This week I take the role of guest editor of this well-loved and always appreciated blog and I am looking forward to it. First, a brief introduction. For those who don’t yet know me, I’m a city planner (formerly of the City of Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver), I’m an academic (working on my PhD in Urban Planning at UCLA) and I teach (currently a sessional instructor in the Langara Applied Planning program, the UBC Masters of Urban Design program and the UBC School of Community and Regional Planning). I am fortunate to serve Vancouver as the vice-chair of the Planning Commission and as the Commission representative on the City’s Urban Design Panel. Many may also know me from Twitter (@nlamontagne).
I’ll try to post a few interesting things related to my interests in urban design, planning, and complex urbanism, as well as other topics relevant to Vancouver and the region. I believe that it’s an interesting time in the region and we need dialogue, debate, and collaboration to take on the big challenges of our time, including the need for an equitable, sustainable, and joyful city that is greater than the sum of its many and diverse parts. I believe that we need more open, engaged, collaborative + reflective planning practice and I look forward to your thoughts on the state of planning in Vancouver and beyond.
