Add your voice to the platform! What does Design Justice mean to you?

@julie_yost

GENTRIFICATION

The Social Justice issue Design should address is gentrification. This issue directly / disproportionately impacts marginalized communities - people of color, people living in poverty. Design reveals this issue In the Built Environment through predatory development practices (condos, condos, condos), historic preservation ordinances that value wealthy, white, privileged history over the significance of place for communities of color. Lack of protections for people to keep their homes and businesses in areas undergoing gentrification. For This Issue Design Justice Means Design means both redesigning policy and redesigning how we perceive the built environment's value, the value of design.

@aking2006

YOUTH ENGAGEMENT

The Social Justice issue Design should address is enabling our young people...to better interact and participate with the built environment. Too often they are excluded from many spaces as well as the decision making tables. this issue directly/disproportionately impacts Young people + marginalized groups. design reveals this issue in the built environment because too much of our design work focuses on supporting capitalism and profit driven endeavors so unless you have capital your are excluded from this process. This means our public and semi public spaces are not welcoming to many groups. For this issue Design Justice means, First, we have to give back to our communities beyond just paid commissions. Second, we need to take a lead on challenging our clients to be mindful of how projects impact our communities holistically. Third, we have to take a proactive approach in championing designing for social justice and including all constituents in our communities.

@Bici_Urbana

MOBILITY

The Social Justice issue design should address is transportation access and mobility. this issue directly/disproportionately impacts Black and Brown communities, low-income communities, immigrant communities and people with disabilities. design reveals this issue in the built environment by being an output of systems of oppression and institutional racism. Changing processes and inputs to address just communities, including the voices of the people most impacted by injustices, yield built environments that are by the people and for the people. For this issue Design Justice means inclusive processes that interrogate and then dismantle our current systems, processes and assumptions to arrive to processes, visions and built realities.

Michael Campbell

SENIOR HOUSING

The Social Justice issue design should address is Senior Housing / Assisted Living / housing and work environments for the disabled. this issue directly/disproportionately impacts disabled and physically challenged individuals. design reveals this issue in the built environment through Within design practice there remains the assumption that the problems associated with accessibility need to be addressed directly with ramps, lift-vans, and self-contained institutions that attempt to meet all user needs comprehensively within one facility. This inherently treats disabled and physically challenged individuals as separate from the mainstream of society, sometimes warehousing such individuals. It also assumes an inherently unaccommodating environment that needs to be overcome with special accommodations. For this issue Design Justice means that we need cities with all uses accessed at grade level (from the sidewalk), with a mix of uses (dwelling, shopping, and work) located within close proximity to one another, and with an interconnected system of thoroughfares that shortens the travel distances between destinations (for individuals using canes or wheelchairs). All intersections require curb ramps! Primarily, we need elevator lobbies for multi-story buildings that allow easy accesses for all to each building level in conjunction with design limiting individual functions to one level where possible, allowing disabled individuals to enter individual facilities and participate there on par with others. Places of work should be accessed from the same urban sidewalks as residences, restaurants, coffee shops, and retail. No van transportation necessary (if proximity is good). People Should Check Out Northern Hotel Senior Housing, downtown Ft. Collins Co. The historic Bay View or Palms Hotel in downtown San Diego (currently being renovated into an assisted living center).This is a new idea. Can I come back and fill in this part at a later date? I would look at New York City as a template too. (Starting with The Bronx because of the style of apartment buildings located there (with grade level elevator lobbies). See department store designs such as Bloomingdale's as well: accessible from the sidewalk and with each floor accessed by elevator).

Laura M.

The Social Justice issue design should address is copyright protection this issue directly/disproportionately impacts independent designers and urban dwellers design reveals this issue in the built environment through The mercantile greed by corporate clients, corporate design companies, and those development firms who's priority is profit margin, deny the worthy investment in socially responsible built environments. The degenerated value of the intellectual property inherent in the design process, compromises investment in successful design. Urban development is dictated by dollar margins and impatient time lines. Heritage is destroyed and inferior construction flies up at an alarming rate. Long term cohesive planning is often omitted or dismissed. For this issue Design Justice means Restoration of value of site specific design and respect of copyright so that designers may afford to earn a living from their valuable intellectual resources.

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