OUR MISSION
The Spatial Justice Studio (SJS) seeks to establish and sustain interinstitutional, interdisciplinary, and inter-sectoral programs that bring faculty, students and the community together across disciplines into diverse experiences to develop meaningful solutions to issues related to spatial (in)justice. The SJS will explore alternative possibilities for urban areas and ways of achieving more equitable urban futures through active research agendas, engaged teaching practices and community based participatory research which will lead to the creation/regeneration of equitable, functional and sustainable communities for all.
OUR TOPICS
Uneven distribution of resources
Just sustainability
Spatial planning
Gated communities
Gentrification
Urban resiliency
Climate change
Urban heat islands
Environmental justice
Smart cities
Food deserts
Education
Local government boundary change Gerrymandering
Electoral redistricting
Access to healthcare
Transportation desert
Spatial mismatch
SPATIAL JUSTICE STUDIO EVENTS
Yadkin Riverkeepers Environmental Justice Event, June 2023
Yadkin Riverkeepers Environmental Justice Event, June 2023
WSSU Scholarship Day Poster Presentation, April 2022
WSSU Scholarship Day Poster Presentation, April 2022
North Carolina Geographical Society Annual Meeting, NCCU, November 2018
North Carolina Geographical Society Annual Meeting, NCCU, November 2018
North Carolina Geographical Society Annual Meeting, NCCU, November 2018
Warren County Environmental Justice Presentation, WSSU, November 2018
Exploring Spatial Justice: Winston-Salem’s Past, Present & Future, WSSU, April 2019
Exploring Spatial Justice: Winston-Salem’s Past, Present & Future, WSSU, April 2019
Exploring Spatial Justice: Winston-Salem’s Past, Present & Future, WSSU, April 2019
Warren County Environmental Justice Presentation, WSSU, November 2018
OUR WORK
Mapping Prejudice in
Forsyth County
This project works to identify and map systemic racism in the sale of property through racial covenants as a path toward change.
Spatial Justice Studio Faculty/Community Fellows Program
The Faculty / Community Fellows program is open to all faculty at UNCSA and WSSU, as well as interested community members. This year’s program will also allow past fellows to reapply for funding to continue their research into issues of spatial justice impacting the community.
Spatial Justice Indicators
This research proposal seeks to explore the issue of spatial justice through the development of a Spatial Justice Index (SJI). To date, most work associated with spatial justice has been qualitative and case study based. In this research, the SJI will be created by quantitatively exploring geographic (i.e. land uses, distance to parks, schools, vices, etc.), demographic (i.e. race, ethnicity, age, etc.) and socio-economic variables (i.e. income, education, poverty, etc.) of census tracts in an effort to apply the concept of spatial (in)justice to NC communities.
Application of Random Forest and SHAP Tree Explainer in Exploring Spatial (In)Justice to Aid Urban Planning
Use of Machine Learning in Exploring Spatial (In)Justices
A Planner’s quest for identifying spatial (in)justice in local communities: A case study of urban census tracts in North Carolina, USA
Forsyth County Neighborhood Opportunity Atlas
The Spatial Justice Studio @ CDI, in partnership with Forsyth County, is developing a Neighborhood Opportunity Atlas to provide a holistic analysis of conditions across the county that can be used to identify, compare and assess neighborhoods in Forsyth County now and into the future for planning, programming, budgeting and evaluation. The atlas is an innovative, statistical, and geographic product that will provide quantitative census tract level information for a wide range of community indicators and begin a process to identify, target and tackle underperforming neighborhoods.
SPATIAL INJUSTICE: EXPLORING REDLINING IN WINSTON-SALEM, NC
SPATIAL JUSTICE STUDIO, FACULTY LEAD
Dr. Russell M. Smith is a Professor of Geography in the Department of History, Politics & Social Justice and the Faculty Lead for the newly established Spatial Justice Studio at the Center for Design Innovation (SJS @ CDI). He received his doctoral degree in Geography from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.
PUBLICATIONS AND RESOURCES
PUBLICATIONS
Spatial Injustice is Hurting Winston-Salem — Russell Smith
Triad Researchers Reveal Transportation’s Role In Economic MobilitySpatial Injustice is Hurting Winston-Salem — David Ford
LISTEN TO INTERVIEW
Spatial Justice Can Resolve Problems — Russell Smith and John Railey
Beyond Color Blind Podcast — Spatial Justice
Beyond Color Blind Podcast — Redlining
Incorporation & Segregation, Dec. 2020, — Russell Smith and Zach Blizzard
Insight into Diversity, June 2021
Plant Fire Illuminates Historical Risks Faced by Communities of Color — John Deem
The Winston Weaver Fertilizer Fire and the Impact of Industry in Residential Areas — David Ford
Why were plants like Winston Weaver allowed in neighborhoods? — by David Ford
What the Winston-Salem Fire Says About Environmental Justice — by Adam Wagner
Research shows diverse housing can benefit social capital, students — by Rachel Midgette
As cancer aggravates food insecurity, community can help — by Camelia Singletary and Rebecca Stone
As de-annexation Senate vote looms, Summerfield Town Council to hold emergency meeting — David Ford
Reconnecting Winston-Salem’s 24 1/2 Street — by Andrew Britt
RESOURCES
Justice Spatiale – Spatial Justice
A forum for international debates about spatial justice, in a pluridisciplinary perspective.
Just Space—Community groups supporting each other on London planning
20 May: Just Space has responded to the document produced by the Mayor and still considers that the draft London Plan is unsound because the Public Sector Equalities Duty has not been discharged.
Spatial History Project – Stanford University
The Spatial History Project at Stanford University is a place for a collaborative community of students, staff, and scholars to engage in creative spatial, textual and visual analysis to further research in the humanities.
Spatial justice – Wikipedia
Spatial justice links together social justice and space, most notably in the works of geographers David Harvey and Edward W. Soja. The organization of space is a crucial dimension of human societies and reflects social facts and influences social relations (Henri Lefebvre, 1968, 1972).Consequently, both justice and injustice become visible in space.
Segregated by Design
‘Segregated By Design’ examines the forgotten history of how our federal, state and local governments unconstitutionally segregated every major metropolitan area in America through law and policy.
The City and Spatial Justice — Edward W. Soja
Spatial Justice and Planning — Susan S. Fainstein
Spatial Justice: Towards an Ethics of Spatial Equity — J. Bissett-Scott, Delle Odeleye, Ian Frame
Spatializing the Urban, Part I — Edward Soja
Why Discuss Spatial Justice in Urbanism Studies? — Roberto Rocco
Winston-Salem’s Residential Segregation History — Elizabeth A. Herbin-Triant
NSF HBCU-UP TIP — URBAN STUDIES & SUSTAINABILITY: Incorporating Data Science into the Urban Studies & Sustainability Curriculum
WSSU’s Target Infusion Project titled – Integrating Data Science into the Urban Studies & Sustainability Program (TIP – IDSUSSP) seeks to expose undergraduate students interested in the field of Urban Studies & Sustainability to data science. Through the use of data, urban studies can help reshape the world’s cities into more sustainable places.
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OFFICE LOCATION
Winston-Salem, NC 27101