Sophonie Joseph

Hi, I’m Dr. Sophonie Milande Joseph! I’m an urban planner and critic who writes about Black urbanism. I advise partners and clients on how to utilize community-based planning approaches to meet their urbanism, historic preservation, and geographic information systems (GIS) mapping needs. My work centers on Black urbanism and employs mixed methods to both make the work of planning public and to bring the public into the work of planning. My work is transnational planning in nature, spanning the North American continent and the Caribbean. My research trajectory builds from my research in post-earthquake recovery in Haiti and arcs across North America, reaching African Nova Scotian communities and Caribbean enclaves in New York City, exploring the challenges of Black community networks and the role of uneven development.

Dr. Joseph obtained her Doctorate in Urban Planning from Columbia University. She holds a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan and a Bachelors degree from Rutgers University in Planning & Public Policy.

2026 Black Planners & Urbanists Association, Black Planning Project and Joseph Urban Planning. Mapping Black Urban Health in Toronto Neighborhoods. ArcGIS StoryMap and Data Dashboard.

2025 Nova Scotia Black Community Housing Council (NSBCHC), Black Planning Project and Joseph Urban Planning. African Nova Scotian Housing Needs Assessment & Strategy Report

2024 Joseph, S.M. “This Canadian Community Shows the Key to Thriving Black Urbanism.” Next City.

2023-2024 Black Planning Project, Toronto Metropolitan University and Joseph Urban Planning. Black Experiences with Planning in Canada (BEPIC) research project.

2023 Joseph, S.M. “Transnational Hip-Hop: Reflections of Haiti.” PLATFORM Space.

2023 Joseph, S.M., Osore, E. and Ajayi, Alicia O. “Building Worlds In-Between.” Urban Omnibus.

2021 Joseph, S.M. and Pierre-Louis, François. “How Domestic Elites and Foreign Meddling Undermine Haitian Democracy.” In These Times.