Webinar Recap: Equity in Planning: Elevating Every Voice

Ordinal recently hosted a powerful webinar on the essential role of equitable planning in building thriving communities. We invited urban planner & data researcher Tanya McGee to join us for a 30-minute interview to learn more about her experiences and approach to promoting equity as a planner. The conversation delved into the core principles of equitable planning, historical inequities, and the role of modern technology in creating more inclusive communities.

Key Takeaways

• Defining Equity: Tanya emphasized that equity is not just about equal outcomes but about intentionality and inclusion of all community members during the decision-making process. This requires intentional outreach to ensure everyone, regardless of their background, has access to resources, services, and a voice in their community.
• Historical Inequities: McGee highlighted redlining and urban renewal projects like the construction of highways through city centers as two of the most impactful historical inequities that communities are still grappling with today. These policies have led to concentrated areas of poverty, racial segregation, and public health disparities, such as cases of lead poisoning and asthma.
• Challenges and Solutions: The webinar explored key barriers to equitable planning, including distrust from the community and the public bias against certain terms like "affordable housing". McGee stressed that overcoming these challenges requires building rapport by spending time in communities and educating residents on the benefits of projects. It also involves going to where the people are, such as barbershops and faith-based institutions, instead of relying on a one-size-fits-all approach to engagement.
• The Role of AI and Data: The conversation touched on the power of technology to help with equitable planning while also highlighting the potential dangers if not managed carefully. Tanya warned that AI and data can introduce inherent bias if not carefully managed, with Michael underscoring the "garbage in, garbage out" concept, meaning the quality of a system's output is directly determined by the quality of its input. They concluded that when used with intention, AI can be a valuable tool for uncovering hidden inequities, predicting risks, and creating individualized plans for neighborhoods, something that is often difficult for planners to do due to time constraints.

Watch the Webinar and Connect With Us!

We hope you enjoyed this recap! If you missed the live webinar, you can watch the full recording embedded above or view it directly on YouTube here. To learn more about Ordinal and how our AI assistant can help your team, connect with us for a demo! Lastly, if you're not already following us on LinkedIn, please do so and help spread the word.