Research Fellow Department of Urban Studies and Planning, Massachusetts Institue of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts
Are you skeptical about state-level intervention in local affairs? Do you need evidence on how political polarization and policy “pendulum shifts” may induce environmental emergencies? Let us understand the role of emergency planning in handling the municipal services crisis.
Imagine yourself in a city of 12 million souls in a developing country. Imagine that city generates eight thousand tons of garbage daily. Imagine waste is not collected for three weeks due to contractual issues, political polarization, and policy shifts. The city sinks into a waste crisis, and you are made CEO of its waste-management company.
This topic connects with three important dimensions of planning: planning for emergency situations, planning during political uncertainties, and planning for the environment and sustainability. The presenter shares attempts to address waste crises, planning methods deployed for short- and long-term gains, and lessons learned while planning for the waste sector by digging through piles of trash and mining dumpsites. The presenter outlines the roles of mafias, interest groups, and corrupt practices in the waste sector that every planner must deal with in one way or another. Learn how planners can take more ethical positions while consulting and proposing solutions.
NPC Peer Reviewers assigned this presentation a learning level of Foundational. For more on learning-level descriptions, visit our General Information Page.
Learning Objectives:
Plan better during emergency situations caused by failure to deliver municipal services.
Negotiate amid political uncertainties and policy swings.
Discuss planning for the environment and sustainability.
