The original example of therapeutic planning in action that inspired Sandercock’s imagination was Wendy Sarkissian’s work on the Redfern redevelopment in Sydney, Australia. Recognizing the conflict and trauma surrounding indigenous and settler populations in Redfern, Sarkissian shifted the traditional development planning process to create room for a speak out - a safe place for everyone’s voice to be heard (1). Here the speak out became a process for community wide recognition that allowed deep seated emotions to shift creating space for new solutions to be entertained.
Sandercock & Attili (2) later explored arts-based tools to make similar interventions when planning with indigenous communities in British Columbia. Erfan has also explored therapeutic planning in an indigenous community planning context where they used a communicative tool called deep democracy. By taking this intentionally therapeutic approach, they found that there was a noticeable therapeutic effect:
These initial forays into therapeutic planning seem to have been effective in incorporating healing, community building and individual empowerment into the planning process - creating an emerging sub-practice within planning. However, these efforts have been cloistered to the planning of indigenous spaces, specifically indigenous social planning. One of the reasons for this focus is because the reconciliation process explicitly calls for collective traumas and historic conflicts to be addressed in order to create space for healing and growth. Therefore, there is a natural alignment between the goals of therapeutic planning and reconciliation planning. Planning with indigenous context is a small fraction of the work the planning profession does. Is there space in these other contexts for therapeutic principles and practices? Does therapeutic planning have applicability more broadly?
Sandercock & Attili (2) later explored arts-based tools to make similar interventions when planning with indigenous communities in British Columbia. Erfan has also explored therapeutic planning in an indigenous community planning context where they used a communicative tool called deep democracy. By taking this intentionally therapeutic approach, they found that there was a noticeable therapeutic effect:
- Participants were willing to engage emotionally and share deeply.
- Participants improved their interpersonal relationships and sense of community.
- Participants turned feelings of victimization into empowerment.
- Participants successfully negotiated internal struggles connected to their trauma.
- Participants used the language of healing in describing the project. (3)
These initial forays into therapeutic planning seem to have been effective in incorporating healing, community building and individual empowerment into the planning process - creating an emerging sub-practice within planning. However, these efforts have been cloistered to the planning of indigenous spaces, specifically indigenous social planning. One of the reasons for this focus is because the reconciliation process explicitly calls for collective traumas and historic conflicts to be addressed in order to create space for healing and growth. Therefore, there is a natural alignment between the goals of therapeutic planning and reconciliation planning. Planning with indigenous context is a small fraction of the work the planning profession does. Is there space in these other contexts for therapeutic principles and practices? Does therapeutic planning have applicability more broadly?
1. Sandercock L. (2003). Cosmopolis 2: Mongrel cities of the 21st century. London: Continuum.
2. Sandercock, L., & Attili, G. (2014). Changing the Lens. Journal of Planning Education and Research,34(1), 19-29.
3. Erfan, A. (2017). Confronting collective traumas: An exploration of therapeutic planning. Planning Theory & Practice, 18(1), 34-50.
2. Sandercock, L., & Attili, G. (2014). Changing the Lens. Journal of Planning Education and Research,34(1), 19-29.
3. Erfan, A. (2017). Confronting collective traumas: An exploration of therapeutic planning. Planning Theory & Practice, 18(1), 34-50.