Ian MacNaughton

Ian MacNaughton: middle aged man with white hair sitting on edge of desk
Ian MacNaughton, Founding Partner and Chairman, MacNaughton Hermsen Britton Clarkson Planning Limited. BA '68/MA '71; Urban & Regional Planning

Over the past 40 years Ian MacNaughton has made significant contributions to the planning, development and economy of Waterloo Region.

He has taken a high-profile, proactive position on many important matters including excellence in urban design, city planning, and environmental protection. His passion and commitment have allowed him to grow his firm, MacNaughton Hermsen Britton Clarkson (MHBC) from a one-man operation to one of the largest, long-standing planning firms in Ontario, with five offices and more than 70 employees.  

Ian’s experience covers a broad range of interests including policy development, aggregate planning and resource management, energy projects, economic strategies, commercial planning and development, downtown revitalization, housing studies, waste management and expropriation. He has advised senior levels of government, local municipalities and the private sector on issues related to planning and resource management.  

Amongst his many board memberships and advisory roles, Ian has served as the Chair of the Mayor’s Task Force on Downtown Kitchener, a member of the Provincial Smart Growth Central Ontario Strategy Sub-Panel, an alternate on the Greenbelt Task Force, and National Council Member and National Membership Chairman for the Canadian Institute of Planners. He currently sits on the Boards of Canada’s Technology Triangle, the Grand River Conservation Foundation and the University of Waterloo Alumni Council.

Well known and respected in the community, Ian was inducted as a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Canada in 1998 in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the field of planning. In 2007 he received the University of Waterloo’s 50th Anniversary Alumni Award and was appointed Planner in Residence by the School of Planning in 2010.

Ian is a long standing member of Pragma Council and was recipient of the 2013 Faculty of Environment Alumni Achievement Award.