Planning Exchange Blog

Combating Climate Change Through Interdisciplinary Collaboration

Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:33:03 GMT

Shape the future of planning: Call for Proposals for 2026 OPPI Conference

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 17:44:07 GMT

Building on Momentum: OPPI’s Learning Journey into 2026

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 14:50:01 GMT

Unlock Flexible, Tailored Learning for Your Entire Organization

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 15:49:19 GMT

A Goodbye Letter to The Library

Fri, 14 Nov 2025 20:05:46 GMT

Planning in Motion: Insights from the Integrated Planning Symposium & Walking Tour

Mon, 06 Oct 2025 19:24:50 GMT

Rethinking Positionality, Pedagogy, and Implications for Planning Practice: A Case Study of an International Student Housing Studio Project

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 15:41:43 GMT

Registered Professional Planner Profile: Emily Elliott, MCIP, RPP

Mon, 22 Sep 2025 15:14:23 GMT

The Values of Networking & Why you Should Do it Too: A Student's Guide to the 26th Annual Spring Reception

Wed, 02 Jul 2025 19:15:12 GMT

Finding Your First Job in Land Use Planning

Thu, 12 Jun 2025 20:18:41 GMT

Update Downsview: Mobility strategy for now and the future

Thu, 22 May 2025 15:51:19 GMT

Accessibility Audit of the York University, Keele Campus

Mon, 28 Apr 2025 20:31:22 GMT

Don’t miss out! Learning Tours for the Upcoming ACTION 2025 joint CIP & OPPI Conference

Mon, 24 Mar 2025 19:38:39 GMT

Shifting the Conversation: Improving Community Engagement

Mon, 17 Mar 2025 14:22:37 GMT

Who Takes Carriage of Public Participation and Does it Matter?

Fri, 21 Feb 2025 22:42:41 GMT

New in 2025: Customized Team Training

Fri, 24 Jan 2025 21:33:00 GMT

Brantford’s Digital Leap: Modernizing Planning with Cloudpermit

Wed, 15 Jan 2025 22:04:24 GMT

Explore how Cloudpermit helps the City of Brantford promote better internal and external collaboration, consistency, and transparency.

Exciting New Educational Opportunities: OPPI’s 2025 Workshop Schedule

Mon, 23 Dec 2024 15:42:01 GMT

The Bicycle Diaries, Part 1: Ford City to Downtown Windsor

Fri, 13 Dec 2024 20:04:48 GMT

Reimagining Underutilized Urban Space: A Walk Through the Meadoway

Fri, 22 Nov 2024 14:52:30 GMT

Municipal agri-food systems planning capacity: lessons learned from across Ontario

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 19:29:33 GMT

Trent Hills Active Transportation & Trails Plan

Thu, 24 Oct 2024 16:03:57 GMT

Waste Management Planning: Disparities in Cancer Incidence and Outcomes in the Black Canadian Community of Shelburne Nova Scotia

Thu, 10 Oct 2024 15:45:57 GMT

Who will Swing the Hammer?

Thu, 19 Sep 2024 17:20:25 GMT

Creative Expression in Public Space: What we can learn from Street Art in the City of Hamilton

Wed, 04 Sep 2024 17:57:35 GMT

Exclusive Extended Learning Experiences in Hamilton for OPPI’s 2024 Conference

Wed, 21 Aug 2024 19:39:41 GMT

Hamilton Continues to Build on its Successes: The Potential for Growth and Change in the City of Hamilton

Mon, 05 Aug 2024 16:39:14 GMT

Bruce Trail Conservancy Hike

Mon, 22 Jul 2024 16:04:49 GMT

Lessons from 'compound family house' housing strategies for low-income families in Ghana

Mon, 08 Jul 2024 15:36:07 GMT

Low-income households have been at a disadvantaged position when it comes to affordable housing in Ghana. Due to low wealth accumulating capacities coupled with poor banking and finance structures in Ghana (and other developing countries), low-income households are not able to access substantial form of financial assistance and/or resources to secure housing. In the past, the government has undertaken several initiatives including providing housing for all public sector workers, and an affordable housing project. However, all these initiatives proved to be futile in increasing low-income household's access to affordable housing. In response to the harsh housing market, many low-income households resorted to living arrangements that has come to be known as 'compound family house' housing. A compound family house is a high density multi-residential houses that contain between 10-20 rooms on the average. Tenants are extended family members who do not pay rent. By virtue of being a member of the family, an individual is allocated a room in which they will live with any accompanying members of their nuclear family. There are many benefits to such living arrangements including social, financial, and environmental benefits and sustainability. As planners, we are concerned with all aspects of society, finding ways to incorporate policies that allow for the cohabitation of extended family in multi-residential buildings as the case in compound family housing could go a long way in reducing homelessness in Ontario.

Affordable Housing in Hamilton

Mon, 24 Jun 2024 23:24:45 GMT

Paradigm Shift: Extending thinking about accessibility beyond specific built environments and assistive technologies

Wed, 29 May 2024 17:32:11 GMT

Welcoming campus, inclusive community: Building housing infrastructure for international students

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 18:22:30 GMT

The experience of the Popular Audit in the Historic Centre of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil

Wed, 10 Apr 2024 16:47:42 GMT

Why we Need to Engage Youth in the Urban Planning Process

Fri, 22 Mar 2024 21:39:02 GMT

Water Stories: An Exploration of Human-Water Connectedness in Ontario and the Implications for Water Sustainability

Tue, 12 Mar 2024 23:51:57 GMT

Back in 2014, a good number of years into my career, I took a diversion and went back to school. I was and am really uncomfortable with the long-term drinking water issues that persist in the province and country, disproportionately affecting First Nations communities. After observing governments, organizations and communities coming together to solve very complicated water-related problems, and working with many talented professionals and community members, I could not get past the question, “why is this still happening”? Why are these issues so persistent? My thinking was and is that this is a social challenge rather than a technical or financial one. Is it complicated? Yes. Is it costly? Yes. But so are so many things that have been solved. That leaves social, and that was my starting point.
My research focussed on determining how Ontarians were connected to water, and the implications for water sustainability in Ontario.

Planners as Lifelong Learners: Ten Years On

Fri, 01 Mar 2024 17:00:28 GMT

Client-based Studio – Building the Foundation of your Career

Tue, 13 Feb 2024 00:27:32 GMT

Anti-racist Planning Practices in Brazil and Canada: Experiences, Learning and Exchanges

Thu, 01 Feb 2024 21:30:32 GMT

Bigger, Bolder, Better: OPPI 2024 Education Calendar

Wed, 24 Jan 2024 22:23:17 GMT

How Mentorship can Positively Shape the Future of the Planning Profession

Mon, 15 Jan 2024 23:58:22 GMT

Regulating Short-Term Accommodations: Planners in the Town of The Blue Mountains Have Led the Way

Wed, 03 Jan 2024 17:36:46 GMT

Finding meaning behind numbers: An interview with Glória Cecília Figueiredo

Wed, 13 Dec 2023 21:30:46 GMT

On September 28, the Ontario Professional Planners Institute (OPPI) and the Black Planning Project (BPP) began a three-month partnership with Professor Glória Cecília Figueiredo from the Faculty of Architecture at the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil. Now, at the midway mark of the partnership, Glória is on track for achieving her goals, including finalizing a case study of Popular Audit in the Historical Center of Salvador as an experience in Black planning.
Glória is renowned for her activism and research with Black communities in Brazil and is collaborating in Ontario on a variety of initiatives. Glória “will analyze and reflect on perspectives that unfold from its implementation, drawing connections with the 20-year history of affirmative policies in Brazil that have democratized access of Black and Indigenous students in higher education.” She is working on an analysis of academic and pedagogical policies of some planning courses at Ontario universities to recognize which anti-racist measures and policies have been adopted.

