City-builder John Fleming joins Western’s Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance

June 15, 2020

John Fleming

Western’s Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance is excited to welcome nationally recognized urban planner John M. Fleming as a Distinguished Practitioner Research Fellow. Over the next two years, John will build on his significant professional experience to carry out research on local governance, civic engagement, and policy making in the field of city building and design. He will also collaborate with faculty and mentor students.

John continues to have a long and successful career in city-building. Currently vice president of the Council for Canadian Urbanism, he has been a strong advocate for mid-size Canadian cities for many years. A Registered Professional Planner, he retired earlier this year after serving as the City of London’s Managing Director of Planning and City Planner for over 10 years, during which he led the creation of the award-winning London Plan. He has received several awards for planning excellence and most recently was awarded the Richard & Beryl Ivey Lifetime Achievement Award from the Urban League of London in 2020.

Mr. Fleming said, “I’m thrilled to be joining the scholarly community at the Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance at Western.  During my 30 years in professional practice, I’ve had lots of revealing and inspiring conversations about city building and design with members of the community, as well as planning and design colleagues from across the country.  These conversations have led me to the Centre with the goal of undertaking research that can play a meaningful role in moving the profession forward in Canada.  I’m also excited by the prospect of building collaborative ties between the Centre and members of my professional network in London and across the country.”

“We are extraordinarily pleased to have John bring his deep experience in city-building to Western’s Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance. John is one of Canada’s most innovative city planners. We look forward to supporting and working with him as he mentors students and pushes the boundaries of how we think about civic engagement and citizen participation in local governance,” said Dr. Zack Taylor, Director of the Centre.

John is also an adjunct faculty member and lecturer in Western’s Department of Geography and a Senior Research Associate of the Health Environment Analysis Lab (HEAL).

Created in 2017, the Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance is Western’s interdisciplinary hub for research on cities. Part of NEST, the Network on Economic and Social Trends, the Centre brings together academic researchers and practitioners to address Canadian urban problems.

For more information, contact:

Dr. Zack Taylor

Director, Centre for Urban Policy and Local Governance

Network on Economic and Social Trends (NEST)

Western University

(519) 661 2111 ext 85169

zack.taylor@uwo.ca

https://nest.uwo.ca/urbancentre/