Social Justice & the City

   "We will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters."  ~ Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

History shows that there is a strong nexus between the city and justice. Since the emergence of complex societies, cities are where individuals and groups struggle for economic fairness, equitable political institutions, just legal processes, and social inclusion. These struggles for justice can succeed but often do not. Confronted by demands for justice by the powerless, economically and politically powerful forces in a city understand and often deploy effective strategies for resisting those demands. 

In this course, we study classical, modern and contemporary theories of justice as they pertain to the economic, political, and social structures of cities, focusing as a case study on a typical American city. We evaluate aggrieved parties’ claims of injustice in critical areas: jobs and pay, housing, education, health care, transportation, policing and judicial processes, and the environment. We become acquainted with some of the groups making claims of injustice and working to achieve justice and evaluate their claims, along with their strategies and tactics. We pay close attention to the question of whether or not particular cases of injustice can be resolved at the municipal level and examine the role of professional planners and others in managing processes that deal effectively and equitably with demands for justice in situations characterized by differentials of power and influence.