2/11 Art Practice and Urban Planning as a Tool for Social Transformation
Arts and culture are not luxuries, but central to the central task of urban development: improving people’s lives. Many times artistic expressions are seem separated from the work of urban planners. There is a need to recognize and appreciate the role of arts and cultural expressions in sustainable urban development. In other words, arts and culture as tools that combined with urban planning interventions can foster transformative actions. The Bloustein Graduate Student Association presents a social just panel that specifically aims to recognize how the use of arts/culture in urban planning processes can be particularly transformative for oppressed communities. We reflect on how experimental and participatory art can cultivate community development. Speakers include Antonio Moya-Latorre, Pianist and Ph.D. student in City and Regional Planning at Cornell University; James Rojas, founder of Place It!; and Sharon Lee De La Cruz, Director of Sustainability the POINT CDC