Building beautiful Black worlds.
Beautiful Black worlds are the places where people can act with agency, self-actualize, and achieve their most audacious visions.
Our Services
Research
Strategic Advisory
Education
Research
Our research activities focus on gathering information and data on Black communities, particularly housing, planning, and development matters that impact them. Our research efforts aim to fill gaps in historical knowledge, identify trends, and inform policy and emerging areas of scholarship.
Research Areas
- Black Planning
- Black Placemaking
- Housing
- Anti-Black Racism in Planning
Research Projects
Strategic Advisory
We work with Black-led nonprofits, charities, cooperatives, and community groups seeking to renovate, redevelop, or build new community assets and affordable housing.
We provide strategic advice to build capacity and equip organizations with the skills and tools needed to lead future development and planning. We help them identify resources and build teams to create effective housing and community-planning strategies.
BPP services also include advising development, planning professions, government on stakeholder, and community engagement. We advise practitioners how to integrate Black planning in their work to create better outcomes in Black communities.
Advisory Areas
- Community Engagement
- Capacity Building
- Racial Equity Planning
- Affordable Housing
Education & Training
Workshops
Each workshop is tailored to the needs of the community and/or specific projects, and each provides detailed examples of tools and processes to engage with Black communities in planning matters.
Training & Workshops for Communities
Our training and workshops for communities provide insight into working with Black communities to navigate planning processes and create new strategies and tools to produce more equitable and just outcomes.
Training & Workshops for Firms
Our training and workshops for private planning firms and government are focused on knowledge-sharing and tool development for optimal collaboration with Black communities to produce more equitable, just, and inclusive outcomes.
Training & Workshops for Educational Institutions
Our training and workshops for educational institutions include curriculum reviews, co-design of courses, and community-engaged learning. We explore the history of Black communities, review case studies, and showcase the work we do in the planning space.
Education & Training Areas
- Black History in Canada
- Black Planning
- Racial Equity in Planning & Development
- Navigating Anti-Black Racism
What is our community saying?
Research about Black planners’ experiences is lacking so, when the Black Planning Project told me about their research project, investigating the workplace experiences of Black planners, I wanted to learn more…This research is a first of its kind in the planning realm and is a call to action for a collective response to anti-Black racism.
Research about Black planners’ experiences is lacking so, when the Black Planning Project told me about their research project, investigating the workplace experiences of Black planners, I wanted to learn more...This research is a first of its kind in the planning realm and is a call to action for a collective response to anti-Black racism.
Dr. Leela Viswanathan
Viswali Consulting
Divercities seeks to work with BPP whenever possible. BPP brings a unique perspective to projects both from the development and community perspective with an equity lens. This perspective is difficult to find. Furthermore, their services are always provided under an umbrella of professionalism.
Divercities seeks to work with BPP whenever possible. BPP brings a unique perspective to projects both from the development and community perspective with an equity lens. This perspective is difficult to find. Furthermore, their services are always provided under an umbrella of professionalism.
Sameer Patel
Earlier this year, we had the pleasure of hosting a presentation on Black Planning in Action: Black Displacement Project Case Study, featuring Abigail Moriah, an accomplished urban planner and consultant, and a past Bousfields Distinguished Visitor. Her presentation offered a powerful exploration of critical issues in urban planning. Abigail's expertise in affordable housing and community development, along with her focus on centering Black experiences, raised vital questions about who is planning for Black communities and the impact of these decisions. Our audience consisted of professionals at all stages of their careers, and her insights have been invaluable in broadening our understanding of planning's role in affecting Black communities.
Louis Tinker
Bousfields Inc.
We had the pleasure of collaborating with Black Planning Project on the first-of-its-kind African Nova Scotian Housing Strategy. This was a long-term, highly-involved initiative, bringing over 150 community members into a collaborative process to co-create the strategy. BPP’s thoughtful approach, critical analysis, and deep curiosity about housing experiences for African Nova Scotians made for a collaborative and supportive working relationship and project output. BPP challenged the status quo and pushed the entire project team to an end product that will have lasting impact.
Adrienne Pacini
The Black Planning Project has become an important city-building leader in Toronto and an essential partner for ULI Toronto. Its research into historic and ongoing Black community displacement in our city has revealed deep structural issues that public policy makers can no longer ignore. BPP has opened our city’s eyes to racist practices of the past and offers an opportunity for a just and equitable future.
The Black Planning Project has become an important city-building leader in Toronto and an essential partner for ULI Toronto. Its research into historic and ongoing Black community displacement in our city has revealed deep structural issues that public policy makers can no longer ignore. BPP has opened our city’s eyes to racist practices of the past and offers an opportunity for a just and equitable future.
Richard Joy
ULI Toronto
The lived experience of Black planners gives rise to a unique and important perspective to bring to land planning and development in the GTA and throughout Canada. Habitat for Humanity GTA applauds the work of the Black Planning Project and has been proud to have partnered with them on CMHC-funded research on “Buying While Black.”
The lived experience of Black planners gives rise to a unique and important perspective to bring to land planning and development in the GTA and throughout Canada. Habitat for Humanity GTA applauds the work of the Black Planning Project and has been proud to have partnered with them on CMHC-funded research on "Buying While Black.”
Habitat for Humanity
Lauren Haein An
URBAN STRATEGIES INC.
Flourish develops affordable housing in many communities in Canada. Abigail brought a rich understanding of Black perspectives in planning that have helped our team expand our awareness and curiosity of equitable development. Her passion, commitment, and tangible experience in this area was an encouragement to our entire team.
Michael Bowering
Flourish
