Copy 2 of BEPIC Study

The Black Experiences with Planning in Canada (BEPIC) partnership seeks to learn from the lived experiences of Black communities and planners in order to explore how planning can play a role in creating more equitable outcomes for Black communities, but also for diverse publics more broadly. BEPIC has been conceptualized by the Black Planning Project, together with community and academic partners in the fields of planning, community building, and Black studies who are committed to racial and spatial justice.

Meet our Project Team

Dr. Magdalena Ugarte

Project Director

Abigail Moriah

Co-Director

Dr. Ren Thomas

Steering Committee Member

Dr. Beverley Mullings

Steering Committee Member

Dr. Sheryl-Ann Simpson

Steering Committee Member

Dr. Leela Viswanathan

Advisory Committee Member

Dr. Andrea Roberts

Advisory Committee Member

Hanaa Ali

Research Project Manager

Simone Weir

Community Coordinator

Jodie Laborde

Research Assistant

Stephanie Pondamali

Research Assistant

James Rhule

Research Assistant

BEPIC’s main goals are:

1) To explore and document the experiences of Black communities and practitioners with/in/against planning in Canada;
2) To create a framework for community-based, Black-centered, Black-informed planning practices; and
3) To pilot the framework with Black individuals, community organizations, and planners working with predominantly or historically Black communities.
By building on the knowledge of Black communities and planners, this research will help challenge dominant planning discourses, address questions of Black exclusion and anti-Black racism in planning, amplify community-led planning practices, and inform planning pedagogy and the training of future planners, especially emerging Black planners. Ultimately, BEPIC will propose tools grounded in Black knowledge and traditions, which can be adopted by Black communities and planners to preserve and strengthen Black contributions to planning, community-building, and city-making.

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Words From Our Directors:

Dr. Magdalena Ugarte, Director, BEPIC, Assistant Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University

“The Black Planning Project is leading powerful work to amplify Black voices and perspectives in the field of planning, and it is a privilege to collaborate to grow a partnership that can take that work in new directions. Universities can play an important role in supporting community-initiated research, which in turn can transform how planning is taught and practiced. This grant will allow us to do precisely that: centring the knowledge and experiences of Black communities and planners in order to rethink mainstream planning tools and approaches through a racial justice lens.”

BEPIC is led by Toronto Metropolitan University & the Black Planning Project

BEPIC is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada