How can urban planners contribute to the prevention and resolution of conflicts through their work?

1 Promote inclusive participation

One of the key principles of urban planning is to involve the people who live and work in the city in the decision-making process. This can help to ensure that the diverse needs, interests, and perspectives of different groups are taken into account, and that potential sources of tension or disagreement are identified and addressed. Participatory planning can also foster a sense of ownership, empowerment, and belonging among urban residents, and build social capital and trust among stakeholders. Urban planners can use various methods and tools to facilitate inclusive participation, such as surveys, workshops, focus groups, mapping, or online platforms.

2 Enhance spatial justice

Another important aspect of urban planning is to promote spatial justice, which means ensuring that all urban residents have fair and equal access to the benefits and opportunities that the city offers, such as public spaces, services, infrastructure, amenities, or jobs. Spatial justice can help to reduce the gaps and disparities that often exist between different neighborhoods or groups in the city, and that can fuel resentment, frustration, or violence. Urban planners can enhance spatial justice by adopting policies and practices that address the root causes and manifestations of spatial inequality, such as segregation, exclusion, or marginalization. For example, they can prioritize the provision of affordable housing, public transport, or basic services in underserved areas, or create mixed-use and mixed-income developments that encourage social integration and diversity.

3 Protect and restore heritage

A third way that urban planning can contribute to conflict prevention and resolution is by protecting and restoring the cultural and natural heritage of the city. Heritage is not only a source of identity, pride, and memory for urban communities, but also a potential resource for economic development, social cohesion, and environmental sustainability. However, heritage can also be threatened or damaged by conflict, either intentionally or unintentionally, as a result of violence, vandalism, looting, or neglect. Urban planners can protect and restore heritage by incorporating it into the urban vision and strategy, by applying legal and technical measures to safeguard it from harm, and by engaging the local communities in its conservation and management.

4 Support recovery and reconciliation

A fourth way that urban planning can contribute to conflict prevention and resolution is by supporting the recovery and reconciliation of the city after a conflict. Recovery and reconciliation involve not only rebuilding the physical infrastructure and restoring the basic services of the city, but also healing the psychological and social wounds and restoring the trust and confidence of the urban population. Urban planners can support recovery and reconciliation by adopting a holistic and integrated approach that addresses the multiple dimensions and challenges of post-conflict reconstruction, such as security, governance, justice, human rights, livelihoods, or gender. They can also use urban planning as a platform for dialogue, collaboration, and negotiation among the different actors and groups involved in the conflict, and as an opportunity to create a shared vision and a common future for the city.

5 Learn and adapt

A fifth way that urban planning can contribute to conflict prevention and resolution is by learning and adapting to the changing and complex context of the city. Conflict is not a static or linear phenomenon, but a dynamic and cyclical one, that can evolve and escalate in different ways and at different times. Urban planners need to be aware of the causes, triggers, and effects of conflict in the city, and to monitor and evaluate the impacts and outcomes of their interventions. They also need to be flexible and responsive to the emerging needs, opportunities, and challenges that the city faces, and to adjust their plans and actions accordingly. Urban planners can learn and adapt by conducting regular assessments and consultations, by using evidence-based and participatory methods, and by creating feedback and learning mechanisms.

6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?