The Compassion-Centered Co-Governance Pitch Competition invites students at Historically Black Colleges and Universities across the country to tackle the complex issues behind urban development. Winners receive $10,000, with registration closing on November 15.
Helping the participants develop their solutions in historically under resourced communities will be faculty mentors, including Winston-Salem State University professor and Spatial Justice Studio founder Russell Smith. He spoke with WFDD’s David Ford.
Interview Highlights
On the project proposals:
"We want these to be visionary projects. We want students to really think about how do we solve this problem. And to be honest with you, it's really difficult. Most projects that involve redevelopment involve displacing people that were there. We don't do a very good job of having development and keeping neighborhoods together, we often push them out of the way to make room for new things, often market rate projects, and if people suffer from low wealth and have poor access to credit, they're often priced out of these new developments that look wonderful, that are shiny, that add value to our communities, but at their expense. And so what we're looking for is, how can they blend new ideas, plus keep in mind the people that live in those spaces, and at the end of the day, they have to be buildable. We're not trying to come up with a Pollyanna. Here's a vision of the world that can't be a reality. We want the students to really focus on is this practical and buildable?"
On part of Smith's role as student mentor:
"I'm going to be giving two lectures, one that talks about spatial justice in general, so students will learn about access, inclusivity, equity, as well as one on how the development process works. As a former planner, I'm familiar every city is a little bit different, but there's a process in which projects go through that might include having to get it rezoned, having to get buy-in from the community. Where are you going to get the funding from? So there'll be some development, so the students will learn, as well as provide content as part of their pitch."
On why HBCUs:
"Historically, the fields related to the built environment, whether it's engineering, planning, public health, are lacking minority representation at the end of the day ... so, one of the things over the eight years that we've had the minor program at WSSU, a historical black college university, is we've tried to encourage, and I've tried to encourage the students of color to get involved in these fields where they can make a difference in the communities where they come from or where they decide to settle. And I think focusing on HBCUs lets people get into the game who have historically been excluded from participating in those planning-related careers."