The Minority-Race Planner in the Quest for a Just City

Abstract

This article reviews some basic concepts about planners' role in obtaining a just city, focusing in particular upon the possible role of racial minorities in the process of reaching such a city. We adopt Fainstein's two-part definition of what is 'valued' in a just city, and then discuss how planners who are racial minorities might be helpful for one part of that definition. Minority-race professionals may help bring tangible benefits to the workforce, but these benefits become difficult to cultivate if minority-race professionals experience difficulties in their work environment. Interviews with several US black planners provide illustrative examples concerning these points.

Racial Equity in Planning Organizations

“…Whiteness serves as a credential when public planning departments filter applications based on technical skills and graduate training program prestige (Tiarachristie, 2016). Harassing or pigeonholing of planners of color who do obtain jobs in such departments illustrates how formal nondiscrimination rules are decoupled from organizational practice (Thomas, 2008). These examples demonstrate Harris's (1993) theory that Whiteness functions as property that is protected by law.…”

“…The lack of capacity to think about, prioritize, and respond to racial equity limits departments' abilities to operationalize aspirational equity goals in ways that address specific disparities (Schrock et al, 2015). In addition, harassment and pigeonholing of planners of color stymie planners' abilities to advance social justice (Thomas, 2008). Departments' racialized rules and norms limit planners' abilities to pursue equity in the communities they serve.…”

“…Whiteness as a credential Filtering applicants based on technical skills (e.g., geographic information systems) and academic prestige (Tiarachristie, 2016) Hiring for "cultural fit" (Tiarachristie, 2016) Devaluing the experience of living and working in communities of color The inability to build trust in low-income communities of color Decoupling formal rules from organizational practice The adoption of lofty social equity goals while having limited capacity (Schrock et al, 2015) Harassing or pigeonholing planners of color (Thomas, 2008) Failure to operationalize goals in ways that address specific disparities Stymie planners' abilities to advance social justice Source: Adapted from Ray (2019).…”

Five Decades of Community Food Planning in Detroit

“…Although overtly racist tools used to discriminate in residential location, employment, unions, and schools are now illegal, barriers for poor and black residents remain and have become more subtle. For example, municipal fragmentation, exclusionary zoning, racial steering by real estate agents, and inadequate regional transportation continue to create significant barriers for black residents (Galster 2012;Thomas 2008). The 2008 recession exacerbated losses for black families as a result of unemployment and housing foreclosures.…”

Leadership in sustainability planning: propagating visions through empathic communication

“…For others, the skills that planners are able to employ place a burden of responsibility to contribute to public health (Laurian 2006) and mediation between community groups and local governments (Chaskin 2005;Padt and Luloff 2011). Thomas (2008) found that planners working with minority communities employed leadership in attempting to advance the participation and inclusion of their constituents in decision making. Forester's work takes this a little further.…”