Alan Wallace Recipient of the 2019 James Pooler Award

Each year the USask Regional and Urban Planning Program awards the James Pooler Award to a person “in recognition of a distinguished contribution to the Regional and Urban Planning program, the teaching and training of planners, planning research, or the planning profession.” The winner of the 2019 James Pooler Award is Alan Wallace RPP, MCIP.

Alan Wallace is one of the Regional and Urban Planning (RUP) Program’s most influential alumni. After graduating in 1984 he began a 30+ year career with the City of Saskatoon, eventually serving as the Director of Planning and Development from 2012-2016. As Director, he guided a staff of 50 people on five teams: Long Range Planning; Regional Planning; Development Review; Neighbourhood Planning; and Business Licensing and Bylaw Compliance. Alan retired from the City of Saskatoon to start a new chapter of his career, as Planning Lead for Saskatchewan with V3 Companies of Canada Ltd. Alan has been one of the most dedicated and consistently involved planning practitioners with the RUP Program over (at least) the past 13 years, teaching, mentoring, supervising, and essentially cheering students on. He has led fieldtrips at local planning project sites for planning students, given guest lectures in many of planning classes on a wide array of topics, attended senior student project charrettes and presentations, and created opportunities for student practicum placements. There is scarcely a Planning Students’ Association or RUP Program event where Alan is not present, mentoring and encouraging planning students as they carve out a place for themselves in the planning profession. Alan led some of the most influential planning initiatives in the City of Saskatoon’s history. The Integrated Growth Plan, in particular, will stand alongside some of the most influential planning initiatives the City has undertaken over the past century. Some other initiatives he led during his career include the Active Transportation Plan, the Saskatoon region’s regional planning framework, the bold and controversial bicycle lanes demonstration project, and the City’s nationally recognized affordable housing initiatives, award-winning Pleasant Hill Village revitalization project, and local area planning. Alan is currently the President of the Saskatchewan Professional Planners Institute, and he served as Conference Co-Chair for the Canadian Institute of Planners annual conference in Saskatoon – THRIVE 2015. Alan Wallace has been a titan in the planning community, in service to the RUP Program, teaching and training of planners, and the planning profession.

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