Planning for Tomorrow: Indigenous and Western Planning

In today’s rapidly evolving world, planning plays a critical role in shaping the communities and environments of tomorrow. From urban expansion to cultural preservation, the choices we make now will impact generations to come. This is why it is essential to examine different models of planning—particularly Indigenous and Western approaches—to see how they can complement each other in creating resilient, sustainable futures.

Indigenous Planning: Holistic and Relational*

*In BC Alone, there are over 200 distinct First Nations, each with their own unique languages, traditions and values. While we have our shared value and commonalities, it is necessary to acknowledge the uniqueness of each Nation's approach to planning and governances. This article is intended to compare and contrast the different approaches to planning, while also acknowledging our shared path forward.

Indigenous planning is deeply rooted in a holistic worldview, one that sees all elements of a community as interconnected. Every decision is made with future generations in mind, ensuring that the needs of the land, people, and cultural identity are preserved. It is a community-centered approach that emphasizes relational accountability, meaning decisions are made with consideration for all living beings—past, present, and future.

Core to Indigenous planning are concepts like ancestral guidance, community autonomy, and self-determination. Planning processes involve participation from Elders and traditional knowledge keepers, ensuring that our distinct cultural values are passed to the next generation. The land is sacred, emboding, respect, relationality, and reciprocity. This approach embodies, community-led decision-making and emphasizes the importance of relational ties—whether through kinship, oral traditions, or cultural traditions and protocol.

For Indigenous communities, planning is not just about physical infrastructure but about maintaining a balance between cultural identity, spirituality, traditions, community, and living in harmony with the land. It is an inherently intergenerational process, recognizing the responsibility to protect the land and its resources for future generations.

Example: Community-Led Housing Development through Indigenous Planning

In an Indigenous community seeking to develop housing, the planning process begins by consulting Elders, knowledge keepers, and the broader community to ensure that any decisions honor traditional values and respect the land. Rather than following a rigid zoning model, the community works through consensus, incorporating the guidance of teachings and cultural protocol. While also focusing and uplifting reciprocity between the people and the land.

This housing project is not just about providing shelter; it is community, kinship, relationality and reciprocity. Our homes are designed in a way that reflects the community’s values, such as incorporating communal spaces that support intergenerational living and creating homes that are oriented around natural landscapes, to live in harmony with the land.

The planning process ensures that decisions are made for the benefit of future generations, with a strong focus on Seven Generations. Our Elders pass on oral traditions and cultural practices during community meetings, ensuring that the project respects the interconnectedness of land, culture, and people. The result is a housing development that holistic, interconnected, and reflective of the community as a whole.

Western Planning: Structured and Growth-Oriented

In contrast, Western planning traditionally follows a more structured and technical approach. It’s characterized by a rational, linear process that often focuses on economic development and scalability. Through tools like zoning laws, urban growth management, and data-driven methodologies, Western planning seeks to create scalable solutions for growing populations. It relies heavily on technical expertise, consultation, and centralized decision-making to ensure that development aligns with urban expansion and economic goals.

Western planning excels at infrastructure development and resource optimization, it is often criticised for prioritizing economic outcomes over community or environmental well-being. It focuses on large-scale projects, addressing issues like housing and infrastructure growth. However, its top-down approach can overlook cultural and social contexts, with decisions made through hierarchical processes that may lack relational or community-centered considerations.

Example: Urban Expansion through Western Planning

A city experiencing rapid population growth may adopt a Western planning approach by implementing a data-driven urban growth management strategy. This could involve new zoning laws to allocate areas for residential, commercial, and industrial purposes, predicting infrastructure needs like transportation and housing.

Stakeholders, including developers and residents, participate in public consultations, but final decisions often prioritize economic factors like job creation and property values. While this approach efficiently addresses infrastructure needs, it often neglects the cultural and relational aspects key for the long-term well-being of communities.

The Convergent Zone: A New Planning Paradigm

Where these two approaches meet is where the most exciting opportunities for future planning arise. In what we can call the "Convergent Zone," or the "Grey Zone" Indigenous and Western planning models intersect, providing a dynamic space for co-creation, equity, and sustainability. Both planning approaches share common goals, such as community well-being, long-term visioning, and resilience planning. Together, they can inform a more holistic and inclusive way of designing our communities.

In this space, sustainability goes beyond just environmental considerations. It incorporates the health and well-being of all community members, including marginalized voices, and places an emphasis on diversity, sense of belonging and inclusion. Both systems acknowledge the need and urgency for climate adaptation. Also acknowledging, Indigenous perspectives offer a more nuanced understanding of how communities can build resilience through traditional knowledge and shiting our relationship with the land.

Example: Eco-Friendly Urban Development

A new eco-friendly housing project blends Indigenous and Western planning. Indigenous knowledge guides land use and community well-being, while Western planning offers technical expertise and sustainable infrastructure design. Together, they create a resilient, inclusive community that balances ecological preservation with modern sustainability practices, fostering both cultural and environmental well-being.

Conclusion

As we face the pressing challenges of urbanization, climate change, and cultural revitalization, it is clear that no single planning model has all the answers. The strengths of both Indigenous and Western approaches can complement each other, creating a future where planning is not just about urban growth but about resilience, sustainability, and cultural respect. By embracing this convergent zone, we have the opportunity to build communities that are rooted in strength, inclusivity and intergenerational resilience — prepared to meet the future challenges, while still honouring the past.

Together, these models weave together a framework that values identity, equity, respect and well-being, strengthened by technical expertise with cultural knowledge and wisdom. This convergence offers a better path forward for generations to come—one that honours the importance of both progress, revitalization and resurgence.

Works Informed by:

Jojola, T. (2013). Indigenous Planning: Towards a Seven Generations Model. In R. Walker, T. Jojola, & D. Natcher (Eds.), Reclaiming Indigenous Planning (pp. 457-472). McGill-Queen's University Press.

Matunga, H. (2013). Theorizing Indigenous Planning. In R. Walker, T. Jojola, & D. Natcher (Eds.), Reclaiming Indigenous Planning (pp. 3-32). McGill-Queen's University Press.

Sandercock, L. (2004). Towards a Planning Imagination for the 21st Century. Journal of the American Planning Association, 70(2), 133-141.

Porter, L., & Barry, J. (2016). Planning for coexistence?: Recognizing Indigenous rights through land-use planning in Canada and Australia. Routledge.

Walker, R., Jojola, T., & Natcher, D. (Eds.). (2013). Reclaiming Indigenous planning. McGill-Queen's University Press.