Empathic Planning: From Research to Reality

Join us for a discussion on the role of empathy in planning practice. A practicing planner reflects on their graduate research in Empathic Planning five years later with practical  insights. The webinar will explore integral role of empathy within the profession and how planners exhibit, use, and facilitate empathy in their work. The presentation will provide an overview of the research, including the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire results and interviews with planners, to gain insights on what empathy means to professionals. Strategies and recommendations for enhancing empathy will also be provided and an updated perspective after working within the field.

Key Takeaways:

1. Understanding empathy plays an integral role in planning and determining the public good.
2. Understanding planners need to forge empathy within the public process, as well as being empathic to the public.
3. Understanding Empathic Distress within the profession. 
4. Identifying tools and strategies for employing empathy within the planning process.

Presenter: Kelsea Shadlock, MCP, MCIP, RPP Senior Planner, Town of Huntsville 

Kelsea is a Senior Planner at the Town of Huntsville. She earned a Master of Community Planning at the University of Vancouver Island. Her passion for planning came from traveling and living abroad, and she continues to love bringing big city ideas to small town planning.

Register here