Cities@Tufts Lectures

Professor Esther Charlesworth’s talk for the Boston Salon on May 1, 2024 focused on her nomadic design journey across the last three decades. In trying to move from just theorizing about disaster architecture to designing and delivering projects for at-risk communities globally, Esther started both Architects Without Frontiers (Australia) and ASF (International); an umbrella coalition of 41 other architect groups across Europe, Asia and Africa. Architects Without Frontiers asks, how do we go from just pontificating about the multiple and intractable challenges of our fragile planet, to actually acting on them? Prof. Esther Charlesworth works in the School of Architecture and Design at RMIT University, where in 2016 she founded the Master of Disaster, Design, and Development degree [MoDDD] and the Humanitarian Architecture Research Bureau [HARB]. MoDDD is one of the few degrees globally, enabling mid-career designers to transition their careers into the international development, disaster and urban resilience sectors. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Grant Perry. Paige Kelly is our co-producer and audio editor, the original portrait of Karin Bradley was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is co-produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song.

Scholars have recently coined the term “gastrodevelopment” to refer to the leveraging of food culture as a resource and strategy of economic development. Drawing on a case study of Tucson, Arizona – the United States’ first UNESCO Creative City of Gastronomy – Kinkaid uses the lens of gastrodevelopment to examine how food culture is transformed into a form of symbolic capital that animates a broader project of urban development. Kinkaid shows how this transformation encodes differentials of value that are racialized and racializing and risk contributing to Tucson’s uneven urban geographies. Kinkaid then turns to community visions of food-based development to imagine alternative trajectories for the project of gastrodevelopment. Dr. Eden Kinkaid (they/them) is a human geographer and social scientist whose work focuses on themes of sustainable and equitable food and agricultural systems, place, race, and development. They have researched these themes in north India and in the U.S. Southwest. In addition to this line of research, they publish on topics of feminist, queer, and trans geographies, geographic theory, creative geographies, and diversity, equity, and inclusion in academia. Their work has been published in Urban Geography, Progress in Human Geography, Transactions of the British Institute of Geographers, The Annals of the American Association of Geographers, Environment and Planning D, and various other journals and books. Eden has served as an editor at Gender, Place, and Culture, The Graduate Journal of Food Studies, and you are here: the journal of creative geography. You can learn more about their work on their website or by following them on social media @queergeog on Twitter, Instagram, and Bluesky. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Grant Perry. Paige Kelly is our co-producer and audio editor, the original portrait of Karin Bradley was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is co-produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song.

In cities across the world grassroots initiatives organize alternative forms of provisioning, e.g. food sharing networks, energy cooperatives and repair cafés. Some of these are recognized by local governments as engines in sustainability transitions. In this talk, I will discuss different ways that local governments interact with, and use, such grassroots initiatives, drawing from case studies in Berlin and Gothenburg. An argument will be made for that we need to reconsider what municipal infrastructure should entail, i.e. not only the traditional infrastructure for transport and waste but also new infrastructure for repairing and sharing. Karin Bradley is Professor of Urban and Regional Studies at KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden. Her research concerns planning and policy for sustainability transitions, the role of civil society, alternative economies and justice aspects of transitions. She has been the co-director of the eight-year research programme Mistra Sustainable Consumption – from niche to mainstream that engages researchers from different disciplines as well as municipalities, civil society organizations, companies and national authorities in Sweden. She has had several assignments for the Swedish government, including leading a public inquiry on the sharing economy. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Grant Perry. Paige Kelly is our co-producer and audio editor, the original portrait of Karin Bradley was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is co-produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song.

Minorities in cities worldwide confront disparities, advocating for rights within a dynamic interplay of urban planning and constitutional legal frameworks. How does the coevolution between planning and legal frameworks shape the status of minorities? This lecture will dissect the coevolution of British constitutional rights and the status of minorities in the urban planning of London, post-WWII. It will explore how planning practices embed minority rights, shedding light on the transformation of political and legal frameworks into urban planning, and assessing their impact on state-minority relations. Orwa Switat is a visiting scholar at the Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University. He is a scholar, practitioner, and activist in the realm of state-minority relations in urban planning. He holds a Ph.D. and M.Sc. degrees from the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the Technion - Israel Institute of Technology. His research has critically examined the intersections of urban planning and state-minority relations. Complementing his advanced degrees, he possesses BAs in both Philosophy and Political Science from Haifa University. In addition to his scholarly pursuits, Orwa has dedicated his work to promoting the rights of Palestinian communities in Israel in the context of planning, advising planners and civil society on spatial justice and inclusion. From 2019 to 2023, Orwa served on Haifa's municipal committee for historical preservation, influencing policies to honor and reflect the Arab Palestinian Heritage of the city. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Muram Bacare. Paige Kelly is our co-producer and audio editor, the original portrait of Mark Roseland was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is co-produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song.

