Our last Brown Bag of the semester – Urban Renewal in Hyde Park: A Parable in Contradictions in Race, Class, and Urban Change with Dr. Bill Lester – has been rescheduled for November 30 at 12:45 in the New East Reading Room. Hope to see you there!
Author: planforall
Brown Bag Conversations: Allan Parnell of Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities
On Wednesday October 5th, Plan for All welcomed Allan Parnell of the Cedar Grove Institute for Sustainable Communities as our second Brown Bag Conversations speaker. Dr. Parnell discussed his experience using GIS and planning expertise in fair housing and civil rights cases and the role that administrative boundaries and planning tools can play in restricting access to public goods. Many thanks to Dr. Parnell for sharing your experience and insights with aspiring planners!
Missed this Brown Bag Conversation? Join us at our next event on November 2 to hear Dr. Bill Lester talk on “Urban Renewal in Hyde Park: A Parable in Contradictions in Race, Class, and Urban Change”!
Upcoming Brown Bag events!
Did you miss the first brown bag of the semester last week? Fear not! There are still at least two opportunities this fall to engage with those researching issues of diversity, equality, and inclusion in planning – check out our schedule below! Also be on the lookout for our spring semester line up for more changes to attend!
Event: First year community conversation
On Friday, September 30th, Plan for All invited first year students to share their ideas, insights, values, and expectations for the coming year and beyond. More than a dozen students discussed their desire to engage thoughtfully with nearby communities after learning more about their history and challenges, partner with external groups both on campus and in the community to advocate for issues of equality and inclusion, and create more time both in and out of class to discuss the larger political climate (the Black Lives Matter movement, HB2) and its implications for planning. Plan for All will work to address the concerns raised and proposed actions as they strive to make DCRP and the broader planning profession more responsive to and reflective of the world around us.
First brown bag of the year: Durham Councilwoman Jillian Johnson and Melanie Norton of Duke’s Cook Center for Social Equity
On Wednesday, September 28th, Plan for All had its first brown bag of the year, with more than two dozen students in attendance. We hosted Jillian Johnson, a Durham City Councilwoman, and Melissa (Mel) Norton, of Duke’s Cook Center for Social Equity to learn about the grassroots campaign that got Councilwoman Johnson elected, discuss the affordable housing crisis that Durham faces, and hear what Councilwoman Johnson and Mel are doing to combat it. The open-ended format of the session allowed more than an hour of questions-and-answers, and was an informative and engaging way to start the year. Many thanks to Councilwoman Johnson and Mel for sharing your thoughtful insights with DCRP!
End of year community conversation
At what was probably the most exciting event of the semester for Plan for All, we ended the year with a workshop bringing together students, faculty, and staff to talk about how to make DCRP a more inclusive community. Groups collaborated to identify challenges, goals, and strategies. Many thanks to everyone who participated – we’re looking forward to continuing the conversation and making our community a more welcoming and diverse place.
PfA awards outstanding students and faculty
At the DCRP graduation ceremony, we had the privilege to present the first annual Plan for All Awards to master’s student Libbie Weimer, PhD student Kirstin Frescoln, and Professor Mai Nguyen.
Libbie’s master’s project, “Managing Coal Ash Waste in North Carolina: Environmental Justice Policy Recommendations,” addresses important issues about equity and environmental planning and investigates how state policy could be redesigned to produce more equitable outcomes in the cleanup of coal ash wastes.
Kirstin’s research on mothers in public housing in Charlotte, North Carolina addresses the intersections of social work, housing, and health. Also, the course she designed and taught on “Race, Poverty, and Planning in the U.S.” illustrates her commitment to teaching about planning’s important role in addressing the challenges of poverty and segregation. Kirstin has also participated in and supported the work of Plan for All.
Lastly, we would like to recognize Professor Mai Nguyen. Her research has investigated the punitive anti-immigration policies in the state of North Carolina, while also working directly with immigrants, advocates, and local governments to develop immigrant integration plans. Plan for All would especially like to thank Dr. Nguyen for her strong support of our group.
We hope this begins an annual tradition of recognizing outstanding work related to race, class, and gender in planning.
PfA completes evaluation of course syllabi
Plan for All recently completed a review of course syllabi for classes offered during the 2015-2016 academic year to determine the extent to which readings were authored by women, or discussed issues related to gender, sexual orientation, poverty/equity, people of color, and issues outside of the U.S. In an effort to make our curriculum more representative of the profession and explicit in its coverage of how planning has shaped our communities (both positively and negatively), the results were presented to faculty and discussions are being held about how to improve our course materials.
UNC students protest HB2
A group of UNC students recently organized a protest against controversial NC House Bill 2, with DCRPers in attendance supporting the LGTB community.
Spring brown bag wrap-up
We had a successful spring semester of brown bags, with talks ranging from environmental justice to the art of negotiating. Once we have the fall line up, we’ll post here.
UNC DCRP Plan for All 