Statement of Commitment
The Department of Urban Design & Planning is committed to creating a more just and equitable society and engaging in the anti-racist work that is needed to bring about the changes we seek. We uphold the principle and fact that Black Lives Matter, and recognize that systemic racism is part of our national heritage and must be undone. As urban planners and scholars, we are especially aware of the role that the planning profession and allied fields have played in the oppression of BIPOC communities. Our goal is to confront this legacy. By using the skills and tools of planning, and the power of education and scholarship, we are committed to carrying forward anti-racist work within our programs and classrooms, our institution, our profession, and the communities we serve.
As part of our commitment to this work, we have assembled this resource page. On it, you will find information on equity, diversity and inclusion within the department, the college, and the University of Washington at large. We have also included links to a wide range of educational materials and websites that can be used in the classroom or on your own.
Of course, this list is not complete. If you have resources that you think should be added to this page, or if you can’t find something you are looking for, please let us know. We invite your feedback and suggestions. Email your comments or questions to udp4all(at)uw.edu.
List of Resources
Here is a compilation of resources regarding equity, diversity, and inclusion in the Department of Urban Design & Planning and at the University of Washington at large:
- Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee: This committee is dedicated to acknowledging and serving the needs of our students. It consists of faculty, students, staff, alumni and Professionals Council members.
- Books and Resources: This is an evolving list with contributions from faculty, students, and staff recommended for reading, perusing, challenging, discussing, and using. It covers topics such as planning, design, cities, people, equity, urbanism, etc., with an emphasis on equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- UW Graduate School: The Graduate School supports diversity and inclusiveness at the University of Washington in multiple and innovative ways — from the support of students and departments to programming to advocacy to fostering conversation and dialogue.
- Graduate Opportunities and Minority Achievement Program (GO-MAP): This program is at the heart of the Graduate School’s commitment to expanding graduate education to everyone, with events and programming are geared toward underrepresented minority graduate students and students of color.
UW President Ana Mari Cauce launched the university’s Race and Equity Initiative in 2015 and presented the UW community with a challenge: that all of us—students, faculty, staff and university leadership—take personal responsibility for addressing our own biases and improving our university culture.
In the College of Built Environments, we are raising our responsibility and commitment to diversity, inclusion, multiculturalism, and equity in all areas of our recruitment, teaching, and hiring.
These efforts include:
- Working with the Office of Undergraduate Academic Affairs to expand the breadth of our outreach for student applications
- Offering new general introductory courses in built environments, open to all UW undergraduate students
- Collaborating with community colleges on accessibility and ease for transfer students
- Working with high school counselors to increase knowledge of our programs
- Fostering conversations that address problems and result in the implementation of solutions
We are proud to be the home of students, staff, faculty, and scholars from across the globe. The diverse personal experiences our members bring to the CBE community are critically essential to a robust and engaging world-class educational experience.
If you experience any personal incidents that leave you unsettled contact the police immediately.
If you wish to report incidents of non-emergency bias or violations of UW policies for non-discrimination please use the UW’s online reporting tool.
This is not somebody else’s problem
President Ana Mari Cauce launched a Race and Equity Initiative in Spring 2015 with a challenge: that all of us — students, faculty, staff and university leadership — take personal responsibility for addressing our own biases and improving our university culture. And it began with a commitment: that together we would combat the racism and inequities, both individual and institutional, that persist here and throughout our society.
This is what universities are all about. They are places of discovery and difficult conversations — where we learn new ways of looking at and acting in the world.
This work – this struggle — is not new. UW faculty, staff and students and the rest of our collective society have been in it for many years and in many ways. But many in our community believe we have reached a moment where we must commit to collaborative, accelerated action.
Diversity and equity for all
In order to support and sustain diversity and equity at the UW, as well as in the local, regional and global communities we serve, we must directly confront bias and racism at the individual, institutional and systemic levels. These are three key ways:
- Confronting individual bias and racism
- Transforming institutional policies and practices
- Accelerating systemic change