Online democracy and dissent - What the pandemic has done to urban planning and governance.

[Cindy McMurray]

An Ethics Institute colloquy with:

Dr. Curt Gervich,  Past Institute Fellow and associate professor, SUNY
Plattsburgh Center for Earth and Environmental Science

Dr. Dan Milz, assistant professor, Department of Urban and Regional
Planning, University of Hawaii at Manoa

Dr. Atul Pokharel, assistant professor of urban planning and public service,
Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York University

Wednesday, March 21, 2021, noon - 1 p.m.

Zoom link: https://bit.ly/2P76xwF

The COVID-19 pandemic is forcing governments throughout the United States
to conduct the public’s business online. Planners are at the center of this
moment because they are now more than ever using synchronous online
technologies to convene public meetings. This rapid shift to online
governance affects many aspects of the planning professions, but we are
concerned about one in particular -- dissent. If dissent can be easily
ignored, agreement is easier to reach. Yet, dissenting viewpoints are a
necessary part of deliberative processes and decision making. However,
evidence suggests that planners are using the features of synchronous
technologies (e.g., muting, waiting rooms, the ability to eject participants
from meetings) to reinforce their power over civic processes and thus chill
dissent.

For further information about the Ethics Institute, contact Dr. Jonathan
Slater, director, at slaterjr at plattsburgh,edu. The Institute for Ethics in
Public Life is generously supported by gifts to the Plattsburgh College
Foundation. Ethics Institute colloquies are open to the entire SUNY
Plattsburgh community.
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