The panelists will share their experiences on the frontlines of public service, offering real-life lessons for navigating the political process while highlighting strategies for incorporating race equity goals into comprehensive planning; developing actionable plans for transportation, housing and climate planning; and promoting implementation through the local budget process. Panelists will share lessons learned from recent planning efforts in Austin, Boulder and Minneapolis, highlighting ways that planners can work together with the public and elected officials to advance policy change.
All planning processes interact with the political process in one way or another and planners are often faced with a tension of operating within their “staff lane” while providing needed leadership to advance equity within the field. The session will draw on examples from the panelists’ work experience and from audience questions. Panelists will not shy away from difficult choices that planners face when wrestling with limited resources, community demands and opposition and powerful policy makers. When to compromise? How can incremental change lay the groundwork for future work? How can planners address community advocates on either side of an issue while supporting equity? The session will address these questions with strategies to build consensus over time for sustained change.
