Want to learn more about how municipalities manage land use planning in their communities?

Municipal Planning Management Course (April 11 - June 18, 2022)

Instructor: Jane Dauphinee | RPP, MCIP
University of Alberta Faculty of Extension

Address­es com­mon issues affect­ing indi­vid­u­als who tran­si­tion into, or con­sid­er­ing, roles which involve admin­is­ter­ing and coor­di­nat­ing munic­i­pal land use plan­ning activ­i­ties. It is intend­ed to pro­vide stu­dents with a prac­ti­cal under­stand­ing of plan­ning admin­is­tra­tion func­tion and its munic­i­pal con­text, how plan­ning admin­is­tra­tion dif­fers from land use plan­ning, and the knowl­edge and skills need­ed to be effec­tive in the plan­ning admin­is­tra­tion role.

What you will learn

By the end of this course, you should be able to:

  • Understand the similarities and differences between the role of a municipal planning administrator and the role of a land use planner.

  • Recognize the similarities and differences between the role of a municipal planning administrator and a more standard management role.

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the institutional context, the important network of internal and external relationships, and the expectations within which municipal planning administrators operate.

  • Recognize the challenges posed by the content and process requirements for effective land use planning, especially in medium-sized and smaller municipalities.

  • Demonstrate an understanding of the approaches normally used by municipalities (particularly those that are medium-sized and smaller) to respond to the challenges they face in carrying out their land use planning responsibilities.

  • Apply the theory, concepts, knowledge, and skills needed to be effective in the municipal planning administration role related to land use planning projects.

  • Conduct an effective self-assessment of your knowledge and skills in relation to your planning administration role and responsibilities, for example by identifying specific areas where knowledge and/or skills must be acquired or enhanced to improve your personal effectiveness in this role, and developing practical professional development strategies to acquire or enhance the additional knowledge and/or skills identified.

2021 Alberta Professional Planners Institute Award of Planning Merit (Special Study Category) 

Municipal Planning Services (MPS) and CPP Environmental (CPP) are pleased to announce that the Pigeon Lake Watershed Management Plan (PLWMP) has won an Award of Planning Merit from the Alberta Professional Planners Institute (APPI). Awards granted from APPI acknowledge meritorious plans and projects, undertaken in whole or in part by members of the Institute, that significantly contribute to the livability of communities.

MPS and CPP are grateful for the opportunity to collaborate on the preparation of the PLWMP with the Pigeon Lake Watershed Association and are proud of the Plan and the work achieved in the Pigeon Lake community in the three years since its adoption. The merits of the PLWMP and this award are strengthened by the many efforts to implement the Plan’s recommendations. We chose to submit the PLWMP for the APPI Awards this year because we were able to identify material planning actions taken to implement the Plan. These include (among others):

  • The adoption of nine new Summer Village Municipal Development Plans;

  • The Pigeon Lake North Intermunicipal Development Plan; and

  • The Land Use Bylaw Watershed Regulations Implementation Tool.

This award represents the success of the collaborative effort of many parties to bring the project to completion. The strength of the PLWMP is its originality and innovation that draws on years of qualitative scientific, technical, and regulatory research to coordinate direct action for the protection and improvement of Pigeon Lake, its shore lands and its watershed.

We hope that other communities in Alberta will take steps to develop and implement watershed management plans and that Pigeon Lake will serve as example of what is possible to achieve through successful collaboration.