News

New research published in the Journal of Rural and Community Development explores how rural communities can strengthen connection, innovation, and local development in challenging geographic regions. In “The Peaks and Valleys of Connection: Lessons from the Scottish Highlands and Islands,” authors Blake Glassford and Ryan Gibson examine how the Smart Village approach has been used in the Scottish Highlands and Islands to improve connectivity and support rural communities.

Throughout the Winter 2026 semester, graduate students in Professor Mollie Kuchma’s RPD*6280 Advanced Planning Practice class undertook group projects, partnering with municipalities throughout the Province. There were seventeen proposals submitted and students chose seven projects to complete.  Three groups were invited to present their projects to the respective municipal councils.

Grey County:

Master of Landscape Architecture student, Thomas Davis-Moore, recently returned from a trip to Tuktoyaktuk, Northwest Territories, where he supported the ongoing climate change adaptation research with Dr. Kearney Coupland, Assistant Professor in Landscape Architecture.  

From April 20-23, 2026, a group of twenty BLA and MLA University of Guelph students, led by faculty members Brendan Stewart, Heather Schibli, and Steven Clarke, visited Montréal, Québec to experience the city’s vibrant parks and public spaces. The experience gave students the opportunity to explore some of the city’s most iconic sites firsthand while benefiting from faculty guidance and expertise throughout the trip.

Dr. Robert Corry has been named a Fellow of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects (CSLA), one of the highest honours in the profession. The recognition places him among the 2026 Class of Fellows, a distinction awarded to individuals whose work has made significant contributions to landscape architecture in Canada.

Graduate students in the Rural Planning and Development's Advanced Planning Practice course (RPD*6280) took a road trip to Bruce County from March 24-25, 2026. Getting out of the classroom is always a fun experience and a chance to see how policy affects projects on the ground, especially as we explored the local community and its interactions with tourism and environmental policies during our visit to Bruce County.

Students in the senior Landscape Architecture Capstone Studio had the opportunity to visit a range of leading design and planning firms in Guelph and Toronto. These visits included Dillon Consulting in Guelph, as well as Esri Canada, Studio TLA, and Urban Strategies Inc. in Toronto.

The Council of Educators in Landscape Architecture (CELA) recently honoured Dr. Robert Brown with a Lifetime Achievement Award, recognizing his pioneering research in microclimatic landscape architecture and evidence-based design. Dr. Brown, Professor Emeritus at the University of Guelph and a Professor at Texas A&M University, has spent decades advancing the science of landscape architecture. Dr. Brown’s research in microclimatic landscape design has had global impact.

In March 2026, Rural Planning and Development (RPD) graduate students Emma Pothion and Tristan Cook participated in the CARE International Annual Conference, hosted by the Paris School of International Affairs (PSIA) at Sciences Po in Paris, France, alongside faculty member Dr. Nicolas Brunet.

The School of Environmental Design and Rural Development (SEDRD) at the University of Guelph invited Grant Fahlgren, a member of Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation, Indigenous Design Lead at PFS Studio, and Chair and founding member of the Reconciliation Advisory Committee of the Canadian Society of Landscape Architects, to deliver a public lecture titled 'Indigenous Urbanism: Design for All Our Relations' on Monday, March 9, 2026.