Mark Holland’s planning career spans more than 30 years. His years of practice cross many domains – as a municipal planner (Vancouver), as a planning consultant (Holland Barrs Planning Group / HB Lanarc), with non-profit organizations (Ecodesign Resource Society, Community Energy Association, Healing Cities Society, Urban Development Institute), in real estate development (VP of Development for New Monaco LP and Storm Mountain Developments), and in academia (Professor at Vancouver Island University).

Mark’s work has taken him across Canada, the United States, and further abroad, where he has grappled with issues at the regional, city, neighbourhood, site, and building scales. He has also worked with First Nations on community plans and resource management governance systems. He is probably best known for driving innovations and confronting the status quo in planning, including being one of Canada’s leading planners in sustainable development in the 1990s and early 2000s. Mark has continued to be a leading voice on the topics of sustainability, healthy communities, agricultural urbanism, climate change, and smart cities and ecodistricts. His work in these areas has led to the co-authorship of two texts: Agricultural Urbanism (2010) and Urban Magnets (2020).

Mark has also made significant contributions as a planning educator. He began as an instructor in the University of British Columbia’s School of Architecture and Landscape Architecture in the early 2000s. Since then, Mark has been a frequent speaker on topics related to planning and sustainability at the University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University. Perhaps his greatest influence on planning education is the role he played in launching the Master of Community Planning degree at Vancouver Island University (VIU) in 2014. Ever since, he has played an instrumental role in the school, driven by a commitment to ensure that the next generation of planners is prepared to help communities create their future.

Mark’s contributions have been recognized over the years, having been awarded a number of prestigious awards including Top 40 Under 40 Award (Vancouver Magazine), PIBC “Planner of the Year”, Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and recently VIU’s Graduate Student Mentor Award.