Best Intentions

All planning is done in the face of conflict. Any idea a planner wants to implement will have its detractors, and any plan no matter its pros will be beset by problems. Planning in the face of this conflict and making the most of criticisms is a key skill for the planner. Despite the best intentions inevitably someone will lose out or be worse off under the new plan. Naturally these people will seek to change, hinder or oppose the plan using whatever means are available to them, and in our modern democratic society, there are lots of paths and techniques open to everyone. Faced with this, the planner may feel forced to adopt a strict dictatorial policy, acting as they see fit regardless of public opinion. When it seems that even the best ideas are shot down or die a slow death by committee, frustration is bound to set in and planners are only human. Despite this, it is imperative that the planner not give in to these temptations, but rather recognise the opportunities this process  provides. True community consultation may be slow and critical of change, but it provides an excellent chance to learn about alternate views and considerations that the planner has missed. Rigorous debate, critique and self-dissent lead to much stronger outcomes if you can weather the journey. After all a plan that cannot stand up to dissenting voices does not deserve to be to be implemented at all, and will only alienate the planner further from the very people they seek to serve.

It is important however to recognise the limitations of the people as an effective analyst of any plan. Much of the public has little knowledge of the hundreds of considerations and compromises poured into a design and even the best education program can only change that to an extent. Schoolteachers are not engineers, bus drivers usually lack a geochemistry degree and carpenters rarely spend their time learning about electrical infrastructure. They rely on the planner to act as an adviser, demonstrating what is feasible, just as the planner relies on engineers, geochemists and electricians. The planner in turn is expected to juggle this input with the desires of the community and the predicted desires, concerns and challenges of the future in order to create the ideal plan.

All of this input and critique creates huge challenges for the planner and can subject them to a lot of stress amid accusations of improper conduct. These forces may make the planner feel as though they bear the weight of the world on their shoulders. Some might call attention to this system as being poorly designed, forcing so many responsibilities on one person.  Not everyone is cut out to be a planner, the planner as an artist requires skills in many different fields from debating to physics. Despite this I feel confidant that planners will continue to excel. The stakes are high, the challenges immense, but the resources available are up to the task and only through such adversity can true masterpieces be created, plans that will stand the test of time.