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UPLAND wins API Award for Pictou Waterfront Plan

UPLAND wins API Award for Pictou Waterfront Plan

UPLAND is thrilled to announce that we were recently awarded an API Award in Physical Plans and Design for the Pictou Waterfront Plan. We worked alongside the Town of Pictou and Develop Nova Scotia to define the communities vision for the waterfront and to develop guiding principles for the next decade. The process resulted in a document that enables the Town to strategically develop and nurture its waterfront to make Pictou an even better place to live through a set of interconnected design, policy, and programming recommendations. This project would not have been possible without our committed client, the Town of Pictou, all the engaged community members and our amazing team. If you would like to read the Pictou Waterfront Plan, you can find it here. 

UPLAND Launches Plan Amherst

UPLAND Launches Plan Amherst

UPLAND is excited to launch a new project in the Town of Amherst, Nova Scotia, reviewing and updating their Municipal Planning Strategy and Land Use Bylaws. UPLAND will provide the Town with land use planning documents that meet the needs of the community, consider and promote sustainability, are clear and easy to understand, and will reliably guide development in the town for years to come. The project kicked off in March, beginning with a site visit and analysis of existing land uses, and will continue over the course of 2022. The project is just kicking off the initial engagement with residents and stakeholders, which will continue throughout the spring. To learn more about the project, you can visit the website at www.planamherst.ca.

UPLAND Awarded Top Co-op Employer of the Year

UPLAND Awarded Top Co-op Employer of the Year

UPLAND is thrilled to be awarded Top Co-op Employer of the Year by the Dalhousie University Faculty of Architecture and Planning. We’d like to say thank you to all the amazing Dalhousie Co-op students who have worked with us over the years. Your skills, talent, energy and your perspectives have helped to make important and tangible contributions to communities across Atlantic Canada. UPLAND’s work and our office culture are better for it. We look forward to working with future co-op students in years to come!

Halifax Common Revitalization Plan Adopted

Halifax Common Revitalization Plan Adopted

UPLAND is pleased to announce that as of February 2022, Halifax Regional Council has formally adopted the Halifax Common Plan. As part of a multi-disciplinary team, UPLAND was engaged by HRM to develop a long-term vision for the Common, including management policies, objectives and guidelines for open and green space, as well as concepts and action plans for renewal.

UPLAND Receives API Award for Project Lunenburg

UPLAND Receives API Award for Project Lunenburg

UPLAND is thrilled to announce that we were awarded a 2021 API Excellence in Planning Award for Project Lunenburg – Comprehensive Community Plan. Thank you to the Atlantic Planners Institute for recognizing this project in the category of Comprehensive Policies and Plans. This project would not have been possible without our committed client, the Town of Lunenburg, all the engaged community members and our amazing team. The final outcome for the Comprehensive Plan included guiding objective, spatial plans, priorities for implementation, and a new MPS and LUB, adopted in July of 2021.

Welcome, Kevin!

UPLAND is excited to announce that Kevin Cooper will be joining the team as our newest full-time Planner!

Kevin is a professional planner with more than a decade of experience in communications and engagement. He began working at UPLAND during his Masters studies in Urban Planning, and since then he has contributed to a wide range of projects, including comprehensive plans, active transportation plans, recreation plans, and urban design.

Over the years, Kevin has developed a keen understanding of urban and rural planning theories and principles, and has gained practical experience assessing and evaluating plans, conducting field work, and using data and graphics to share ideas and arrive at creative solutions.

Working in a field that involves regular collaboration with engineers, architects, and landscape architects, Kevin has developed a literacy that bridges across disciplines and works to bring diverse voices to consensus. In his varied professional history, Kevin has taken on a wide range of roles and responsibilities including strategic planning, marketing, operations, research, and advocacy. He has gained valuable interpersonal and facilitation skills, having presented for private interest groups, municipal and political staff, and the public at large.

Kevin holds a BSc from the Faculty of Land and Food Systems at the University of British Columbia and is a graduate of Master of Planning program at Dalhousie University. There, he was awarded the Wallace and Marie Dykeman Prize in Rural Planning for his work on coastal access infrastructure in Lockeport, Nova Scotia.

UPLAND starts a new project in Hubbards, Nova Scotia.

UPLAND starts a new project in Hubbards, Nova Scotia.

UPLAND is starting a new project in the community of Hubbards, Nova Scotia, developing a Community Plan for the Hubbards Streetscape Project that will support the group’s efforts to create safe streetscapes, vibrant main streets, and effective development policies. The project kicked off in February, and will continue over the next several months, beginning with an analysis of existing conditions including a streetscape inventory, before moving into consultation with residents and stakeholders. 

UPLAND launches PEI Active Transportation Network Plan

UPLAND launches PEI Active Transportation Network Plan

UPLAND is pleased to announce the launch of a new project to develop an Active Transportation Network Plan for the province of Prince Edward Island. PEI recently established an Active Transportation Fund and developed a Provincial Active Transportation Strategy, which this project will build on. The plan will promote safe and efficient movement for pedestrians and cyclists, establishing a network of active transportation routes and developing a wayfinding strategy and a series of design guidelines.

