The Black Urbanist Weekly for August 8-14, 2022, Part 2 of the Black Queer Feminist War on Cars This battle on cars assumes that we all have the same common enemy and that we don’t harm each other as we battle said enemy. Let’s make sure we understand what the battleground is. Welcome to The… Continue reading Who is Your Universal Human?
Category: Weekly Newsletter
Weekly analysis, news and notes from Kristen
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A Black Queer Feminist Urbanist War on Cars, Part 1
I would have loved to take the bus, but it’s Sunday and it’s not running. I would have taken the train, but it’s after midnight and it’s also out-of-service. Plus, are you going to stand with me on the sidewalk to buffer the street harassment? Bring me replacement parts to put on my picked-apart stolen… Continue reading A Black Queer Feminist Urbanist War on Cars, Part 1
We Should Be Proud to Provide Accessibility
Not every body can do every thing. Read that again. Why does our infrastructure have to be so limited, so that it can’t pick up the gaps? Welcome to The Black Urbanist Weekly! I’m Kristen and this is my Black queer feminist take on urbanism and adjacent subjects. I usually open up with an editorial-style… Continue reading We Should Be Proud to Provide Accessibility
The Map Represents Possibility
This is the map that started it all. Download this year’s version of the NC State Transporation Map. Can we stop calling every map/plan we don’t like or think is impractical, crayonista? Can we acknowledge that the only difference between a transportation plan’s reality and fantasy is political will? Welcome to The Black Urbanist Weekly! I’m Kristen… Continue reading The Map Represents Possibility
The Real Reason I Don’t Talk As Much About Housing
I’m in root shock. However, I’m no longer in denial, that cities exist because of active development and policy, and what I yearn for is the cultivation and elevation of villages. And yes, my imagination of what that looks like still matters! I was recently asked, as I often am, what exactly is an urbanist? I… Continue reading The Real Reason I Don’t Talk As Much About Housing
In The Byway of False Independence, Sheltering in My Inner Freedom
The Black Urbanist Weekly for July 4-10, 2022 Welcome to this week’s “holiday” edition, as many of us continue our reflection on this “false” independence we are asked to celebrate today. What’s on my mind this week as many more become aware of how tentative our lives are, especially in this particular country, but honestly… Continue reading In The Byway of False Independence, Sheltering in My Inner Freedom
Now, Do You See Why I Ask For a Black Queer Feminist Urbanism?
Bodily autonomy is only the beginning. And no amount of pretending your city is a blue haven will rescue your county or state from being hostile. Unless you plan to not just resist, but dismantle. As I’ve said in so many other forums. This is about abortion today, but it will be about many other… Continue reading Now, Do You See Why I Ask For a Black Queer Feminist Urbanism?
The City Waits for No One, But The Village Searches Until It Finds and Heals Me
The Black Urbanist Weekly for June 20–26, 2022 I can’t pretend to keep up with the pace of our modern life, especially with the return of unmasked indoor activities. However, I know deep down inside that when I’m ready to come outside consistently again, I will, with welcome arms and real support. When you do… Continue reading The City Waits for No One, But The Village Searches Until It Finds and Heals Me
The Realities of Regionalism in a Not So Liberated Time
The Black Urbanist Weekly for June 13-22, 2022 It’s just weird to be repping borders and boundaries so hard when in reality they were often created forcefully and for economic means that don’t support our current goals or grant us full humanity. Y’all know that I’m a “take your shirt off and twist it like… Continue reading The Realities of Regionalism in a Not So Liberated Time
Plan, Build, And Live as if The Body Isn’t an Apology
The body is not an apology. The body does not deserve the terror we put on it. And yes, those of us in the built environment and design trades and movements have everything to do with how comfortable folks are in things that go beside and beyond nature. This is The Black Urbanist Weekly, an… Continue reading Plan, Build, And Live as if The Body Isn’t an Apology