Representation in Practice
In the aftermath of the killing of George Floyd and the resulting resurgence of interest in the Black Lives Matter movement, many of us have reflected on what more we could be doing to fight for an equal and fair society. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to this. Everyone has different levels of influence, different spaces in which they can affect change and different resources (money, energy, time) to contribute. As individuals I think everyone at URBED is personally reflecting on what role they can play, but we are also examining what more we can do as a business. It shouldn’t be necessary to explain why representation in the built environment profession is important. We all live in this world, and the groups of people designing places should reflect the people living in them. As Jane Jacobs said: “Cities have the capability of providing something for everybody, only because, and only when, they are created by everybody” It also makes sense for us commercially. Statistically sp...