ABSTRACT
In early spring, 2009, Wendy and Dianna stepped out to the fragrance of cherry blossoms and fresh rain on concrete in the West End streets of Vancouver. They were walking to a Korean fusion restaurant to celebrate the completion and success of Dianna’s recently defended master’s thesis and to continue a discussion on the important role of language in community engagement. 1 Dianna’s research stemmed from Leonie Sandercock’s call for planners to gain literacy in artistic expression. In her book, Cosmopolis II: Mongrel Cities of the 21st Century (2003a), Leonie emphasizes that gaining literacy is not only learning to read artistic expression in both traditional and contemporary forms of poetry, visual art, music and theatre, but also learning to speak and act these languages within the planning field itself. 2 Invitation
Planner as translator? Poetry and planning? Jump into this conversation between Dianna and Wendy as they discuss how language can cultivate a more meaningful place for creativity, interconnecting the multifaceted voices of ourselves, our communities, our neighbourhoods, our bioregions, our cultures, our languages and our relationships.
