Profiles

Dr. Brian Doucet is the Canada Research Chair in Urban Change and Social Inclusion, and an Associate Professor in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo. Originally from Toronto, he lived, studied and worked in the Netherlands for 13 years, obtaining his PhD from Utrecht University in 2010. His research focuses on housing, transportation, gentrification, and displacement, with a particular emphasis on understanding the lived experiences of urban change. He currently leads four SSHRC-funded research projects.

Dr. Rebecca Mayers is a post-doctoral researcher at the University of Waterloo. Her research examines the structural and societal systems that impede access to safe and inclusive environments. In particular, she investigates three complementary areas: (i) equitable access and participation in active transportation, (ii) placemaking initiatives to promote social connectedness, and (iii) community engagement techniques for equitable involvement in public policy. In the Hamilton neighbourhood change research project, she is on the data collection and analysis team. She looks forward to discussing the experiences of participants along the LRT corridor! 

Nicole Rallis is a Ph.D. candidate in Curriculum Studies and Art Education at The University of British Columbia. Her research interests include a/r/tography and arts-based inquiry, ecological and environmental education, and exploring urban and rural sustainability discourses. Nicole fell in love with Hamilton when she moved to the city to pursue her master's degree at McMaster University. During her degree, she co-created a documentary that explored the city's post-industrial transition, This is Hamilton…After the Steel Rush (2012). Nicole is excited to join the research team and will be conducting interviews with residents living along the LRT corridor.

Brayden Wilson is a Master’s student in the University of Waterloo’s School of Planning. His research examines intersections between population aging, life course, generations, and urban and neighbourhood change. In the Hamilton neighbourhood change research project, he conducts quantitative and spatial analysis and supports the management and dissemination of related data. He recently finished working on and released Moving to Hamilton: the Numbers Behind the Anecdotes with Dr. Brian Doucet.

Caleb Babin is an incoming Master’s student at the University of Waterloo who has worked as a research assistant under Professor Doucet over the last year. In this time, Caleb worked on a project observing home upgrading patterns across Hamilton using repeat photography available in Google Streetview and is co-writing a paper on the findings. His personal research interests include planning theory and affective displacement induced by urban change. Caleb will be interviewing residents along Hamilton’s LRT corridor in order to distill their sentiments regarding these changes.

Matthew Jay is an undergraduate student in the School of Planning at the University of Waterloo. Prior to attending UW, Matthew lived in Hamilton for 2 years while he completed his Planning Technician’s Diploma at Mohawk College. He previously worked as a Policy Analyst for the City of Windsor and the Municipality of Lakeshore. Because of his experiences, Matthew is mainly involved with policy analysis, comparing innovative affordable / attainable housing strategies and models from other parts of Canada and the World. He is looking forward to finding out what policy directions can be taken in preparation for the LRT.