How do we build beyond crisis? Community!

I have had the privilege of living in multiple cities with unique planning contexts across North America. From the expansive suburbs of the Dallas Fort-Worth Metroplex to the dense pre-war neighbourhoods of Montreal, the different urban landscapes I have found myself in has deeply affected how I understand community. During my time at UBC, I was an active member of the Planning Students Association (PSA), helped organize our annual Planning Symposium and completed a Studio Project supported by MODUS Planning, evaluating the implementation of small-scale, multi-unit housing in BC. 

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What have you learned that is most valuable?

SCARP inspires its students to develop their own compass. Beyond any practical skills, developing confidence and a sense of responsibility to advocate for better futures is the most valuable skill I learned these past two years. Planners provide communities a variety of technical and communication services, but in a world of increasing automation and shifting priorities, I see the most significant skill we can provide as an ethical check and balance to any process. 

Students and emerging planners will decide where their compass leads them, but imparting a level of life-long fortitude is incredibly valuable. 

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What advice would you give a student entering SCARP? 

Say YES to things! People attracted to planning school are overwhelmingly community-minded and proactive, but these days it is often easier to say no to social events or opportunities. It is also just as easy to over-commit and experience burnout, but my advice is to more often than not, say YES. The community you build at SCARP will be part of your network for your career, so any opportunity to build deeper relationships and connections with your peers and mentors should be seized. 

Beyond the walls of West Mall Annex, create connections across the city and region. The land we study upon is everyone’s responsibility to steward, and it is essential to learn the history which has brought us to this moment. For me, much of this learning took place outside of the classroom and instead with communities and organizations across the territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw, and səlilwətaɬ.

What is next for you?

I hope to support community engagement and responsible land use as a planner soon. I will continue to provide assistance for Adin Research & Planning, and hope to build off of recent housing policy research I conducted for my SCARP Studio project with some writing and reflections of my own. Planning education should never actually end, and by being an active participant in my community, exploring my own city, travelling abroad, and listening to others passionate about cities, I plan on remaining a life-long learner.