DESIGNING FOR RACIAL JUSTICE 2024

Racial disparities in quality of life are the direct result of past injustices. In the early 20th century, millions of Black Americans left Southern states, seeking to escape Jim Crow laws, racial violence, and the lingering legacy of slavery. As Black populations grew in Northern and Western urban centers, Black people were steadily and systematically excluded from institutions of prosperity, place, and community wellbeing. Generations later, structures of power are still largely concentrated outside of Black communities.

Amidst this injustice, we also find hope. Design was a tool used to create these disparities; design can, and must, also be the tool we use to dismantle and rectify them. In this report, we highlight the inequities in the designs of our systems, institutions, cities, and neighborhoods that have created injustices that persist today, and explore opportunities for design and designers to lead the charge toward a more equitable and prosperous future.

Black people express consistently lower satisfaction with their city experience.
The percentage of U.S. respondents per group who agree with the statement “I feel satisfied with my city as a place to live”. Source: Gensler City Pulse Survey 2023

Spatial inequities are a direct result of historically racist urban policies and practices.

The intentional entrapment of Black Americans within designated, disinvested, and destabilized neighborhoods has had cascading effects long into the present. The only counter to this disenfranchisement is an intentional and active stance to create positive change. Intentional investment in accessible 20-minute cities, high quality affordable housing, and the re-unification of neighborhoods through public transit can all help to bring greater cohesion and equity of place to urban areas. These solutions will benefit all urbanites, but we must purposefully and persistently focus on their impacts on underserved populations to ensure that policy implementation works for their needs and avoids exacerbating trends of gentrification and displacement.

Black and Latino Americans are significantly less likely to feel financially secure than white Americans.
Percentage of U.S. respondents who agree with the statement “I feel stable and secure about my financial situation”. Source: Gensler City Pulse Survey 2023

The devaluation of Black neighborhoods denies Black people access to systems of economic prosperity.

Prosperity starts with access. De facto segregation in housing, schooling, and work continues to deny Black communities access to the resources needed to succeed. We can start to provide more access by re-valuing Black neighborhoods – expanding public transit, encouraging mixed-use zoning, and building denser, more high-quality housing. We can also work with community leaders to develop support structures that help first-time homeowners to secure property and begin amassing long-term wealth. We must prioritize housing and urban development solutions that build stability and generational wealth into the Black community, creating conditions for thriving that are too often taken for granted by more prosperous communities.

Black and Latino residents are more likely to think they will need to move in the next 5 years due to environmental issues.
The percentage of U.S. respondents per group who believe they will need to move in the next 5 years because of environmental issues. Source: Gensler Global Climate Action Survey 2023

Black communities are disproportionately burdened with environmental and well-being risks.

Black people are disproportionately likely to live in polluted neighborhoods that are harmful to human health. Long-term underinvestment has also left Black neighborhoods more vulnerable to extreme weather and climate change. Design strategies hold the key to mitigating the disproportionate environmental burdens faced by Black communities. Prioritizing access to public transportation and micromobility infrastructure reduces reliance on high-polluting vehicles and promotes greater health equity. Climate adaptation and neighborhood resilience plans can help communities to better withstand future natural disasters. Community-led design processes ensure that local voices shape this development – helping to pinpoint areas of the most need and foster greater inclusivity in design.

Designing for Racial Justice Methodology

This report features findings from three recent survey research studies conducted by the Gensler Research Institute: Gensler Residential Experience Survey 2022, Gensler City Pulse Survey 2023, Gensler Climate Action Survey 2023. All survey samples contained wide representation across personal characteristics such as age (18+), gender identity, racial and/or ethnic identity, household income level, employment status, education level, and home region. Quotas around these characteristics were carefully monitored and enforced during fielding in collaboration with our research partners. Multiple checks were programmed into the survey to manage response validity, including bot detection, speeder logic, and attention filters. The statistical significance of results between groups was determined using pairwise z-tests at a 99% confidence level.