Contemporary planning approaches often fall short in addressing the cascading environmental, economic, and social issues planners and their communities face. Planners need comprehensive, forward-thinking approaches that prioritize sustainability, equity, and inclusivity. Mark Roseland’s new book, Toward Sustainable Communities: Solutions for Citizens and Their Governments, is the definitive guide to the why, the what, and most importantly, the how of creating resilient, healthy, equitable, and prosperous places. Dr. Roseland will introduce the book’s innovative Community Capital Compass as a powerful tool for maximizing the environmental, economic, and social benefits of complex community and regional decisions. The Compass promises a transformative, equitable, resilient, and sustainable approach to urban development. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Muram Bacare. Paige Kelly is our co-producer and audio editor, the original portrait of Mark Roseland was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is co-produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song.

In 2017, New York City committed to a plan to close Rikers Island Jail Complex and build four smaller jails around the city in Manhattan’s Chinatown, Downtown Brooklyn, Mott Haven in the Bronx, and Kew Gardens in Queens. The Chinatown jail is planned to be built on the site of the current jail in the neighborhood, but rather than repurposing or remodeling the building, the city plans to demolish it and build a 300-foot mega-jail, which would be the tallest jail in the world. The fight against the new Chinatown jail has drawn together a diverse coalition concerned about the effects of the jail on the Chinatown population and the predominantly Black and Latine populations incarcerated inside it. This episode of Cities@Tufts explores how concerned groups are working to bridge their differences and develop strategies to fight the new jail construction. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Muram Bacare. Paige Kelly is our co-producer and audio editor, the original portrait of Maya Singhal was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is co-produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song.

In this Cities@Tufts episode, Myers discusses her eight years working on the research, design, and production of the urbanism podcast Here There Be Dragons. HTBD starts with residents first and seeks to forefront methods from the social sciences as crucial techniques in the analysis of the built environment. The podcast covers one city per season. Myers has sat down with residents in New York, Paris, and Stockholm to discuss what inspires their feelings of belonging and tension in their cities. Through these interviews HTBD traces a post occupancy study of urban policy, design decisions, and social attitudes. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Muram Bacare. Paige Kelly is our co-producer and audio editor, the original portrait of Kristin Reynolds and the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is co-produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song.

What is co-design, and what does it look like in global initiatives that produce data about development indicators? Projects that strive for inclusivity might hold well-designed multi-stakeholder engagement workshops throughout a project but still see limited local uptake of their data in the end. Why are multi-stakeholder workshops usually not enough? How might global data initiatives find grounding in the multitude of realities that exist across and even within, communities? This Cities@Tufts presentation from Dr. Dana R Thomson reflects on how global data initiatives might unintentionally exclude the voices they care about most and introduces a framework for (more) equitable and inclusive data co-design processes. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. We're in the middle of our end-of-year fundraiser and could really use your support. If you appreciate this show and are in a position to donate, please click the link in the show notes to make a contribution today. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Muram Bacare. Roame Jasmin is our producer, Robert Raymond is our audio editor, the original portrait of Kristin Reynolds and the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song.

"Infrastructure Apartheid to Liberatory Infrastructures" - this phrase highlights a fundamental shift in our framing of both harms and solutions, respectively, from individual and direct, to systemic and distributed. Dr. Carrasquillo and the Liberatory Infrastructures Labs' aim, as they continue to not only challenge the theoretical framings but also engineering approaches, is to research and pilot fieldwork that ultimately brings us closer to an envisioned future where liberation can be realized. This edition of Cities@Tufts highlights both theory and current research from the lab that demonstrate how they are examining, critiquing, and working towards this goal. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Sign up here for our next lecture on December 6, "Co-Design in Global Development Data Initiatives" with Dana R Thomson. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Muram Bacare. Roame Jasmin is our producer, Robert Raymond is our audio editor, the original portrait of Kristin Reynolds and the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song.

