Advertise on podcast: Plannerama

Picture it: this fledgling alumni association has hacked it to nearly ten years under its founding Chair, who now decides its time to step away. Who will pick up the torch? Enter Maurizio Rogato, SURPA/RPAA’s second Chair and the one who proved this group could last through a passing of the baton. Maurizio joins us for this episode to recount his favourite stories from his era, lasting from the late 2000s to early 2010s.

SURPA founding Chair and Managing Partner at The Biglieri Group Anthony Biglieri tells hosts Ashley Paton and Neil Loewen stories about the good old days, the inception of the RPAA/SURPA, and how things have changed nearly 30 years on. We are very excited to present this first episode in a multi-part series we're calling the SURPA Chair Eras Tour, a lighthearted walk down memory lane with contributions from each of SURPA's Chairs from 1998 til now.

We sit down with planner and community engagement specialist Alex Smiciklas (MPl 2020) for a wide-ranging conversation on what it really means to engage people in shaping cities. From graduating into the uncertainty of the pandemic to working on the front lines of public consultation, Alex shares why meeting people where they are matters (and where planning gets it wrong). Along the way, we get into the great Toronto vs. Vancouver debate, the reality behind 15-minute cities, and why some of the best parts of urban life are the ones we barely talk about.

Current undergraduate student and urbanist content creator Liam Vu joins us to talk about the ever-changing world of online planning engagement.

Just in time for the start of SURP's Fall Term we're taking it back to school and sitting down with current 1-year MPL student Shawn Williams! Shawn talks about his extensive planning experience before making the decision to return to school at SURP, and he even turns the tables on me to ask some questions of the host.

Everybody's favourite Toronto storyteller Davin McCully (MPl '19) stops by the pod to talk about consulting, ghost stories, and peameal bacon sandwiches.

Today's guest is none other than the creator, founder, and original host of Plannerama herself: Ashley Paton. We’re talking podcasts, planning, the Prairies, and pretty much everything in between.

As we gear up for TMU’s School of Urban and Regional Planning Alumni Association 2024 Spring Reception, we decided to take you behind the scenes and chat with the dedicated volunteers driving the engine of SURPA. Host Neil Loewen interviews SURPA members Nicholas Klymciw, Danielle Culp, Chris Drew, Alexander Hardy, Kevin Nunn, and Julia Bevacqua.

It was Valentine's Day when we sat down with three "planning power couples" to talk about that most romantic of topics: city-building. Part 3 of 3 features Emma Abramowicz of ERA Architects and Geoff Schwartz of Altus Group in a chat with host Neil Loewen.

It was Valentine's Day when we sat down with three "planning power couples" to talk about that most romantic of topics: city-building. Part 2 of 3 features Krishtian-Tyler Rampersaud of Weston Consulting and Humna Khurshid of Metrolinx in a chat with host Neil Loewen.

It was Valentine's Day when we sat down with three "planning power couples" to talk about that most romantic of topics: city-building. Part 1 of 3 features Stephanie Kwast of Bousfields and David Riley of SGL in a chat with host Neil Loewen.

Chris Drew is a planner with Kagan Shastri DeMelo Winer Park LLP, graduate of TMU SURP in the Class of '09, and the longest-serving active member of the alumni association! Hear him talk transit and city-building with Plannerama's new host: Neil Loewen.

Hear what Alexandria Ellington (BURPl '19) and Kevin Nunn (BURPl '15), the two sitting co-chairs of SURPA, think about cities, what's so important about alumni networking, and how to show off Toronto to a newbie. Happy listening and happy planning!

Today's episode is with Keira Webster (M.Pl. '17) and we're talking future-ready and climate-prepared cities! Keira shares about her experience advising EU cities on climate change, on advancing smart cities in North America, and how travelling the world is different when you're an urban planner. Shameless plug: Once you've given this a listen, we'd love any and all SURP alumni to join the 2023 SURPA Annual General Meeting this September 26th at 6:30pm (in SBB310 and on Zoom). Come nurture your planning network and have fun doing it!

Neil Loewen is Past Chair of the XPAA and Senior Associate at Urban Strategies Inc. He joins us on the podcast to talk about his time as Co-Chair of the XPAA, and shares a bit about the upcoming Spring Reception.