The Practice of Healing Urban Planning and Policy Case Studies from Lethbridge, Alberta

Urban crises, whether the result of acute events or systemic inequities, demand responses that move beyond notions of recovery and towards a framework of healing. Healing implies transformation rather than restoration, acknowledging that for many, urban life has long been marked by struggle and exclusion. This article situates healing within the context of settler colonialism, a meta-crisis that continues to shape cities through spatial, representational, and relational injustices. Drawing on global frameworks such as the Habitat Professionals Forum’s Roadmap to Recovery and the International Participatory Charter, the authors examine the role of Urban Habitat Professionals (UHPs) ‐ planners, designers, architects, engineers, and allied practitioners ‐ in both perpetuating and dismantling systemic barriers. The article advances this conceptual framing through three case studies from Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada, illustrating how UHPs can leverage their positionality to co-produce policies and spaces that elevate Indigenous voices and foster reciprocal relationships. The article concludes with calls to action for UHPs, offering a pathway for practitioners seeking to operationalize reconciliation and healing within urban planning and policy practice.