News

The Canadian government’s Task Force for Housing and Climate recently released their Blueprint for More and Better Housing– a report outlining plans to build 3.8 million new affordable and climate-friendly homes by 2030. The School of Planning’s Dr. Dawn Parker commented through a recent piece in The Conversation on the task force’s report, stating that the “report recommendations fall short by failing to fully consider land and housing market dynamics,” and perpetuate the “tall and sprawl” method of urban development.

A recent study overseen by School of Planning’s Dr. Leia Minaker finds that even a few minutes spent surrounded by nature can boost the mental well-being of children living in cities. Dr. Minaker and her research team recently took 70 children aged 9 to 17 to a variety of stops across Kitchener, both urban and natural, to poll how each location made them feel.  

The School of Planning's Dr. Dawn Parker spoke with both Global News and the Woolwich Observer about the role that parking can play in addressing the Canadian housing crisis. 

The School of Planning’s Matthew Van Bakel (4B) and his team colleagues, Nathan Lee and Alan Mak, won 1st place for the third consecutive year at the 10th Annual Expand Your Empire case competition held over the January 27th weekend. 

Hamilton will be the first city in Ontario to introduce a bylaw targeting renovictions, requiring a permit purchased by landlords to confirm the legitimacy of repairs when seeking to end a tenancy to renovate a rental unit.

Waterloo Region has seen a rise in serious pedestrian injuries from being struck by cars in comparison to this time last year. There have been 38 incidents, many involving multiple injuries, in the past 67 days between November 1 and January 7, with 10 of those incidents resulting in serious injury to 16 pedestrians.

Waterloo students mobilize to save 15-minute evening service on the Ion light rail and win

The School of Planning's Director Dr. Mark Seasons recently spoke with CTV News about the potential benefits that mobile/modular housing could provide for addressing housing affordability.

The School of Planning is proud to announce that School of Planning graduate students Emma Borho and Michael Ricci have each received the OPPI Southwest District Planning Student Scholarship!

The Southwest District Planning Student Scholarships promote excellence in planning education, community service and personal achievement among OPPI members that are enrolled full-time in accredited undergraduate and graduate planning programs in Southwestern Ontario.

Emma is a second-year graduate student in the MES Planning program. Her research, with Dr. Leia Minaker, focuses on rural children’s perceptions of impacts of the built environment to their health. Her interests are in healthy communities and better understanding how planning can serve children’s needs. The SWO OPPI District was interested in her research as it is directly applicable to the challenges faced by many rural communities in the district.

Michael is a second-year graduate student in the MA Planning program. His research, with Dr. Martine August and Dr. Katherine Perrott, proposes tools for increasing 2SLGBTQ+ representation through urban design, participatory placemaking, and policy in public spaces in Kitchener-Waterloo. His interests in geography, social planning and urban design have shaped his research and professional goals. The SWO OPPI District expressed interest in his passions and research as it aligns with their commitment to fostering equity, diversity, and inclusion within Ontario.

The School of Planning is proud to announce that UWaterloo’ s Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-Racism has awarded School of Planning PhD student Barnabas Addi with the Black Graduate Award!

Barnabas comes to the School of Planning with a BSc. In Development Planning from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Ghana, and an MSc. In Urban Planning and Policy Design from Politecnico di Milano, Italy.

Barbaras’ PhD research “Understanding the Housing Pathways and Residential Geographies of Young Adults in Ghanaian Cities” aims to address housing concerns for young adults in Ghana’s fast-urbanizing cities, which have been impacted by economic hardship, neoliberal policies, and an increasingly inaccessible housing market. Ghana’s young adults face high levels of unemployment and low incomes, while their needs remain largely unaddressed in local urban and housing policies. Barnabas hopes to bring the housing experiences of young Ghanaian’s to planning research and policy discourse to progressively shape urban housing policies and ensure housing justice.