This Couldn’t Have Happened at a Better Time

The United States has been reborn. The election of Barack Obama has put – or
reintroduced – the United States to the world stage as a beacon of hope for all
people. We have proven that we believe
and embody the ideals of equality and equal opportunity and that these ideals
are the right of every citizen and not just a few. More importantly, this election is a ray of
hope for our nation. We advanced the
fight against racism to elect the first black president of the United
States. Barack Obama's election also
gives hope to Americans as we witness and feel the stinging affects of the
economic and housing crises, the energy crisis and two wars.

Today, I could not wait to go to my Gateway Planning class
because I knew we would discuss the election and what this could mean from a
planning perspective. In my opinion,
this is a pivotal moment in planning history.
The need for planning might extends past the urban arena to the national
one. Americans across this nation in
cities, suburbs, and rural areas have been touched by – no – slammed by the
multiplicity of crises – economy, housing, energy and war. What was the general consensus? This election is definitely one for the
history books and celebration is in order; however, celebration is tempered by
the reality of the work that lies ahead.

Questions abound about what will happen next. Will the
momentum that brought change in the election process suddenly wane? What does Obama's election mean for the
economy, the housing crisis, and exit from Iraq? I question whether the political process,
which Barack Obama opened up to the American people during the campaign, will
remain open. In class, we have talked a
great deal about the political nature of planning, planning's failure to
include citizens in the planning process and the subsequent injustices and
inequalities that these citizens encounter.
Witnessing this new administration tackle the many problems that we
face, with what promises to be a fresh, new approach will be a planning
education next to none.