Dealing with Conflict in Local Planning: Reflections from Australian Planners

Abstract

Planners routinely deal with issues involving conflict, regularly engaging with people who may be upset, angry and at times aggressive. Yet planners are not conflict resolution specialists and their role is not necessarily to act as mediator. The level of conflict they experience can be stressful and challenging. This paper reports on interviews conducted with local government planners in Melbourne, Australia, in which they discuss their experience with conflicts and reflect on their preparation for this challenging aspect of their profession. The results indicate the need for more emphasis on training in a range of personal and professional behaviours within planning education.

Keywords:

• Conflict resolution
• skills
• planning education
• training

Acknowledgement

The authors gratefully acknowledge research assistance for this project from Kristen Bell and Clare Coburn.