Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
“HOAs are able to overlay regressive and restrictive rules, creating privileged enclaves that live by their own rules,” Barrie said.
“We have a strong storyline in our country, that it is the country of opportunity — then we create all kinds of pre-emptive state laws, zoning codes and HOAs that make it not an equitable nation.”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
He supports efforts to
allow more diverse and dense housing.
He is not a fan
of Home Owner Associations, noting they can impose deed restrictions and covenants
that would be unconstitutional if they were in city zoning and building codes.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
 |
| Thomas Barrie |
Thomas Barrie, professor of architecture at NC State University and director of the Affordable Housing and Sustainable Communities Initiative, published a powerful op-ed in the Charlotte Observer in June titled:
“To fight racism, throw out neighborhood zoning laws that lead to segregated housing.”
He is interested in cracking the code that
gives the reason behind why places look like they do and why disparity is built
into the system.
“North Carolina has all sorts of laws, put in for dubious reasons, that inhibit or greatly limit affordable housing,” he said.
“We can’t have inclusionary zoning or rent control.
There are limits on cities creating their own housing laws, state law that limits the ability to create form-based codes.
I’m an educator. It is my role to write
op-eds and inform people about laws that limit justice, inclusion and equity.”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
“Look at how well it’s maintained by stakeholders, local government, or volunteers.
The care of a space represents its respect, its
success and its dignity. Are we creating spaces with respect for humanity and environment—-
regardless of people’s social identities?”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
The key question is: do people feel like their experience and history is represented in the space?
In many planning activities in hot real estate markets, there is a growing concern around gentrification and displacement.
One of the ways to mitigate these concerns about cultural erasure is representational justice.
Make sure people’s history is represented in the new space, through development or redevelopment.
Many public spaces have monuments and plaques detailing the achievements of white people.
We need to have more inclusive plaques and markers that talk about the history
of the place made by all people.
FROM HONEYBEAR, HEIDI AND YOURS TRULY
According to
HoneyBear, our beloved Siamese rescue cat, 2020 has already come to an end.
Note in the
picture that she has closed my laptop and commenced sun bathing flat on top of
it till Jan. 4, 2021.
While I envy
such dedication to respite and restoration in light of the incredibly
challenging year, I will not be out till then (but do hope to spend much time
with my amazing partner of 33 years – Heidi – most of the last week of 2020.)
I just
wanted to drop a warm note of thanks to everyone who has been a part of my life
in these tumultuous times.
I won the
lottery of life when I met my Heidi and I have grown to be the most-fortunate
man I know – working only with clients that are focused on making the world a
better place.
I earn my
daily bread providing editorial services and marketing writing for highly-respected
planners, urban designers, architects, engineers, mobility specialists, landscape
architects, sustainability experts, disability access advocates academics,
non-profits and urban infill developers.
Yours in an
inclusive, equitable and accessible built environment for all,
--Steve
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
This is about ensuring the full and fair participation.
We must ask questions (such
as) who has influence over the design, the programming — of these networks? What’s
the power dynamic? — not only historically but presently.
Interactional justice.
This gets at concerns around what makes people feel welcome or unwanted at a space.
If we are to pursue interactional justice, we must make sure all people feel welcome.
This touches on every aspect of identity (including but not limited
to) sexual orientation, race, religion, and disability.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
He said defined equity as the presence of justice and fairness within the procedures and processes by an institution.
Adapting forms of justice developed by Setha Low, director of the Public Space Research Group at the City University of New York.
Brown has
detailed how the pursuit of justice should impact planning:
Distributive Justice.
We must ask who has physical access to that street, that park, that trail, that building?
That applies to pedestrians, persons with disabilities, the modes in which a person can access a street or trail.
It examines public transit vs. driving disparities.
It evaluates the impact of an auto-centric environment. We must ensure
that transportation includes (space and safety) for bikes, people with disabilities,
micro mobility, and pedestrians.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
 |
| Charles T. Brown |
“It’s important that all parties be more knowledgeable of the historic land-use and transportation issues that have disproportionately impacted racial and ethnic minorities and low-economic communities,” he said.
