University of Oklahoma assistant professor of Regional & City Planning Dr. C. Aujean Lee has partnered with Dr. John Arroyo from the University of Oregon to explore issues of race in COVID-19 government messaging.
The pandemic revealed the problems of ignoring long-term systemic racism in multiple facets: public health, policing, job security, hate crimes, access to services, and other areas. Lee and Arroyo have been analyzing government websites and public statements related to COVID-19 to understand how and when these sites and municipalities talk about race.
Dr. Lee has discovered that government agencies and municipalities have largely ignored racial disparities related to COVID-19. When the government issued statements about discrimination, they used color-blind language.
Planners may not directly address racial disparities because they do not want to reinforce racial differences. However, by ignoring inequities, planners are unable to come up with solutions to improve resident outcomes. This project is part of her ongoing work on how planning can promote anti-racist policies and work to create and sustain more equitable cities.
Dr. Lee hopes that planners in the future will be able to have conversations about race so as to avoid waiting for large public unrest to deal with these consequences.
Gibbs College is pleased to present the exhibition 200 Digital Drawings by Professor Tiziana Proietti, currently on display in the Gould Hall Living Room.
Gibbs College of Architecture Professors Amber Brown and Amy Leveno led 29 students to Dallas, Texas, in September for a learning experience as part of their Design 7 Studio course.
Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture professor and Institute for Quality Communities Director Dr. Amber N. Wiley’s book, Model Schools in the Model City: Race, Planning, and Education in the Nation’s Capital, has received two major honors from the Urban History Association.
