How can we make Planning more inclusive?

How can we make planning more inclusive?

By ensuring the profession of planning is inclusive and diverse, we can guarantee the creation of more inclusive and diverse places. The importance of addressing the issue of inclusivity in our public, urban, and civic spaces is echoed by the UN Habitat’s Urban Agenda (2017) who comment on the importance of “reducing inequalities”, and “promote sustained, inclusive…economic growth”, and “achieve gender equality”, (p.3). As the planning profession is continuously changing and evolving, publications which promote and discuss the importance of inclusivity in the way we work, and in the work, we produce will no doubt have a huge impact on young planners such as myself.

Following on from the Covid-19 pandemic, we have all come to realise how vitally important access to quality, safe and clean outdoor spaces and public realms is. There is a wealth of research to support the importance of green space for our health and wellbeing, which is a hugely important aspect for planners to consider. According to Natural England (2009), £2.1 billion could be saved in health costs if everyone in England had good access green space, showing the importance it plays in our lives. There is a clearly unequal level of access to green spaces, particularly for people in disadvantaged communities, as less than half of the worlds’ population has access to quality green space within 400m walking distance from their homes, (UN Policy Brief, 2016). One method which the planning profession can utilise to decrease this inequality are statistics, such as the Index of Multiple Deprivation, which would allow planners to gain a more well-rounded and clear view of the areas that need more funding for green space, or where access to parks or public realms can be increased, (Public Health England, 2020). Access to green space is an issue also experienced by the disabled population. With 14.1 million people having a disability in the UK (Department for Work and Pensions, 2020), equal access to public space is an issue that should be at the forefront of planners and policy makers’ work. By including people with a range of disabilities or health conditions, from mobility to sensory issues, in the planning and design process, we can gain invaluable insights into how we can make our public and shared spaces more accessible, enjoyable, and inclusive for all. Thus, as a young planning professional, I believe it is vitally important to involve a wide range of people from the public in the planning process with an aim of creating an inclusive process where individuals can make a difference in their own communities and increase the success of any project.

Another inclusivity issue that exists in the planning sector that has emerged throughout the pandemic is lack of quality housing or informal settlements, which lack facilities and resources such as water or sanitation. This makes a large proportion of our global population increasingly vulnerable to diseases and health issues, as 25% of the world’s population currently live in slums with the proportion expected to increase to 1 in 4 people by 2030, (Habitat for Humanity, 2017). This is clearly a hugely important and essential factor for planning professionals to tackle, as ensuring the provision of affordable, safe, and clean housing will be a huge step forward in reducing levels of inequality globally. This is echoed by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation), and 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities), which aim to have inclusive, equitable and fair access to these services for all by 2030, (United Nations, 2015). This is a defining feature of the work of future planners, and the goals outlined by the UN should inform and inspire planners and policy makers locally and globally with the shared aim of creating a more inclusive world.

References:

Department for Work and Pensions, 2020. Family Resources Survey 2018/19. London: Department for Work and Pensions.

Habitat for Humanity GB. 2017. The World's Largest Slums: Dharavi, Kibera, Khayelitsha & Neza. [online] Available at: <https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/blog/2017/12/the-worlds-largest-slums-dharavi-kibera-khayelitsha-neza/> [Accessed 16 March 2021].

Natural England. An estimate of the value and cost effectiveness of the expanded Walking the Way to Health Initiative scheme 2009 (TIN055).

Public Health England, 2020. Improving access to greenspace: A new review for 2020. London: PHE Publication.

United Nations, 2017. Urban Agenda. New York: United Nations.

United Nations, 2020. Policy Brief: Covid-19 in an Urban World. New York: United Nations.

United Nations. 2015. United Nations 17 Goals. [online] Available at: <https://sdgs.un.org/goals> [Accessed 16 March 2021].

Inclusive Planning: marginalised by the status quo

Intense pressure has been mounted on the planning system from external influences since its creation (diseases, economic downturns, social disrepute, environmental security, etc.). This pressure trickles down the system and is felt daily by actors attempting to enforce the system for communal good. Therefore, remaining flexible in approach and equipping planners with the tools necessary to deliver success, are two primary objectives of the planning system.

Fearlessness in design has the capability to inspire, but fearlessness in delivery has the capability of so much more. Belfast is rightly viewed as an arena of geopolitical warfare – due to a rivalling sense of identity and ownership rooted within community wards. Communities base their own fortunes through comparisons of their ‘opponents’, without realising the bigger picture – that there are more than two communities living in Belfast. Planning is not immune to the influence of politics, however, it’s about time we started searching for solutions – a Belfast specific vaccine.

Certain policy initiatives such as the Belfast Agenda has kickstarted thinking into inclusive planning for the city centre – where the real opportunity for creating a diverse and welcoming space can be realised. However, this policy must be supported by micro-level initiatives which actively involve all community groups to create a successful city. This short article has been written to identify why ‘codesign’ must be used right now along interface areas in Belfast and lead the way for future strategies in redeveloping the city core.

Whatever you want
Whatever you like
Whatever you say
You pay your money
You take your choice                                                 -  Francis Rossi & Alan Lancaster (1977)

Perhaps atypical to be quoting a band 20 years prior to my birth but surprisingly I couldn’t find any one direction lyrics which applied to this subject matter. Historically, the situation in Belfast has been for PUL and CNR communities to compete for resources. However, the status quo is changing. Both university institutions (QUB & UU) have interestingly encouraged a fresh, dynamic, and most significantly, culturally diverse population into the city. I’ve had the pleasure of working with many international students throughout my studies in Queens and their reactions to the social make-up of Belfast is usually rather amusing. “Look at how far we’ve come since the Good Friday Agreement” (Nuala McAllister, 2018), is it short-sighted of me to have expected more than just peace in 20 years? I admit, I’ve no life experience of times during the troubles so I may be misplaced to have made that comment but isn’t it refreshing to know the next generation are demanding more?

Belfast is still physically separated by a total of 64 interface barriers. The softening and removal of these are, in my opinion, of upmost importance to the future of the city. Active participation, civic engagement and grassroots designs are all captivating bottom-up approaches which can and should be implemented right here, right now. Codesign or collaborative planning isn’t exactly a new phenomenon in the planning sphere. As many successful precedents can be researched to show how relationships improve when working together and producing tangible results. Admittedly, most precedents focus on governmental and community relationships. Whereas, as already established, the focus for Belfast should be mending relationships within the fragmented communities themselves. Including those forgotten communities who have become marginalised by this PUL vs CNR scenario. I have no doubt that planning can play a major role in the future of the city and that this journey must begin with interface design.

Whilst interface areas have been identified as the starting point for community cohesion, the future must look toward the repopulation of the city centre. Furthermore, it is the role of the planning system to provide a fair and just system for all individuals and groups within society, not only those identifying as PUL or CNR. The city centre is therefore identified as the ideal location for Belfast to ignite a new welcoming legacy, displaying community cohesion and multicultural diversity. The lessons learnt both by planners and the communities at the fringes of the city can be implemented into best practice for the core. Is that both bottom-up and outward-inward planning?

....I think this pandemic has eventually gotten the better of me!

Maybe the planning system can take inspiration from Francis and Allan, asking the people of Belfast to ‘take their choice’ and create ‘whatever they want’ to see along these interface sites as anything is better than the status quo – good band though.