Welcome to the second episode of the Imaginal Cells of the Solidarity Economy: Democratizing Power. This a special series of episodes that we've been sharing over the summer until Cities@Tufts officially resumes for our fourth season in the Fall. Over the course of our lecture series, we’ve talked a lot about the crucial role that community plays in building alternatives to capitalistic models of access, resource distribution and social equity. We are living through a historic moment where the common crises - from climate change to the erosion of democracy, virulent racism and fascism — are constantly emerging and evolving. It’s without blame, and fairly common, to get trapped in a kind of hopelessness that another world is attainable in the face of ever-growing systems of oppression. But we believe two things. Not only that another world is possible, but that it’s often already here. We believe that the world that our planet and everyday people need is often within reach, waiting for us to take hold, take root, take action and to re-shape our everyday lives through radical collaboration, collective activism and a world of care. This week we are joined by Hillary Renick, Kristania De Leon, and Naveen Agrawal to hear about different ways that power is being democratized - in finance, in municipal or community governance, and in recognizing traditional ecological knowledge (TEK) for resource management. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistant Deandra Boyle. Roame Jasmin is our producer, Robert Raymond is our audio editor, the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.

Urban agriculture has a long and diverse history throughout the world. Its health, social, and economic benefits for communities have been the subject of many studies and advocacy efforts seeking recognition of urban food production as a legitimate use of city space and as “real” agriculture. In the US, the past decade has seen policy support for urban food production expand at multiple scales of governance. At the same time, new forms of high-tech, commercial urban agriculture have emerged, often funded through private investment and venture capital. Understanding the implications of these shifts for racial and economic inequity, within the broader US context of social inequality, is important in designing and implementing more socially just urban agriculture policies. In this talk, Kristin Reynolds discusses recent evolutions in urban agriculture practices and policy, their implications for racial and economic equity, and her current work to inform more socially just urban agriculture policy through her Food and Social Justice Action Research Lab. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Sign up here for our next lecture on October 25th: "How to Fight a Mega-Jai" presented by Maya Singhal. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Muram Bacare. Roame Jasmin is our producer, Robert Raymond is our audio editor, the original portrait of Kristin Reynolds and the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.

Welcome to the third episode of the Imaginal Cells of the Solidarity Economy: Democratizing Power. This a special series of episodes that we've been sharing over the summer until Cities@Tufts officially resumes for our fourth season in the Fall. We are living through an historic moment where a number of crises-- climate change, growing economic and cultural divide, virulent racism, and the slide toward fascism--are converging. This makes for scary times but also times that are ripe with potential for fundamental system change. As the faith in the status quo is shaken, we're seeing a greater openness to post-capitalist futures such as the solidarity economy. This webinar series on The Imaginal Cells of the Solidarity Economy will showcase the myriad ways that solidarity economy practices are providing models and pathways to build a more cooperative, democratic, equitable, and sustainable world--one in which many worlds fit. This week we are joined by David Cobb, Lydia Lopez, Jyoung Carolyn Park, Kali Akuno, and Petula Hanley to hear about how to use/influence public policy advance individual policies as part of a coherent strategy to democratize the entire economy. The webinar series on The Imaginal Cells of the Solidarity Economy showcases the myriad ways that solidarity economy practices are providing models and pathways to build a more cooperative, democratic, equitable, and sustainable world — one in which many worlds fit. Brought to you by Shareable, Resist & Build's SE Narrative Circle, the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network, and the New Economy Coalition. Don't forget to sign up for the next Cities@Tufts event on October 4th when Kristin Reynolds will present: Urban Agriculture, Racial and Economic Equity: Action Research for Food and Social Justice Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistant Deandra Boyle. Roame Jasmin is our producer, Robert Raymond is our audio editor, the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.