“The environmental justice movement demands that we ensure
the full and fair participation by all potentially affected communities in our decision-making
process.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
“I believe the best way to make the most significant impact in residential home design is for municipalities to incentivize builders to incorporate Livable Design into their homes through fee reductions, fast-tracking projects, or a combination of both.
This approach will
motivate builders to seek creative solutions and deliver a better result for the
community. Win-win,” said DeMure, president and CEO of Jeffrey Demure+Associates
Architects and Planners in Granite Bay, Calif.”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
Retrofitting is where high costs come in.
But wider doorways, roll-in showers and accessible kitchens
do not drive up costs significantly if incorporated into design from day one.
“I have had many conversations with municipalities, stakeholders, builders, and developers about Universal Design, visitability, ADA for single-family residential, and whether a component of accessibility should be mandated.
As a broad statement, when you prescribe
something, you take away a piece of its soul,” said Jeffrey DeMure AIA, author of
“Livable Design: From Commodity to Community with Affordable, Adaptable, Beautiful
Home Design.”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
Twenty percent of the population will have some kind of disability and the majority of those impact mobility.
Designing for universal access is simply meeting the market
demand,” said Thompson, who believes office buildings left vacant by the work from
home trend will be prime for converting to accessible housing located close to transit,
jobs, healthcare and education.
ON LET’S TALK MIAMI PODCAST WITH CAMILA CEBALLOS
 |
| Rules should force absentee owners to restore abandoned houses to original code-compliant condition. Those who do illegal demolition should be ordered to rent restored units as affordable for 5 years. |
I am gratified to have talked about activism in the historic Shenandoah neighborhood of Little Havana for more than a half hour with podcaster Camila Ceballos.
I was proud
to be her end of the year, final program.
We chatted
about the city needing to do a better job of cleaning up, securing and redeveloping
abandoned houses and vacant lots.
We
differentiated between owner-occupied homes, with elderly or poor residents who
do not have the ability or money to keep their roofs, windows and lots in
perfect shape – vs. absentee owner speculators who often do illegal demolition
then walk away from their unsafe structures.
We talked
about the need for swifter action to push the hands of investors who trash core
neighborhoods, encouraging blight, squatters while discourage healthy
investment from young families and others who would otherwise move into the
neighborhood and become rooted in it.
View the podcast here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UHOOoetlIh8&feature=youtu.be
I feel that
these lots could be built with properly-scaled affordable housing. Abandoned
houses could be rehabbed to become attainable rental properties for workforce housing.
As a longtime
advocate for people with disabilities, I noted that less than one percent of
housing in Miami is move-in ready for a person who uses a wheelchair for
mobility. So, a good chunk of the infill housing on these blighted lots should be
build accessible.
We also
discussed research that has shown upwards of half of the people of Miami pay
more than half their total income toward housing – a totally unsustainable housing
gap, because the average family should pay no more than one third of its income
on housing.
 |
| Camila Ceballos, host of Let's Talk Miami Podcast |
We also touched on my Twitter storm and TV interviews underscoring the blight caused by illegal dumping in Miami’s older, core neighborhoods.
We agreed
that whether you are a Republican, Democrat, Independent or other – maintaining
quality of life in a decent, diverse, mixed-income neighborhood is important to
you.
There is no
political bias – red or blue – when you work to punish both speculators who
destroy dozens of viable lots in a neighborhood and fly by night contractors
who illegally dump trash on side alleys and on vacant lots.
I support my
elected officials – being a public servant for the City of Miami was one of the
most satisfying jobs of my long career – but I expect them to never hide behind
excuses of process…while always leaping in to cut red tape to help the little guy.
Happy Holidays.
If you want to play Santa for working class Miami, then share this blog item and the link to the podcast with your elected officials, neighbors and friends.
Alternate link to podcast:
https://anchor.fm/miamitalkspolitics/episodes/Abandoned-Lots-in-the-Heart-of-Miami-enrrpg
 |
| Your tireless advocate for urban living with HoneyBear the Siamese rescue cat |
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
 |
| Mark Thompson, PVA |
When it comes to planning inequities for people with disabilities, HUD surveys have documented that fewer than one percent of all housing is move-in ready for wheelchair users.
