Race, Racism, and the Urban Environment

It is impossible to understand our past or present urban environments without a critical analysis of race and racism. Likewise, it is impossible to understand the contested meanings of race without accounting for the role of urban practices and environments in shaping racial identities, disparities, and struggles. This course explores the reciprocal relationship between urban studies and critical race studies through three thematic units: city planning, housing justice, and cultural production and the policing of public space. Throughout, we will examine the ways that cities are remade by social movements, artists, and everyday residents through practices of spatial repurposing and cultural resistance.