Reconciliation Action Plans - What are they and how can they help Planners?

Fri, 01 Dec 2023 22:08:17 GMT

Heather Swan shares some basics around Reconciliation Action Plans in hopes that this may start conversations as the feedback from the Conference session was very positive. Planners – please bring this to your organization to consider preparing if they do not already have one! RAPs can help any organization including Municipalities, industry, and consultants.

Heather also presented on this topic at the September OPPI Conference, and the recording can be found here for those who participated in the conference: 2023 OPPI Conference Virtual Portal (pheedloop.com)

Pedaling Through Planning: An Insightful Bike Tour of Toronto's Urban Landscape

Thu, 09 Nov 2023 01:48:39 GMT

This September more than 60 planning enthusiasts, that included undergraduate and graduate students from Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), community members, and TMU alumni, mounted their bikes to embark on a captivating tour of the city's urban landscape. During the tour, attendees interacted with fellow planners and guest speakers who discussed Toronto's projects and spaces. The speakers provided information, resources, networking opportunities, and answered attendees’ questions. The tour also introduced attendees to unexplored or underexplored parts of Toronto.

IS INCLUSIONARY ZONING THE SILVER BULLET NEEDED TO SOLVE THE HOUSING CRISES?

Fri, 27 Oct 2023 21:53:48 GMT

IZ is not a silver bullet to solving the housing affordability crisis, but it can be an important tool to address shorter-term affordability challenges for specific populations. There are now over 880 jurisdictions in the US and more worldwide that have adopted IZ. No solid evidence exists that these policies have significantly contributed to resolving the broader housing affordability challenges in these jurisdictions.[1] Importantly, in many jurisdictions, rents can exceed 30% of income even for professionals making above-median levels of income,[2] which is not the ideal segment to target for IZ. However, if implemented properly alongside other policies promoting broader housing affordability, IZ can help protect more vulnerable populations especially during the transition process. Still, IZ only benefits those who are fortunate to receive an affordable home, so its benefits are limited by the number of affordable homes produced.

[1] For example, Montgomery County, Maryland is suffering the same housing affordability crisis as many other major cities. See Govoni, L. and J. Sartori. (2022). “Addressing the housing affordability gap.” The Third Place: A Montgomery Planning Department Blog. https://montgomeryplanning.org/blog-design/2022/09/addressing-the-housing-affordability-gap/

[2] Liew, C. (2023, Feb. 3). “How much rent can you afford?” CTV News. https://www.ctvnews.ca/business/how-much-rent-can-you-afford-1.6258411

The National Adaptation Strategy and the Planning Profession

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 04:00:00 GMT

Canada is experiencing climate change in many different ways. As climate impacts continue to intensify, more ambitious, strategic, and collaborative approaches are needed to prepare for and build resilience to the impacts of climate change. The National Adaptation Strategy (NAS) is critical in bringing together key actors across the country to advance adaptation actions in line with the Strategy’s guiding principles centred on equity, respecting jurisdictions, upholding Indigenous rights, maximizing benefits, and avoiding maladaptation.

A Systems-Thinking Approach: Extreme Heat, Climate Change, and Learning to do what Works

Tue, 12 Sep 2023 04:00:00 GMT

I could feel the heat against my skin as I poured milk onto my cereal at 6:58 a.m. My first apartment, all mine, 11 floors up in the heart of downtown Hamilton, a city I had grown to love dearly. That apartment stole my heart with its sunset-facing windows, but the June heat rendered the sun an enemy even with the blinds closed. I did a quick scan of my flat to make sure all four fans were on full blast before I left for my 9 to 5 — only to return to a sauna.

Building Resilience to Health Threats: How Public Health and Land Use Planners Are Natural Allies

Tue, 05 Sep 2023 16:01:00 GMT

How to Propel your Career as a Planner

Tue, 18 Jul 2023 18:49:59 GMT

OPPI Provides Solutions to Get Housing Built Faster in Ontario

Fri, 16 Jun 2023 22:35:01 GMT

Planning and Resiliency for Next Generation Community Schools

Fri, 26 May 2023 07:00:00 GMT

It is often suggested, by adults and young people alike, that we are leaving a bleak future for our children. Despite increasingly shortened timelines to address the scientifically developed recommendations of the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the need for community adaptation and mitigation has not yet reached the apex of public awareness necessary to engage substantive action.

Grey Adaptation for Community Schools

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 17:01:22 GMT

The adaptation and mitigation need of communities is significant and must be addressed. How planners interpret the current and future state of schools is fundamental to effective adaptation and mitigation strategies for community development. Climate adaptation and mitigation has yet to become an area of focus for school districts.

Pathways to Success: Building Support Infrastructures for Internationally Trained Planning Professionals

Wed, 12 Apr 2023 16:55:45 GMT

Special feature in honour of International Women’s Day: An interview with Cheryll Case, founder of CP Planning

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 17:00:00 GMT

Cheryll Case is on a mission to solve a big problem: the lack of economic inclusion of racialized and underhoused people in the planning and development industry — and she knows exactly how to do it. The Roadmap for Redevelopment Plans to Confront Systemic Racism provides a clearly laid-out solution: inclusive neighbourhood planning hubs supported by strategic planning, mentorship, and vertical integration between grassroots and mainstream organizations.

Moving beyond ramps & automatic door switches to a shift in health consciousness

Wed, 01 Mar 2023 14:00:00 GMT

Mainstream society holds the understanding when it comes to wheelchair accessibility that this is focused on infrastructure of buildings and a notion accessibility that is device-centric. While these are two important aspects of accessibility for persons with disabilities and their peers; it is crucial that the understanding and implementation of accessibility and its policies and practices move beyond this, and into attitudinal perceptions and behaviours. These should concern an individual’s health and overall quality of life. How one feels as an individual with a visible disability, through the way they are interacted with by others, and what they can do to feel their strongest and best by exercising, has little to do with a ramp or door switch, but more with the way that businesses are structured and available opportunities for physical literacy.

This article features Jess Silver’s personal story and looks at how her non-profit organization, Flex for Access, was created to shift the paradigm of social consciousness on physical literacy and create mainstream opportunity for adaptive fitness.

Setting the record straight – Updating four Black history plaques

Mon, 20 Feb 2023 14:00:00 GMT

I’d like to tell you about Solomon Moseby. In 1837, Moseby fled to Niagara to escape slavery in Kentucky. When his extradition back to the United States was approved, members of the Niagara community mobilized to protest his return to slavery and to protect Black rights in Canada. They successfully obstructed his removal while he escaped. It is a complex and compelling story that helped to establish Canadian extradition and refugee policies, which are still used today. Moseby’s story was hidden in a plaque commemorating the Niagara Courthouse, which no longer stands. The Ontario Heritage Trust had already decided that the plaque needed to be revisited and replaced and, in reviewing the research and considering the text, we decided that the courthouse itself was not the focus of the story. The real story was about Solomon Moseby.

