Adaptation of Partnership Models in Times of COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic necessitated fast change and adaptation of methods related to participatory planning and governance. As planning scholars focused on access to the planning process, just decision-making and power for marginalized populations, this change calls for a cautious review of benefits and challenges as we settle into or object to the conditions of a “New Normal”. This chapter, therefore, describes a model for partnership with marginalized neighbourhoods developed through a long and sustained collaboration between planning scholars and residents in Charlotte, North Carolina, the partnership named the Charlotte Action Research Project (CHARP) at UNC Charlotte. This model is examined to understand vulnerabilities from “New Normal” trends. The argument here is that by describing best practice pre-pandemic, developed in this context, it is possible to shine a light on what we might risk abandoning in the post-pandemic. The chapter introduces alternative methods with the potential for maintaining high-level participation and power locally while adapting to restrictions that may be necessary due to pandemic-driven concerns. We conclude with a reflection on the “New Normal” participatory planner’s central role in ensuring that innovative and creative processes are not replaced primarily with digital tools, which we argue should be used only in combination with other methods.