Richard Rothstein, a Distinguished Fellow of the Economic Policy Institute and a fellow of the Thurgood Marshall Institute of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and of the Haas Institute at the University of California (Berkeley) presented a lecture talk entitled “The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How our Government Segregated America” on September 23. The talk shared the same title as his book which argues how residential segregation has been overlooked by people, including legislators because we have rationalized the creation of residential segregation as “de facto.” Rothstein goes on to explain why there are few policies that explicitly target residential segregation since we do not recognize it as a product of state action. Throughout the lecture, Rothstein uses historical evidence from public housing programs adopted after World War II to the federal sponsorship of homogenous, white suburban neighborhoods to further support his argument. Ultimately, Rothstein calls upon a second civil rights movement to take place as the catalyst for change to occur.

UP students from the “Planning and the New Green Deal” practicum led by Professor Douglas Woodward and Ariella Maron traveled to University of Pennsylvania on September 13 to attend the “Designing a Green New Deal” conference. Participants engaged in a day long conference to discuss the role of the built environment in an inclusive Green New Deal proposal and featured speakers including author and social activists Naomi Klein, Mary Annaise Heglar from the Natural Resources Defense Council, and Columbia GSAPP professor and Landscape Architect Kate Orff.

URBAN Magazine is seeking writers and artists to contribute materials for our fall issue. The theme is OBSOLESCENCE.

This is a call for proposals primarily for written work but ideas for drawing, photography, design, mapping, etc are also welcomed.

If you are interested, please submit your pitch to urban.submissions@gmail.com by Sunday, October 6.

Urban China Network (UCN) is a student organization in Columbia GSAPP. Since its founding in 2013, the organization aims to establish a platform for students, scholars, and practitioners across multiple disciplinaries to share their thoughts on Chinese urban issues, and ultimately, to contribute to a comprehensive discussion of Chinese urbanization in the Greater New York Area. Major annual events by UCN include the Urban China Forum (UCF) held every October, and the Alumni Career Panel held every Spring semester.

Updates of all UCN events can be found through their webpage here

Where are you from?
São Paulo, Brazil

Where did you study for your undergraduate degree? What was your major?
University of São Paulo (FAU USP) - Architecture and Urbanism

Do you have any professional experiences?
Internships in Brazilian architecture offices

Why did you choose to study at Columbia University?
Because of the quality of its programs

What is your interest within the urban planning field?
Social equity and marginalization

Been anywhere recently for the first time?
Brooklyn

Where is your favorite study spot in the city?
UP lounge!

What TV shows are you currently binging?
The Office

Where are you from?
Boulder, Colorado

What and where did you study for your undergraduate?
Stanford University, Urban Studies and Public Policy (Double Majors)

Why did you choose to study at Columbia University?
Social justice focus, engaged faculty, fabulous setting (New York City!)

What has been your favorite urban planning class so far and why?
So far I am loving Prof. Felicity Scott’s “Environments of Governance” course because it engages both abstract and critical concepts like biopolitics and the apparatus, and the tangibility ands physicality of built environments.

What is your interest within the urban planning field?
My evolving research interests currently lie at the intersection of political economy, urban governance, and social justice.

What is one advice that you have for the first-years?
I am a first-year PhD student myself, and so am looking for much advice! My advice to first-year master’s is to get enough rest and take courses and engage opportunities that you love and that align with your values.

What is your favorite spot in New York City?
Brooklyn Heights’ Promenade

If you don’t have to start working right away after graduation, what would you be doing?
Traveling to unique places around the world.

“Digital Urbanisms Conference”, Friday, October 11, Wood Auditorium, Avery Hall
Professor Leah Meisterlin is organizing a one day symposium on digital urbanisms to bring together urban researchers and practitioners to discuss the digital processes and products shaping cities, their promises and problems, and discuss alternatives and approaches for operating within and against the uneven spaces they characterize. More info

NYC Reichenbach Hall Meetup, Thursday, October 10, Reichenbach Hall, 5 W 37th St, New York
The APA (American Planning Association) is hosting an Oktoberfest themed meet up. More info

“Book Talk with George C. Galster", October 21, The New School
This Book Talk with George. C. Galster delves deep into the question of whether American neighborhoods are as efficient and equitable as they could be—socially, financially, and emotionally—and if not, what we can do to change that. He aims to redefine the relationship between places and people, promoting specific policies to reduce inequality. More info

“2019 APA-NYM Chapter Annual Conference”, Friday, October 18, Scandinavia House, 58 Park Ave
Join this year’s APA New York Metro (APA-NYM) Chapter Annual Conference, together with hundreds of regional planners, officials, students, and allied professionals. This year’s conference program will cover topics including biophilic urbanism, expanding opportunity through technology, business improvement districts, zoning for cannabis, and the “pink tax” on transportation. Session times, details, and speakers will be announced in early September. More info

“Dean’s Lecture Series: Richard Sennett”, Wednesday, November 6, Wood Auditorium, Avery Hall

A lecture by Richard Sennett on Climate Change in Cities: A Problem in Urban Ethics with response by Weiping Wu, Director of the Urban Planning program at Columbia GSAPP.

Richard Sennett is the Centennial Professor of Sociology at the London School of Economics and a Senior Fellow of the Center on Capitalism and Society at Columbia University. His most recent book Building and Dwelling: Ethics for the City, published in 2018, traces how cities are built and how people live in them from ancient times to now. He draws on his deep learning and intimate engagement with city life to form a bold and original vision for the future of cities. This event is free and open to the public. More info