Multiculturalism necessitates broadening the scope of pluralism in planning. Ethnic minorities often require a divergent set of community services, housing facilities and neighborhood arrangements. The multinationalism of the global economy is further diversifying built forms and functions in contemporary cities. Canada, an acknowledged multicultural society, has encountered pressures to diversify the way urban facilities, services and structures are provided. How the Canadian planning system has been responding to these pressures is the subject of this article. Through case studies and illustrative ive examples, the article surveys the range of planning issues arising from multiculturalism and describes the patterns of Canadian responses. It concludes by outlining lessons drawn from Canadian experiences about how multiculturalism extends the meaning of pluralism in planning. Qadeer is a professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, Queen's University, Canada. His longstanding interest in cross-cultural studies of urban development and planning has led to his exploration of cultural-sensitive planning in Western countries. On this theme he has contributed a chapter, ''Urban Planning and Multiculturalism in Ontario, Canada,'' in Race Equality and Planning, edited by Huw Thomas and Vijay Krishnarayan (Avebury, 1994).