Virtually all of that tiny one percent is new build multifamily housing.
Fewer than
five percent of all housing is even moderately move-in ready for people with physical
disabilities who do not use a wheelchair full-time.
“Much like affordable
housing, you give developers an economic incentive to get them to build accessible
units: increasing density or expediting permitting — if they provide more universally
accessible units,” says Mark Thompson, AIA, senior associate director of Architecture
for Paralyzed Veterans of America.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
The APA guide is filled with concrete action steps to create more equitable policy.
Wood said zoning decisions tend to be based on creating individual wealth vs. a holistic gain for the community.
She said planners have an obligation to inform city officials
of all impacts and consequences of land-use decisions.
“It has to do with empathy and humanity — we need to have a fully functioning community,” said Wood, a planning project manager with the Regional Transportation District in Denver.
“The intent behind the guide is to address all who are underserved — people of color,
of low income, with mobility issues … by creating policies for inclusive growth
and equitable economic distribution.”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
 |
| Susan Wood |
“Planners are uniquely positioned to make a difference.
They are out in the communities. They can look at housing, transportation, health, environmental justice — and set policies that create quality of life for everyone equally,” said Susan Wood, AICP, one of the guide’s authors and co-chair of the project that produced its tools to address inequities and influence decision makers.
The pandemic has underscored the need.
People who can least afford to shoulder the burden have been the most negatively
impacted. In a marginalized community, if you don’t have access to healthy living,
transportation, doctors — you can die.”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
For example,
zoning, which is intended to separate incompatible land uses, has also been used
to exclude certain population groups from single-family neighborhoods and to exclude
multifamily rental housing from neighborhoods with better access to jobs, transit,
and amenities,” the APA Equity Policy Guide states.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
Created by a
diverse base of APA members, the first page of the 30-page document takes a head
on approach toward acknowledging the profession’s history with inequity.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
BAR is addressing environmental justice by working with a Jefferson County commissioner to build new, ADA-compliant, three-bedroom houses that will be worth about $100,000 but sold to qualifying families for around $50,000.
Along
with providing safe, affordable housing, the initiative will help build equity
in greater Birmingham when it is formally defined and launched in 2021.
“REALTORS
advocate for property rights – just because that adds value to the (real
estate) industry, but also because it adds value to the community. BAR uses a
lot of NAR tools for community building,” Baylor said.
DO SOMETHING CHARITABLE AND LOVING FOR THE HOLIDAYS
You have cabin fever.
You can’t get
used to wearing a mask.
Your candidate
lost.
Your cruise
to the Caribbean got canceled due to COVID.
The toilet
flushes during your work from home Zoom.
The company
cut your pay by a fraction due to the pandemic.
These are
minor problems.
They are fractional
reductions in quality of life while we heal physically, psychologically and politically.
People have
lost their lives.
Households
have lost every job that support them.
Vulnerable
people are living each day in fear.
Back off the
attitude.
Stop
griping.
Search your
soul for bias and bigotry -- erase whatever it is that’s causing those destructive
thoughts and behaviors.
Do someone a
favor.
Buy a
grocery gift card for someone in need. Bonus points, do it anonymously.
Embrace life.
Embrace
people.
Find something
enchanting and interesting and life-affirming in someone who is completely different
than you – It’s very easy to do.
Work to make
the world a better place.
Do something
hands-on to help those who are homeless, jobless, hopeless.
Merry
Christmas, Happy Hanukah and Super Solstice.
About the image: This was taken in the early morning in Downtown Miami. In the postcards boasting sun, sea and sand – Miami is a paradise. To the eyes of anyone who walks the Central Business District between the Miami River and Biscayne Bay – sidewalks, overhangs, vacant storefronts and space under bridges is home to hundreds of homeless people. Was it hard to take this picture? Yes. I walked past a half dozen times. But I am a street photographer and storyteller. As an advocate for people with disabilities in specific and marginalized people in general – I am compelled to tell stories (visually and in words) that are painful, sad and challenging. Harsh images, in turn, can help compel people to get involved in positive change. That is why I left this person to their hopefully peaceful slumber while capturing their heart-tugging image.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
 |
| Add caption |
The Birmingham
Association of REALTORS (BAR), supported the master plan and continues to work
with the city’s mayor and other elected officials on issues of community,
development, planning, land use, business and urban living.