We have a special series of episodes that we’ll be sharing over the next few months between now and when Cities@Tufts officially resumes for our fourth season in the Fall. Over the course of our lecture series, we’ve talked a lot about the crucial role that community plays in building alternatives to capitalistic models of access, resource distribution and social equity. We are living through a historic moment where the common crises - from climate change to the erosion of democracy, virulent racism and fascism — are constantly emerging and evolving. It’s without blame, and fairly common, to get trapped in a kind of hopelessness that another world is attainable in the face of ever-growing systems of oppression. But we believe two things. Not only that another world is possible, but that it’s often already here. We believe that the world that our planet and everyday people need is often within reach, waiting for us to take hold, take root, take action and to re-shape our everyday lives through radical collaboration, collective activism and a world of care. This week we are joined by some pretty amazing guests as part of the Imaginal Cells of the Solidarity Economy webinar series, giving us some insight about how post-capitalist models of survival and sustainability are constantly being created by communities all over the country, addressing some of the most critical issues we face everyday — such as housing, childcare, food access and sovereignty. We’ll be hearing from Minnie McMahon, of the Dudley St. Neighborhood Initiative, a community-led housing and land trust in Boston. We’ll hear from Mindy Barbakoff of Childspace, a worker-owned childcare center in Philadelphia. And we’ll also hear from Amaha Selassie of Gem City, a food cooperative in Dayton, Ohio. All Moderated by Steve Dubb of the Nonprofit Quarterly Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistant Deandra Boyle. Roame Jasmin is our producer, Robert Raymond is our audio editor, the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.

Globally, contemporary cities face seemingly insurmountable challenges such as urban inequality, inadequate infrastructure, climate crisis, and increasingly, threats to democracy. In the face of such challenges, the Dr. Aseem Inam introduces the concept of "co-designing publics" by examining what lies at the potent intersection of the public realm and informal urbanisms. He defines the public realm as interconnected spatial and political networks of public spaces that weave a city together, while informal urbanisms are the transactional conditions of ambiguity that exist between what is acceptable and what is unacceptable in cities. At their intersection are publics, who never simply exist because they are always created. In fact, publics are co-designed [i.e. co-created in inventive and multifarious ways] around common concerns or desire through volitional inquiry and action. He contextualizes these discussions by paying particular attention to the cities of the global south, because place matters in shaping urban thinking and practice. There is an increasing interest in thinking and practicing from cities of the global south rather than just about them. He then describes how these ideas are being further investigated through case studies in cites around the world and articulated through interactive events in the Co-Designing Publics International Research Network. He concludes with thoughts on the profound implications of co-designing publics for radical democracy and transformative urbanisms. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their presentation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. This is the last episode of this semester — but don't fear, in the break we'll be sharing a new series focused on The Imaginal Cells of the Solidarity Economy which will showcase the myriad ways that solidarity economy practices are providing models and pathways to build a more cooperative, democratic, equitable, and sustainable world--one in which many worlds fit. This series is co-presented by the Resist & Build's SE Narrative Circle, the U.S. Solidarity Economy Network, the New Economy Coalition, and Shareable — the first event focusing on Community Ownership is happening live on Wednesday, May 17th at 2pm EST. Click here to register for a free ticket. We’ll also share the recording of the live event here on this feed — so stay tuned if you miss the event or want to listen to it again. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Caitlin McLennan. Roame Jasmin is our producer, Robert Raymond is our audio editor, the original portrain of Aseem Inaam was illustrated by Caitlin McLennan, the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.

Distilled into a four-step framework, Results is the much-needed implementation guide for anyone in public service, as well as for leaders and managers in large organizations hamstrung by bureaucracy and politics. With a broad range of examples, Baker, a Republican, and Kadish, a Democrat, show how to move from identifying problems to achieving results in a way that bridges divides instead of exacerbating them. They show how government can be an engine of positive change and an example of effective operation, not just a hopeless bureaucracy. Results is not only about getting things done, but about renewing people's faith in public service. Demonstrating that government can work, is vital to ensuring the future of our democracy. The goal of this book is to demonstrate just that! This talk will invite Steve Kadish and Dr. Kellerman to discuss the book and other relevant insights to collaborative governance and change-making. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Caitlin McLennon. Roame Jasmin is our producer, Robert Raymond is our audio editor, the original portrain of Yasminah Beebeejaun was illustrated by Caitlin McLennan, the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.

European cities have increasingly highlighted diversity as a marker of their progressive status. A growing field of research argues that “super-diverse” neighborhoods exemplify a normalization of ethnic and racial difference as a positive facet of everyday life. However, contemporary manifestations of urban diversity cannot be disentangled easily from the European colonial legacy that underlies a series of racial and spatial imaginaries. In this talk Yasminah Beebeejaun argues that the claimed reconfiguration of European cities as sites of normative diversity obscures the ongoing epistemological framing of Europe as white. Turning specifically to British cities Professor Beebeejaun will illustrate how colonial racial narratives underpinned postwar urban planning and development and had profound consequences for the racialization of urban space. Professor Beebeejaun argues that the European planning discipline must engage in a much more fuller engagement with its own colonial and racial history in order to reconceptulize what progressive urban diversity might look like. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Deandra Boyle and Caitlin McLennon. Roame Jasmin is our producer, Robert Raymond is our audio editor, the original portrain of Yasminah Beebeejaun was illustrated by Caitlin McLennan, the graphic recording was illustrated by Anke Dregnet, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.

