A Black architect calls on designers to recommit their training and expertise to account for the health and safety of all, especially those who have been most harmed by the status quo of the built environment.
Multiple public health crises are disproportionately killing Black Americans—police brutality has been at the forefront of the public discussion for several weeks, but the disparate effects of the coronavirus are lingering in the background, killing thousands in this country every day.
The disproportionate health effects of COVID-19 on Black Americans is connected to the work of architects, according to Kimberly Dowdell, an architect who writes thusly in a guest column for Fast Company: "This isn’t just a public health problem; it’s a design problem."
Dowdell, who is the president of the National Organization of Minority Architects, calls on architects not only to acknowledge their role in designing the spaces and places that are killing Black Americans in greater numbers during the pandemic. "When it comes to addressing how to safeguard all communities from future health crises, architects bring a myriad of skills to the table," according to Dowdell. Those skills include interdisciplinary expertise, best practices for public health, and a diversity of perspectives.
"We must pledge ourselves to truly design for life," writes Dowdell to conclude.
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The Shifting Demographics of Covid-19
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Racial Disparities in Life Expectancy Are a Place-Based Problem
New research from the Brookings Institution illuminates the racial disparities of public health outcomes both during and before the pandemic.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
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The Five Most-Changed American Cities
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Op-Ed: Why an Effective Passenger Rail Network Needs Government Involvement
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Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
New York City School Construction Authority
Village of Glen Ellyn
Central Transportation Planning Staff/Boston Region MPO
Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS)
City of Grandview
Harvard GSD Executive Education
Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada
Toledo-Lucas County Plan Commissions