For therapeutic planning to become integrated into practice, there needs to be leadership from planning institutions like planning firms and municipal planning departments. All of these planning institutions have a mandate, whether embodied as a strategic plan, mission or vision statement, or some other set of policies. There is an opportunity to incorporate the therapeutic imagination by expanding the institution’s guiding documents to include elements of community care, healing and transformation. Therapeutic planning requires planners see themselves as community caregivers. Institutions can set that direction through their mandate and other guiding documents.
Before a planning institution can become therapeutic it must address its role in planning’s dark side. A review of the institution’s past actions allows the institution to reflect on how their policies, plans and techniques have contributed to colonialism, community trauma and conflict. Building a renewed planner-public relationship means mitigating activities and approaches that create harm. This process also allows planners within the institution to practice reflective practice and mindfulness which build into therapeutic communication.
Some elements of planning’s dark side may be too challenging for an institution to entangle in the short term. In those conditions, a review process signals to the community that the planning institution acknowledges the role history and emotions play in the present. Such a process of recognition is a critical first step in creating the space to move forward. Sandercock & Atilli say that therapeutic planning “begins with a recognition that the past is often very present in planning conflicts, that past injustices shape what is possible in the present and often prevent constructive solutions from emerging, until and unless there is a process of recognition and working through these historic wounds and memories” (1).
Some other recommended documents include public engagement and communications strategies that focus on how institutions frame their relationship to the public through therapeutic communication techniques. Effective therapeutic communication requires institutions build public engagement models and staff training regimes to support a holistic understanding of theory and practice. Therapeutic planning theorists (1)(2) recommend having specialized therapeutic practitioners due to the degree of specialized communication knowledge required. Institutions may want to follow this direction, but if all of the planning profession is to become healing and transformative, these specialists should be used as broadly as possible.
If institutions are considering embracing the therapeutic planning model, they can turn to Waterfront Toronto as an example. Waterfront Toronto is in the process of implementing a model of compassionate planning which shares many similarities with therapeutic planning. They are currently developing strategic documents and training for their community engagement division based on compassionate principles. As it is still early in the development of their model, it is too early to comment on the successes and challenges involved in institutional implementation. Waterfront Toronto is a perfect candidate for further research to understand what therapeutic planning could look like in a major planning institution. Other planning institutions should follow their lead and implement therapeutic planning into their practice.
Recommendations for planning institutions:
Before a planning institution can become therapeutic it must address its role in planning’s dark side. A review of the institution’s past actions allows the institution to reflect on how their policies, plans and techniques have contributed to colonialism, community trauma and conflict. Building a renewed planner-public relationship means mitigating activities and approaches that create harm. This process also allows planners within the institution to practice reflective practice and mindfulness which build into therapeutic communication.
Some elements of planning’s dark side may be too challenging for an institution to entangle in the short term. In those conditions, a review process signals to the community that the planning institution acknowledges the role history and emotions play in the present. Such a process of recognition is a critical first step in creating the space to move forward. Sandercock & Atilli say that therapeutic planning “begins with a recognition that the past is often very present in planning conflicts, that past injustices shape what is possible in the present and often prevent constructive solutions from emerging, until and unless there is a process of recognition and working through these historic wounds and memories” (1).
Some other recommended documents include public engagement and communications strategies that focus on how institutions frame their relationship to the public through therapeutic communication techniques. Effective therapeutic communication requires institutions build public engagement models and staff training regimes to support a holistic understanding of theory and practice. Therapeutic planning theorists (1)(2) recommend having specialized therapeutic practitioners due to the degree of specialized communication knowledge required. Institutions may want to follow this direction, but if all of the planning profession is to become healing and transformative, these specialists should be used as broadly as possible.
If institutions are considering embracing the therapeutic planning model, they can turn to Waterfront Toronto as an example. Waterfront Toronto is in the process of implementing a model of compassionate planning which shares many similarities with therapeutic planning. They are currently developing strategic documents and training for their community engagement division based on compassionate principles. As it is still early in the development of their model, it is too early to comment on the successes and challenges involved in institutional implementation. Waterfront Toronto is a perfect candidate for further research to understand what therapeutic planning could look like in a major planning institution. Other planning institutions should follow their lead and implement therapeutic planning into their practice.
Recommendations for planning institutions:
- Update company/division mandate to include providing community care and fostering community healing and transformation.
- Conduct a review of how the institution’s past planning activities have contributed to colonialism, community trauma and conflict.
- Develop a public engagement and communications strategy that prioritizes community care and includes therapeutic communication techniques.
- Provide training for employees in theory of care, mindfulness, reflective practice, and therapeutic communication techniques.
1. Sandercock, L., & Attili, G. (2014). Changing the Lens. Journal of Planning Education and Research,34(1), 19-29.
2. Erfan, A. (2017). Confronting collective traumas: An exploration of therapeutic planning. Planning Theory & Practice, 18(1), 34-50.
2. Erfan, A. (2017). Confronting collective traumas: An exploration of therapeutic planning. Planning Theory & Practice, 18(1), 34-50.