Interview with Norman Krumholz

Norman Krumholz is a towering figure in the eyes of many planners. A proponent of equity planning—the term Paul Davidoff coined in 1965 to refer to planning for the whole city and prioritizing the needs of populations habitually excluded from the process—he pioneered approaches to improve the quality of life in disadvantaged communities. During Krumholz’s groundbreaking ten years as Cleveland’s planning director from 1969-1979, he put this theory into practice, later describing his experiences in a book entitled Making Equity Planning Work. Krumholz visited UNC-Chapel Hill on Oct. 9, 2008, to deliver a public lecture titled “New Roles and New Status for Planners.” In the talk, co-sponsored by the Department of City of Regional Planning and the Center for Urban and Regional Studies, Krumholz described how the changing shape of cities poses new challenges for today’s planners. He dispelled several myths about industrial cities, including the belief that “the decline can be reversed and the cities restored to their former glory.” Instead of emphasizing greening efforts, New Urbanism, and blockbuster stadium projects, he said planners should focus on the basics: fixing cities’ schools, services, and safety. In an exclusive Carolina Planning interview, editors Wendy Baucom and Heather Schroeder sat down with Krumholz before his public lecture to speak about the biggest issues facing today’s planners. Given his track record, it may be no surprise that Krumholz encourages planners to continue breaking the mold