Over a 20‑year career, Steffen Kaeubler has worked alongside communities throughout Atlantic Canada, building a planning and urban design practice defined by innovative, action-oriented projects and meaningful change to communities across the region. As a co-founding partner of UPLAND Planning + Design, he has grown the firm from a two‑person start‑up in 2014 into one of Atlantic Canada’s largest planner‑led private planning practices. Today, UPLAND’s diverse, multi-disciplinary team has delivered more than 300 projects across Canada, earning over a dozen regional and national awards from the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP), the Atlantic Planners Institute (API), and the Atlantic Provinces Association of Landscape Architects (APALA).

Steffen is widely recognized for elevating the communicative dimension of planning. His visually rich, narrative‑driven plans, such as the Project Lunenburg Comprehensive Community Plan, the Stratford Waterfront Core Area Plan, as well as various Zoning Handbooks and Urban Design Manuals, have transformed how planning concepts are presented and engaged with, turning plans into learning tools for practitioners, decision‑makers, and the public.

A defining strength of his practice is the integration of rigorous policy with strong physical design expertise. His dual training in architecture and planning has influenced the planning and urban design profession, contributing to a shift toward visually legible, implementation-oriented planning documents, particularly in growing communities throughout Atlantic Canada.

Steffen’s commitment to mentorship and public-interest planning is long-standing. Through UPLAND, he has supported co-op students and early-career planners since 2015, and his pro bono and partnership-based work, especially with rural and underserved communities, reinforces planning as a collaborative, community-grounded practice.