Making a Difference: Reshaping the Past, Present, and Future Toward Greater Equity

Justin Garrett Moore, AICP, the executive director of the New York City Public Design Commission, examines the role of ReUrbanism in promoting equity. As stated among the 10 principles that guide the initiative, only cities that work for everyone can be successful, because everyone has stories and places that matter. To that end, the practitioners who plan, design, build—and preserve—our cities should be "redesigned." Not only do they need the tools and training to work effectively with the communities they serve but they also must themselves reflect the economic and racial diversity of those communities. Shaping the built urban environment is a critical avenue for promoting social justice and equity—the cornerstones of thriving communities.