Spatial (In) Justice

Explores how spatial justice shapes equitable, empowering, and inclusive experiences In an era increasingly defined by questions of equity and inclusion, Spatial (In) Justice: How Does It Manifest in the Built Environment? offers a vital, global interrogation of how architecture and planning impact the lived experiences of marginalized communities. Edited by Adnan Zillur Morshed, this timely volume brings together contributions from 33 leading thinkers and practitioners—architects, planners, scholars, and academics—who reflect on the ethical and philosophical responsibilities of those who shape space. Rather than offering simplistic answers or prescriptive solutions, this book explores the complex and often contradictory ways justice is interpreted and enacted through space. The essays examine built projects from around the world to ask whether design can foster dignity, hope, and community empowerment—and how design education must evolve to foreground these values. The contributing authors grapple with the mechanisms through which spatial practices can exclude, disempower, or uplift, addressing topics ranging from justice in the city to the politics of community engagement. Throughout the book, the essays advance a critical pedagogy of design—one that scrutinizes how space organizes power and shapes human possibility. Contributors (in alphabetical order): Annmarie Adams Esra Akcan Glenn Albrecht Thomas Barrie Tom Beaudoin Bryan Bell Julio Bermudez Prem Chandavarkar Howard Davis Kim Dovey Andrew Freear Tammy Gaber Megan Gee Iqbal Habib Adam Hart Aseem Inam Kathleen James-Chakraborty Mark Jarzombek Khondaker Hasibul Kabir Pamela Karimi Fernando Lara Yasmeen Lari Paco Mejias Villatoro Jason Montgomery Donghwan Moon Adnan Zillur Morshed Dahlia Nduom Susan Piedmont-Palladino Sharon Prince Katie Swenson Marina Tabassum Diane Rhyu Taylor Junjie Xi

Authors Bios (alphabetically) ix Editor Bio xv Acknowledgments xvii Introduction: The Problem of (In)Justice in the Built Environment 1 Adnan Zillur Morshed Part 1 Theorizing Spatial (In)Justice 15 1.1 Working Through Injustice 17 Mark Jarzombek 1.2 Human Rights and Everyday Space 25 Prem Chandavarkar 1.3 Architecture, Power, and Spatial Justice 32 Kim Dovey Part 2 Right to Space 41 2.1 Right-to-Truth and Transitional Justice in Urban Space 43 Esra Akcan 2.2 Two Blocks, Two Cities: Critical Points 55 Susan Piedmont-Palladino 2.3 Gender and Geometry of Power: Rehearsing Spatial Justice in Tehran 62 Pamela Karimi Part 3 Urbanity of Justice 71 3.1 From the Bottom- Up: Gillett Square in London 73 Howard Davis and Adam Hart 3.2 Favelas as Sites of Resistance 83 Fernando Luiz Lara 3.3 Frontstage/Backstage in Las Vegas: A Metaphorical Approach Toward Understanding Spatial Inequality in the Contemporary City 89 Aseem Inam 3.4 Reclaiming the Public Realm: Designing American Cities for Urban Wellbeing 99 Jason Montgomery Part 4 Community Engagement as Spatial Justice 109 4.1 Specializing in Public Interest Design to Achieve Spatial Justice 111 Bryan Bell, Emma DeMagistris, Devesh Balakrishnan, and Miraz Reza 4.2 In Conversation with Architect Andrew Freear 121 4.3 From Ideas to Impact: Architecture as a Tool for Equity 132 Katie Swenson 4.4 Co- Creating Resilient Landscapes in the Rohingya Refugee Response 143 Diane Rhyu Taylor and Khondaker Hasibul Kabir 4.5 Justice for the Land of Maya 154 Donghwan Moon Part 5 Spatializing Justice 163 5.1 Hide and Seek: Indigenous Remains and Canadian Institutional Architecture 165 Annmarie Adams 5.2 The Belgian Friendship Building at Virginia Union University 176 Kathleen James-Chakraborty 5.3 Spatializing Freedom as Justice 184 Adnan Zillur Morshed Part 6 Symbiocene as Justice 199 6.1 In Conversation with Environmental Philosopher Glenn Albrecht 201 6.2 Transforming the Built Environment Through Ethical Sourcing 209 Sharon Prince 6.3 In Conversation with Architect Marina Tabassum 217 6.4 The Rivers That Bind Us 229 Iqbal Habib, Rubana Huq, and Shadman Iqbal Part 7 Justice in Sacred Space 239 7.1 Spatial Justice and Spirituality 241 Thomas Barrie, Julio Bermudez, and Tom Beaudoin 7.2 Designing “Gendered” Worship Spaces is an Accessibility and Justice Issue 248 Tammy Gaber Part 8 Spatial Justice Literacy 261 8.1 When the State Fails to Rehabilitate Destitute Communities 263 Yasmeen Lari 8.2 The Ambiguities of Spatial Justice: Understanding Macro and Micropolitics in Informal Settlements 270 Paco Mejias Villatoro and Junjie xi 8.3 Flattened Earth Society: How Map Makers Transform Our Reality 281 Megan Gee 8.4 Climate Change, Health, and Housing: Design Frameworks for Justice and Repair 290 Dahlia Nduom Index 303