Planning Our Way Out of Division - Using Planning to Build Shared and Reconciled Communities

The Hume Foundation, together with The Peace Summit Partners and Ulster University as part of Ulster Talks, are hosting an event on how spatial planning can support shared and reconciled communities.

'Planning Our Way Out of Division - Using Planning to Build Shared and Reconciled Communities' will hear from Cllr Diarmaid Ward and Caroline Wilson, from Islington Borough Council, who will present how their Community Wealth Building model has been embedded within their Local Plan. A representative from the Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities Programme will provide a wider European perspective and Professor Frank Gaffikin will explore the local context.

Following the ongoing violence in Ballymena and beyond, Ivy Goddard, MBE, DL, Project Leader of the Ballymena Inter Ethnic Forum, is going to share her insight on the need for desegregation and peaceful, shared space.

The event will conclude with a panel discussion.

Purpose

How can planning help heal divided places? Join us for a timely discussion on how spatial planning can be used as a tool to support peacebuilding, desegregation, and reconciliation in contested urban environments.

This event will explore practical examples of planning-led approaches to building shared space and inclusive communities. We’ll hear from Islington Council, a European model and a local perspective on how policies and planning frameworks can shift division toward connection.

Agenda:

Speakers

Cllr Diarmaid Ward – Deputy Leader, Islington Borough Council

Caroline Wilson – Director of Inclusive Economy, Islington Borough Council

Council of Europe Representative – Intercultural Cities Programme TBC

Professor Frank Gaffikin – Urban Planner and Academic, Queen’s University Belfast

Professor Duncan Morrow – Expert in Reconciliation and Social Policy, Ulster University

Mrs Ivy Goddard, MBE, DL  – Project Leader of the Ballymena Inter Ethnic Forum

Who should attend

Planners, policymakers, community leaders, researchers, students, peacebuilders, local Council officials and anyone interested in creating more inclusive and cohesive places.