School of Urban and Regional Planning

Biography:

Research Interests

Homelessness and social housing, provision of services to the aged and visible minority members

Teaching interests

Housing, policy evaluation, theory

Philosophy of teaching

"To do no harm with exceptional students; to excite, stimulate and engage all students; to support the less gifted to reach their maximum; to respect my younger colleagues."

Dr. Springer brings to the program the benefits of exposure to three planning systems and cultures: British, American and Canadian. His interests in teaching are in the area of policy analysis and housing. During 1991, he spent the Fall term at the University of North Carolina, Wilmington. Current research includes: the salience of race and ethnicity in the provision of services to elderly tenants in Public Housing; the characteristics and patterns of hostel use among homeless people in Toronto; tenant participation in the management of social housing; ways of increasing the diversity of the planning curriculum; the patterns of price change in the Metro Toronto ownership housing market; and aging in place in public housing communities. Dr. Springer is committed to community service and has sat on the Boards of a variety of agencies, including the Ontario Housing Corporation for the maximum six-year term. In 1997-98 he was President of the Ryerson Faculty Association. Along with Dr. J. Mars, he prepared a Profile of the Homeless Population for the City of Toronto for the Mayor's Task Force on Homelessness. He is currently completing, with Dr. Janet Lum of the Politics Department, a study for the Centre of Excellence in Research on Immigration and Settlement.

KEY TO MEMBERSHIPS:

MCIP Member, Canadian Institute of Planners
RPP Registered Professional Planner
AICP American Institute of Certified Planners
OAA Ontario Associtation of Architects
MRAIC Member of Royal Architectural Institute of Canada