Chapter 17 - Livability ethics for street and urban empathy, equity, and justice: A guide for planning, design, & engineering

Abstract

Toward the goal of realizing an ethical street livability based on empathy, equity, and justice, Chapter 17 begins with a comprehensive examination of the literature and practice to provide an in-depth discussion of power and the inequity of our streets. This chapter highlights lessons and understandings that can inform and provide purpose toward the construction of Livability Ethics, Empathy, Equity, and Justice principles and approaches presented in this chapter and throughout Part 3. Drawing on the work of multiple scholars and practitioners, this chapter looks comprehensively at all aspects of power driving the street ecology, from Foucault’s ideas about multi-faceted bio-power, to presenting a new illustration of the socio-cultural and individual aspects of auto-domination, provided by Tara Goddard. It then discusses items related to specific inequities and injustices of our street ecology related to such aspects as socio-economics, race, and gender. It also presents new research on discriminatory practices in police enforcement, which appear to create functional walls and forces of oppression onto people of color, reinforcing the physical ones. Building on these understandings, this chapter then provides guidance to professionals on the application of livability concepts in practice by articulating: (a) an overarching understanding of an ethical livability and set of supporting meta-principles, (b) a set of ethical livability principles, and finally (c) a set of livability process-principles. Building on these principles, goals, and understandings, the rest of Part 3 outlines ways of carrying through a comprehensive program to physically manifest an ethical livability for street empathy, equity, and justice within the creation of livable and complete streets throughout the US and the world over.