Planning Advocacy

     

This week we started off by discussing a very penetrating insight of the author Robert Goodman on the how people's participation in the planning process is controlled by larger players in the political and economic arena. Goodman pointed out how the desires of the people are easily rubbed under the shoe in preference to selfish interests. Calling planners as 'soft cops' , he noticed we add to people's oppression by building what the politicians and businessmen dictate. Herein the concept of planning advocacy comes to light where the planners themselves become the representatives of community and put an end to this cycle. It was interesting to note how the opinions of the youth are heard for its own sake and not actually considered. The arrogant and high headed politicians and bureaucrats simply please the public by communicating with them but in the end, they take decisions independently. The designation of a week for communication by president Nixon was hilarious! The class later moved on to discuss all the participants in the planning process. We learned that designing requires expertise from professionals of various fields and the designers need to involve each person who can give them a better understanding of site conditions, infrastructure, finances, social and historical context, engineering expertise as well as artistic inputs. There is a whole matrix of people and professionals out there who can aid the design and its crucial to the success of the design that they get involved. I recently read the case of love canal where the site filled with chemical intoxicants was bought by real estate developers knowingly that it contains chemicals that are dangerous for human beings. The warnings of the scientists and chemical factory were unheeded and the site was developed to house an entire neighborhood. what followed was a series of health problems ranging from birth defects to tumors, serious enough to effect an entire generation. This incident is an clear example of how greedy developers go about their business numb to public health and welfare and what can happen if the planners go oblivious to the opinions and warnings of the experts.