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