This mini school is part of the UBC Future Global Leaders on-campus program for high school students ages 15–18. With 45 hours of class time, FGL mini schools provide a comprehensive introduction to a program area and include information on learning pathways and career opportunities.
The UBC Urban Studies Mini School provides introductory knowledge of, and experience with, a range of city-making processes. Through case-based and interactive learning, you examine the most essential questions about how cities (and suburbs) work from an interdisciplinary lens. You explore the complexity involved with understanding what a city is; where cities come from; how city systems function and are governed; and how decisions are made about the future of cities.
In the UBC Urban Studies Mini School, you:
- Work through real urban planning and development cases from around the world
- Learn directly from UBC planning and geography instructors and current practicing urban planners
- Get introduced to a range of urban research projects happening at UBC
- Meet professionals working in urban planning and development
- Get advice on university admissions and career pathways within the urban professions
Curious about how your career can be a part of helping to solve some of society’s most complex challenges? This mini school is an opportunity to start down that path by becoming part of the global community seeking to shape the future of cities. With all of the future population growth expected to be urban and many of the world’s cities rapidly expanding, there has never been a greater need for people deeply trained in the urban professions.
This is an excellent choice for anyone interested in working within the professions that shape cities including urban planning and development; urban geography; architecture, landscape architecture, civil engineering, and urban community development.
The UBC Urban Studies Mini School is offered by the School of Urban and Regional Planning (SCARP) and the Department of Geography at UBC.
INSTRUCTOR:
WES REGAN is a PhD Candidate in the School for Community and Regional Planning (SCARP) at the University of British Columbia. Wes’ career spans academia, the non-profit and private sectors, and multiple levels of government, including leading major urban policy work as a planner at the City of Vancouver. Since 2019 he has been Senior Policy Lead at Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH), where he played a key role in the design and launch of the award winning VCH Healthy Public Policy Unit. Regularly sought out for expert opinion by journalists and reporters, Wes has appeared on CBC, CTV and other major television and radio news outlets. In his free time, he is a non-competitive boxer serving on the board of directors for Eastside Boxing, a non-profit community-based boxing gym in Vancouver’s Chinatown.
Course format
This mini-school is held on the UBC Vancouver campus. You attend class in-person 9am–12noon and 1:30-3pm, Monday through Friday.
Choose to live in a student residence on campus or commute daily to UBC Vancouver:
Commuter Option: includes lunch in residence dining hall, Monday through Friday, and UBC Recreation Card.
Residence Option: includes private room and full board, airport pick-up and drop-off, local medical insurance for all international students (and custodianship if required for visa), weeknight and weekend social activities (e.g., trips to Grouse Mountain, Granville Island and Robson Street) and UBC Recreation Card.
Cost details
|
Student type |
Mini school fee* |
|
Canadian and Permanent Resident |
$2,110 CAD |
|
International |
$2,855 CAD |
Optional add-on
- Residence: $2,650 CAD
*All fees are subject to change.
To register
A Family Account in UBC’s Lifelong Learning registration system is required to register for UBC Future Global Leaders on-campus.
After you add the course to your cart and go to check out, you’re asked to create a new Family Account or log in if you already have a Family Account.
A parent or guardian needs to set up the Family Account with their primary email address. After the account is created, the parent/guardian adds the student as a family member to their Family Account using the student’s primary email address (the student’s email address cannot be the same as the parent/guardian email address).
Add the student to the course session in your cart and complete the checkout process.
After completing the checkout process, and while logged into your Family Account, select New Application to access the FGL information package. Your registration is not final until the information package has been completed and submitted. You may partially complete the information package and return to it at any time within your Family Account.