Paul D. Bauknight Jr. is a Spatial and Design Justice advocate, activist, practitioner, and educator. The founder and president of the Center for Transformative Urban Design.  The Center is an inter-disciplinary design justice studio dedicated to the inclusive and equitable development of cities, neighborhoods and towns through knowledge building, policy change, diversification of the design professions and equity in real estate development.  A graduate of Virginia Tech in architecture, he has worked in community-based design and development for over 30 years. He is passionately committed to working at the intersection of social, cultural, economic, and spatial systems creating solutions that are equitable, steeped in place and benefit each community. 

As a designer he has created signature Black Spaces in Minneapolis including the Minneapolis Urban League, Summit Academy OIC and Seed Academy. He has held leadership positions at the Minneapolis Parks Foundation, the African American Men project, A MN without Poverty and Urban Homeworks.  As the Spatial Justice and Social Equity fellow in residence with GGN landscape architects he is focused on new models of practice and project delivery that enable GGN and other design firms to create a more equitable built environment. 

As the convener for Minneapolis/St. Paul Reimagining the Civic Commons (RCC), he leads the Cities’ participation in RCC; a national learning network of cities using civic assets as platforms for social and economic change.  He is also the co-chair for the Equity in Place Committee for RCC.  Paul is the inaugural Civic Scholar in Residence at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD) where he is focusing on the intersection of physical and social/political systems.  He also teaches in the Master of Art and Cultural Leadership Program at MCAD.  He is a senior affiliate at the Minnesota Design Center.  He has spoken nationally at the AIA, ASLA, NOMA conventions and convenings and continues to engage diverse constituency communities, organizations, and leaders on the local and national level.