Empathy in Planning
PAS QuickNotes 109
By Meaghan McSorley
Not a member but want to buy a copy? You'll need to create a free My APA account to purchase.
Create account
Empathy is a skill for sensing others' emotions and imagining their thoughts and feelings. In today's contentious and polarized world, being able to remain open and curious, bridge differences, and find common ground is vitally important for planners. Cultivating empathy and building skills for working with emotions can enhance planners' work with colleagues and community members and support personal well-being. Yet, planners often feel they are supposed to be objective and rational, and they may not have the training to manage strong emotions in themselves or others.
This edition of PAS QuickNotes offers practical strategies to help planners cultivate empathy in ways that support personal well-being, strengthen teamwork with colleagues, and enable authentic community engagement.
Details
About the Author
Meaghan McSorley
Dr. Meaghan McSorley, MPH, PhD is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at Florida State University. Her research focuses on three interconnected areas: planning education and professional development, the theory and professional practice of urban planning, and the advancement of healthy and livable communities. In addition, she has begun exploring the integration of Generative AI in planning practice and education. At FSU, she teaches a required course on developing professional judgment, which equips students with essential interactive skills and includes modules on networking, preparing materials, and interviewing. Committed to bridging research and practice, Dr. McSorley also produces applied resources for the American Planning Association on topics like empathy to support a more reflective and responsive planning profession.