City Forum: Alex Karner
Beyond the State: Rethinking Transportation Justice in the Anti-DEI Era
Traditionally, transportation justice advocates relied on laws and regulations to achieve just outcomes. However, recent political shifts have weakened civil rights protections, making the state less reliable—and sometimes even an opponent—to these efforts. In this presentation, Karner argues that transportation justice must move "beyond the state." Drawing on environmental justice research, Karner suggests shifting focus from legal appeals to grassroots organizing and community-led power. Through case studies, Karner demonstrates how building power outside of government systems is no longer just a secondary tactic, but a necessary strategy for achieving equity in a hostile political climate.
About Alex Karner
Alex Karner is an associate professor of Community and Regional Planning at UT Austin. He collaborates with communities and advocates to challenge traditional planning practices, using mixed methods to advance transportation equity, civil rights, and community-led mobility justice.
City Forum is a planning and urban issues speaker series coordinated by the UT School of Architecture's Community and Regional Planning program. The series is intended to provide a space for open, critical dialogue regarding crucial planning-related issues in Austin and elsewhere, and to encourage discussion of diversity, multiple publics, and social change.
All participants are welcome. Lunch will be provided; first-come, first-served.