serving in local government. Continue reading Injecting Social Justice into Local Government
At its genesis, Hip-Hop was a perverse art form breaking away from cultural norms and mainstream sounds. It’s vibrancy attracted people, it encompassed rapping, DJing, breakdancing and graffiti. The Godfather of Hip-Hop, Afrika Bambaataa, started this community through block parties in the Bronx as a way to unite young people through the medium of music. Furthermore, Lisa Alexander described hip-hop as a way for the … Continue reading Rap and the American City
The passing of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia has been dissected for its potential impact on litigious issues from campaign finance to abortion. Yet one surely settled issue is the court’s June 2015 ruling on the limits of control a government may use to regulate signs. In a 9-0 decision, the Supreme Court found that the small town of Gilbert, Arizona exceeded its authority when … Continue reading Free Speech, Signs, and the City
There’s a narrative surrounding public spending, and transportation infrastructure and transit projects are no exception. Typically regarded as short-term economic stimuli to a local economy, transit projects provide quality jobs and are investments in the future. Despite the current political climate around public spending, these jobs are generally popular because they are geographically constrained and cannot easily be outsourced. This perception was recently reinforced with … Continue reading Employment Equity & Transit Construction
Part 4: Defining Ravalejar, Redefining El Raval Public art and monuments function to institutionalize the memories of a city. It has been argued that certain monuments in Barcelona seek to maintain social order by imposing a historical logic over space: one that is imperialist, masculine, and fixed. However, the public art project and branding campaign known as “Ravalejar”, which took place in the neighborhood of … Continue reading Ravelejar: The Art of Neighborhood Branding (4/4)
In Durham recently, some businesses are beginning to raise wages because they want to do well by their employees. Voluntary living wage certification programs have gained popularity in the last few years as a way to make wage gains without calling for legislative action or government spending. The Durham Living Wage Project (DLWP) in Durham, NC, began in early 2015 and has already certified 75 … Continue reading Why Pay Living Wage? Because it’s the Right Thing to Do
In 2010, the United Nations General Assembly declared sanitation a basic human right, but even urban centers like New York City lack adequate public restrooms to serve the millions of residents and tourists. New York restaurants that contain 19 or fewer seats are not legally required to contain restrooms, but police can still charge citizens with a misdemeanor offense for urinating in public when they … Continue reading When Nature Calls: The Right to the Restroom
Part 2: How Consumers Can Support Better Conditions for Farm Workers Part one of this post looked at the birth of the farm worker movement in the United States and the ways in which farm workers are excluded from important labor laws. There are very real consequences of excluding farm workers from the basic protections offered by the National Labor Relations Act and the Fair Labor Standards … Continue reading On Farm Labor in the United States (2/2)
