Across the country, planners are experiencing greater resistance, sharper divides, and more political ideology throughout the community planning process. Yet conflict doesn't mean something has gone wrong. It means people care.
During this lively discussion, hear how community engagement has shifted in recent years and why addressing conflict directly can lead to stronger outcomes. Learn what works (and what doesn't) when tensions rise and discover new approaches for structuring public engagement that brings diverse viewpoints together. With the right design, these processes ensure participants feel heard and can transform disagreement into a catalyst for understanding and decision-making.
Whether your projects face legal challenges, organized opposition, or simmering tensions, leave with practical strategies to navigate politically charged environments and turn conflict into opportunities to connect. Closed Captioning
Learning Objectives:
Learn strategies to manage conflict and political tension during planning processes, while keeping conversations productive and on track.
Understand how to design public processes that welcome differing opinions and reduce defensiveness.
Hear examples of planners responding to community pushback, misinformation, and division while maintaining trust and progress.
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