Planning is about working for the public interest to improve quality of life and the built environment. But whose interests are being served? As many planning leaders have noted, planning requires thoughtful consideration of equity, diversity, inclusion and anti-racism. That’s easier said than done, even in social planning. Inequities lie at the root of poverty and other social and health challenges that communities face. Yet, poverty reduction work can sometimes be limited to quick ‘downstream’ fixes: food banks, shelters, providing services. To make a real difference in the long term, our work must also focus on broader, more ‘upstream’ approaches. We need to identify and tackle racism, colonialism, ableism, and other forms of discrimination – forces that have led to poverty. This session will offer ideas for integrating equity into social planning and poverty reduction work, in part by profiling our work in BC. Through interactive discussions and small group work, we will explore ways to integrate equity into preparing community profiles, engaging community members, analyzing data, reporting your findings, creating an action plan, and identifying your metrics of ‘success.’
