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Hello I am Grace Sugah and I'm coming to you from a JVM classroom so I was an intern for Williston planning over the summer and I did some research on equity, diversity, inclusion and how that can be incorporated into form based code and town planning practices, and I would like to share my findings with.
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Yeah, so I am just going to share a presentation I created.
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And I will go through that. So thank you for watching.
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And here we go.
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So.
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Who am I and what have I done? A little bit more about me is I am a senior at UVM and my major is geography. Megan Coke is my advisor and she taught me urban geography and qualitative research methods.
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So my product is an annotated bibliography and this goes over scholarly articles and it discusses issues of diversity and equity and inclusion and urban and town planning, and I looked in more specifically on how form based code.
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This can work to alleviate these issues, so an annotated bibliography is a collection of sources with short descriptions under that which includes the articles, main points, case studies, and conclusions.
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Uh, my process began just researching what form based code is. And then I looked into articles that addressed diversity and equity issues and how changes in physical form can actually alleviate those issues.
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So here are some insights into specific recommendations. I think Williston Town planning can work on regarding the Taft Corners projects and future ones as well.
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And before I get into that, I just wanted to go over why I believe this research is important. So suburban areas across the nation are becoming increasingly diverse regarding family types, ethnicities, and incomes.
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Also, Vermont has a strong history of being very exclusive in which identities are accepted based on their race and Vermont continues to be somewhere around 90% white.
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And looking specifically at Williston, there's strong correlation that those who work in Williston, which are many service industry jobs, cannot actually afford to live there. And those that do live in Williston are working outside of the town.
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So.
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Getting into the research, the first author whose research I'm going to talk about is sarin Houston. She wrote a book about the various efforts that Seattle has undergone to create a more inclusive and Equitable City. Seattle is.
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Known for being a very white and progressive slash liberal identifying city, and I believe this is a similar identity to that of the Williston, Burlington area.
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Which is why it's relevant and the concept I focus on is unsettling. Quaintness so unsettling whiteness is defined as intentionally disrupting the normative power of whiteness to reproduce racial hierarchies and craft systems, structures, and stances that principally benefit white people. And she specifically uses the word unsettling because it acknowledges that there's a lot of feelings of discomfort and guilt that accompanies.
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Facing ones own privilege and also the role that we all play in the system, especially if your political beliefs are on the more progressive side, it can be extra uncomfortable to believe that you're playing into that system.
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So unsettling is use. It is being used to refer to taking a bit of your own privilege or power away through this uncomfortable recognition in your unsettling that power.
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Next
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I wanna talk about a collection of ideas from various authors that I believe are important to be mindful of during the planning process in order to create a more equitable and inclusive result.
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So first.
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It's important to be mindful that community based planning processes may allow for some to advocate for a more exclusive space. Is a study showed that the less community input can tend to create a more just result.
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This means that even if disadvantage participants are involved, they may not continue to be.
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8.
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They may not continue to be very involved, and as a member of the team of Williston Town planning, you should make sure to always advocate for the individuals and groups whose voices are not present or included every step of the way.
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Second, the form creates a spatial aesthetic and there should be a discussion around how this aesthetic may make people from different backgrounds field.
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Does the suburban aesthetic make everyone feel welcome? I think that's an important idea to think about going forward.
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And next form based code allows for densification. This means there is an opportunity to accommodate a diversifying population while maintaining control over the visual outcome.
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This means that people who can't afford the single family zoning.
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Could actually afford to live here if there were more densely planned housing units.
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Uh, and because you're keeping control over the visual outcome means that you won't lose that rural identity and energy that is important to will astonians.
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Ah.
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So one way that this has been used in more suburban areas is through accessory dwelling units, and these are put where single family housing was previously zoned and it has proven to be an effective way to accomplish.
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Densification and decreased cost housing, and it also addresses climate change and public health disparities.
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Finally.
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I want to say that you should try to make Williston just green enough.
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This is a concept that comes from the fact that green spaces increased the cost of nearby housing. So consider the effect of a proposed green space or park on surrounding housing costs. And is this proposed grain, says state space ascential to environmental and community well being, or is there another solution that would be more cost effective and environmentally friendly?
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Next, I want to talk about specific strategies that the article listed recommends for regional and urban planning, specifically in area areas where the population are majority white and affluent.
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And if you would like to read more about this than what I speak about, I encourage you to read the article shown here. Matt and Megan have access to the annotated bibliography and all the articles that I mentioned in the bibliography.
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And they can help you access fees as well as myself. If you would like to reach out.
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So the first one mentioned is surfacing whiteness and this refers to the decision to analyze areas of concentrated affluence and whiteness instead of areas with a high bipac population or is underserved. And this.
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Can help think?
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Guide you to think of solutions for equitability.
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And this leads to a possibility of conducting a disparity at racial impact analysis.
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Next is rethinking exclusionary land use planning and incorporating mixed use zoning.
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Anti subordination planning is a big idea that involves rethinking the current practices of planning and thinking about how you can plan a town where everyone has equal rights of citizenship.
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Next, community power and value capture refers to giving the community a true voice in the planning process, and this should include both employees and residents of Williston.
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Finally, there is reparative planning and this should aim to mend past decisions and plans that have been detrimental to the inclusivity, equitability, and diversity of Williston.
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So if you have any questions about anything I talked about or anything regarding to planning with form based code to create a more diverse, equitable and inclusive environment, this is an email that you can reach me at. So I encourage you to do so if you have any questions.
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And thank you so much for watching my presentation and I hope that this sparked some ideas and important conversations to make Williston a great, even greater place to be. Thank you.