Calling for Allies in Combating Anti-Black Racism

Thu, 02 Feb 2023 04:55:59 GMT

Throughout my adult life, I have been on a journey of (re)education on the racial injustice that plagues Canadian society. Once your eyes are open to it, you begin to see it everywhere. In comparison to our neighbours to the south, we have branded ourselves as ‘good’ or at least ‘better than.’ These positive monikers have allowed Canadians to stifle our own betterment and evolution towards becoming a more inclusive and just society, especially when it comes to racially marginalized peoples and communities.

A New Role for Schools in Community Development

Fri, 06 Jan 2023 22:30:21 GMT

In June 2022, I participated in the OPPI Adaptation Training for Ontario Planners, a series of three interactive modules that I recommend for all planners to take and gain insight about community development in response to climate change. One of the conclusions I drew from the series is the opportunity that climate resiliency offers to bridge the gap between planners/planning and school districts in community development.

Time to (re)Commit to Truth and Reconciliation

Thu, 15 Dec 2022 17:21:05 GMT

Today marks seven years since the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC) presented its full, ten-volume final report to Canadians. The report was the culmination of nearly 7,000 witness statements,1,355 hours of recordings from seven national events, and dozens of community events over its seven-year mandate.

Walking a Fine Line: Best Practices for On-Farm Diversified Uses to Preserve Farmland and Enable Economic Opportunity

Mon, 28 Nov 2022 20:49:48 GMT

Ontario's prime agricultural lands are a finite, non-renewable resource vital for local food production, agri-food exports, and rural economic prosperity. Despite this value, the Canadian Census of Agriculture (2021) reports that Ontario has lost 319 acres of farmland daily over the last five years. Yet, family farms remain the cornerstone of agriculture production in Ontario, with 98 per cent of farms in Canada being family-owned (Statistics Canada, 2022). However, the number of small and medium-sized farms is dwindling while the number of larger farms is increasing (Statistics Canada, 2022). These numbers illustrate the difficulty smaller to midsized family farm operations face in prospering in the modern agricultural economy.

Member Questions Answered: CPL and Audit

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 17:52:48 GMT

Each year, OPPI’s Professional Standards & Registration Committee (PS&RC) conducts an audit of the previous year’s Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) claims. It is common practice that one to two per cent of the membership is audited on an annual basis.

Dear Dilemma: Candid about Candidates

Sat, 01 Oct 2022 07:01:00 GMT

Dear Dilemma, my partner and I are Registered Professional Planners (RPPs) who own and operate a planning firm. While we were recently discussing the upcoming municipal election, I mentioned that we (or even the firm) should work for or donate to the campaign of one of the candidates we both like. Should we, as RPPs, be worried about working for or donating to a political campaign? Is that prohibited by the OPPI Professional Code of Practice? Signed, Candid about Candidates

RPP Profile: Wayne Caldwell

Sun, 18 Sep 2022 21:53:13 GMT

Wayne Caldwell, RPP, is a Professor of Rural Planning and Development at the University of Guelph and also has a career-long connection with the County of Huron Department of Planning and Development. He has lectured across Canada on the future of rural communities and has published extensively in the areas of planning, community development, agricultural land preservation, siting livestock facilities, healthy rural communities, rural land use, and the environment.

Planners on Bikes

Thu, 01 Sep 2022 17:38:06 GMT

On August 6, planners embarked on a 10-kilometre bike ride along Toronto's Waterfront from Sugar Beach to the Humber Bay Arch Bridge. The group included planners from the public and private sector, housing analysts, political candidates, and students, giving everyone an opportunity to meet and chat with someone new.

Ontario Home Builders Examining Regional Housing Demographics

Thu, 04 Aug 2022 20:40:42 GMT

One thing about the planning profession is that you can never have enough information and data to work with. When it comes to planning for housing supply, this statement couldn’t be more accurate.

With the release of Statistics Canada data in 2021, we finally have a clear picture of the housing landscape in Ontario. Led by the West End Home Builders’ Association (WE HBA), local builders' associations across the province began tapping into data through a series called Ontarians on the Move, produced by Dr. Moffatt with the Smart Prosperity Institute. The initial question concerned the city of Hamilton, Ontario: what led Hamilton to become the third most expensive housing market, considering average income vs housing costs in North America in 2021?

Radial development strategy: The only answer to the future realities of South-Central Ontario Growth

Thu, 09 Jun 2022 17:02:17 GMT

South-Central Ontario, also known as the Greater Golden Horseshoe, faces two realities: huge future growth and already seriously threatened natural environment and local agriculture. This means we face two urban planning policy imperatives: fast growth adaptation and equal environmental defence.

Is Jane Jacobs still our guide?

Mon, 02 May 2022 22:09:01 GMT

Jane Jacob’s Day is around the corner.

Each year in May, walking tours are organized around the world in honour of Jane Jacobs (1916-2006), a writer, urbanist, and activist, who championed the voices of everyday people in neighbourhood planning and city-building. In 1961, Jane also published The Death and Life of Great American Cities which has become a major inspiration for city planning in the past half century.

This month, as you take part in walking tours and dig out her well-thumbed book, ask yourself a critical question: what is her legacy for today’s professional planners?

I would say that her legacy is an inspiration… and a caution.

Connecting people and places across Canada

Fri, 01 Apr 2022 11:06:02 GMT

The pandemic has made it challenging to connect with co-workers and community members alike. Planners have had to adapt quickly and transform our usual practices to engage in a digital world, while implementing COVID-safe techniques for in-person experiences.

Built on trust: New delegation authority seeks to reduce development approval timelines, while maintaining good planning outcomes

Wed, 16 Mar 2022 21:46:40 GMT

Bill 13 receives Royal Assent, which modifies the Planning Act to expand delegation authority for municipalities in Ontario. Here’s a quick primer on what all this means.

Breaking the bias: increasing the number of women in leadership positions through the power of sponsorship

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 14:00:00 GMT

This year’s theme for International Women’s Day is #BreakTheBias, with a goal of celebrating women’s achievement, raising awareness against bias such as stereotypes and discrimination, and taking actions for equality. From the recent Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Insight survey by the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), despite an over-representation of women in the profession, the proportion of women decreases as seniority increases, and even fewer racialized women are in senior leadership roles. Although there are critical gaps preventing women from getting into leadership positions, there are some foundational elements that could help fill these gaps.

Urban Planning and Anti-Black Racism in Canada: reflections on the past as a way to promote a better future

Thu, 17 Feb 2022 21:01:41 GMT

Historical events, such as the social hierarchization of racial groups, have not only centrally defined the experiences of many Black people in the last millennium through the justification of slave labor practices in the Western world, but the residual effects of such thought and institutional norms continue to negatively impact contemporary Black populations. The impacts of notable historical events, for instance the transatlantic slave trade, include not only the physical and social destruction of communities in African societies, but also the loss of identity among the enslaved populations.

Students explore Toronto by bike through a planner’s lens

Mon, 31 Jan 2022 14:00:00 GMT

In September 2021, more than 40 members of the planning community, including planning graduate students from Ryerson University,* took part in a bike tour of downtown Toronto.

