Anti-Black Racism Audit & Framework for the University of Toronto Planning Program
The Department of Planning and Geography engaged BPP to conduct an anti-Black racism curriculum review and program audit as part of a broader Planning Program Review process to address anti-Black racism in planning. This decision was made in response to activism and organizing by planning students at the University of Toronto around anti-Black racism in 2020.
Methods & Tools
BPP worked with a faculty lead, a PhD and Masters student and two committees the Program Review Committee,
BPP engaged in the following activities for the audit.
- Establishing an understanding of anti-Black racism in the Canadian context and its historical and present-day relationship to land use planning and settlement.
- Developing a tool for analyzing anti-black racism content in courses, curriculum and course syllabi for the master planning programs.
- Holding consultations, interviews and a survey with faculty, students, alumni and practicing planners about their experiences within and interacting with the program.
- Hosting a Town Hall to deliberate and prioritize recommendations.
Recommendations
Consultations and interviews helped to shed light on the experiences of students, alumni, and Black planners in the program and what they felt could be done to address anti-Black racism and create more inclusive learning environments. The recommendations put forward in the audit are grounded in these experiences.
Emergent themes:
- the need to embed an intersectional lens in addressing ABR content across the curriculum
- the need to dedicate core or elective courses to Black planning issues.
- the need to transform the curriculum to include more Black perspectives, knowledge, and experiences
- the need to improve faculty representation and academic diversity.
- the need to provide additional support for Black students in the program as they transition from school to the workplace.
For more information see the Anti-Black Racism Framework for the Planning Program and the Planning Program Internal review includes some actions emerging from the audit recommendations.
Participate in the Buying While Black Survey.
If you decide to take part in this study, you will be asked to participate in an anonymous online survey to answer a series of questions about your home-buying experience in the GTHA.
It will not ask for your name, contact number, email, or address, but it will ask for your age group, income group, gender, and ethnic origin. The survey should take you 25–30 minutes to complete.
