About City Planning

Founded as part of the national initiative to develop capabilities in planning and development in post-war Canada, the oldest continuing planning program in the country is housed in the Department of City Planning at the University of Manitoba. Throughout its fifty-year history the program has been an active participant on the urban scene, and looking back over this time the trends and currents that characterised Canadian planning are well represented. In its early years the program concentrated on physical planning, reflecting both the nature of planning at the time and the design work of its founding director, Joseph Kostka. Over the years the program has contributed to planning thought and practice, supporting and shaping the movements that have improved human settlements by bringing scientific knowledge, social and ecological thinking and equity principles into the discipline.

The program prepares students for work in a variety of planning fields by offering learning opportunities in planning theory and practice. Our mission is to strengthen the capacity of planning to enhance the ecological sustainability, social equity and aesthetic qualities of human settlements. The Master of City Planning degree is accredited by the Canadian Institute of Planners. Graduates are eligible for full Membership status in this organisation after two years of relevant professional experience.