The group explored the city while also meeting other planners in the field and listening to guest speakers talk about some of Toronto’s most exciting projects. Each of the guest speakers was generous with their time on a Saturday and offered networking advice and opportunities, answered questions, and heard feedback from students. The bike tour was also an opportunity for students to visit places in Toronto where they had never been before.

Think like a writer in 2022

Sat, 15 Jan 2022 14:00:00 GMT

Like everyone else, you don’t have time to spare! You need reliable, clear information, quickly. You want to know: What’s this about? Why should I spend time on it? What am I going to get out of this?

As a planner, being able to write well has an impact on the outcomes of your projects, your credibility as a professional, and your organization’s success. Fortunately, there are a few techniques you can use to get readers to engage with your complex planning ideas.

Important Changes to the OPPI By-Law

Mon, 03 Jan 2022 14:00:00 GMT

At the recent OPPI Annual General Meeting (AGM), held virtually on October 6, 2021, the membership of OPPI voted in favour of three amendments to the Institute’s By-law. These amendments are important for several reasons, including being more considerate of the individual circumstances and experiences of each member, and better recognition for those who have served the public interest as professional planners for their entire career. Read on to learn more about the changes, and how they impact you!

Dear Dilemma: The prohibition against supplanting

Wed, 01 Dec 2021 14:00:00 GMT

Members in the past have asked about the Professional Code of Practice prohibition against “supplanting” another member. I understand that it basically means that one member cannot try to steal a client from another member. However, the Code does not require a refusal, though other professions do include a requirement NOT to accept such a client in their Codes of Ethics. My question is, why doesn’t OPPI include this extra prohibition in their Code?

Urban Green Spaces: Our tools to build a “balance-maker” habit

Mon, 01 Nov 2021 16:59:15 GMT

The world is facing unprecedented urban population growth, putting the relationship between humans and the environment in an unfamiliar context. Although there has been academic attention on the ecological impacts of urbanization, less is known about the relationship between urban development and human health. As more and more people move to urban areas all over the world, more and more questions arise regarding how exposure to the urban environment is linked to the health of humans.

Duty to Consult: Answering the Questions

Fri, 01 Oct 2021 23:55:58 GMT

This Planning Exchange Blog is a follow-up to the popular Forum Friday session on Duty to Consult, hosted on June 18, 2021. All Forum Friday webinars are recorded so you can watch them on demand, anytime.

This interview-style blog will answer the questions posed during the session. The interview is led by Susan Robertson,RPP, and the questions are answered by the session’s co-presenters Carolyn King, C.M. and David Stinson , MCIP, RPP.

Dear Dilemma - Conflict of Interest

Wed, 01 Sep 2021 13:00:00 GMT

It is true that on any planning matter there will be lots of conflict: developers vs. neighbours, activists vs. politicians, private-side planners vs. municipal planners, architects and engineers vs. building code officers, and of course lawyers vs. each other (and everybody else). These are unavoidable, predictable, publicly visible conflicts – conflicts BETWEEN legitimate interests. For instance, the developer’s interest in maximizing profit on the parcel of land, vs. the neighbours’ interest in minimizing disruption to their lives. Resolving (or at least compromising) all of these conflicts should lead to the best possible outcome in the public interest.

Excellence Through Humanity: Planning’s Wobbly Paradigm Shift - Part Two

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 13:00:00 GMT

The following is part two of a two-part series featuring an extended transcript of Rob Horne’s presentation, delivered virtually on April 8,2021, as part of the University of Waterloo’s School of Planning inaugural planner-in-residence public lecture series.

Excellence Through Humanity: Planning’s Wobbly Paradigm Shift - Part One

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 13:00:00 GMT

The following is part one of a two-part series featuring an extended transcript of Rob Horne’s presentation, delivered virtually on April 8,2021, as part of the University of Waterloo’s School of Planning inaugural planner-in-residence public lecture series.

Assessing Rural Municipal Climate Change Planning in Ontario

Mon, 17 May 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Photo by Laura Penwell from Pexels

A portion of this article is published in the Spring/Summer issue of OPPI’s Y Magazine.

Rural communities experience unique vulnerabilities to climate change. The effects of climate change, particularly in the form of extreme temperatures, severe droughts and flooding, and delayed seasonal changes, threaten the viability of rural communities. Municipalities can respond to the threat of climate change through a continuum of approaches, from developing standalone climate change plans, to mainstreaming climate change objectives in official planning documents.

Municipal Capacity for Supporting Agriculture and Agri-food in Ontario: A Case Study of the Greenbelt

Mon, 03 May 2021 13:00:00 GMT

Regardless of where you live and work, urban or rural, suburban or somewhere in between, agricultural communities and the agri-food sector are integral to our individual and collective wellbeing. Perhaps we have begun to appreciate this in our personal lives, as the last year called the home chefs, novice bakers, and backyard gardeners among us. But in our professional lives, what is the relationship between our work as planners, policy influencers, or decision-makers and the success of this critical industry? This question underscored our research project this past year, looking at municipal capacity (staffing available, resources, expertise, and budget) to make timely and relevant decisions for agriculture and the agri-food sector. This phase of the project focused on 66 municipalities in the Greenbelt of Ontario, and involved collecting survey and interview data from elected officials and planners in each of those communities.

The Nuts and Bolts of Climate Change Adaptation for Planners: The BRACE Training Series

Thu, 01 Apr 2021 13:00:00 GMT

We are in a time of multiple complex challenges: the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and recovery being at the forefront for many communities, in addition to a greater focus on equity, anti-racism, fighting systemic discrimination, and advancing Indigenous reconciliation. Climate change is deeply connected to all of these issues, and adaptation continues to be a high priority across Ontario, particularly with Canada warming at twice the global average rate. It is therefore key that Ontario’s Registered Professional Planners (RPPs) have a deep understanding of climate science, policy, and engagement methods to strengthen the capacity to integrate adaptation across all spheres of planning, and improve the transdisciplinary nature of the work we do to tackle these wicked problems.

Women in Planning Celebrate International Women’s Day 2021

Mon, 08 Mar 2021 16:00:00 GMT

Asset management and policy planning – how do we bridge the gap?

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 16:00:29 GMT

Understanding the truth: Practical lessons for planners

Mon, 08 Feb 2021 16:00:00 GMT

Ethnocultural Diversity and Planning for Indigenous-settler Reconciliation

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 19:14:39 GMT

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada has put forth calls to action to advance the process of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. The calls to action address municipal governments in some respects. Municipal jurisdictions are called upon — in addition to federal, provincial, and territorial governments — to fully adopt and implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP). Reconciliation would require municipal governments to disassemble to a significant extent Eurocentric concepts and procedures that have imposed settler-colonial sovereignty over Indigenous Peoples and their territories.¹

After isolation: urban planning and the Covid-19 pandemic

Fri, 01 Jan 2021 14:00:00 GMT

Finding a new frequency
“A pandemic doesn’t care about social inequalities, but it does follow them,” Jesse Wente said recently on CBC Radio One. This message, we think, could have been the call we planners needed to refocus our thinking and actions in this ‘Planning in (and beyond) the Time of COVID-19’ reality. While the pandemic and ensuing lock down has undoubtedly validated the good planning tenets of creating healthy communities with access to public spaces and active transportation options such as cycling, for example, the bigger issue of who gets to participate in and reap the rewards of this pursuit remains largely unnoticed and untended.

