Equity and Social Justice
Research + Design

Wealth inequality has been sharply rising in the United States and across many other high-income countries. Less than 10 percent of American families now possess 70 percent of national wealth. Dylan Connor, associate professor at Arizona State University, discusses these issues by utilizing a newly developed machine-learning-based GEOWEALTH-US compendium.

Drawing on the College of Environmental Design’s history of social critique in design and planning, White Green and Black brings a critical focus to cultural landscapes and living with difference.

Associate Professor of City & Regional Planning Marta Gonzalez received the prestigious Lagrange Prize–Fondazione CRT for her pioneering use of network science to make cities more livable, sustainable, and equitable.

Maryam Hosseini, who uses AI, computer vision, and machine learning to advance urban accessibility and walkability, joins the Department of City & Regional Planning this semester as assistant professor.

Danielle Rivera, assistant professor of landscape architecture and environmental planning, was one of the Berkeley researchers interviewed about the causes and fallout of the LA fires. The fires destroyed homes in diverse communities, but the media focus on wealthy neighborhoods could impact post-fire recovery.

This explainer from the Terner Center for Housing Innovation, a CED affiliate center, presents data on homelessness in California, as well as how the state has made significant investments in permanent supportive housing. It highlights research-backed strategies that California and other states can pursue to overcome key obstacles and make real progress on addressing chronic homelessness — helping individuals, families, and communities thrive.

Fordham University Press, 2024 Breaking the Bronze Ceiling: Women, Memory, and Public Space uncovers a glaring omission in our global memorial landscape: the conspicuous absence of women. Exploring this neglected narrative, the book emerges as the foremost guide to women's memorialization across diverse cultures and ages. As global memorials come under intense examination, with metropolises vying for a more inclusive recognition of female contributions, this book stands at the forefront of contemporary discussion. Contributor(s): Carolina Aguilera, Manuela Badilla Rajevic, Daniel E. Coslett, Erika Doss, Tania Gutiérrez-Monroy, Daniel Herwitz, Katherine Hite, Lauren Kroiz, Ana Maria León, Fernando Luis Martínez Nespral, Pia Montealegre, Sierra Rooney, Valentina Rozas-Krause, Daniela Sandler, Kirk Savage, Andrew M. Shanken, Susan Slyomovics, Marita Sturken, Amanda Su, Dell Upton, Nathaniel Robert Walker and Mechtild Widrich

The College of Environmental Design announces $10.8 million gift from alum Jon Stryker to extend social justice fellowships.

Research projects involving faculty from the Departments of City & Regional Planning and Landscape Architecture & Environmental Planning received seed grants from a new program sponsored by UC Berkeley’s Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research.

Ben Metcalf, managing director of the Terner Center for Housing Innovation, reports his findings from a research trip to Rome as a recipient of CED's Affiliated Fellowship at the American Academy in Rome. The fellowship is made possible by Professor Emeritus of Architecture Daniel Solomon and Robert Davis, founder of Seaside, Florida.

CED teams won first and second place at the Academy of Neuroscience for Architecture (ANFA) Student Design Competition.

Walter Hood explain how he tells community stories through landscape design.

The College of Environmental Design's fall 2024 lecture series brings together speakers from across disciplines to address the intersection of social justice and the built environment.

The class, the first of its kind at Berkeley, addressed urban gun violence as a public health issue.

Maria Paz Gutierrez, associate professor of architecture, receives National Science Foundation grant for household greywater reuse project. Gutierrez is working with professor of architecture, Luisa Caldas, and UC Merced.

The African Ancestors Garden documents the landscape design of the International African American Museum (IAAM) in Charleston, South Carolina, by Hood Design Studio.

Kanani D’Angelo, who is pursuing concurrent MCP and MLA degrees, is the 2024 winner of the Hawaii Chapter ASLA/David T. Woolsey Scholarship from the Landscape Architecture Foundation. She is focusing on reviving Native Hawaiian cultural practices to restore degraded landscapes, such as freshwater fishponds, and reconnect people to the land.

The Center for Cities + Schools, an affiliate center of the Institute of Urban & Regional Development, has just published a comprehensive exploration of the challenges plaguing TK–12 school facility funding in California. The report authored by Sara Hinkley, entitled "Moving to Equity: California School Facility Program Reform," provides crucial context for the $14 billion school infrastructure bond measure that will appear on the November ballot.

The question "Do black landscapes matter?" cuts deep to the core of American history. In this vital new collection, acclaimed landscape designer and public artist Walter Hood assembles a group of notable landscape architecture and planning professionals and scholars to probe how race, memory, and meaning intersect in the American landscape.