Racism within the inner city, of many of our major cities across the United States, is interwoven with issues including structural racism and city planning. City-planning, according to Merriam-Webster, is “the drawing up of an organized arrangement (as of streets, parks, and business and residential areas) of a city”. This is a practice not many citizens think of in their day to day lives, however, it can shape their life completely. As city planners, we are responsible for the zoning of industries, civic space, and residential areas. Due to the recession that many cities are experiencing, this meaning the lack of economic growth within the city, we are seeing the effect that some city planning is having on minority groups. In the 1940s and 50s with the rise of suburbia, commercial free-ways, and federal funding such as the Housing Act of 1949, many people moved to the outskirts of the city. This rush of, mostly white upper-middle-class, people to the outer city has left the inner city segregated with a lack of economic growth. As city planners, in today’s world, it is important to acknowledge our past mistakes and try to revitalize inner-city living to help combat the structural racism that many minority groups are subjected too.

 

Structural racism is the exclusion of a certain group of people, often a minority, from taking part in social institutions. This is the exclusion of minorities from equal education, job opportunities, and participation in elections. This may seem unrelated to city planning, however, the two are intertwined in many ways. In Albuquerque New Mexico, an example of this is the International District. Within the International District, there are four state-funded schools, each with a school rating under six points out of ten. The school district that is available to this area is extremely poor compared to other districts in Albuquerque, especially the predominantly wealthy white districts. New Mexico schools, even in the better districts, fail to compare to many neighboring states.

 

However, the effects of the lack of equal education in New Mexico leads to many different issues. The lack of efficient schooling in the International District leads to a higher crime rate and the cycle of poverty. According to Lance Loncher, a professor at the University of Ontario, “an increase in educational attainment significantly reduces subsequent violent and property crime yielding sizeable social benefits”. This is a subject that is being studied worldwide and often ends in the same results, that access to a better education can help reduce crime and poverty within an area. How is this related to city planning? As city planners, we must remember that we are in control of where schools are built and the availability of education in each district. Historically, city planners have not had the resources to keep up with the ever-expanding population due to new transportation and interests of citizens. However, in today’s world, we now can look at how we are planning our future cities and what must be done to improve them.

 

Many cities are starting to turn to the revitalization movement. This movement is about revitalizing areas that have lost businesses, people, and wealth instead of expanding past them. This movement is not only good for the environment but also for the people of “dying” districts. This movement also includes the condensing of an area, this meaning, having all needed and wanted aspects of living in a city, in one close area. This “live, work, play” outlook is a great opportunity for revitalization. Making education, work opportunities, and businesses all within walking distance will help improve areas where there is a lack of proper public transportation and areas with lower-incomes. If everything one needs is within a short distance it will lead to more economic growth for an area.

 

Within revelation, there does need to be reform in education as well as business growth. If a city wants to truly revitalize an area it must focus not only on the economic outcomes but also on the social outcomes. In Albuquerque, the city has been trying to revitalize the downtown area and also the International District, this has been a project the city has been focusing on for several years. However, success has not been as high as promised. I believe this is because the city is trying to reform the way the city looks without focusing on the people who really live in these areas. Installing new buildings and bus stops will not “revitalize” an area. However, the introduction of more educational opportunities, community centers, and better public transportation would help curb the structural racism that is experienced by many minorities in major cities.