Inclusive Planning

By Ciara Riordan, Planning Technician

words: 178 | reading time: less than 1 minute

Creating room for conversations around equity and inclusion is more important than ever. At the core of our planning efforts are the communities we intend to accommodate through housing, economic opportunities, recreation, and more. As planners we should strive to provide engagement opportunities at all stages of plan development, ensuring that we don't just check off the box but rather, create spaces where our communities feel heard and represented in the work we do. Although, engagement is just one piece of the puzzle.

This isn't about requirements and regulations; it's about understanding our communities in ways that acknowledge the privileges and inequities that shaped our cities to begin with. As much as we can glean from the statistics, real-life conversations provide the perspectives of real people. Inclusivity in planning means allocating resources that benefit all people, because everyone can benefit from more equitable approaches, such as universal design and creating better-connected spaces.

Despite the political climate, planners have an obligation to continue learning about equitable and supportive methods to implement into addressing issues of housing affordability, climate change, and individual community needs. There's so much more to say about this topic but starting from a place of inclusion is the foundation planners should be operating from.