EJB Talks New Faculty Spotlight: Bernadette Baird-Zars and Gray Institutions

Dean Stuart Shapiro interviews assistant professor Bernadette Baird-Zars, whose research interests span land use, governance, construction permitting, and the role of community-based organizations in reshaping planning processes. They discuss her interest in planning and how it works in practice, drawing from her experiences working on urban regeneration projects during her time living in Syria. Bernadette shares her observations about the gap between policy intentions and actions in planning, highlighting the complexities and unequal implementation of rules and systems. The conversation also touches on the concept of "gray institutions," which refers to informal, daily practices in government offices that influence decision-making but are not explicitly documented or regulated. She explains how these gray institutions can exacerbate inequality and exclusion in policy processes. They conclude with a discussion of the challenges of public participation and the need for rethinking outdated participation structures, particularly in the context of climate change adaptation and coastal planning in New York and New Jersey.