Mike Lydon and Tony Garcia wrote the book on Tactical Urbanism, and as leading consultants of the practice in cities around the country, they have faced criticism in recent weeks and months for a lack of attention to matters of equity.
Kea Wilson interviewed Mike Lydon and Tony Garcia, co-principals of Street Plans and authors of Tactical Urbanism: Short-Term Action, Long-Term Change. According to Wilson, tactical urbanism "has been the subject of much debate in the urbanism world lately, especially as cities across America again return to Slow Streets and other tactical urbanist strategies in the wake of a new rise in COVID-19 cases — but don’t always center the demands of communities of color in these projects, both before and after the traffic control barriers go up."
The conversation ranges from how Lydon and Garcia have changed their work to account for the discussion about racial equity and public safety in light of a string of high-profile killings of Black Americans by police officers to how tactical urbanism practice can better incorporate and respond to community engagement.
[Updated on July 7, 2020 to more accurately describe the context for the discussion.]
Read the full story: Can Tactical Urbanism Be a Tool for Equity? A Conversation with Mike Lydon and Tony Garcia
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