November 8 is World Town Planning Day! Planners and communities all over the world come together to celebrate how good planning improves the lives of people and benefits society at large, creating places to live, work, and play together. World Town Planning Day serves as a call to action to create inclusive, resilient spaces that meet the diverse needs of present and future generations. World Town Planning Day is celebrated in 30 countries on four continen
We are excited to announce a new funded project titled "Bridging Rural Insights: Integrating Research, Policy, and Development". The funding will support knowledge translation through the 2025 Rural Symposium and the Rural Review: Ontario Rural Planning, Development, and Policy.
The Rural Symposium is an opportunity for University of Guelph graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to showcase their rural research to Government of Ontario staff, rural co
Check out Kalind Patel's major research paper titled "Rural Broadband in Northern Ontario: Investigating the Status of Connectivity and the Role of Planners". A brief outline of Kalind's research can be found below:
This research investigates the current state of broadband internet access in Northern Ontario and explores the role of planners in facilitating its development. The motivation behind this study stems from the critical need for reliable internet
Economic development practitioners, health practitioners, and researchers shared their insights and experience on twelve critical topics to the future of rural communities and regions at the Rural Talks to Rural Conference last week. The interactive session allowed conference participants to learn more about current best practices, learn about existing programming, and to hear about current research. Participants had the opportunities to migrate between ...
Throughout the week, the Rural Planning and Development social media accounts (Facebook, LinkedIn, and X/Twitter) are sharing reflections and contributions from the 2024 Rural Symposium. Presentation and poster contributions from the 2024 Rural Symposium can be found online - https://journal.lib.uoguelph.ca/index.php/ruralReview.
Details about the 2025 Rural Symposium are forthcoming - stayed tuned.
How are rural and northern Ontario businesses attracting and retaining workers? Ryan Gibson, Heather Graham, Paul Sitsofe, Niju Mathew, and Sarah-Patricia Breen share insights on this question in a recent publication in the Y Magazine of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute. The article, titled "Help Wanted: Innovative Approaches to Workforce Development in Rural and Northern Ontario", identifies challenges rural and northern businesses face in work
Researchers, policymakers and practitioners recently gathered in Letterfrack, Ireland for the 2024 North Atlantic Forum. The Forum focused on sustainable livelihoods and sought to engage new ideas in rural development, policy practice, and the social economy.
To facilitate knowledge mobilization a series of rural research summaries were created by graduate students on innovative approaches to sustainable livelihoods. The summaries provides a snapshot of r
Farmland preservation is critical to the future of rural Ontario. The Connecting the Dots initiative is excited share the first Rural Research Summary - Farmland Preservation and Urban Expansion in Ontario. This summary sheds light into the challenges and strategies associated with balancing farmland preservation amidst growing urban development pressures, providing implications and practical recommendations for policymakers, planners, and community stakeh
Four members of the School of Environmental Design and Rural Development shared rural research at the recent 74th annual Canadian Association of Geographers national conference in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador. With a conference theme of Edges, students and faculty contributed research on rural health, rural economic development, northern veterinary service provision, and rural workforce development. Presentations shared at the conference included:
The future of rural businesses and communities is dependent on appropriate and effective workforce development strategies. Rural businesses and communities are confronted with challenges in accessing relevant human capital to support, maintain, and grow their operations. Without deliberate and place-based strategies, rural businesses and rural economies will be negatively impacted.
Researchers at the University of Guelph and Selkirk College are interested
