The School of Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) at UBC was one of the first dedicated planning schools in Canada. Founded in 1951, we have over six decades of experience in graduate planning education and research. 

What you might expect/course format

While each course varies based on the subject and instructor, our VSP Packages feature:

  • Interactive in person lectures
  • Hands-on labs, fun and practical demonstrations
  • Team-based assignments
  • Fun social activities
  • Tours of industrial facilities (some programs)
  • Experience with industry standard software 

 

July 2025 Course Packages

Planning for Sustainable Food Systems in an Era of Food Price Hike

The world market prices of food commodities have increased dramatically since 2006-07 and 2010-11, reversing the long-run pattern of declining prices of food since the past 50 years, with significant impacts for low-income groups who routinely spend a large portion of their income on food consumption. This course will provide students with an overview of the key challenges undermining food systems sustainability in the contemporary era, especially as they relate to the increasingly frequency of food price shocks. This includes attention to a range of demand and supply-side influences, including climatic and environmental stresses on food production, as well as the financialization of food commodities, among other factors. Students will gain an understanding of key theoretical precepts in this domain, including debates on food justice and food sovereignty, agroecology, and climate resilience. A comparative Global South and Global North lens will be adopted. The course will rely on lectures, classroom discussions and guest speakers from leading thinktanks such as the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, the World Bank and International Food Policy Research Institute, to critically examine key underlying concepts.

Policy Evaluation for Planners

Policymakers are increasingly accountable to the public regarding the efficacy of their programs undertaken using tax funds. The class will offer hands-on experience, equipping students with the qualitative and quantitative skills necessary for policy analysis and program evaluation in government, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and international bodies. Students will explore diverse methodologies for policy analysis, applying these frameworks to real-world scenarios. Key objectives include effective communication and professional conduct. Learners will be able to assess the trade-offs involved in policy changes, identify stakeholders affected by these changes, and utilize standard analytical tools to devise policy interventions.

Prerequisites: No prerequisites

Minors (students aged under 19 at the start of the program): Not Accepted

For more information

For VSP SCARP-specific questions, email Karen Gill/Dolores Martin at info.scarp@ubc.ca.

Student testimonials

“On the plane back home, I couldn’t help remembering the wonderful moments that I came across in the campus of UBC. I attended the summer program in the School of Community and Regional Planning. From kind and knowledgeable professors to diverse and cooperative students, from time-honour anthropology museum to elegant botanical gardens, from the GIS project in my laptop to the new perspective of Big Data in my mind, I told myself that it was a month worth more than a month time.”

– Kan Haoyu, VSP SCARP Student

“As an interdisciplinary program, community and regional planning offer me the chance to get to know people from different kinds of majors, including geography, politics, computer science and finance. We shared and discussed different perspectives with various knowledge backgrounds during our group project and after-class team activities. I think it is an invaluable opportunity to gain knowledge in other fields and cooperate with people from diverse knowledge background.”

– Yanjian, VSP SCARP Student