In Surdna’s newly released video, architects, designers and urban planners speak about the critical role of community- engaged design in creating just and equitable communities. Theresa Hwang, Executive Director of Department of Places, specifically asks designers “to think about how [they] can start dismantling methods of oppression that are physically manifested in where people live, work and play.” As the Trump Administration proposes a massive infrastructure overhaul, the professionals highlighted in this short video discuss the ethical responsibility of designers to avoid “the sins of the past” and reject development strategies that privilege cars over people, speed of constructive over quality, and ultimately profit over social good.
Organizations Referenced:
Albert & Tina Small Center for Collaborative Design at Tulane University, Arts Council of New Orleans, Department of Places, Indigenous Design & Planning Institute at University of New Mexico, Kounkuey Design Initiatives, Studio O