Dr. Aujean Lee, assistant professor of Regional and City Planning, is one of six authors involved in a recently published practitioner diversity climate survey project called “Survey Says: Planners Share Insights on Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.” Read more about the project and collaborators at the American Planning Association website.
Abstract:
This study seeks to understand the perceptions of practicing planners around issues of diversity and inclusion in their workplaces and the communities they serve. This initiative is a partnership between the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Planners of Color Interest Group (ACSP-POCIG) and the American Planning Association (APA) to conduct a nationwide web-based survey of urban planning practitioners and in-depth interviews with APA membership around these topics. The online survey received over 3,000 responses between January 15, 2019, and March 15, 2019. A total of 104 planners were interviewed in 2019. The study finds that there is a perceived lack of representation of people of color and underrepresented groups, which limits who plans and whose values are validated. Bias and discrimination continue to persist and must be acknowledged to support systemic change.
Participants reported that planning organizations and agencies are implementing diversity and inclusion initiatives, but these have yet to be institutionalized. Interviewees offered suggestions to promote greater diversity within APA, their workplaces, and planning educational institutions. The study concludes that it is more important than ever to center diversity, inclusion, and cultural competency within our planning organizations, workplaces, and planning educational institutions to send a message regarding the value of diversity within the field of urban planning.
About the Authors:
Robert L. Wesley, a pioneering architect and beloved mentor, has died at age 88. A graduate of the University of Oklahoma, Wesley joined Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in 1964 and became the firm's first Black partner in 1984. Throughout his career, he contributed to significant architectural projects while maintaining a strong commitment to civic engagement and professional mentorship.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to celebrate a series of recent accomplishments by Dr. Jim Collard, Professor of Practice in the Division of Planning, Landscape Architecture, and Design, whose work continues to shape conversations around Indigenous economic development nationally and internationally.
University of Oklahoma Gibbs College of Architecture Dean Hans E. [PA1.1]Butzer returned to one of his most significant works on December 15, joining survivors and past and present board members for the groundbreaking of a $15.8 million expansion of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum.