“We are actively involved in restoring the value that was taken away by redlining,” said William Baylor, Vice President of Government Affairs for BAR.
“REALTORS are natural canvassers.
They are in the neighborhoods, they see
trends – positive and negative – so it natural for them to build relationships
with Mayors, City Managers and other leaders to address local issues.”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
He said a positive outcome was Railroad Park, which created a “people’s
park” in a city that had suffered a history of disparity around use and location
of public space.
Gilchrist said when communities that have suffered historic inequity demand a direct hand in charting their futures, early engagement brings communities on board not simply as stakeholders, but as active partners.
He noted this “is no longer one approach for redressing
those inequities — it is the only approach.”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
“It is also critical for the planning professional to find some means of vetting the proposed scope of work for a planning initiative with the community stakeholders before it is issued as a Request for Qualifications or Proposals.
While this step may inevitably
add time to procurement of services or project start, it remains one of the best
ways to ensure participation, credibility, and service with community.”
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
Gilchrist said the most effective way to ensure an outcome that is inclusive across community is to engage stakeholders before a scope of work is even contemplated.
The greatest opportunity to ensure a robust, inclusive outcome is to define that opportunity correctly and equitably.
He urged planners to communicate frequently with social,
religious, cultural or business and neighborhood forums within a community.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
 |
| William Gilchrist |
Its diverse and expert voices aim to share best practices that
will create approaches, methodologies, policies, practices, codes and laws that
will level the playing field.
The disparate impacts across planning outcomes reflecting biases has a storied history across American cities.
"There are examples that range from the removal or denial of parks
and open space equitably throughout cities with notable deficits occurring in communities
of color and lower-income cities,” said William A. Gilchrist, FAIA, NOMA, director
of the city of Oakland’s Planning and Building department.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
This year has been like no other.
Mass protests have underscored the endless inequity and brutality killing, injuring and forever damaging people of color.
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed vast inequities in terms of higher infection rate with lower access to crucial health care, as well as higher incidence of unemployment exacerbated by a frayed and shrinking safety net.
Also, 2020 marked the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act.
A sad fact for those who believed 30 years of federal civil rights protection would result in something better than people with disabilities hunting for housing when less than one percent of it is move-in ready accessible for them.
THANKS FOR HAVING SUCH GREAT WHEELCHAIR ACCESS
Love it when
everything is level, with ramps where needed and smooth surfaces to accommodate
people with disabilities.
This is why
we live in Miami.
Seventy-degree,
shirt sleeves balmy night when we visited on Thanksgiving weekend.
Book in
advance – it sells out.
Runs through Dec. 27 -- Fridays and Saturdays only.
https://www.zoomiami.org
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
A history of
well-meaning planners introducing their own bias and paternalism — feeling they
knew what was best for rebuilding community without ever taking the time to truly
grasp the needs, traditions, cultures, diversity and unique housing patterns — has
haunted countless minority communities.
Planning, Zoning and other Land Use Policy Best Practices to Erase Errors of the Past that Perpetuated Bias and Deepened Inequality
Everything from
single-family zoning with large minimum lot sizes that made home ownership impossible
for many people of color, to shameful, insidious practices such as redlining lending
in predominantly African American communities, has widened the chasm between haves
and have nots.
Even the automobile — that great tool for middle-class community work, expanding suburban homebuilding and vastly growing tourism — was weaponized against minority communities.
Hundreds
of freeways cut through African American neighborhoods, destroying communities while
robbing people of equity in homes and businesses undervalued, taken by eminent domain
and razed for freeways that almost never tore through places with a white majority.
RECOGNIZED BY THE UNITED NATIONS SINCE 1992
My wish for this
day is for people with disabilities to take their rightful place on corporate
boards, executive leadership teams, research & development divisions and
other aspects of commerce in America.
A great many firms made a push to add people of color to these and other key ranks, following the summer of protests over racial injustice.
I applaud that and say “why
did it take you so long.”
