WSP’s Planning and Urban Design team is a recognized leader in land use planning studies, planning policy, environmental planning, land development, community planning, and urban design. Our team is passionate about providing innovative and implementable planning solutions and exceptional urban design that improves the quality of people’s lives by fostering the creation of complete and sustainable communities. As an award-winning leader in the planning and design of communities in both urban and rural environments, we offer a full spectrum of municipal planning, urban design, community engagement, land development, and GIS services.

Our Planning practice is comprised of over 90 planners across Canada, with offices in Halifax, Ottawa, Thornhill, Toronto, Oakville, Montreal, Vancouver, Kitchener, Winnipeg, Edmonton, Calgary and Kelowna. Our team applies its expertise in planning and urban development to projects for public and private sector clients. 

Our strength is our ability to generate both forward-thinking and sound, functional solutions to increasing  demand for integrated planning solutions in today’s environment. Our projects range from small infill developments to new urban communities and from ongoing municipal planning advisory services to the preparation of official plans, comprehensive zoning by-laws, community revitalization plans and strategies, community sustainability plans, development and environmental approvals.  Our professionals have been called upon to provide testimony at land use tribunals.

Our Planning practice includes environmental planners working closely with our engineers to deliver a suite of services to public and private sector clients as one integrated team. This includes environmental assessments for roads, transit, water / wastewater and land development, ranging from individual sites to large-scale infrastructure and master plans.

Our Services:

• Land Development Approvals
• Official Plans, Development Plans, and Secondary Plans
• Zoning By-laws
• Master Plans
• Urban Design Guidelines, Briefs, and Policies
• Community Revitalization
• Special Planning Studies
• Environmental Planning
• Planning Justification / Rationale Reports
• Concept Plan Development, 3D Massing and Modelling
• Architectural Control and Design Review
• Provincial Policy Conformity Reviews
• Optimal Use Studies
• Expert Testimony
• Growth Management Studies
• Strategic Plans
• Public Consultation and Engagement
• Advanced Geographic Information Systems, Analysis and Mapping

Bringing together natural systems, culture and community – Landscape Architecture & Urban Design 

WSP’s Landscape Architecture and Urban Design Studio comprises a diverse practice that spans the continuum of natural and urban environments across Canada and internationally. Individually, each of our studios brings together varied professionals, from seasoned leaders to leading edge creatives in a design environment that is rooted locally, and informed by multinational expertise and experience. Collectively, we are a team of over 50 landscape architects and urban designers in Canada, with hundreds more worldwide.

Our multidisciplinary culture gives us unique collaborative capabilities. Our design process integrates landscape architecture and urban design with planning, sustainability, ecology, water resources, heritage, engineering and transportation expertise, working in equilibrium to create environmentally sensitive and contextual solutions. What draws us together is a commitment to the creation of exceptional places, while building meaningful relationships with our clients, and the communities we serve.

We think critically, listen closely and inquire openly, seeking to understand and direct the processes that shape cities and nature. By weaving together the physical, natural, cultural, historical and social characteristics of a site, we create enduring places and celebrate community identity. We work at a range of scales, and across all project types. From urban waterfronts and streetscapes to healing gardens, our work impacts the varied environments that contribute to our collective physical and mental health. 

The challenges of catalyzing a community vision into a plan that can be meaningfully implemented, to building consensus among diverse groups, or crafting a beautiful construction detail are equally important in our daily work. The outcomes we strive to produce are transformative, nature-based and community-driven solutions.

Our Services:

• Green Infrastructure and Resilient Community Design
• Urban Plazas, Parks, Trails and Open Space Design
• Urban Design and Urban Design Guidelines
• Trail / Cycling Facilities Planning and Design
• Transit and Transportation Facility Site Planning and Design
• Outdoor Recreation, Sports Fields and Athletic Facility Design
• Downtown Revitalization and Streetscape Improvements
• Recreation Master Planning and Design
• Waterfront Master Planning and Design
• Visual Resource Inventory and Impact Assessments
• Visualization / Visual Simulations and Animations
• Site Planning, Design and Development
• Community and Neighbourhood Design
• Ecological Restoration
• Arboricultural Services
• Heritage Landscapes Research, Restoration and Conservation District Studies and Plans
• Aboriginal Consultation
• Cemetery and Memorial Landscape Planning and Design
• Construction Inspection, Post-Construction Monitoring and Contract Administration
• Public Consultation and Facilitation