The theme for August 2021’s Diversity Dictionary was ‘Urban Planning’ , where we explored how cities have come to be and their relationships with humans, the environment and systemic oppression.

As the urban gardener Ron Finlay says, ‘Cities are made for commerce, not people’. Yet anyone could be forgiven that cities are all about people. To an extent, they are, but as this month’s words and definitions have shown, cities are inherently designed to benefit some and leave other disadvantaged.

And with many cities in the world experiencing extreme weather conditions through August, due to the climate crisis, this felt a poignant and pressing area to cover.

URBANISATION

a process in which populations shift from rural to urban areas like towns and cities, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. These changes in population lead to other changes in land use, economic activity and culture. (Source: Open University)

The promise of jobs and prosperity, among other factors, pulls people to cities. Half of the global population already lives in cities, and by 2050 two-thirds of the world's people are expected to live in urban areas. (Source: National Geographic)

Urbanisation is generally associated with positive economic and social transformation, such as higher levels of literacy and education, better health, lower fertility and a longer life expectancy, greater access to social services and enhanced opportunities for cultural and political participation. (UNDESA, 2014)

However, urbanisation also has disadvantages caused by rapid and unplanned urban growth resulting in poor infrastructures such as inadequate housing, water and sanitation, transport and health care services, poor air quality, and high energy consumption, contributing to the climate crisis.

These issues are usually linked to ‘developing’ countries, but the 2008 financial crisis and more recent COVID-19 health crisis have shown that even the urban infrastructures of so-called ‘wealthy’ countries struggle under the pressure of uncertainty and crises. The communities most negatively impacted and disenfranchised have been those who are already marginalised in society.

As the urban gardener Ron Finlay says, ‘Cities are made for commerce, not people’.

In the context of the global pandemic, with remote working made possible, many people are seeking the benefits of leaving cities and relocating to more rural environments. It is worth considering who has the privilege to do so, who has no choice but to stay, and how this new shift in populations will impact society, the economy and the environment.

REDLINING

Redlining is a discriminatory practice that puts services (financial and otherwise) out of reach for residents of certain areas within a city, usually based on race.

The term was coined by sociologist John McKnight in the 1960s and describes how US government and lenders would literally draw a red line on a map around the neighbourhoods they would not invest in, based on racial demographics. Black inner-city neighbourhoods were most likely to be redlined.

At the same time, Black people and people of colour were refused housing or financing to live in areas that were not redlined, even when they could afford it. This led to an unofficial but state sanctioned segregation.

It also led to extreme social and financial disparity and deprivation, the results of which can still be felt decades later. In 1996, homes in redlined neighborhoods were worth less than half that of the homes in what the government had deemed as “best” for mortgage lending. That disparity has only grown greater in the last two decades.

While redlining refers to an American practice, it exists in similar forms in other parts of the world, like the UK, where Black people and people of colour have been historically refused housing and financing in certain parts of the city.

The impact today is felt in ways that may not always be obvious: Generational accumulation of wealth means white people have inherited homes and property worth more than properties inherited by Black and people of colour, which impacts socioeconomic status.

There is an environmental impact: research has shown that redlined neighbourhoods are hotter and more susceptible to extreme weather conditions like flooding.

People in historically redlined neighbourhoods are disproportionately affected by pollution and lower air quality, have limited access to quality healthcare, education and other services, which leads to lower life expectancy and poorer health and welfare.

In an individualistic society, it can be easy to blame individuals for their circumstances, but it is important to expand our understanding of histories of city-planning to see how social disparity has been historically engineered.

DEINDUSTRIALISATION

Deindustrialisation describes a process where the industrial activity in a country or region is removed or reduced because of a major economic or social change. #DiversityDictionary

To understand the impact of deindustrialisation on the world, we first need to understand the Industrial Revolution. This was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Europe and the United States, in the period from between 1760 to 1820 and 1840.

This process was facilitated largely by the accumulation of wealth via Western and settler settler imperialism, which happened through the exploitation of BIPOC people through slavery, indentured labour and theft of land and resources.

The Industrial Revolution included going from hand production methods to machines, new chemical manufacturing and iron production processes, the increasing use of steam power and water power, the development of machine tools and the rise of the mechanised factory system. This kick-started the climate crisis we face today.

It also led to an unprecedented rise in the rate of population growth and migration towards areas where they could be employed. Yet it came at a cost: In factories, coal mines, and other workplaces, the hours were very long, and the conditions, generally, dismal and dangerous. (Source: Nat Geo)

Fast forward to the late 20th century, the industrial boom began to wane. As steel and iron industries declined, manufacturing was moved to other parts of the world as free-trade policies made it possible for companies to pay even less for labour and other things abroad.

In the West, deindustrialisation has led to mass unemployment, animosity between disenfranchised white working classes and communities of colour, and racism towards parts of the world where industries have moved to.

The narrative that prevails in the wake of deindustrialisation is: it’s up to individuals to seek out a better life for themselves, or to blame others, such as immigrants, for ‘stealing jobs’. However, this erases the systemic issues and responsibility of government policies and global economic decisions in creating such economic conditions.

GENTRIFICATION

Gentrification is a process in which the character of a low-value urban area is changed by wealthier people moving in. This change has the potential to cause (and does cause) displacement of long-time residents and businesses.

The term was coined in 1960s London when a German-British sociologist and city planner, Ruth Glass, described the displacement of the poor in London as upper-class people moved in to refurbish houses in previously working-class areas. (Source: KQED)

Today, gentrification affects many cities in the world and is often led by private and corporate developers who use tactics such as collaborating with councillors, intimidation, and divide and rule to force unwanted change onto communities. (Source: LSE)

Developers ultimately profit off the incoming wealthy population who can afford higher rents and property prices, and therefore have little regard for the human beings displaced in the process. This elite can also hold onto their claims to the city because they hold political power.

For those who benefit from gentrification it’s easy to see it as a positive phenomenon: decreased crime, increased property valuation, investment in infrastructure, cleaner environments, reduction in unoccupied properties, nice coffee shops, organic grocery stores, new parks and playgrounds for children.

But this comes at a human cost: Gentrification is a housing, economic, and health issue that affects a community’s history and culture and reduces social capital. (Source: CDC.gov)

Often those who occupy low-value urban areas have been forced to do so through the related processes of urbanisation, redlining and deindustrialisation. Gentrification leads to the over-policing and eventual displacement of these communities.

This in turn impacts the stress, health and wellbeing of displaced communities, which new wealthier residents are usually oblivious, if not outright critical of.

Because of the way systemic oppression operates, those who are displaced tend to be communities of colour and those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds. Race is tied to class and power in gentrification.

Our mission at The Other Box is to make space for difference. Diversity Dictionary is where we explore meanings and histories of the language of diversity, beyond a dictionary definition, so we can all build a deeper awareness and critical understanding of perspectives that may be different to our own.

On all our social channels, we share weekly words and their definitions, with a different theme each month. These terms are a taster and have been taken from our Diversity Dictionary™ course in our TOB for Teams™ programme. If you'd like to learn more, check out our courses page and fill in the contact form. 

Is there a theme you’d like to see covered in Diversity Dictionary? Let us know! Our work is co-created by our community to work towards creating a world that is more inclusive and safe for everyone.

Words by Roshni Goyate

Header image by Sasha Plescho on Unsplash