Comments on: No Black Plan for the Cities, Despite the Lessons of Katrina http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/no-black-plan-for-the-cities-despite-the-lessons-of-katrina/ a radical newsletter in the struggle for peace and social justice Thu, 08 Dec 2011 15:07:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: James http://dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/no-black-plan-for-the-cities-despite-the-lessons-of-katrina/#comment-233 James Mon, 14 May 2007 16:11:14 +0000 http://www.dissidentvoice.org/2007/05/no-black-plan-for-the-cities-despite-the-lessons-of-katrina/#comment-233 This is a great piece and is right on the money. However, I'm not so sure that the mass entry of African Americans into the field of urban planning will provide the answer that the author thinks it will. While the planning field has traditionally been the bastion of white good old boy types (think Robert Moses) and in the past has actively worked to promote inequality and racism, the majority of planners that I've encountered today are very much aware of the forces at work in our cities, but are powerless to make effective change. They are advisors and often end up as mere yes-men, beholden to both the bought-and-paid for city politicians and the imperative of doing whatever it takes to boost city property tax revenue, no matter who is harmed in the process. I wish I had the answer. This is a great piece and is right on the money. However, I’m not so sure that the mass entry of African Americans into the field of urban planning will provide the answer that the author thinks it will. While the planning field has traditionally been the bastion of white good old boy types (think Robert Moses) and in the past has actively worked to promote inequality and racism, the majority of planners that I’ve encountered today are very much aware of the forces at work in our cities, but are powerless to make effective change. They are advisors and often end up as mere yes-men, beholden to both the bought-and-paid for city politicians and the imperative of doing whatever it takes to boost city property tax revenue, no matter who is harmed in the process. I wish I had the answer.

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