Placemaking for a Thriving Welsh Language
On 25th November 2021, Planning Aid Wales and IAITH: Welsh Centre for Language Planning delivered an online joint mini conference that brought together planners, Welsh language specialists and Community and Town Councils (CTCs) who are taking steps to make more use of Welsh, support the use of Welsh in their communities and are thinking about or involved in planning and placemaking.
Planning Aid Wales (PAW) is a charity that supports community engagement in the planning system in Wales. IAITH is a centre for Welsh language excellence that promotes the use of Welsh and developing bilingual practices. The event was delivered in partnership as part of PAW’s annual programme of network events, which are designed to bring planners and communities together to debate relevant planning topics.
The webinar provided an overview of the Welsh language planning policy context and presented case-studies across Wales where community development work and planning decisions have addressed this issue, both in rural and urban settings. The event also focused on the contribution of planning to the Thriving Welsh Language Well-Being Goal and how it must ensure that the conditions that are essential for Welsh to thrive are considered. Participants were also provided with information about how to increase their use of Welsh and sources of information about the Welsh language in their areas which will allow them to contribute to this aspect of Placemaking.
PAW and IAITH were pleased and grateful to welcome speakers from across Wales who are activists at the community level and language and spatial planners who provided case-studies of their work. The following provides a summary of the main points raised during the event. Full presentations and the resource pack are available to download from: {INSERT LINK}
The event was attended by 36 delegates and speakers, which included representatives of Community and Town Councils, community groups, local planning authorities.