Rural Planning and Development Research

Aerial photo of Algonquin Park with river flowing through forested area

Overview

The program combines research, experiential learning and active involvement with faculty in order to create a stimulating learning environment in Canadian and International Rural Planning and Development Fields. Our faculty are widely recognized for both their leadership in the profession and their contributions to the communities they serve. They practice planning and development both in Canada and internationally. 

 

Faculty Research Projects

 
Project Title: Accessing the Capacity of Municipalities (Counties and Regions) to Respond to Evolving
Faculty: Dave Guyadeen
Funding Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Project Title: Aggregate and Agriculture: Understanding the Impacts of Aggregate Production on Agriculture and Identifying Mitigating Strategies
Faculty: Wayne Caldwell
Funding Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
Year Progress of Project: Year 1 of 3

Project Title: Biodiversity in the Dairy Sector
Faculty: Nicolas Brunet
Funding Organization: Ducks Unlimited

Project Title: Building for the Future: Rural Infrastructure and Regional Economic Development
Faculty: Ryan Gibson and Sheri Longboat
Funding Organization: Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance

Project Title: Catalysts for Gender Transformative Change: Capacity Strengthening for Nespresso Agronomists – AAA Program
Faculty: Silvia Sarapura-Escobar
Funding Organization: Nespresso

Project Title: Charting a New Course for Regional Economic Development: A Comparison between Ontario and Ireland
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Connection Grant (SSHRC)

Project Title: Collaborative Water Services Between First Nations and Municipalities in Ontario
Faculty: Sheri Longboat
Funding Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Project Title: Communities Left Behind? A Timely Examination of School Closure Controversies for Justice-Informed Decision-Making on the Fate of Public Schools in Ontario
Faculty: Wayne Caldwell
Funding Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Year Progress of Project: Year 1 of 4

Project Title: Economic Implications of Policy Change in Rural Regions: Implications of Legalizing Cannabis in the Kootenay Region
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Mitacs

Project Title: Energy, Housing and Homelessness Nexus in Northern Indigenous Communities in Canada
Faculty: Sheri Longboat
Funding Organization: Canada First Research Excellence Fund

Project Title: Enhancing Capacity of African Scientists and National Researchers in Agricultural Research for Development
Faculty: Silvia Sarapura-Escobar
Funding Organization: African Women in Agricultural Research for Development (AWARD)

Project Title: Evaluating Rural Municipal Climate Adaptation Planning in Ontario
Faculty: Dave Guyadeen
Funding Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Project Title: Evaluating Sustainable Governance for Non-Profit Organizations in Rural Canada
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Mitacs

Project Title: Évaluation du Rôle et des Actions de Fondations Subventionnaires Canadiennes en Réponse à L'enjeu des Inégalités Sociales et des Défis Environnementaux
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)

Project Title: Facilitating the Agricultural and Local Food Sector in Northern Ontario: Profiling the Toolkit to Municipalities, OMAFRA, Farmers and Communities 
Faculty: Wayne Caldwell and Sara Epp
Funding Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs - KTT Funding (OMAFRA) 
Year Progress of Project: Year 1 of 2

Project Title: First Nations Fisheries Management in the Great Lakes
Faculty: Nicolas Brunet and Sheri Longboat
Funding Organization: Royal Bank of Canada

Project Title: Gender strategy for the program: A Facility to Access International Knowledge and know-how for Agribusiness Growth in the Zambezi Valley
Faculty: Silvia Sarapura-Escobar
Funding Organization: Foreign Affairs Netherlands – Dutch Embassy in Mozambique

Project Title: Global Minerals and Local Communities
Faculty: Nicolas Brunet, John Devlin and Sheri Longboat
Funding Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council - Insight Development Grant (SSHRC)

Project Title: Housing Integration of Mexican SAWP Workers in the Ontario Economy
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Mitacs

Project Title: Indigenous Community Based Monitoring in the Oil Sands Region of Alberta
Faculty: Nic Brunet
Funding Organization: Alberta Environment And Parks

Project Title: Land Use Tools as Part of a Long-Term Strategy for Local Development 
Faculty: Leith Deacon
Funding Organization: Alberta Land Institute

Project Title: Making a Difference? Evaluating Rural Development Policy Interventions
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance

Project Title: Measuring Farmland Loss: Quantifying the Conversion of Designated Farmland to Nonfarm Land Uses Across Ontario and Assessing the Relevance of Farm Severance Policies
Faculty: Wayne Caldwell
Funding Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
Year Progress of Project: Year 1 of 2

Project Title: NUFFIC Project DISS/MOZ 230. Integrated Seed Systems of the Zambezi Valley
Faculty: Silvia Sarapura-Escobar
Funding Organization: NUFFIC - Dutch Organisation for Internationalisation in Education

Project Title: NUFFIC Project ZAMADZI MOZ 266. Gender in Integrated Water Resources Management with 12 Higher Education Institutions in the Zambezi Valley 
Faculty: Silvia Sarapura-Escobar
Funding Organization:  NUFFIC - Dutch Organisation for Internationalisation in Education

Project Title: OMAFRA's Guidelines on Permitted Uses as a Tool to Achieve Farmland Protection, Farm Diversification and Provide Economic Benefit: Assessing Effectiveness and Identifying Best Practices 
Faculty: Wayne Caldwell
Funding Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)
Year Progress of Project: Year 1 of 3

Project Title: Out-Scaling a Citizen Science Approach to Test Climate Adaptation Options on Rural Farms
Faculty: Silvia Sarapura-Escobar
Funding Organization: Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research

Project Title: Rural Immigration: Strategies for Rural Economic Development and Labour Force Planning
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Ontario Agri-Food Innovation Alliance

Project Title: Rural Non-Farm Development: Assessing the Impacts of Ontario's Provincial Policy Statement Lot Creation (severance) Policies, 2010-2019
Faculty: Dave Guyadeen
Funding Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Project Title: Rural Policy Learning Commons 
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Partnership Grant (SSHRC)

Project Title: Rural Proofing: Rural Considerations Approach Evaluation
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Government of British Columbia

Project Title: Rural Revitalization for Health and Shared Prosperity
Faculty: Ryan Gibson
Funding Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada Connection Grant (SSHRC)

Project Title: The Role of Environmental Researchers in Building Inuit Youth Science Literacy
Faculty: Nicolas Brunet
Funding Organization: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council - Insight Development Grant (SSHRC)

Project Title: Understanding the Barriers to Livestock Production in the Clay Belt: An Economic, Social and Political Analysis
Faculty: Wayne Caldwell and Sara Epp
Funding Organization: Ontario Ministry of Agriculture Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA)

Project Title: Water Security Planning: Engaging Community and Enhancing Local Governance
Faculty: Sheri Longboat
Funding Organization: Royal Bank of Canada