The Daycare Dilemma: Building the High-Rise

Description

We are a team from different fields who plan to build a sky- rise in Toronto. We disagree about how a new high-rise would replace an affordable daycare for low-income families and students. Our team faces challenges with budget, timelines, safety, and the wider social impact. Our conflict is de-escalated using Isaacs’s listening and suspending techniques, Mayer’s advice on reframing and intentional engagement, and the collaboration enablers from Curran (2005), like clear roles, power sharing, trust, and shared purpose. Eventually, our team will shift from an either/or approach to finding a solution that works for everyone. Our team compromises with each other's differences and establishes our project with conditions that the daycare will stay on the ground floor with safe access based on GIS data, including CPTED and accessibility features. Construction will happen in phases with a plan to keep daycare services running, and a community advisory group will help keep the project accountable. This Movie shows conflict transformation in action, as the team improves how they work together and creates a design that protects children, supports caregivers, and meets development goals.