Josh is a practicing urban planner in the Mid Atlantic. For the past nine years, Josh has served as a land use and transportation planner with a career focus in public engagement. Since the onset of the pandemic, Josh has taken on an equity planning role and serves as a subject expert for equity on transportation projects. In his free time, he researches, writes, and produces … [Read more...] about VIDEO: How to Build a Gayborhood
A Mensch With a Mission: Chester Hartman (1936-2023)
By Peter Dreier In 1960, Chester Hartman, then a graduate student in city planning at Harvard, received a notice from his draft board informing him that he had lost his student deferment and was reclassified 1-A. Rather than get drafted (the United States was calling up troops because of the Berlin crisis), Chester enlisted in the Army Reserve, which required an initial … [Read more...] about A Mensch With a Mission: Chester Hartman (1936-2023)
Mel King’s life, and life lessons for planners
By Chris Tilly Mel King, the preeminent Boston Black community leader of his generation, passed away in late March 2023 at the age of 94. Mel was an organizer, an elected official, an educator, and a visionary. He was also my friend for decades, and I want to share some of the story of his life because I think it provides some lessons and even a bit of inspiration. Mel … [Read more...] about Mel King’s life, and life lessons for planners
The Mel King Universe, From a Disciple
By Sean Robin There is a Mel King Universe (Multiverse, Cosmos…) that you enter when you go to one of his meetings or Sunday brunches. In this Universe, everything is still possible and waiting to be done. The Civil Rights Movement continues to rage, never having missed a beat. You immediately begin to fault yourself for your own prior pessimism in accepting things as they … [Read more...] about The Mel King Universe, From a Disciple
Mel King, my friend, my teacher, my collaborator
By Marie Kennedy My practice as a teacher and practitioner of what I term transformative community planning owes a great deal to Mel King, Paolo Freire, and Myles Horton. Of these three, Mel is the most important since I was privileged to work directly with him and in coalitions which he led, to enjoy long conversations with him about what we called “Planners Without a … [Read more...] about Mel King, my friend, my teacher, my collaborator