I started the final conference day with a session on Planning Ethics, and it was interesting to hear both the American examples used and the challenges that American planners face in this field.
I then attended a session on how to use the right words to get your planning message across, and how to avoid words that can be taboo in certain communities. I this session I learnt that in a lot of parts of America, that people aren’t keen on roundabouts as a transport intersection solution!
The session also discussed the challenges that American planners are currently facing around issues of DEI (Diversity, Equality and Inclusion), which was interesting, and I was impressed as to how the presenters sensitively dealt with an issue which is currently causing division in their country. They concluded by reminding the attendees that progress is not always linear, and that cycles are ok, and that eventually things usually head in the right direction.
The closing Keynote speaker, Leah Rothstein, spoke on how planning has shaped racial segregation in communities in the United States. It was a great opportunity to learn something about American history that we were unaware of, and a reminder to consider how our work can have ongoing effects into the future.
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