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.