How contemporary colonialism limits the potential of Indigenous placemaking

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 14:00:00 GMT

Indigenous Peoples in Canada have lost so much throughout the process of colonization: their people, their traditional practices and heritage, and their land and the deep connection to it. Furthermore, forced assimilation of Indigenous Peoples into western society has further resulted in the loss of their identity and culture with 52 per cent of Indigenous Peoples calling Canada’s cities their home today.¹

Parking in a post-COVID-19 world: Measure, measure and measure

Sun, 15 Nov 2020 14:00:00 GMT

A lot has been written and communicated already through television reports, podcasts, news journals, social media and webinars about solutions to the negative impact of COVID-19 on parking as economies in our cities gradually open up. COVID-19 has been devastating to people’s lives and businesses around the world, and parking is no different. There have been reductions in parking demand (usage) of 80% to 90%, and the accompanying gigantic losses in revenue that, in many municipalities, have made parking a self-sustaining non-property tax-supported service and often resulting in surpluses.

How are Official Plans currently including Indigenous rights and communities?

Sun, 01 Nov 2020 14:00:00 GMT

In June 2019, OPPI’s Indigenous Planning Perspectives Task Force released a report detailing what must be done to include Indigenous perspectives in the planning profession. To assist this momentum, the Shared Path Consultation Initiative is gathering information that may reform how we share the land. We are working towards a future in which Indigenous voices and rights form a sustained and integral part of how we share land.

Considering Salt in Municipal Planning

Wed, 14 Oct 2020 20:58:26 GMT

As our previous posts have noted, the issue of salt use in parking lots is significant, and there are tools being developed to address this difficult issue. Several municipalities are starting to consider salt, and to implement policies to limit its impact. The Town of Innisfil has been a leader in the Lake Simcoe watershed in this regard. They recognize that considering salt use and winter management early in the process leads to better outcomes in terms of parking lot maintenance and safety, salt use, and parking lot longevity.

Equity in Micromobility: An Analysis of Public Bike Sharing

Thu, 01 Oct 2020 13:00:00 GMT

The quickly evolving micromobility industry has presented unique opportunities for the future of urban mobility and active transportation. Notably, public bike share programs offer a network of green transportation infrastructure that is both affordable and encourages public health. Moreover, with the introduction of electric bikes and other advancements in technology, transportation flexibility and efficiency for users continues to improve.

Discovering my neighbourhood during COVID-19

Tue, 04 Aug 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Most certainly, when 2020 began, I had no idea I’d be entering a David Lynch-style surrealism movie painted as reality. Then again, not many people really expected the current reality we’re still encountering at the end of July.

Parking Lot Design with Winter in Mind: LSRCA’s Parking Lot Design Guidelines to Promote Salt Reduction

Tue, 21 Jul 2020 13:00:00 GMT

As discussed in my June post, the use of salt in parking lots can cause major issues for the parking lot and the building infrastructure surrounding it, and ultimately the freshwater resources receiving the melt water. As this issue becomes more predominant, there has been a push to reduce salt use from many sources. In 2017, LSRCA worked with GHD to develop Parking Lot Guidelines to Promote Salt Reduction to help tackle this issue.

Engaging Immigrant and Racialized Groups in Public Planning Processes

Tue, 07 Jul 2020 13:00:00 GMT

The towns, cities and regions we live in are constantly evolving. As per the 2016 Statistics Canada Census data, 29% of Ontario identified as a visible minority. Furthermore, an increase in 13% of Ontarians with a mother tongue other than English or French was noted between 2006-2016. These statistics show our province is changing; however, planning does not appear to be keeping up.

Anti-Black Racism in the Liveable City and Canada

Wed, 01 Jul 2020 13:00:00 GMT

Since May 26, 2020, there have been sustained protests in Canada and the United States, in response to the police killing of George Floyd, Regis Korchinski-Paquet and countless other Black lives lost to the structural violence of anti-Black racism. These resounding calls for Black lives to matter should elicit deep concern from the urban planning profession which has yet to adequately confront its own institutionalized anti-Black racism that render cities unliveable for Black lives (Manning Thomas, 1994).

Let’s Talk Salt and How We Can Improve Parking Lot Management

Tue, 16 Jun 2020 13:00:00 GMT

The management of parking lots in winter has become an increasingly fraught exercise, with several issues effecting the decisions of parking lot managers and the contractors. Most of these decisions relate to public safety, liability, and the cost of insurance, but the environmental impacts of the salt we use on parking lots is becoming increasingly clear and should be a part of these decisions.

Planning's Relationship with Indigenous Communities: Planning Policy and Slow Progress in Changing Times

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 13:00:00 GMT

We do not want to be seen as speaking on behalf of Indigenous Peoples, but want to share our thoughts and experiences with the goal of encouraging planners to have more conversations, ask more questions and promote more action around engaging and building relationships with Indigenous Peoples and Communities.

Could Natural Infrastructure Projects Be The "Green Recovery" Canada Is Looking For?

Mon, 25 May 2020 13:00:00 GMT

After isolation: urban planning and the Covid-19 pandemic

Mon, 27 Apr 2020 17:18:52 GMT

Continuous Professional Learning: more important than ever

Tue, 14 Apr 2020 16:16:31 GMT

We acknowledge that professional planners are currently experiencing a variety of unique challenges, both professional and personal in nature as a direct result of this unprecedented global crisis.

Pimachiowin Aki: The protection of intact forest landscapes as an effective policy tool

Wed, 01 Apr 2020 13:00:00 GMT

In July of 2018, Pimachiowin Aki, known as “the land that gives life,” an Anishinaabeg First Nations traditional territory, was identified as a UNESCO world heritage site due to the vast amount of wilderness, cultural and environmental significance the area holds. Pimachiowin Aki is located within the northern Canadian boreal shield and forms the largest network of contiguous intact protected areas within the boreal ecosystem. This area covers over 43,000 km²—almost twice the size of New Jersey! The creation of this UNESCO world heritage site established a transboundary protected area linking regions in Ontario and Manitoba with Indigenous traditional territories and uses community-based approaches and Indigenous Traditional Knowledge to manage the newly protected areas.

Planners Abroad... in India

Mon, 02 Mar 2020 15:00:00 GMT

In 2018, eight students in Queen’s University Master of Urban and Regional Planning (M.Pl.) program, along with our professor, Dr. Ajay Agarwal, travelled to Auroville, India for our second-year project course. The team’s project involved developing a Tourism Impact Management Framework for Auroville, in partnership with our client, the Auroville Integral Sustainability Institute. The 14-day trip to Auroville was the culmination of three months’ worth of background research in Kingston, Skype/phone interviews with tourism experts, planners, and local residents, and other travel-related tasks prior to our departure.

Why Urban Sprawl is Ontario’s Oil Sands

Mon, 03 Feb 2020 15:00:00 GMT

As the third (and, alas, last) Environmental Commissioner of Ontario, it was my job, by law, to provide all Ontarians with a reliable, independent, non-partisan assessment of the provincial government’s energy, climate and environmental policies.

