Everyday Urbanism Meets Critical Race Theory

Through my education courses, I have learned about Critical Race Theory (CRT). Early critical race theorists were legal scholars offering a framework for studying and ending racism in the United States, but many of their ideas are applicable to disciplines beyond the law, including education and architecture. Additionally, CRT overlaps with theories that consider the marginalization of other demographic groups.

CRT has several rich tenets; but to be brief, I have focused on just a few that stood out as I read “Everyday Urbanism.” First, I found two CRT tenets—(a) race is a social construction and (b) racism as ordinary and normal—to be similar to Margaret Crawford’s conclusions about the urban environment:

• “The utterly ordinary reveals a fabric of space and time defined by a complex realm of social practices-a conjuncture of accident, desire, and habit.”
• “Lefebvre was the first philosopher to insist that the apparently trivial everyday actually constitutes the basis of all social experience and the true realm of political contestation.”

CRT scholars would agree that ordinary space is politically-charged and characterized by small, everyday offenses that are not obvious to most members of the majority. These micro-aggressions could range from an over-representation of majority narratives to other barriers that exclude.

Historic Charleston, SC

A third CRT tenet “praxis” calls on reformers to embrace social justice agendas to dismantle systems of racism. They suggest that honoring the cultural capital and counter storytelling of marginalized people are some of the best ways to fill the gaps in the historical and cultural record.

Crawford described urbanism as "a human and social discourse.” The changing urban landscape combined with the practice of community engagement provide opportunities to incorporate authentic counter stories into contemporary towns and cities. As a final thought, I would argue that Arnstein’s Ladder of Participation could serve as a measuring stick for how well architects honor those stories.

Arnstein's Ladder of Participation