Magdalena Ugarte: Rethinking the Normative — Settler State Planning, Indigenous Law, and Grounded Legal Pluralism | City & Regional Planning

Event details Date: Thursday, October 15, 2026 Time: 3:30 PM Location: 106 Bauer Wurster Hall Type: Lecture / Workshop Audience: Alumni,Faculty,Prospective Students,Public,Staff,Students About this event Planning theory widely acknowledges that planning is inherently normative . Yet Western values, ethical frameworks, and visions for the future continue to shape everyday planning practice . The deep connection between planning and Western law is crucial: it often labels planning practices that challenge Western definitions of property, public interest, land use, and decision-making authority as illegal . Territorial conflicts between settler nation-states and Indigenous peoples illustrate these tensions. Drawing on years of community-engaged research with Indigenous communities in Chile, Magdalena Ugarte explores these disputes as clashing legal orders. By centering Indigenous law and land relations, we can reimagine planning in settler colonial contexts — shifting from the domination of Western law to practices rooted in legal pluralism. Official event details: https://events.berkeley.edu/ced/event/330129-magdalena-ugarte-rethinking-the-normative-settler