Planning to care: the case for a broader implementation of therapeutic planning

Planning does not see itself as a caring profession, yet there are elements of care that underlie the relationship between planners and the public. Therapeutic planning is an emerging approach to planning that has shown promise at building on those elements of care and reimagining planning as healing and transformative for planners and the public. However, therapeutic planning has so far only been used as a specialized practice when planning with indigenous communities. Through an analysis of the literature on planning theory and therapeutic planning practice, this study seeks to build a case for a broader application of therapeutic planning. Key findings of this analysis show that therapeutic planning has the capacity to improve planners’ ability to address trauma, conflict and reconciliation. This ends with a concrete set of recommendations to guide the profession in embracing its potential for care. Key words: An article on urban planning theory and practice, used the key words: therapeutic; planning; caring; communication; profession.