In partnership with our employee-led Inclusion, Diversity, and Equity Alliance, VHB recently hosted a panel discussion on the barriers that people of color face as bicyclists and pedestrians. From the perspectives of urban and transportation planning, civil engineering, and personal and professional experience, the panel of distinguished guests held an informative and substantive conversation, with questions moderated by VHB Board member Keith Parker, President and CEO of Goodwill of North Georgia.
The discussion drew upon panelist Julian Agyeman’s article, “Poor and black ‘invisible cyclists’ need to be part of post-pandemic transport planning too,” and was designed to promote awareness about how our approach to planning and design can either challenge or perpetuate systems of inequity. By intentionally making changes to our design and planning practices, we can work toward dismantling systemic racism in our built environment.
Panelists included: Julian Agyeman, Professor of Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning at Tufts University; Norman Garrick, Professor of Transportation and Urban Planning at UConn; Kari Watkins, Frederick Law Olmsted Associate Professor at Georgia Tech; Tamika Butler, Founder and Principal at Tamika L. Butler Consulting; and Monica Tibbits-Nutt, Vice-Chair, FMCB & MassDOT Board of Directors.
