Planning - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) at University of Waterloo

Advance and create new knowledge in the field of planning and work towards a career in academia or the policy world with the PhD in Planning program. You’ll gain a practice-oriented and conceptually rigorous education that offers unparalleled opportunities for personal and professional growth. Through your research, explore some of the most pressing societal issues such as affordable housing, climate change, environmental conservation and policy, active transportation, urban economies, participatory planning processes, and equity and inclusion, among many other subjects.

Faculty: Faculty of Environment  |  Department: School of Planning  |  Duration: 48 months (full-time)  |  Study mode: full-time  |  Intake: Fall (September - December); application deadlines: February 1 (for admission in September)  |  Location: Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

What you will study

Research fields: Human and Built Environment, Physical/Natural Environment, Research project opportunities for this program, Environmental Sociology of Natural Assets and Nature-based Solutions, Natural assets are the stocks of natural resources and ecosystems that produce ecosystem services. Nature-based solutions, then, are actions we take to optimize ecosystem services use to help resolve societal challenges such as climate change adaptation and mitigation, floodwater control, environmental pollution, biodiversity loss, and threats to people's physical and mental health., 'Blackwards' to the Future: Past, present, and futures of the African American community of South Phoenix, AZ, Blackward to the Future is a community-led, participatory action research initiative dedicated to reclaiming the past, present, and future of the African American community in Phoenix, Arizona. The project seeks to address the erasure of Black histories from the city’s cultural landscape by documenting oral histories, preserving community archives, facilitating intergenerational dialogue, and co-creating future urban visions. Drawing on the Adinkra concept of sankofa—the principle of looking to the past to move forward—the project emphasizes joy, resistance, and self-determination over damage-centered narratives., Spatial Data Sharing Between Government and the Private Sector, The Waterloo Civic Map Lab is a research team focused on how geospatial technologies and data are used to meet the needs of community, government, and civic organizations. Student researchers at all levels (undergraduate, graduate, post-doctoral) work to create applied and theoretical research that matters - understanding the challenges, benefits, and issues created by civic technologies and geospatial data., Upcoming events, Tuesday, November 10, 2026 12:00 pm, -, 1:00 pm, EST (GMT -05:00), Graduate programs in the School of Planning, Join us on November 10 at 12 pm EST to learn how you can join a graduate studies program in the School of Planning in Fall 2027., ENV;, Future students → Future graduate students. Study option(s): Thesis.

Career pathways

Advance and create new knowledge in the field of planning and work towards a career in academia or the policy world with the PhD in Planning program.

Official programme page