A majority of the public spaces found throughout American cities have been designed by generations of predominantly white, male professionals. From streets to parks, these spaces were often created for a monolithic, typically white, user. As cities grow, densify and diversify, however, a public space designed for one group might not be as celebrated by, or safe for, another. But viewing the design and stewardship of public space through an equity lens requires far more than convening a community meeting, erecting a monument or swapping a baseball field for a cricket pitch. Join us to investigate the complicated relationship between public space and equity as panelists discuss the myriad of ways in which communities use, program and maintain public spaces, the reactions that result and how our cities need to rethink existing design practices to offer agency and ownership for all users.
+ Carolyn Finney / Author, Black Faces, White Spaces
+ Chantel Rush / Managing Director, The Kresge Foundation's American Cities Program
+ Kofi Boone / Professor of Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning, NC State University
+ Lisa Cholmondeley / Principal, Gensler
+ Manuel Pastor / Director, Program for Environmental and Regional Equity at University of Southern California
