"Don't call me an urban planning pioneer", a message from Katie Turriff
School of Planning alumnus Katie Turriff addresses issues in Urban Planning that perpetuate a "collective colonial amnesia".
During her studies, she gained an understanding of inequities faced by Indigenous Peoples while taking a Mohawk class at Waterloo and engaging with the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre. This work led to in-depth discussions around the absence of Indigenous voices, perspectives, and decision-making power across Canadian mid-sized cities. Turriff suggests that Planners must embrace uncomfortable conversations and actions supporting Indigenous Peoples and that decolonization should start by changing the name of cities in order to truly acknowledge land ownership.
Turriff has gone on to do a master's degree at the University of British Columbia’s School of Community and Regional Planning, where she is specializing in Indigenous Community Planning. Take the opportunity to read Turriff's Undergraduate Honour’s thesis on Haudenosaunee planning cultures.
Katie is featured in the University of Waterloo Magazine, “Don't call me an urban planning pioneer”.