Public spaces are symbolic urban icons. Cities compete with their public spaces, often using them as tools for commodification to attract capital and labor. At the same time, public space is an expansive common social and material realm and the past decades have erased any doubts of the resurgence of public space in its political form. This is a good time to focus our attention on public space. The climate crisis, the systemic social injustices, and the COVID-19 pandemic demand a rethinking of our largest shared territory. Public space has the capacity, at least in part, to address these crises by being envisioned and manifest as a humane space of community, restoration, and emancipation. In this talk, based on his latest book, Vikas Mehta presents a panoramic view of public space: the inherent paradoxes, as well as the immense possibilities and propositions for a more constructive public space. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Perri Sheinbaum and Caitlin McLennon. Robert Raymond is our audio editor, Zanetta Jones manages communications, Alison Huff manages operations, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.

On Today's show we explore how communities respond to extreme weather with Rev. Vernon K. Walker. Research has shown, over and over, how communities that are more connected fare much better doing periods of acute disaster. The more robust relationships and networks of solidarity that exist within communities, the more likely they are to weather the figurative and literal storms that are only increasing in frequency and severity with climate change. In other words, one of the best strategies for climate resilience is social resilience. Rev. Vernon K. Walker is the program director for Climate CREW and was originally born and raised in Philadelphia. Rev. Walker attended Penn State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Organizational Leadership and a minor in Psychology. After graduating from Penn State University, Rev. Walker attended Boston University and earned a Master Degree in Theological Studies with a focus on community engagement. Rev. Walker is currently earning a Master Degree in Public Policy at Tufts University Department of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning where he is a 2022 Neighborhood Fellow. Rev. Walker is also a recipient of the Robert Schalkenbach Scholarship for his studies. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation.

In the decades following the Civil War, recently emancipated people created freedom colonies through intentional and tactical design, ensuring refuge from political repression and violence. However, most freedom colonies were founded in ecologically vulnerable landscapes, making them disproportionately susceptible to flooding and other natural disasters in the present day. This talk tracks the history of displacement and dispossession that has led to the destruction, neglect, or dismantling of communities initially designed to protect African Americans from structural racism. Then the author explains how these communities’ unique challenges require new planning and design tools to detect the interplay of historical and contemporary conditions contributing to the cultural erasure of African American placemaking. The Texas Freedom Colonies Project Atlas, the platform the author has developed to map and aggregate sociocultural emplaced data about these disappearing landscapes and crowdsources and spatializes intangible heritage on a publicly available map. The Atlas provides a mechanism by which the public can search, add, and view database contents that make visible previously unmapped or undocumented settlements. The Atlas’ stories, images, and documents constitute a collective memory of Black placemaking that enables advocates to argue that these historically significant places are worthy of preservation. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Perri Sheinbaum and Caitlin McLennon. Robert Raymond is our audio editor, Zanetta Jones manages communications, Alison Huff manages operations, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.

In this Cities@Tufts presentation, we turn the microphone around and interview Cities@Tufts colloquium host, Julian Agyeman. Join us as Julian reflects on the origins of the series, highlights some of the most memorable moments, and underscores the importance of Cities@Tufts as a cutting-edge, indispensable resource. In addition to this audio, you can watch the video and read the full transcript of their conversation on Shareable.net – while you’re there get caught up on past lectures. Cities@Tufts Lectures explores the impact of urban planning on our communities and the opportunities to design for greater equity and justice with professor Julian Agyeman and host Tom Llewellyn. Cities@Tufts Lectures is produced by Tufts University and Shareable.net with support from The Kresge Foundation, Barr Foundation and SHIFT Foundation. Lectures are moderated by Professor Julian Agyeman and organized in partnership with research assistants Perri Sheinbaum and Caitlin McLennon. Robert Raymond is our audio editor, Zanetta Jones manages communications, Alison Huff manages operations, and the series is produced and hosted by Tom Llewellyn. “Light Without Dark” by Cultivate Beats is our theme song and Caitlin McLennon created this episode's graphic.