Urban Planning in a Multicultural Society

Michael A. Burayidi

Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000 - City planning - 264 pages

Illuminating the importance of culture in community planning, this book reveals why previous planning practices have failed and suggests that improvements can be made by taking into consideration the diverse needs of a multicultural society. For community planning to be effective, planners must first recognize and acknowledge that community culture influences how people live in, use, and organize space. They must then base their designs on the respective community culture and avoid the trap of planning based on their own values and cultural background. Thus urban planning must take on a futuristic, multi-dimensional vision for the 21st century.

The contributions in this book address these issues and suggest ways in which the planner can incorporate the cultural differences and avoid conflict. The book examines the inadequacy of current theoretical and philosophical paradigms in planning in a multicultural society, how planners can increase planning's effectiveness with ethnic and cultural communities, and how we might reshape institutions to better address the needs of a diverse, global, and multicultural society. This book will be of interest to both academic and professional audiences in multicultural studies and urban planning.

Contents

• Urban Planning as a Multicultural Canon: 1
• I: 14
• Demographic Shifts and the Challenge for Planners Insights from a Practitioner: 15
• Tracking the Planning Profession From Monistic Planning to Holistic Planning for a Multicultural Society: 37
• Neither Embedded Nor Embodied Critical Pragmatism and Identity Politics: 53
• The Paradox of Planning in a Multicultural Liberal Society A Pragmatic Reconciliation: 67
• Objectives and Values Planning for Multicultural Groups Rather than Multiple Constituencies: 83
• II: 99
• Appreciative Planning An Approach to Planning with Diverse Ethnic and Cultural Groups: 101
• Culture MattersBut It Shouldnt Matter Too Much: 115
• Multiculturalism in Rural America: 137
• Multicultural Planning in Deed Lessons from the Mediation Practice of Shirley Solomon and Larry Sherman: 147
• Planning for an Ethnic Minority The Bedouin Arabs of Israel: 169
• III: 191
• The Higher Duty of Local Planning Commissions in a Multicultural Society: 193
• Some Thoughts on Incorporating Multiculturalism in Urban Design Education: 207
• Federal Urban Programs as Multicultural Planning The Empowerment Zone Approach: 225
• Measuring the Stability of MultiRacial Multicultural Neighborhoods: 235
• Index: 257
• About the Contributors: 261

About the author

MICHAEL A. BURAYIDI is Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh. He is the coauthor with Alfred T. Kisubi of Race and Ethnic Relations in the First Person (Praeger, 1998) and Editor of Multiculturalism in a Cross-National Perspective (1997).

Bibliographic information

• Title: Urban Planning in a Multicultural Society
• Editor: Michael A. Burayidi
• Edition: illustrated
• Publisher: Greenwood Publishing Group, 2000
• ISBN: 0275961257, 9780275961251
• Length: 264 pages