This project was done for the Emergency Urbanism course at the University of Basel. Students were asked to explore the ways in which humanitarian, economic, environmental and political
emergencies and their responses shape our urban environments and their socio-spatial fabric through planning efforts. As a case study, I chose the « Texas Freeze », the total collapse of the Texas electricity system due to extremely cold temperatures in the winter of 2021. In order to deconstruct the concept of « natural disaster », I examined other factors
(neoliberal politics, class and racial injustice) to explain the collapse, especially in Houston. Using data and maps, I was able to understand how black and Latino neighbourhoods, already suffering from decades of neglect and political inaction, were more vulnerable to the blackout.
Click here to read « Infrastructure Collapse and Systemic Racism: The Case of Houston »
Leah Bonvin : Textual Fragments 