Making waves: The emergence of the Canadian planner

Abstract

"Making waves" describes every planner and defines our mandate. Some planners make ripples, others tidal waves; the entire profession is capable of a tsunami. The University of British Columbia's School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) has produced many accomplished wavemakers: city councillors, provincial and federal ministers, a recent premier, and members of the Senate. These planners have established a new profession based on taking risks, many of which create waves that splash back and threaten to inundate or even drown the wave-maker. Risk-taking is an essential function; as the ultimate characteristic of a planner, it also describes the history of planning education in Canada.