Graduation Year

2026

Date of Submission

4-2026

Document Type

Campus Only Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Environment, Economics, and Politics (EEP)

Reader 1

Michael J. Fortner

Terms of Use & License Information

Terms of Use for work posted in Scholarship@Claremont.

Rights Information

2026 Jiyeon Kim

Abstract

Justice in planning cannot be reduced to the equitable geographical distribution of material and nonmaterial goods, but rather it must also account for how power structures shape decision-making processes and whose knowledge is recognized within them. Extending Williams and Steil’s (2023) discussion of the need to look beyond liberal distributive justice, this thesis asks: How might planning processes be restructured to extend decision-making power to marginalized communities? To address this question, this thesis aims to examine how existing participatory planning models may fail to redistribute decision-making authority and how community-based coalitions articulate and enact alternative planning practices that challenge these limitations. Los Angeles provides a critical case through which to examine both the structural roots of transportation inequality and emerging efforts to reconfigure planning power. In particular, coalitions such as ACT-LA have begun to articulate long-range, community-driven transportation visions that move beyond traditional participatory frameworks. By examining ACT-LA’s People’s Transportation Plan, this thesis discusses a theoretical and practice-informed framework for understanding how planning power might be redistributed.

Download

This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.

Share

COinS