Toward Racial Justice

2020-21 Lecture Series

Architecture and urban planning are critical to the shaping of the built environment, each bearing complex histories regarding social justice and the provision of opportunities for all. The 2020-21 Lecture Series at the UB School of Architecture and Planning will focus on racial justice in our disciplines and the broader impacts that the work of architects and urban planners have on historically disenfranchised communities, to generate dialogue and prompt real change.

All events will be presented online

AIA and AICP continuing education credits are available. 

Spring 2021 lineup

lecture series poster.

See event details

FEB 24 | Edward Goetz, University of Minnesota, Hubert H. Humphrey School of Public Affairs
MAR 6 | Peter Reyner Banham Fellowship: 20 years, 21 Banham Fellows
MAR 10, Sierra Bainbridge, MASS Design Group, 2019-20 Clarkson Chair in Architecture
MAR 8 | Volatile Ecologies: Architectural Apparatuses for Earthly Survival, Zherui Wang, Banham Fellow 2020-21, Hayes Hall Exhibition Opening 
MAR 12 | Ashante Reese, University of Texas at Austin, sponsored by the Food Lab
MAR 17 |  "Engendering Equity in Architecture and Planning," a panel discussion with UB School of Architecture and Planning Womxn Faculty
MAR 24 | Pascale Sablan, Beyond the Built Environment, organized with UB NOMAS and UB AIAS, sponsored by Kelly Hayes McAlonie
MAR 30 | Jammal International Lecture with Ben Davy, University of Johannesburg
APR 7 | Jason Hackworth, University of Toronto
APR 14 | India Walton, former executive director, Fruit Belt Community Land Trust, organized by the UB GPSA
APR 21 | Xu Tiantian, DnA Design and Architecture, 2021 UBCI Distinguished Architecture Lecture

Fall 2020 lineup

lecture series poster.
  • Rewriting “American Architecture”: Recovering Black Narratives of Space
    9/16/20

    Sept. 16, 2020
     Organized by Charles Davis II, assistant professor of architectrural history, this colloquium invites you to consider opportunities to recover black narratives of space to propel us toward a more equitable reconsideration of canonical histories of American architecture. 

  • Race and Modern Architecture: Book Launch and Workshop
    9/18/20

    Sept. 18, 2020

    Join Irene Cheng, Charles L. Davis II, and Mabel O. Wilson for a conversation about their new edited volume, "Race and Modern Architecture," a long-anticipated volume that challenges us to write race back into architectural history.

  • Kunlé Adeyemi, 2020 Clarkson Chair in Architecture
    9/23/20

    Sept. 23, 2020

    We're pleased to welcome Kunlé Adeyemi as our 2020 Clarkson Chair in Architecture. Adeyemi, an architect, designer and development researcher, is the founder and principal of NLÉ – an architecture, design and urbanism practice for innovating cities and communities. 

  • Jeffrey Lowe
    10/7/20

    Oct. 7, 2020

    Join Jeffrey Lowe, associate professor or urban planning at Texas Southern University, as he explores the experience of the African American planner and their efforts towards racial inclusion, social justice, and diversity in the planning movement. 

  • Urban Renewal and School Reform in Baltimore: Book Launch and Lecture
    10/16/20

    Oct. 16, 2020

    Join Erkin Özay, assistant professor of architecture at UB, and Paola Aguirre Serrano of Borderless Studio, for a conversation about Ozay's new book, Urban Renewal and School Reform in Baltimore (Routledge, 2020), which examines the role of the contemporary public school as an instrument of urban design.

  • Jennifer Newsom
    10/21/20

    Oct. 21, 2020

    Architect and educator Jennifer Newsom presents this year's Bethune Lecture as she considers racial constructs in the built environment as openings for critical public engagement in design. Newsom is assistant professor of architecture with the University of Minnesota and co-founder of Dream The Combine, which creates art and architecture as sites of interaction. 

  • Rebuilding the Built Environment: Pedagogy in Practice
    10/28/20

    Oct. 28, 2020

    Limited exposure to the professions of architecture and planning and their networks, as well as limited access to resources, creates an uneven playing field for students in design schools. Are architecture and planning education structured in a way that sets up people of color to fail as they join the profession? If so, what elements are the most hindering for the progress of people of color? Join us for a panel conversation with leading practitioners and scholars. Sponsored by AASAP and ubNOMAS.

  • NCARB - Designing Your Future: Creating Value in Your Career
    11/4/20

    Nov. 4, 2020

    Join representatives from the National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) for a presentation about your career in architecture, licensure, and beyond.

  • Henry Louis Taylor Jr.
    11/18/20

    Nov. 18, 2020

    Join professor of urban planning Henry Louis Taylor Jr., for a conversation on race, class and the underdevelopment of Black neighborhoods, including predatory development practices in the city-building process.

Accessibility and Accommodations

Information on accessibility and accommodations can be found at ap.buffalo.edu/visitor-info

The public lecture series of the School of Architecture and Planning is supported by the following individuals and companies:

The public lecture series of the School of Architecture and Planning is supported by the following individuals and companies: AIA Buffalo/WNY | Lori Duckstein | Viviane Jammal | Will and Nan Clarkson | Kelly Hayes McAlonie | UB Confucius Institute | UB Department of Architecture | UB Department of Urban and Regional Planning | UB Food Systems Planning and Healthy Communities Lab | Upstate NY Chapter of the American Planning Association

TOPICS: Public Programs, Events, Giving