I posted this comment to David St. Vincent and thought it fit here as well. This goes to my first comment about answering people who ask what can I do?
I was catching up on some reading and discovered an old compatriot had been named executive director of the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU). CNU is where Form Based Codes and the Charette planning process that I spent 20 working to implement came from. Clearly I’m getting old, for I remember the early days of the CNU, as described on their website.
“For the first 20 years of its existence, the Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU) was a controversial organization in the architecture and planning establishment.” Trust me, New Urbanism wasn’t just controversial, it challenged the status quo (aka “the experts”) and that made it super-controversial.
New Urbanism Goals… “We want to generate the resources necessary to research, publish and advocate for a community of engaged designers, writers, public servants, and activist citizens who are committed to creating designs that manifest the highest aspirations of a democratic society.”
I will now quote directly from the interview with Rick Cole, CNU’s new executive director:
“Bruzensky Bois, a young property manager in Florida, is organizing the Congressional Black Caucus of the New Urbanism. He sees the relevance of it to urban equity. When he discovered the Charter, he said, “How come Black people have not had access to these tools, to this kind of power? Our neighborhoods have been devastated by freeways, disinvestment and gentrification. We need to claim the tools of New Urbanism because Black folk were city builders before World War II, just like white people. We built them the right way, and we need to recapture that legacy.”
Well, I looked up Mr. Bais and he says it so well, I will just quote him.
“The Congressional black caucus for new urbanism is an organization and a movement.”
“Have you ever wondered why there are liquor stores, convenient stores, funeral homes and churches on almost every corner of most “Black” Neighborhoods? Ever wonder why there are usually large highways that run directly in between these so-called “Black” neighborhoods? No matter where you go in the United States of America you can identify “black” neighborhoods that were once flourishing and aren't any longer or never flourished at all due to various factors. Some of those factors can be attributed to systemic racism. Our neighborhoods in America are in the conditions that they are currently in by design.”
“Today, with your help, we have the power to start making changes to a better America. An America where our disenfranchised neighborhoods will get the same opportunities to thrive and evolve in a healthy manner. Through policy awareness and various initiatives to combat system racism in the housing industry. By creating a sense of community for like minded individuals and through strategic partnerships. Your participation in the Congressional Black Caucus for New Urbanism will be support needed to bring back our thriving “black” neighborhoods.”
If you are interested, or know someone who is, here are some links.
Find Bruzensky Bois here: https://www.cbcnu.org/
Find CNU here: https://commonedge.org/about/
