Spatial Justice on Turtle Island: Indigenous, Black, and newcomer perspectives

Planning has traditionally been understood as the allocation and organization of space for the public good. But who is that public? Historically, planning has played a role in perpetuating inequity for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities. Throughout the history of planning practice, BIPOC communities — especially Indigenous and Black communities — have experienced largely negative impacts. More recently, newcomer, foreign-born, and refugee communities face comparable systemic challenges, pointing to a disconnect between planners and the immigration and settlement sector.
 
While today’s urban populations are composed significantly of Indigenous, Black, racialized, and newcomer communities, these communities experience disproportionate urban inequality as evidenced by income polarization in largely racialized neighbourhoods. Other markers of urban well-being can also be traced along the intersection of racial and income lines: housing and homelessness, education and learning, health and child welfare, employment and income, justice and policing, immigration and newcomer settlement, and food and water security.
 
What role can planning play to reverse some of these trends? How can planning be repurposed/re-imagined as a tool to generate more equitable urban outcomes?
 
This session explores the historical role planning has played in producing contemporary urban inequities in BIPOC communities, addresses the disconnect between planning and key sectors such as immigration and settlement, and demonstrates how BIPOC communities are working to influence and improve planning outcomes by self-organizing, leveraging resources, applying expertise, and pushing for change in planning education.
 
Speakers:
Co-Presenter: Abigail Moriah, RPP, MCIP, The Black Planning Project
Co-Presenter: Benjamin Bongolan, The 519 Centre
Co-Presenter: Justin Wiebe, The Mastercard Foundation
Co-Presenter: Lena Phillips, Ontario Trillium Foundation

Speakers