Brick, Grass (&) Steel

In the Season 1 finale of Brick, Grass and Steel, host Collete English Dixon is joined by urban planner and equity advocate Dr. Nina Idemudia to reflect on the major themes of the season. Together, they revisit key insights from conversations on segregation, urban renewal, social infrastructure, environmental injustice, and climate resilience — and discuss how these threads set the stage for Season 2. This wrap-up brings clarity, connection, and a forward-looking vision for what it takes to build communities that are equitable, sustainable, and resilient by design.

Climate change doesn’t strike evenly – scholars Brandon Derman and Lesa Johnson join me to explore how the crisis exposes and deepens the inequalities built into our cities and what is means to build a just response to the climate crisis. 

Why is environmental justice essential to resilience? Dr. Robert Bullard reveals the history, the fights, and the urgent need for equity in every community. View materials from Dr. Bullard's recent report, "Green Light to Pollute in Texas... Again."

Building on Richard Rothstein’s “The Color of Law” and the discussion about urban renewal with Dr. Mindy Fullilove, who wrote “Root Shock”, and Brentin Mock, this discussion with Richard Rothstein and Leah Rothstein explores how “Just Action” offers a tangible framework for communities to dismantle segregation, influence urban planning and public policy decisions, and build more equitable, integrated communities. If you would like to read more about the topics discussed in this episode arc, please see information below for purchasing the books referenced. Also, you can subscribe to Leah Rothstein’s SubStack platform at https://substack.com/@justaction.The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated AmericaRoot Shock: How Tearing Up City Neighborhoods Hurts America, and What We Can Do about Itbookshop.org

Dr. Mindy Fullilove and journalist Brentin Mock explore how urban renewal became “urban removal,” the trauma it caused, and its lasting echoes in today’s redevelopment.

In this episode, Richard Rothstein reveals how segregation in American communities was not the result of personal choice or private prejudice, but the outcome of deliberate government policy and industry practice. From housing and zoning laws to mortgage lending and urban planning, he explains how the architecture of inequality was built — and why its legacy still defines our neighborhoods today.