Making Our Society Just and Humane

"The convergence and interaction of liberating forces at work in society against racism, sexism, ageism and economic imperialism are all oppressive 'isms' and built-in responses of a society that considers certain groups inferior. All are rooted in the social-economic structures of society. All deprive certain groups of status, the right to control their own lives and destinies with the end result of powerlessness. All have resulted in economic and social discrimination. All rob (American) society of the energies and involvement of creative persons who are needed to make our society just and humane. All have brought on individual alienation, despair, hostility, and anomie."
Walton (1979)

photograph by Lee Friedlander via

APA Guidelines: Bias-Free Language for Age

"Avoid using terms such as “seniors,” “elderly,” “the aged,” “aging dependents,” and similar “othering” terms because they connote a stereotype and suggest that members of the group are not part of society but rather a group apart (see Lundebjerg et al., 2017; Sweetland et al., 2017). Do not use these stigmatizing terms in your research even if your participants use them to refer to themselves (also see guidance regarding disability). Likewise, avoid negativistic and fatalistic attitudes toward aging, such as age as being an obstacle to overcome (Lindland et al., 2015). Do not use “senile”; it is an outdated term with no agreed-upon meaning. Use “dementia” instead of “senility”; specify the type of dementia when known (e.g., dementia due to Alzheimer’s disease). Be sure your language conveys that aging is a normal part of the human experience and is separate from disease and disorder." 

::: More: APA Guidelines



photograph by Lee Friedlander via

World Urbanism Day

The international organisation for "World Urbanism Day" or "World Town Planning Day" was founded by Carlos Maria della Paolera (1890-1960), professor at University of Buenos Aires, in 1949 aiming to advance both public and professional interest in planning, to promote the role of planning in creating livable communities. The day is celebrated in more than 30 countries on 8th of November each year (via).



This year, there is no theme. In 2014, the theme was "Equality in the Cities - Making Cities Socially Cohesive" (see abstracts).

::: World Town Planning Day Online Conference 2016: LINK




photographs by Lee Friedlander (New York City, 1963, 1963, 1966) via and via and via