The issue of planning amidst social diversity is becoming ever more important, since migration and other forces are producing unprecedented social diversity in cities around the world. This important issue for planning is often treated simplistically as an issue of tolerance or valuing difference. During next week I would like you to consider this issue by reading authors with different views about diversity and planning, as well as an interested case study of communication failure.
Your question for next week:
Emily Talen, our guest speaker this week, describes the benefits of place diversity in terms of vitality, economic health, social equity, and sustainability. Susan Fainstein champions the idea of the "just city" as a guideline for planners to address diversity. Caroline Tauxe suggests that public hearings are governed by “an invisible cultural selection process” that favors some participants over others on the basis of their rhetorical styl.
Using ideas from the readings, suggest how you might enable members of diverse community to engage in authentic dialogue and voice their concerns, in a way that is compatible with Fainstein's ideas about the just city
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