I delivered my last report on March 27, 2019, days before the Ford government eliminated my office. Chapter 4 of A Healthy, Happy, Prosperous Ontario: Why We Need Energy Conservation, focussed on the largest source of Ontario’s energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (climate pollution): urban sprawl. In October 2019, I presented what we learned at OPPI's 2019 Conference.

Empowering a Treaty Conversation About Relationships and Planning Policy

Fri, 03 Jan 2020 16:00:00 GMT

“As all parties in the Treaty relationship move forward, we need to find new ways to work together; it is a responsibility held by both First Nations and the rest of Canada”
– Loretta Ross, Commissioner, Treaty Commission of Manitoba

“Restoring Indigenous worldviews back onto the land is how we can work towards balance.”
- Kamala Todd, Métis-Cree writer, film-maker and community planner

Changes Coming to the Streets of Downtown Mississauga

Sun, 01 Dec 2019 16:00:00 GMT

MISSISSAUGA is a city in transition with consistent and steady growth since its creation in 1974. Over the past 30 years, the downtown core has transformed from a suburban community to an urban centre. Through rapid growth and strategic investments, the downtown has become the civic, economic and cultural heart of the city. Today, the downtown is an active, vibrant and pedestrian-friendly place with residential and retail uses enlivening its streets.

Planning for a Climate Crisis

Fri, 01 Nov 2019 13:00:00 GMT

Is Ontario and Canada facing a Climate Crisis? Many people say yes, news media headlines are more alarmist, but ask the everyday Canadian and they will say “what can I do? This problem is too big for me.”

The Challenge and Opportunity of Uneven Growth

Tue, 01 Oct 2019 14:00:00 GMT

As has been the case for some time now, Toronto is growing. We welcome 40,000 new residents every year on average, including a notable 77,000 last year, and the GTA is expected to grow to nearly 10 million people by 2041. Though growth is a certainty, the conversation around how that growth takes shape and impacts people on the ground, is intensifying.

December 9, 1994: The day planning came of age

Tue, 10 Sep 2019 15:00:00 GMT

On December 9, 2019, OPPI celebrates the 25th anniversary of the Registered Professional Planners (RPP) designation in Ontario. The work leading to that landmark 1994 designation began on November 24, 1989 in Toronto, when the late George Rich and Mark Dorfman disrupted the OPPI AGM and put forward a motion “That Council establish a working group to bring forward an application to the Ontario Legislature for a private bill recognizing OPPI and professional planners.” This was unanimously accepted by an excited group of younger planners who wanted legal professional recognition.

Urban Resiliency in Scarborough

Tue, 03 Sep 2019 15:00:00 GMT

Last month, we shared recent student research on urban resiliency. This month the blog post will focus on the application of research findings to the Scarborough Centre area - an area that is currently undergoing change.

Urban Resiliency: What is it and Why Does it Matter?

Thu, 01 Aug 2019 14:07:08 GMT

Urban resiliency planning involves planning for mitigation, adaptability, and recovery from change. It centers around the ability for a community or area to bounce back and resume a business-as-normal pace following a drastic event or environmental shift. The focus is not a return to the status quo, but rather an effective adaptation to new circumstances. Resiliency thinking encompasses all scales and scopes, and so it must be understood at a high-level, systems-based scale, as well as a place-based, local context.

How Green Infrastructure Can Protect Communities from Flooding

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 15:00:00 GMT

This spring we again witnessed devastating floods in communities across Ontario, costing homeowners and municipalities millions of dollars in damages, uprooting families and businesses, and leaving many wondering if this level of destruction is the new normal. While climate change will continue to cause unpredictable spring rainfall and other impacts, municipal natural assets are emerging as a new class of infrastructure, quickly gaining recognition by municipalities as mitigating flood risk, including here in Ontario.

A Planner Abroad... in Stockholm

Sat, 01 Jun 2019 13:00:00 GMT

Search any list of the world’s best, happiest or livable cities, and you won’t need to look far before you find Stockholm. The ’Capital of Scandinavia’ is one of the fastest growing urban centres in Europe, and has emerged as a European leader in the coveted technology and innovation scenes.

Understanding Vision Zero and the Transformation of Road Safety

Wed, 01 May 2019 13:00:00 GMT

For our May blog post, OPPI spoke with Jared Kolb (JK), Executive Director of Cycle Toronto, Sibel Sarper (SS), Assistant Planner – Cycling Infrastructure and Programs, City of Toronto and Brad Bradford (BB), Toronto City Councillor for Ward 19 Beaches-East York and Candidate member of OPPI about Vision Zero and its importance to pedestrians, commuters and planning in Toronto.

Please note: the views expressed in this blog are solely the authors' and do not represent their respective employers.

Spatially Planning for the Dead - Cemetery Urbanism and the Provincial Policy Statement

Mon, 01 Apr 2019 15:00:00 GMT

“The cemetery is a place where all living persons will have an imminent appointment. It is imperative for a city to identify future cemetery land requirements to house its growing population. The lack of cemetery space in the city, is quintessentially an affordable housing issue for the dead. Death in the city has become an equity issue.” -N. Hanson

Planning Acronym Confusion (PAC)

Fri, 01 Mar 2019 16:00:00 GMT

Planners are constantly multi-tasking, collaborating, working hard and looking for ways to save time or somehow make more out of each hour in the day. One way that we bend our temporal limitations is to provide for written and verbal short-cuts, specifically through acronyms. However, sometimes in an attempt to save time we end up confusing other people and sometimes even other planners. It is what I like to call Planning Acronym Confusion, or PAC for short, not to be confused with Pre-Application Consultation (PAC) meetings… and so it begins.

A Planner Abroad... in Tokyo

Fri, 01 Feb 2019 16:00:00 GMT

Tokyo is a city of contrasts. As the world's biggest city with an estimated 38 million people, you can find very peaceful and safe neighbourhoods next to busy shopping districts. The city is said to have some of the dullest architecture but look around and you see some of the most innovative in the world. New commercial and residential buildings are constantly renewing the city's building stock, and yet some of the most recognizable buildings, including Ikagami Honganji and Sensoji Temple, are hundreds of years old. This piece introduces you to the city that (almost) never sleeps.

Is there a ‘policy’ elephant in Toronto’s affordable housing strategy?

Fri, 04 Jan 2019 16:00:00 GMT

“Cities are like elephants,” says Geoffrey West in an Urban Scaling study by the Santa Fe Institute. “The larger they grow, the more efficient they become.”

Like a larger elephant – cities can spend their energy in more efficient ways such as serving a greater number of people with fewer and more effective services. Statistics Canada estimates that Toronto’s population will grow by 40.8%, reaching 9.7 million people by 2041. When thinking about the future of housing in Toronto, we should borrow from this analogy and think about how we use land and introduce new built form in increasingly efficient ways. Particularly as the City of Toronto plans to achieve its ambitious target of adding 40,000 new housing units by the next decade as one of many interventions being deployed to provide more affordable housing options for Torontonians who are struggling to find a suitable home.

Planning and the Evolving Impacts of Technological Change

Sat, 01 Dec 2018 16:00:00 GMT

Earlier this year, OPPI Council embarked on a series of generative discussions around the Council table on “mega issue” topics that have broader implications to the planning profession. We invited key stakeholders to join us in these discussions, and we also took the opportunity to reach out to the OPPI membership to gather your input to inform the discussion.

