The Planning Profession and Blacks in the United States: A Content Analysis of Academic and Professional Literature

Abstract

One way to test an academic discipline's commitment to social justice in a multicultural society is to examine its literature's attention to the unique characteris tics and needs of a particular disadvantaged group. This paper examines the planning literature in regard to one disadvantaged group—black Americans. Journal of the American Planning Association, Urban Affairs Quarterly, and Planning are analyzed for five- year periods beginning in 1955 and running through 1989. After a summary of findings, this paper identifies pertinent planning-related issues that are affecting blacks now and will continue to do so into the next century. Measures to enhance the profession's sensitivity to these issues and thereby mitigate negative impacts will also be mentioned.