But the diversity
door MUST be open to all people who deserve equity and inclusion.
It’s not charity, it’s good business. Diverse voices have been proven time and time again to create efficiencies while broadening market share.
So even if you’re
only about the dollar, you need to elevate qualified people with mobility,
vision, hearing, cognitive and other disabilities into meaningful decision-making
roles.
https://www.newmobility.com/2020/02/guide-to-local-advocacy/
https://www.newmobility.com/2020/07/the-ada-enforcers/
https://www.strongtowns.org/journal/2020/6/1/when-inclusive-isnt
http://www.newmobility.com/wheels-on-campus
While many cities have shown efforts to implement accessible design since the 1990 adoption of the American Disabilities Act, more must be done
Everyone has his or her idea of how we can begin to unify, heal, come together.
Mine is to
celebrate the ADA in the spirit of equity for all.
While many cities have shown efforts to implement accessible design since the 1990 adoption of the American Disabilities Act, more must be done
The current slowdown/shut down of virtually all offices and organizations creates a fabulous opportunity.
As work, sadly, dries up for an unknown period, those who impact the built environment and the professional organizations that represent them can work online to promote access for all.
Chef Jose Andres is a shining example what a professional can do pro-bono in times of crises.
Who would like to step
up and be the Jose Andres of architecture, engineering, landscape architecture,
planning, and interior design?
While many cities have shown efforts to implement accessible design since the 1990 adoption of the American Disabilities Act, more must be done
Millions of Baby Boomers are retiring soon and expecting to live into their 80s.
Most will not be able to drive a car till the day they die.
For that reason alone, we need to ramp up
our effort to ensure accessibility – from the grandest concert hall to the most
modest city park to the life-affirming rural nature trail to the essential
corner grocery.
Anyone, in an instant, can join the
disability community. That is why Universal Design and Inclusive Placemaking
have an immeasurable intrinsic wealth.
While many cities have shown efforts to implement accessible design since the 1990 adoption of the American Disabilities Act, more must be done\
Millions of Baby Boomers are retiring soon and expecting to live into their 80s.
Most will not be able to drive a car till the day they die.
For that reason alone, we need to ramp up our effort to ensure accessibility – from the grandest concert hall to the most modest city park to the life-affirming rural nature trail to the essential corner grocery.
THE HISTORIC SHENANDOAH NEIGHBORHOOD DESERVES BETTER THAN MESS CREATED BY ABSENTEE OWNERS AND SPECULATORS
I love the
city of Miami. It breaks my heart, but I must go public with 8 images the
depict a total collapse of government services. My Shenandoah neighborhood is
filled with vacant houses and trash. The house pictured above has been abandoned at SW 13 St
and SW 23 Avenue for years.
This monstrosity (photo above) on SW 23rd Avenue at SW 14 St has festered for years. It always has a ton of trash. When the city allows buildings to linger abandoned, dangerous and decaying – it signals illegal dumpers & worse that it’s open season to destroy the neighborhood.
The person who lives (outdoors on the lot pictured above) allowed his family home to fall down around him -- until it was razed as an unsafe structure years ago. He camps out and does all bodily functions out in the open. He earns money illegally parking commercial vehicles at his shanty town.
This lot (image above) on SW 14th St, just south of our home would be nice for affordable housing– but it has been allowed to grow up like a jungle since the house was razed. The COVID pandemic is no excuse for allowing this filth and ruin in our working-class neighborhood.
A mountain of trash (sad image above) on an alley immediately south of historic William Jennings Bryan Park. We have done tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of roof, window and other improvements - -by permit – and paid off our 100-year-old home. Our reward – nothing but neglect.
Tires (see above) brazenly and illegally dumped in front of Bryan Park. When you have a half dozen vacant houses/lots and do nothing to punish speculators from illegal demolition – you get a neighborhood so decimated, that people start to dump garbage right on your little park where kids play.
Mattress, filth--drawing rodents, worse–dumped at weed-strewn vacant lot near our home (repugnant photo of neglect above). Miami officials: Where is the sense of duty to community? My guess is instead of addressing this, city will send code enforcement to retaliate against us with trumped up charges.
