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| University of British Columbia School of Community and Regional Planning | |
|---|---|
| Name | School of Community and Regional Planning |
| Parent | University of British Columbia |
| Established | 1959 |
| Type | Faculty |
| City | Vancouver |
| Province | British Columbia |
| Country | Canada |
University of British Columbia School of Community and Regional Planning
The School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia is a professional planning school located on the Vancouver campus of the University of British Columbia that offers graduate degrees in urban and regional planning and engages with municipal and Indigenous partners across British Columbia, Canada, and internationally. The school combines curriculum, research, and practice influenced by urban policy debates in Vancouver and comparative planning literatures from locations such as Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Ottawa, Seattle, Portland, Oregon, New York City, London, Paris, Berlin, Sydney, Melbourne, Auckland, and Singapore.
The school traces antecedents to postwar planning reforms in Vancouver and provincial initiatives linked to British Columbia planning legislation and municipal commissions influenced by figures associated with the National Research Council (Canada), the Canadian Institute of Planners, and the evolution of professional training at the University of British Columbia alongside contemporaneous programs at University of Toronto, McGill University, University of Waterloo, University of Calgary, and Dalhousie University. Key moments include curricular restructuring during the late twentieth century paralleling urban renewal projects in Vancouver such as the redevelopment of False Creek and policy responses to events like the Expo 86 world's fair. The school's development intersected with provincial inquiries, municipal elections in Vancouver, and collaborations with agencies including the Metro Vancouver regional district, the British Columbia Transit, and Indigenous governance bodies modeled on agreements like the Nisga'a Treaty and protocols influenced by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.
The school offers a two-year Master of Community and Regional Planning program and a post-professional Master’s stream designed for practitioners from contexts such as municipal government offices in Vancouver, Surrey, Richmond, British Columbia, Burnaby, and planning consultancies involved in projects like the Canada Line, the Vancouver Olympic Village for the 2010 Winter Olympics, and transit initiatives with agencies such as TransLink and international partners including the Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Human Settlements Programme. Coursework addresses planning practice through studios, theory seminars, and electives drawing on case studies from New York City neighborhood revitalization, London planning frameworks, Barcelona urban design, Singapore land use policy, and Tokyo transit-oriented development. Joint and collaborative degrees with faculties at the University of British Columbia enable intersections with programs at the Sauder School of Business, the Faculty of Law, the School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and the Faculty of Forestry.
Research at the school spans urban design, housing policy, climate resilience, and Indigenous planning, intersecting with centres and initiatives comparable to the Canadian Urban Institute, the Munk School of Global Affairs, the Policy Horizons Canada research agenda, and partnerships with international bodies such as the World Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The school hosts research clusters and collaborates with university centres dealing with affordable housing exemplified by municipal strategies in Vancouver and national programs in Ottawa, with projects funded by entities like the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and philanthropic foundations alongside municipal grants from City of Vancouver and provincial programs in Victoria. Faculty-led labs examine issues evident in case studies from Los Angeles and San Francisco housing crises, Copenhagen climate adaptation, and Rotterdam flood management.
Admissions evaluate applicants from professional backgrounds in municipal planning and consultancies active in contexts such as Calgary, Edmonton, Halifax, Winnipeg, and international applicants from cities like Mexico City, São Paulo, Beijing, Mumbai, and Lagos. Student life includes engagement with student associations modeled after groups at the University of British Columbia and collaboration with community organizations such as tenants' associations, neighborhood houses, and advocacy groups akin to the Vancouver Tenants Union, professional networking through the Canadian Institute of Planners, and participation in conferences like the Canadian Planning Conference. Students undertake fieldwork in municipalities including Surrey and regional districts like Metro Vancouver and engage in exchanges with institutions such as Delft University of Technology and University College London.
Faculty comprise scholars and practitioners with backgrounds linked to institutions including the University of British Columbia, University of Toronto, McGill University, Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, London School of Economics, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Melbourne, and with professional experience in agencies such as the City of Vancouver planning department, the BC Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure, and international consultancies. Administrative leadership interacts with the Faculty of Applied Science at the University of British Columbia and participates in national accreditation processes with the Canadian Institute of Planners and collaborations with municipal chief planners from cities such as Vancouver and Surrey.
The school's community engagement includes partnerships with Indigenous Nations such as the Musqueam Indian Band, the Squamish Nation, and the Tsleil-Waututh Nation on land-use planning, co-produced research with non-profit organizations like the Vancouver Foundation and the David Suzuki Foundation, and municipal collaborations involving the City of Vancouver, regional authorities like Metro Vancouver, and provincial agencies headquartered in Victoria. International partnerships span exchanges with universities such as University College London and multilateral engagements with organizations including the United Nations Development Programme and the International Federation of Housing and Planning.
Alumni have taken leadership roles as chief planners and elected officials in municipalities including Vancouver, Richmond, British Columbia, Surrey, and provincial agencies in Victoria, contributed to non-profit leadership at organizations like the Canadian Urban Institute and the David Suzuki Foundation, and influenced major projects such as the Canada Line, Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, and regional housing strategies adopted in Metro Vancouver. Graduates have also joined academia at institutions including University of Toronto, McGill University, Simon Fraser University, University of Waterloo, University of British Columbia, and international universities like University College London and University of California, Berkeley.