July 24, 2023
Congrats Professor Kelly Clifton,
SCARP's Director pro-tem this year!
As we bid a rejuvenating and fruitful break to Prof. Heather Campbell, who's just finished a 5-year term as SCARP Director, we hear from Director Pro-Tem Kelly Clifton, who has exciting updates for what's bound to be a great year at SCARP.
Professor Heather Campbell
Dear colleagues,
Many words of appreciation have been spoken and written over the last month. Rather than reiterate what has been said previously, I will be brief.
‘Thank you’ is a much over-used phrase, but as I transition towards study leave, I want to say a huge and heart-felt ‘thank you’ to you all, for your enormous commitment to SCARP, whether as faculty or staff. Community is in the School’s title, and you embody the very best of what it means to be a community. It has been a privilege to serve as Director over the last five years, and witness your individual successes, and the collective growth and flourishing of the School. I also want to extend a special ‘thank you’ to Leonie, as she transitions towards new adventures, while maintaining a close bond with SCARP. We will attempt to be true to your inspiration and wisdom.
I know with Kelly as Director the School is in very safe hands, and that you will support her with the same commitment and energy you have shown me over the last few years.
Finally, and most importantly, can I wish you all a hugely well-earned summer break, whether that involves finding a new favourite ice cream (I suggest chocolate!), something energetic, cultural or just restful, or may be all of the above.
Professor Kelly Clifton
Dear SCARP Community,
I hope you are having a glorious summer. On July 1, I started my duties as SCARP’s Director Pro Tem and will serve until next summer. SCARP is in good stead with Heather Campbell's leadership and the hard work of faculty and staff. Thus, my job is made much easier. I plan to stay the course in implementing our strategic plan and work on building community within and outside of SCARP. As such, there are exciting things ahead in the coming year.
We have a had a successful year in faculty hiring, and there are several new faces among us. Andrew Binet is our incoming expert in community-engaged research and learning, Holly Caggiano is our incoming expert in climate justice and environmental planning, and Kuni Kamizaki is our incoming expert in housing. They will be teaching new SCARP courses this year and we look forward to the energy and expertise they bring to the School. Please be sure and extend a warm welcome to Kuni, Holly, and Andrew as they transition to Vancouver and UBC.
We will host several events to celebrate the start of the new academic year, engage with our research and scholarship, and build partnerships with the greater community of planners in British Columbia. As many of our in-person events were sidelined during COVID, it is a time to forge new connections and reinvigorate existing ones. We hope that you can join us throughout the year for these in-person and virtual events. Come connect with us and see how SCARP has transformed!
And finally, a few words about me. I joined SCARP last year as a Professor and the J. Armand Bombardier Chair in Regional Transportation Planning. My research and teaching focus on transportation and the built environment. Most recently, I am thinking about how we make decisions about the use our street space and balance the competing interests in sustainable and equitable ways. To that end, I am leading a research cluster at UBC called Rethinking the Right-of-Way (or ReRow) that aims to take on this challenge from an interdisciplinary lens. In addition to my own research interests, I have been guiding conversations about the School’s research vision and how our scholarship can make an impact in our communities. Finally, I enjoy facilitating the discovery of common ground across seemingly disparate ideas, people, and places...I'm a planner!
I look forward to working with you as SCARP Director Pro Tem for the coming year. Our door is open and I can’t wait to see you all!