Photo Source: NYU’s former University Heights Campus in the Bronx
My early scholarship mainly focused on the connection between identity and access to nature. As physical symbols, they demonstrate how white hierarchies are reflected in spaces and can harm those who challenge these structures, such as BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ communities. In this project, I used a survey and focus groups to learn more about how students engaged with the historic design choices at this community college.
The campus, a remnant of former empires, showcases colonial history through its architecture. My research examined the roots of the American higher education system and uncovered how white spatial imaginaries influence campus design—affecting both built structures and natural landscapes—and shape student perspectives.
Examining restorative experiences, I further challenge existing structures. At the CUNY Graduate Center, we were encouraged to dismantle white supremacy by exposing it and prioritizing the empowerment of marginalized identities. Nature is a third space where restorative justice takes place; therefore, my book, “Campus Design and the Community College Experience: An Exploration of Stress, Belonging, and Identity,” explores socio-spatial relationships, nature, and race.
Published by Routledge in 2022, this research project was conducted in the Bronx, New York.
After a decade of teaching at community colleges in New York, this project focused on historically marginalized identities and restorative practices. I explore how colonialism and segregation have racialized the use and perception of shared outdoor spaces. Kimberlé Crenshaw, W.E.B. Du Bois, and Paolo Freire have shaped my understanding of whiteness and privilege. As a result, my scholarship reveals how natural environments sustain historic forms of oppression that marginalize queer and BIPOC communities.
Book review: Community College Review
Vanita Naidoo 