Category: Social Justice

The Public Face of the ARRA. Photo Credit: Rick Wilking/Reuters
Social Justice, Transportation

Employment Equity & Transit Construction

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

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Economic Development, International, Placemaking and Design, Social Justice

Ravelejar: The Art of Neighborhood Branding (4/4)

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)

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Economic Development, Research Triangle, Social Justice

Why Pay Living Wage? Because it’s the Right Thing to Do

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

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Personal Reflections, Social Justice

When Nature Calls: The Right to the Restroom

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

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Food Systems, Social Justice

On Farm Labor in the United States (2/2)

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)

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Personal Reflections, Social Justice

Not the Only One in the Room

For the past three years, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning’s (ACSP) diversity organization has hosted a workshop geared towards students of color who are interested in pursuing doctoral studies in planning and related fields. Levels of diversity in planning institutions are dismally low. In order to transform planning discourse, it is essential to change the demographics and perspectives of planning students. I participated in the 2015 workshop, which … Continue reading Not the Only One in the Room

Unknown's avatarCarolina Planning Journal
Social Justice

Plan for All: A Resource List

Plan for All is a student committee in DCRP that works on issues of equity, inclusivity, diversity, and social justice. This year, we hope to push for greater inclusion of these topics in the classroom, and to learn from the existing wisdom around campus. We also hope to expand these conversations into a year-long learning series of trainings that will help us better integrate diversity, … Continue reading Plan for All: A Resource List

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