Courses

This course undertakes an examination of planning theory, with a particular focus on values and ethics, and explores the role of these topics in planning practice and in policymaking more broadly. It builds on the foundation established in Plan 500, which focused on the history of planning and on the theories and ideas that have animated planning, as undertaken by diverse actors, over the long term. In this course, we will pay particular attention to the important values-oriented and ethical questions that planners are likely to face in their work and which are also at the centre of much scholarly work on planning. Since planning as a profession and a field of intellectual inquiry is rich in theories, we will narrow our focus on a subset of themes and questions that are likely to play an important role in students’ lives as they go on to work in planning and which can provide useful lenses for guiding decision making and action. In short, the course will seek to be as applied as a theory course can be. The course will involve extensive in-class discussion, applied case exercises and site visits.

Legal principles affecting the administration of planning programs including the meaning and sources of the law, the separation of the functions of government, the Canadian Constitution and Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the law of Canadian municipal corporations, natural resource law, the nature and control of administrative action, judicial review of discretionary power, and the drafting of legislation. This course is not eligible for Credit/D/Fail grading.

Inclusive consultation and engagement with stakeholders and the public in decision-making. Facilitating meetings that foster equitable participation and mutually-agreeable outcomes.

The legal framework in which planning operates, including major legislation and institutions across Canadian provinces. Particular areas of planning law, including growth management and cultural heritage management.

The real estate development process, from both public and private sector perspectives. Land economics and how economic forces shape land use decisions. Diversified economic development. Public infrastructure and services.

The process communities and regions follow to create plans, including identifying issues, setting goals, and developing polices to achieve the goals. Tools that communities/regions employ to implement plans and monitor progress. Roles of different actors in creating and implementing plans.

Contemporary Indigenous community planning. The political, social and cultural protocols and values, history, philosophy, social structure, traditional knowledge, and ecology of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.

This course (PLAN 515) will introduce students to the laws within which Indigenous Peoples in Canada, and particularly in British Columbia, live, and which impact their communities and Nations. Students will gain an understanding of how law and governance inform planning with Indigenous communities.

This course will focus on the planning process, including how to get started, community engagement (stakeholders and public participation), situation assessments, visioning, issues identification, objective elicitation/structuring, option evaluation/prioritization, action planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation.

NOTE: This course is in effect as of 2025/26 academic year
An Internship involving a three-way partnership between student, external organization, and SCARP. By completing at least 80 hours of supervised professional work, students develop professional and technically relevant planning skills and capabilities through guided "hands on" experience in a workplace environment. 

This course explores affordable housing policy and planning in BC through a housing planner’s lens. It covers: (1) Introduction to Housing Planning and Key Concepts; (2) Indigenous Housing; (3) Government Tools, Strategies and Obligations; (4) Understanding Housing Types and Tenures Across the Continuum: Market, Non-Market & Homelessness; (5) New Ideas and Innovative Practices. We apply lenses of Intersectionality and Social Determinants of Health on the topics explored in the class. Its geographic focus is on rural, peri-urban and urban communities in British Columbia.

This course introduces students to the study of disasters, disaster risk reduction, and planning for disaster-resilient communities. It addresses such questions as What causes catastrophes?, Why are disaster losses increasing?, and How can communities become more disaster-resilient? The course focuses primarily on sustainable risk reduction for natural hazards and climate change adaptation. It will also consider technological hazards, human-induced disasters, direct impacts of climate change, and disasters in developing countries. 

This course introduces developing and implementing strategic/policy plans, using examples from metropolitan, city, and neighbourhood plans. Topics including land use, transportation, environment, and economic social and financial directions are combined into integrated plans for sustainable futures. We consider challenges with and opportunities of engaging public participation in plan preparation and implementation. We explore techniques for writing and managing plans at the city and regional-metropolitan levels. We introduce example plan-making under governance systems, including integrating new issues such as resilience into established plans.

The intent of the course is to empower emerging planners by introducing substantive knowledge of contemporary Indigenous community planning, built on a foundational understanding of the political, social and cultural protocols and values, history, philosophy, social structure, traditional knowledge, and ecology of First Nations, Inuit and Metis peoples.

This course covers fundamental urban travel demand modelling techniques and aims to help students understand how travel models are used in the planning process.