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WIATAT | Episode 2: Planning’s Racism Problem

By Megan Burns

Joy Alise Davis hosts a conversation with Dr. Marisa Zapata and Dr. Lisa Bates about racism, equity, and the role—past, present, and possible—of urban planning.

Dr. Lisa Bates is a planner and is an associate professor at the Toulan School of Urban Studies & Planning of Portland State University. She does research related to housing policy and planning, particularly focusing on social justice issues, including understanding how inequitable outcomes may arise from institutionalized racism in policy design and implementation.

Dr. Marisa Zapata is an Assistant Professor of Land-use Planning at the Toulan School of Urban Studies & Planning of Portland State University. As an educator, scholar, and planner, Dr. Zapata is committed to achieving spatially-based social justice by preparing planners to act in the face of the uncertain and inequitable futures we face. She believes how we use land reflects our social and cultural values, and is especially concerned about equitable planning for uncertain futures in highly diverse communities.

Listen to the podcast here

Why Isn't Anyone Talking About This - Introduction

By Megan Burns

Why Isn’t Anyone Talking About This? is a new podcast founded in Portland, Oregon that takes an inquisitive, authentic look into the relationship between justice and the built environment. Hosting a cast of leaders, fighters, and everyday people hoping and working for change, this intelligent podcast challenges, unapologetically, social norms, customs, and ideologies surrounding the built environment.

Design+Culture Labs co-Founder and CEO, Joy Alise Davis, is one of the ten founding team members of the podcast. She hosted one and was invited as a guest in episodes regarding equity and racism in planning.