Welcoming New Team Members

UPLAND is excited to announce the hiring of Ryan MacLean as Engagement Coordinator, as well as Arvind Gopalakrishnan, an Urban Designer and Planner who started with our team in the fall of last year.  For the last three years, Ryan has built volunteer programs that connect communities to nature through land stewardship, using a distributed leadership model that has received national attention. Her work is now being used as a case study for other organizations looking to empower local communities. A deep listener by nature, Ryan’s approach to engagement seeks to ensure that all voices are heard and valued. Ryan’s first projects with UPLAND include coordinating community engagement activities for a streetscape project in the community of Hubbards, Nova Scotia, and conducting stakeholder consultation for a new Seawall Trail in northern Cape Breton.  With over three years of hands-on experience across India, Africa and, Western Canada, Arvind specializes in site-design, streetscape design, and master-planning projects. He is passionate about designing inclusive spaces for people with cognitive disabilities, and public spaces that encourage intergenerational interaction. Arvind graduated from the Master of Planning (MPlan) program at the University of Calgary last April. Since joining our team in 2020, Arvind has contributed to design projects throughout Atlantic Canada, including a tourism development project in Clare, Nova Scotia; the development of a complete streets network in Halifax;  a mainstreet project in Inverness, Cape Breton; and a concept plan for the Stratford waterfront in Prince Edward Island.

Sparwood 2030 Recreation Plan Adopted

Sparwood 2030 Recreation Plan Adopted

In January 2021, Sparwood Council adopted the Parks and Recreation Plan. UPLAND worked with the REConsulting Group to develop the document which establishes a 10-year vision for recreation and leisure in the District of Sparwood, BC, and provides a framework to manage the direction of recreation, parks, and facility services over the planning period. The plan aims to meet the needs of the community today, as well as generations to come.

Project Lunenburg Comprehensive Community Plan Officially Adopted by Town Council

Project Lunenburg Comprehensive Community Plan Officially Adopted by Town Council

On November 17 2020, Lunenburg Town Council formally adopted the Project Lunenburg Comprehensive Plan as the Town's strategic plan. The motion passed unanimously, also passing a request for quarterly progress reports from Town staff. Project Lunenburg was a major two-year process that defines community goals and aspirations and charted a course that got community efforts moving in the same direction, contributing to a shared vision for the future. The final outcomes include guiding objectives, spatial plans, priorities for implementation, and will be followed by an updated MPS and LUB. The final document can be viewed at: projectlunenburg.ca

Sparwood Parks and Recreation Plan Starts Up

Sparwood Parks and Recreation Plan Starts Up

We’re in Sparwood, British Columbia this week to kick off public engagement for a Parks and Recreation Plan! This document will serve as a multi-year vision, providing a framework to manage the direction of recreation, parks, and facility services. The plan will incorporate principles of sustainability, accessibility, integration and engagement in the delivery of its services.

Engagement Kicks Off for Peninsula South Complete Streets Project

Engagement Kicks Off for Peninsula South Complete Streets Project

This week kicks off our first round of public engagement for the Peninsula South Complete Streets Project, with events at the Halifax Central Library and Dalhousie Student Union Building. Working with Crandall Engineering, UPLAND is preparing a functional plan for cycling facilities along this corridor, with the goal of creating a bicycle network that will reflect the principles of both the Integrated Mobility Plan and Active Transportation Priorities Plan.

UPLAND Receives API Award for Kentville Moves Plan

UPLAND Receives API Award for Kentville Moves Plan

Thank you to the Atlantic Planners Institute for the 2019 Comprehensive Policies and Plans Award! Our work on the Kentville Moves Active Transportation Plan would not have been possible without our committed client at the Town of Kentville and our wonderful team. The focus of this plan is to expand the quality and options of active transportation for residents walking or wheeling as a mode of transportation or recreation. The document includes recommendations for completing a Town-wide network, as well as improving on-road amenities.

Cape d’Or Development Plan Receives Funding

Cape d’Or Development Plan Receives Funding

Last year, UPLAND completed a Development Plan for Cape d’Or at the Bay of Fundy. Last week, the park received $292,000 in funding to implement the plan. The Federal Minister of Tourism, Mélanie Joly was on site to announce the funding and said, “I’ve read many strategic plans and the Cape d’Or plan is the best strategic plan I’ve read in the county”. The plan lays out an exciting and comprehensive vision for the site, providing guidance and direction on marketing, interpretation, park access, site improvements, partnerships, operations, maintenance, and more.

Plan Twillingate Plan Review

Plan Twillingate Plan Review

UPLAND is launching a new project. This plan review takes place in Twillingate, Newfoundland—the iceberg capital of the world! The process will review local plans and policies to guide the community over the next 10+ years. The new policies and regulations will consider traditional economic activities while adapting to the context of today.

Nova Scotia Planning Conference Presentation

Nova Scotia Planning Conference Presentation

This week we had the chance to present at the Nova Scotia Planning Conference about our work with SHS Consulting on Akoma’s Housing Needs Assessment, which includes a detailed demographic analysis of the community and an affordable housing project concept for their 320-acre property in Cherry Brook, NS.