How Can We Make a Difference in Affordable Housing?

Thu, 01 Nov 2018 15:00:00 GMT

Over the last few years, there have been many articles writing and news segments about decreasing housing affordability, especially in urban centres like Toronto and Vancouver.

While housing costs have increased for many Canadians, Canada remains one of the best housing systems in the world. As a result, almost 80% of Canadian households have their housing needs met through the marketplace. However, not everyone has the financial means to access or compete in the housing market. In these cases, governments, community organizations, non-profits and the private sector work together to provide affordable housing.

Starting the Dialogue: Planning for Reconciliation in Ontario

Mon, 01 Oct 2018 15:00:00 GMT

After 150 years, the truth is finally out. This is a cause for celebration because through the force of its undeniable power, many positive changes are coming. We are now at a turning point for social justice in Ontario and Canada, within which the planning profession is at the forefront.

Planning for Culture in Brampton

Tue, 18 Sep 2018 23:24:48 GMT

Defining what “culture” means can be challenging – especially in a city like Brampton, with 234 distinct ethnic backgrounds and 115 languages at play, and growth fuelled by 14,000 newcomers each year. This challenge was apparent right at the outset of the City of Brampton’s Culture Master Plan initiative.

Re-envisioning Sudbury’s Inno-Tech Park: 2018 OPPI Student Case Competition

Wed, 01 Aug 2018 15:00:00 GMT

This year, the OPPI Student Case Competition brought together student teams from accredited planning programs in Ontario to create a leading proposal for the Inno-Tech Park in the City of Greater Sudbury as presented by OPPI President Jason Ferrigan, RPP.

Cheese, Chocolate & Women in Planning

Mon, 02 Jul 2018 17:00:00 GMT

On a cold winter day in Simcoe County, at an OPPI event in 2016, a curious young planner asked a more (ah-hem) seasoned planner, “Why aren’t there any women planners on this panel?” The response was, “Good question.” And from there, the Lakeland District International Women’s Day event was born.

Change is in the Wind

Fri, 01 Jun 2018 15:00:00 GMT

Can you imagine living next to 10,000 skunks? For some Ontario residents, this is their new reality.

In the summer of 2018, the federal government will legalize the recreational use of cannabis. In Ontario, the proposed legislation is being tabled under the Ontario Cannabis Act; new provincial legislation that would support the province's transition to the federal legalization of cannabis.
This change in federal legislation will have land use planning implications in relation to the retail sale of cannabis, and the agricultural production and processing of cannabis materials.

Impact of Land Use Planning on Property Assessment

Tue, 01 May 2018 16:00:00 GMT

As planners it is important we understand how the plans we create and implement have a real impact on both property owners and municipalities who rely on accurate property assessments to generate tax revenues. By virtue of their nature, planning policies, which regulate or restrict land uses, have the potential to drastically influence the value of properties.

Getting to Consensus – Keep the Lawyers Out of the Room

Tue, 03 Apr 2018 15:47:18 GMT

Have you ever felt that sinking feeling as you prepare for an Ontario Municipal Board (OMB) hearing? Ever feel like it’s all in the hands of the lawyers anyway? If only the planners could just get together and find solutions without the legal process taking over.

Measuring Farmland Conversion in Ontario

Thu, 01 Mar 2018 18:00:00 GMT

Farmland in Ontario is under immense pressure from development associated with population growth and urbanization. In many communities, farmland is sacrificed for residential subdivisions, commercial developments and aggregate operations, among others.

From ambiguity to empathy: How planners can collaborate to solve complex problems

Thu, 01 Feb 2018 18:31:38 GMT

Planners spend their days dealing with complex problems: from designing place-based communities, to creating effective transportation systems, and to creating housing opportunities for all. We know we need to collaborate widely and effectively across the urban system. How might we harness our understanding of the people we serve to develop collaborative methods for solving these problems together?

Do Cities Impact our Mental Health?

Mon, 08 Jan 2018 18:00:00 GMT

On Thursday, 7th of September 2017, CBC interviewed Professor Nicholas Rose from King’s College, U.K. on his sociological studies for an upcoming Mental Health and the Mega-city workshop in Switzerland. Professor Rose discussed the apparent link between higher rates of mental illnesses such as depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia and city life. There were no definitive answers on causes: noise, congestion, smells, wealth gaps, social exclusion, limited access to nature, etc., except for the subjective experience of stress.

Land and Truth/Land and Reconciliation

Fri, 01 Dec 2017 18:00:00 GMT

The planning profession’s growing interest in Indigenous communities parallels the slow awareness in Canada generally of the history of colonization and its aftermath. This is a sobering reality – the ‘truth’ part of Truth and Reconciliation.

Your Online Planning Community

Wed, 01 Nov 2017 17:00:00 GMT

How to Start a Mentorship Program at Work

Mon, 02 Oct 2017 17:00:00 GMT

The Transportation Planning Department of MMM Group (now WSP) established a mentorship program in 2016 in response to a strategic visioning exercise that identified mentorship as a staff need. A Mentorship Committee designed the initial program and guided it to the conclusion of the first year. Minor adjustments enhanced the program for its second year. This article summarizes the steps taken to establish the program and the lessons learned from its first year.

I am an RPP

Fri, 01 Sep 2017 17:00:00 GMT

Like many of my colleagues, during my time at planning school I was introduced to OPPI and with it, the Registered Professional Planner (RPP) designation. At the encouragement of our professors, many of us became student members of the Institute and began our respective professional journeys toward becoming RPPs.

Changes to the Planning Act – What you need to know

Tue, 01 Aug 2017 16:50:35 GMT

Communities in urban and rural areas are growing rapidly in Ontario. Our communities are being shaped by policy decisions in response to growth, which ultimately directs development. This is why the Smart Growth for our Communities Act was enacted, receiving Royal Assent on December 3, 2015. The Act helps to shape our communities through a set of predetermined measures, including:

To help municipalities fund growth
Give residents a greater, more meaningful say in how their communities grow
Protect and promote greenspaces
Make the development charges system more predictable, transparent and accountable
Make the planning and appeals process more predictable
Give municipalities more independence and make it easier to resolve disputes

Community Markets: The Impacts on Public Space

Wed, 05 Jul 2017 17:00:00 GMT

Spring 2011. I began volunteering with my community Farmers' Market in Leslieville, Toronto. This community event happens every Sunday from May to October in the Johnathan Ashbridges parkette. The Market provides a weekly hub for food, arts, culture and education. Each week there is music, a children’s program, and local merchants and farmers sell quality goods and services. The Market was created by three community members and has developed significantly over time. Each Sunday, the Market attracts roughly 2000-2500 people. This was not always the case, and that growth had Market Director Daniel Taylor and I, questioning the effects; The popularity consuming the Market begged the question: Is this Farmers' Market making a difference in the community?

Has the public realm gone to the dogs? The challenges of incorporating dog ownership into planning

Thu, 01 Jun 2017 17:00:00 GMT

As Toronto's core continues to grow vertically, parks are taking on new roles in the City's landscape. Downtown parks are being reinvented as backyards, front porches and even as public living rooms for new populations in the downtown core. In particular, growing numbers of seniors and families with young children rely on public parks for a good quality of life. But these same parks are also having to address another energetic, rapidly growing and noisy population: dogs.

