Reparative Urban Science: Challenging the Myth of Neutrality and Crafting Data-Driven Narratives
Research Themes
Exposing Inequality in Urban Technology
Reparative Technology
Tags
Peer-reviewed article
Publication
Planning Theory & Practice
Authors
Wonyoung So
University of Michigan
Abstract
I offer how urban planning should approach technology within the context of systemic racism, advocating for a reparative approach to address the issues of urban technology perpetuating today’s racial inequality and hindering efforts to redress historical oppression. I identify three mechanisms – formalization, context removal and legitimization, and penalization and extraction – that illustrate how urban technology perpetuates historical inequalities, often penalizing marginalized groups under the pretext of neutrality and fairness. Then, I discuss methodologies of reparative urban science, aiming to use urban technology to challenge race-neutral ideologies and create data-driven narratives for reparations.
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