Indigenous Community Planning Forum 2024

Concept

This forum aims to engage students and planners in critical conversations centered around tribal community planning and development. Since time immemorial, indigenous communities have stewarded their lands, planning for and developing their communities through relationality and reciprocity with their environment. With the onset of settler colonialism across Turtle Island, mass dispossession of indigenous lands took place, violently altering and aiming to erase traditional ways of life. This legacy of settler-colonialism continues to manifest in community-based issues that disproportionately affect indigenous communities today. One of the most pressing issues is the housing and homelessness crisis within both tribal and urban areas. This complex problem intersects with economic development, education, environmental sustainability, and cultural preservation. Within this forum, we seek to open a discussion on the current housing crisis and explore collaborative solutions that promote the vitality and resilience of indigenous communities.

Washington is facing a housing crisis that affects communities statewide, with Indigenous communities disproportionately impacted. Statistically, American Indian and Alaskan Native people experience homelessness, substandard living conditions, and overcrowding at disproportionately high rates. This crisis is evident in both reservations and urban centers, where two-thirds of the AIAN population in the United States now resides. Yet, a lack of supportive and culturally responsive housing persists, hindered by ongoing structures of settler-colonialism. These barriers include inequitable governmental policies, insufficient funding, and outdated systems of support. Through this forum, we aim to address how to dismantle these barriers, foster meaningful community development, and create safe, empowering spaces for urban indigenous communities. Furthermore, we will also explore existing and current community development initiatives that address the urgent, life-threatening issues.

By gathering and sharing our stories, we can weave together our diverse knowledge and experiences to empower our communities and develop innovative strategies for these pressing challenges. In this collaborative forum, students, tribal planners, and community members will have the opportunity to cultivate a dialogue that can lead to future planning relationships, partnerships, and collective actions. Together, we can work towards developing resilient, prosperous, and healthy communities within Washington State that furthers indigenous self-determination and cultural vitality.

Description

This forum will bring together students and tribal planners to address the housing and homelessness crisis disproportionately affecting indigenous communities in Washington State. We'll explore how the legacy of settler colonialism contributes to this issue and discuss collaborative solutions that promote indigenous vitality. By sharing stories and knowledge, we

aim to foster meaningful community development and empower urban indigenous communities. The forum will focus on overcoming barriers to culturally responsive housing, learning from existing initiatives, and building planning relationships rooted in mutual respect. Furthermore, within this we aim to emphasize the importance of relationship building and sharing stories within working relationships. Through these conversations, we hope to gain new perspectives and connections that can better inform our present, and future work as community planners. We aim to find concrete ways to support indigenous communities in their planning efforts through partnerships and collaboration.

Objectives (Students, University, Community as intended audience)

1. Enhance students’ understanding of Indigenous community development/planning processes, perspectives and initiatives. Cultivate ways to support indigenous planning initiatives, applying theory to develop successful praxis.

2. Support and guide the development of relationships through facilitated conversations and the sharing of stories and knowledge. Emphasize the importance of developing relationships and understanding various communication styles when participating in collaborative community development.

3. Highlight the severity of the housing crisis affecting Indigenous communities in North America, both on reservations and in urban areas.

4. Explore the structural barriers (inequitable policies, insufficient funding, outdated systems) that exacerbate the housing crisis and hinder progress.

5. Bring together students, planners, and community members to share knowledge and experiences, fostering relationships that can lead to future collaborations.

6. Begin developing relationships/contact between Western Washington University, tribal nations and non-government organizations.

Expected Outcomes

· Opening a discussion on the current housing crisis in indigenous communities

· Relationship building

· Identifying strategies to urgently address the life-threatening housing crisis in Indigenous communities, both tribal and urban

· Cultivating dialogue that can lead to future planning relationships and collaborations between students and tribal planners. Furthermore, opens an opportunity for Western Washington University to begin developing relationships with tribal nations within Washington State

· Sharing of knowledges to empower communities and developing innovative strategies for addressing housing and related challenges

· Further develop students’ understanding of the complexities of indigenous community planning, establishing ways to best support indigenous planning initiatives.