President's Message: What's Doing? September

by Dan Pava, FAICP, President, Western Planner Resources Board

Autumn has fallen upon us in Western Planner territory. The second week of September saw temperatures plummet and a dusting of snow here in Santa Fe. The pandemic has rearranged the return to school, while unprecedented wildfires wreak havoc upon western towns. As discussed last month, these events reinforce that planning for resilience is paramount. The time is now for a paradigm shift; our current practices can no longer deal with our new reality. 

The pandemic and climate change have exposed underlying societal issues that must be resolved with new thinking. Planners must help create a better future rather than a “new normal”. There is nothing normal about returning to a society with increasing income inequality, inadequate health care, lack of housing choices, and institutionalized and environmental racism. Our “new normal” should be our “better normal”—we must make our communities better than the old normal! 

The articles in this issue of the Western Planner Journal highlight examples of the needed paradigm shift in ethics, vision, and practice. In “Profit, Poverty and Pain,” Erik Kingston describes evictions and the affordable housing crisis in Boise, and he argues for reflection and change after taking a hard look in the mirror. Katherine Mortimer writes from Santa Fe about finding a silver lining in a very grey cloud by implementing a new vision in “Can We Create a More Sustainable World in the Aftermath of COVID-19.” CJ Gates’ article, “Five Tips for Navigating Virtual Public Hearings for Boards and Commissions During COVID,” provides transferable practical advice based upon experience in Douglas County, Colorado.

Please remember that we are a network, and you that you can contribute by writing or being a sponsor of each issue of the peer-reviewed Western Planner Journal. Our next issue will include stories about tribal and indigenous planning. You can submit articles to editor@westernplanner.org 

Due to concerns about the ongoing pandemic, the Western Planner Board proactively decided to postpone the Bismarck conference that would have occurred this past August; rather, we have committed to North Dakota in 2022. We have also joined with APA Arizona to hold our 2021 conference in the Phoenix area. Programming has already begun for this “hot” conference and we will keep you posted on further details. 

By the way, we are still looking to fill our vacant board seats with qualified representatives to round out the WPR network as we have openings for Oregon, Nevada, Montana, and some at-large positions. You can contact me for details at danpava1955@gmail.com