Ep. 264 Territorial Empathy with Zarith Pineda

Zarith Pineda is an architectural, urban designer and the founder of the nonprofit design collective, Territorial Empathy, which was founded on the belief that empathy-based design is the key to solving the pressing urban issues of our time. Her multidisciplinary and intersectional team aims to support urban equity for people-in-places often overlooked, namely women, children, and the displaced. Through the understanding of systems of oppression in urban environments, diligent research, and community-based design recommendations the projects aim to create inclusive and thriving communities. Most recently, she has investigated the impacts of COVID-19 on communities of color throughout New York City raising public awareness around environmental, historic, and infrastructural inequities that contributed to the virus infecting and killing Black and Latino New Yorkers disproportionally. Other projects include free, open-source plans for affordable outdoor classrooms to facilitate the reopening of public schools during the pandemic, mapping the adverse impacts of the Family Separation Policy at the US/Mexico border, and designing sustainable infrastructure for Syrian and Venezuelan refugees. Zarith is also an activist for racial justice and teaches digital design techniques, urban design, and data visualization at Columbia University. Her work has been published and exhibited internationally. Check out Zarith's work on the following platforms: www.territorialempathy.com @territorialempathy