Equity and Inclusion in Green Design

This book focuses on seeing how justice, equality, diversity and inclusion (JEDI) presently shows in existing spaces, how to retrofit existing spaces to improve JEDI through green design, as well as design new green spaces with a focus on JEDI. JEDI for gender, race, culture, age, and ability show in public and private site design, more so in their lack of equality in green design.

The effects of JEDI show in the lack of:

-- healthy food and agriculture.

-- green spaces in areas of people with lower economic means.

-- community green design in redlined areas.

-- community green design in areas of hi ratio of immigrants.

-- green design in areas with a dominance of people who are BIPOC.

-- green design affects the health of people with lower incomes.

-- easy access for people to waterfronts and other public comforts.

-- access to public recreational design.

-- ease of access for people who have different abilities for mobility, seeing and reading English.

Addressing JEDI can be designed directly into sites as integral in the design process (not as an afterthought or gesture), through retrofitting existing sites as well as for new site design. Exploring healthy approaches to the important topic of equality is an important step in acknowledging the lack of JEDI and exploring designs for improved inclusion. This involves listening to people; and creatively exploring design for diversity and inclusion for gender, race, culture, age, ability; and economic range.

This book gives readers a way to not only understand JEDI in greening but also to understand how to develop inclusive approaches to design. The two basic site types in this book are- existing spaces which greening design is applied to afterwards; and upcoming spaces which greening design can be built into the space. The first type of retrofitting greening into existing space can also be combined with the second type of space (new designs). There are examples of both types throughout the book.