Melanie Hare is a highly regarded professional planner with over 30 years of planning experience, during which she has produced many inspiring and award-winning plans, taught and mentored countless aspiring planners, and provided exemplary community service. As an Accredited Planning Professional since 1993 and a Partner at Urban Strategies, she plays a leadership role in promoting sustainable planning practice.
 
In addition to her extensive work in Ontario, Melanie has been responsible for plans in other Canadian provinces, the USA, and Barbados. Further, the projects she has worked at range of scales from site specific (University of California, Berkeley Campus), to transit corridors (Saint Paul), municipal and waterfronts (Toronto), regional (Durham and Edmonton Metro), provincial (Ontario Growth Plan), and national (Barbados). 
 
The innovative and professional quality of Melanie’s work is underlined by the numerous awards that she has received, which include six (6) CIP Awards for Excellence, as well as awards from the American Planning Association, Alberta Professional Planners Institute, Ontario Professional Planners Institute, Urban Land Institute, Royal Architectural Institute of Canada, Alberta Union Municipal Association, Niagara Region, and the City of Toronto.
 
Melanie has contributed to planning education throughout much of her career. In particular, she served as an instructor, examiner, and mentor at Ryerson’s School of Urban and Regional Planning, as well as a mentor of numerous graduates of planning programs seeking certification. Melanie’s extensive community service includes serving as a Board Member on the Canadian Urban Institute, Vice-Chair of the Ontario Heritage Trust, Member of the CAMH Property Committee, regular presenter at OPPI, ULI, and CIP conferences, frequent participant in media reports, and leader in local neighbourhood planning initiatives.