Spatial Injustice in Transatlantic Context
This post was prepared by Russell M. Smith, Ph.D. Professor of Geography, Winston-Salem State University, amd Founder & Faculty Lead, Spatial Justice Studio @ CDI.
For the last decade I have been exploring the concept of spatial justice to understand the geographic inequalities that exist in communities around the world. Spatial justice is “the fair and equitable distribution in space of socially valued resources and opportunities to use them” (Soja, 2009). The theoretical concept of spatial justice has been especially powerful for my students (many of whom are first generation, minority college students) as a mechanism to give a voice to the spatial discrepancies they witnessed in their neighborhoods.
To expand my knowledge on the subject, I applied for and received a Curriculum Development grant from the UNC Center for European Studies, to examine spatial (in)justice from a European context. The funding I received supported my travel to the Netherlands to participate in a summer program focused on ‘planning and design for the just city’. Central to this conversation was the idea of spatial justice!
The program was hosted by The Centre for the Just City at TU Delft and included approximately 100 students from 46 countries. I was invited to participate as both a faculty member delivering content and as a student interested in learning how spatial (in)justice presents in Europe. Leading spatial justice scholars (of whom I have worked with for the past 6 years) delivered much of the class content. The summer program explored the integration of spatial justice and sustainability into urban development within the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals, the New Urban Agenda, the European Green Deal, and the Dutch tradition of planning and design with water.
One component of the summer program that stands out, was the field trip and subsequent activity to a disadvantaged neighborhood in Rotterdam that is experiencing gentrification. The Afrikaanderwijk neighborhood has traditionally been home to a working-class population of immigrants to the city of Rotterdam. However, in recent years the public and private sector has slowly been developing more expensive housing developments on the edges of the neighborhood…pushing out existing residents and raising rents in the area. These pressures are a result of the neighborhood’s excellent connections for public transit, general location, and a vulnerable population. The geography can change but the challenges of achieving spatial justice persist!
This experience has provided the necessary information and experiences to add a new module to my existing course on Urban Geography focused on three aspects of Spatial Justice Issues in a European Context. First, future Urban Geography classes at WSSU will be exposed to the theoretical foundations of spatial justice. Second, my students will benefit from a new lecture which explores the manifestation of spatial injustice in European cities. Finally, a virtual visit to the Afrikaanderwijk neighborhood and activity has been developed to allow students to understand the similarities and differences between US and European spatial injustices.
