Planning and Multiculturalism: A Reflection on Australian Local Practice

摘要

This paper is set within the Australian local landscape of cultural diversity. Although urban research acknowledges that planning practice must be responsive to cultural diversity, there remains an often muted and erratic response on the ground. Planners have a responsibility to plan for the needs of all citizens who live and work in their locality. However, the notion of 'planning for all' is not an easy one to operationalize. This is related to the historical assumptions upon which planning rests and the difficulties that professionals have in understanding different communities and then seeking to plan for them through the use of traditional tools and with outdated and culturally assimilationist attitudes. Rather than blaming practitioners for not keeping pace with theoretical developments in understanding cultural diversity, the city and the consequent practical response that this infers, the paper offers suggestions for practical responses that are achievable in the context of the contemporary planning office. Changes in the professional's mindset and approach are also discussed using the concepts of reflexivity and cultural inclusivity.