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I am an urban planner working in the beautiful city of Kamloops, British Columbia for a small planning and engineering consulting firm called ND LEA Consultants Ltd. A recent graduate of the McGill University School of Urban Planning, I focus my attention on issues of urban design and transportation, particularly non-automobile oriented modes - walking, cycling and the like. I'm a smart growth proponent and a champion of main streets, and do quite a bit of work in safety and security and residential development.

Originally from Calgary, Alberta, I received a BA (Honours) in Geography and a certificate in Urban Studies from Simon Fraser University in Vancouver B.C. Vancouver was a great place to study geography. Few cities can rival the tremendous natural scenery Vancouver offers - the mountains, the ocean, the rivers and lakes, and fantastic wildlife.

Montreal was equally a great place to study Urban Planning - this city is home to the most diverse and exciting cultural life of any city, with a breathtaking architectural legacy and a depth of history visible on every block. I lived in Montreal for three years and found it a remarkable city, and a wonderful place to learn and study the art of civic design. I've been lucky to study in these great cities and I look forward to future adventures in many more.

Interests

I have a wide range of interests touching on nearly every subject in the library, but I tend to focus on Cities, Geology and Astronomy. My City interest revolves around my Geography and Urban Planning work, and involves a deep interest in environment & behaviour - how the built environment can influence patterns of human behaviour (emotion, movement patterns, psychology etc.) and how this influences urban design. My focus is towards safety & security - CPTED (Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design) is a concept of merit in my understanding. I am a practitioner and strong proponent of "gutter geography" - physical surveying of the less pleasant detritus found in alleys, corners, side streets that indicate potential problems and problem areas in a community.

I am also keenly interested in public transit, and have taken a fair share of transportation planning classes to provide the tools and knowledge-base to explore this topic. I'm intrigued with buses and their ability to flexibly respond to changing transit needs, but I'm also a proponent of light rail. I have an extensive collection of research on Vancouver's Skytrain (photos etc.) and have spent quite a bit of time prowling metro systems across North America, watching boarding patterns, wayfinding, station design, safety & security and accessibility.

My geological and astronomical interests are more esoteric. At one time I considered one or the other as a future career before Cities pulled me away, but I still find both topics endlessly fascinating. I am an amateur astronomer with a 4.5" Newtonian (built it myself), and I have a fairly decent collection of rocks that look like rocks to everyone else, but to me, they're worth several hours of examination with the rock lens and the mineralogy book. Living out west in Calgary and then Vancouver gave me easy access to the Rockies and I took full advantage - backpacking definitely ranks high in my favourite list of activities. I've only been able to go rock-climbing once so far out east, but the summer is coming.

I sneak these other interests into Urban Planning on occasion. I recently wrote up a survey on geological rock formations of Montreal Island for a multi-disciplinary research project, and another current project focuses on light pollution from cities and how planning can respond. Both drafts are available for viewing in my "Research" section.

Please feel free to look around my site and make comments - I appreciate the feedback. If you happen to be looking for a good geographer/urban planner for a project, give me a call. I might be able to help you out.

Website Intrigue

Syldavia is a bit of a twist on my name and a reference to one of the finest characters ever created, Tintin.

Syldavia is the name of an imaginary East European country frequently visited by Tintin on his many adventures. Syldavia is a lovely country with charming people and a rural economy, operating under benevolent Monarchial rule. Tintin first travels there in "King Ottokar's Sceptre" where he foils a plan to usurp the throne by agents operating from the neighbouring country of Borduria.

Tintin and his good friend Captain Haddock are called to Syldavia again by their scientist friend Cuthbert Calculus in "Destination Moon", where they participate in a bold Syldavian project to launch a nuclear-powered rocket to the moon and back. This adventure continues in "Explorers on the Moon", where Tintin, his dog Snowy, Captain Haddock and Calculus have many adventures including the discovery of water-ice in lunar caverns, meteorite impacts, a hostile stowaway, and Bordurian sabotage.

Tintin next travels to Syldavia with Captain Haddock on a mission to rescue Cuthbert Calculus in in "The Calculus Affair." Calculus has been kidnapped by agents from Borduria who want the plans for a secret sonic machine capable of tremendous destructive potential. Fortunately, Tintin and Captain Haddock are well able to foil the plans of an entire country (and with style!), rescue Calculus and reveal Borduria's nefarious intentions to the world.

Tintin's last journey to Syldavia occurs in "Tintin and the Lake of Sharks,"where Tintin encounters his old enemy Rastapopolous deep under the waters of a high mountain lake, at the head of an international gang of jewel thieves. With the aid of a few old friends, Tintin brings them all to justice and restores priceless art treasures to the museums of Europe.

Tintin is a fantastic character with the heart of a lion and the mind of a genius, wrapped together with a tireless sense of curiosity and a quiet modesty. Tintin represents the best of human nature, and I'm grateful to Hergé for him.

Cheers!