Accessibility and Planning: What You Need to Know

Mon, 01 May 2017 17:30:00 GMT

Planners are leaders within their communities. You have the power to shape the environment around you and help make everyday life easier and accessible for people of all abilities.

Ontario’s History the Key to OPPI Case Competition Win

Mon, 03 Apr 2017 16:18:50 GMT

On March 11th, 2017, students from accredited planning programs across Ontario competed in the second annual OPPI Case Competition, held this year at the University of Toronto. Organized by OPPI’s Student Liaison Committee (SLC), each university entered one team to represent its respective planning program.

What Really Causes Parking Spillover?

Wed, 01 Mar 2017 18:00:00 GMT

Most North American cities continue to apply zoning by-laws with parking minimums whose logic and purpose is rooted in the fundamentally different planning, economic, demographic and environmental context of the mid-twentieth century. And yet they persist, even as they routinely and systematically produce urban landscapes ranging from the kind of disappointing to the utterly dystopian.

Creating Thriving Public Spaces As We Grow

Wed, 01 Feb 2017 18:00:00 GMT

As municipalities across the Greater Golden Horseshoe continue to grow in population and density, new strategies for creating parks and public spaces in more urban environments are needed. How do we engage communities and program parks when there are so many different users? How do we plan a public space system that is connected and accessible? How do we design public spaces in a flexible way to respond to their urban context?

Augmented Reality in Real Life: Evaluating the Potential of New Digital Tools for Use in Municipal Planning Practice

Tue, 03 Jan 2017 18:00:00 GMT

Pokémon GO - a phenomenon that swept the world this past summer! Cities around the globe experienced an influx of citizens into their public spaces as everyone tried to 'catch-em-all.' Crazed Pokémon trainers wandered the city swiping their phones and battling to win gyms, ultimately searching for the coveted Pikachu.

The Magic 5 for Managing Conflict

Thu, 01 Dec 2016 00:48:32 GMT

Conflict that we experience from day-to-day is a natural and normal part of life. Professional planners are aware that experiencing conflict is an inevitable part of the job, which drives the need for innovative solutions to mitigate, manage and resolve conflict. Here are 5 practical tips for minimizing and managing conflict in your professional practice.

Sharing Stories and Learning from Others: The Healthy Rural Communities Toolkit

Mon, 31 Oct 2016 18:24:29 GMT

Have you heard of the Healthy Rural Communities Toolkit? It's a guide for rural municipalities that helps recognize the characteristics commonly associated with rural communities. It provides examples of innovative practices, and land use and development strategies that can help to enhance the built environment and contribute to positive quality of life and health outcomes.

Does Planning have a Role in Truth and Reconciliation?

Mon, 03 Oct 2016 16:00:00 GMT

On the 2^nd of June 2015, Archbishop Fred Hiltz read an ecumenical response on behalf of Anglican, Presbyterian, Roman Catholic and United church leaders "Acknowledging that their apologies for harms done at Indian residential schools "are not enough,"... [and] welcomed the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which they say will offer direction to their "continuing commitment to reconciliation" with Indigenous peoples." (André Forget, 2 June 2015).

Planning for the Public Realm – A Call to Action

Thu, 01 Sep 2016 17:00:00 GMT

As the 2016 OPPI Symposium in Hamilton draws near, planners from around Ontario will gather to learn and share ideas around Planning for the Public Realm. In concert with this, OPPI is releasing a Call to Action that encourages planners, designers, the various levels of government, municipal departments and agencies, other related professionals and members of the public to make the public realm a focus in community building and placemaking efforts across Ontario.

Designing Visually Accessible Cities

Mon, 01 Aug 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Picture yourself standing on a city street corner.

You are absorbing the sounds of people, traffic and the hum of the unfamiliar city around you. How do you go about navigating this space, understand where you are and how to get where you want to go? Are there signs nearby that clearly indicate the street names, are they close and easy to read, are they consistently located? Are there maps that indicate your location and nearby amenity?

Rubber Hits the Road for Six‐Storey Wood‐Frame Construction

Tue, 05 Jul 2016 16:00:00 GMT

New Ontario Building Code ("OBC") amendments to permit six-storey wood-frame construction were enacted early in 2015, creating considerable buzz from developers trying to gain a competitive advantage, as well as planners looking to introduce a mid-rise and mixed-use development format into challenged urban environments. The amendments increase the permitted height for multi-residential, commercial office, and other mixed-use format developments from the previous four-storey cap.

Making Complete Streets a Reality

Wed, 01 Jun 2016 18:00:00 GMT

Achieve the drop of standards versus the established guidelines by being prepared to pioneer a new solution when historical design standards may not apply to contemporary objectives in street design. Incorporate stakeholder involvement with innovation in the form of interactive workshops and great visual representations.

The Community and Public are Gendered

Mon, 02 May 2016 16:00:00 GMT

When we design a public space, we design it for the public. But who is that public? In Toronto, where women comprise 52% of the population, do they ever come to mind as more than half of "the public"? Usually not. If gender and women's needs were more included in city planning, cities would probably look quite different.

Are We The North?

Fri, 01 Apr 2016 16:00:00 GMT

Historians and Geographers have often noted that Canadians claim to be 'northerners' but they don't travel or read about the north. In 1972, Daniel Francis wrote:

"Canadians may think that we are a northern people, but blessed little attention has ever been paid to the area or its inhabitants; unless, that is, the Americans show an interest in it, or there appears to be the possibility of some gigantic mineral discovery."

Rural Planning: Not Just An Urban Thing

Tue, 01 Mar 2016 17:00:00 GMT

Rural communities are home to approximately one in five Ontario residents, who experience unique environments and lived experiences that can contribute to specific, and often negative health outcomes. These health outcomes call for concerted action and responsive public policy.

Curate The City

Mon, 01 Feb 2016 17:00:00 GMT

Construction boarding lines our streets for up to five years. An otherwise unwelcome disruption can be used as a blank canvas to engage local citizens in community building activities. With momentum building among Toronto's city councillors to require public art on these vacant spaces, there is a growing demand for public art from Council, as well as the public, and the opportunity to transform them into an outdoor gallery for residents and visitors alike.

Give your car a break!

Tue, 05 Jan 2016 17:00:00 GMT

Delegates at the 2015 OPPI Conference in Toronto learned about the challenges associated with social media as an engagement tool in the Let Your Green Show campaign, where Peel residents were encouraged to take action on climate change in their communities. This included the resources and logistics required to undertake a public sector social media campaign.

Human Capital: Today and Tomorrow

Wed, 18 Nov 2015 19:39:54 GMT

Typically, people are aware of the technical skills required to be successful, but most are quite uncertain about the soft skills deemed necessary for team and leadership achievement. These core competencies must be defined, communicated and understood by individual contributors within an organization for honest and transparent talent management and succession planning to occur.

Walking Toward the Future

Mon, 02 Nov 2015 16:52:33 GMT

In the week that preceded the recent OPPI conference in Toronto, Dan Burden (Honorary Member of OPPI) and I (Robert Voigt, MCIP, RPP) had a number of conversations about the future of planning. As friends and colleagues we enjoy these discussions and the inspiration we derive from them.