Sunday, February 14th, 2021
It is no secret that people of color are underrepresented in the planning profession. Historically, white men have dominated the field. This is not to overlook the many significant contributions made by people of color, such as that of Dorothy Mae Richardson, an African American community organizer from Pittsburgh who challenged the practice of redlining and helped found Neighborworks America, the national community development institution; or more recently that of Mitchell J. Silver, the extremely creative and transformational Commissioner of the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation (who I was fortunate enough to meet and hear speak as a graduate student), as just two examples.
Today there are many great urban and regional planners of color, still, the field continues to be disproportionately White as compared to the general population of the US. Most people who plan and design our communities do not reflect the diversity of those communities. According to 2019 ACS data, 84% of urban and regional planners were White (Non-Hispanic) whereas the US population was only 60% White. African Americans accounted for a little over 7% of planning professionals while making up close to 12% of the US population. With the exception of Asians, other minority groups are also underrepresented in the planning profession.
Why does this matter?
Those in the planning profession play a major role in determining the shape, structures, and organization of America’s communities. Our current built environment and systems retain the legacy of racist policies from the past: redlining; freeways that intersect and isolate low income communities; heavy industrial land use that abuts poor and minority communities; and concentrating public resources and goods like public transportation, parks and libraries in more white and affluent neighborhoods, among others injustices.
Would communities of color have fared better over the last century if they had representatives in the decision making process? Would our communities be less segregated and more equitable? Most experts on the topic answer: yes. The quote “if you are not at the table you are on the menu” comes to mind. While some planners of the past did not necessarily intend the harm they have caused communities of color across the county, because those groups were not part of the conversation their interests were forgotten about or sacrificed for the benefit of the dominant group: White America.
The profession of planning has evolved dramatically over the last few decades, and change is coming. Today, undergraduate and graduate planning programs with Planning Board Accreditation have a student body that more closely resembles the diversity of the US population. In 2019, 63% of graduate students enrolled in such a program were White, 11% were Black or African American. This is good news because it means in the coming decades communities of color will have more people at the decision making table and are therefore likely to participate in planning and policy making, which ultimately benefits their interests.
Still, how many young people in minority communities aspire to be a planner? The answer, most likely, is too few. Urban and regional planning is one of those professions that does a poor job recruiting young people. High schools students considering career options may think about being a doctor, or a dentist, a teacher, or veterinarian, but planner – what is that? Our public high schools should take more efforts to introduce planning and policy career choices to our young people. Those of us in the planning field should offer our time for high school career day, and planning organizations should create internship opportunities targeted to students from underrepresented communities.
