Dr. C. Aujean Lee, Regional + City Planning Professor, recently published an article in the Journal of Planning Education and Research on government-issued responses to anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article, titled “A Typology of Local and State Government Responses to Racism: A Case of Anti-Asian Hate in the COVID-19 Pandemic,” examines 50 states and 104 of the largest municipalities. Dr. Lee, along with co-author Dr. John Arroyo, found that the majority of jurisdictions issued no response to anti-Asian hate crimes during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The study developed a typology of racist, race-neutral, and anti-racism to categorize the responses that did occur. Of the responses that did occur, they included race-neutral language. The study offers recommendations on how public institutions can develop anti-racist language to protect their constitutents and promote more inclusive and safe communities.
Read the article’s abstract and find a link to the full article below. Congratulations to Dr. Lee on her publication!
Abstract:
We examine local and state government responses to anti-Asian hate during the initial months of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic in the United States. Formal state and municipal government statements and websites were examined for fifty states and 104 of the largest municipalities using critical discourse analysis and racial formation theory to understand how government agencies racialized Asian Americans and reacted to their responsibility to address racism. We develop a typology of racist, race-neutral, and anti-racism to categorize the responses. Government statements are important for planners because they affect resident safety and willingness to report hate crimes.
Read Dr. Lee's full article by clicking the link below.
Associate Professors Lee Fithian, Ph.D., and Elizabeth Pober have published a chapter in the recently released New Perspectives in Indoor Air Quality, published by Elsevier. Their contribution, titled “Chapter 16 – Architecture and the Challenges of Indoor Air Quality,” examines the relationship between architecture and indoor air quality.
Dr. Ladan Mozaffarian, Assistant Professor of Regional and City Planning, has been selected to serve as Co-Chair of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning (ACSP) Planners of Color Interest Group (POCIG) for the 2025–2027 term.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is proud to recognize Tahsin Tabassum, a recent graduate of the college’s Master of Regional and City Planning program and current doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine, for receiving the prestigious 2024–2025 American Planning Association (APA) Outstanding Student Award.
