You are now in the main content area

Christopher De Sousa

Professor and Associate Director (Undergraduate Programs)
EducationBA, MScPL, PhD, RPP
OfficeSBB-408, South Bond Building
Phone416-979-5000, ext. 556764
Areas of ExpertiseBrownfields redevelopment; Sustainability, environmental management and planning; Parks and open space.

Christopher De Sousa is a professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University and served as school director from 2011 to 2018. Before joining, he was a faculty member and chair of the Urban Planning program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and a faculty member in the Department of Geography and the Urban Studies Program. He received his BA in Environment and Resource Management, his MSc in Planning, and his Ph.D. in Geography all from the University of Toronto. He is a Registered Professional Planner and a member of the Ontario Professional Planners Institute and the Canadian Institute of Planners.

De Sousa’s research activities focus on various aspects of brownfield redevelopment, urban environmental management, park planning, and sustainability in Canada and the United States. He just wrapped up a multi-year research project examining brownfields redevelopment in Ontario funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. His earlier research has been funded by Mitacs, the US Environmental Protection Agency, USDA Forest Service, National Academies (HUD Urban Scholars Postdoctoral Fellowship), US Trade and Development Agency, Consul General of Canada, SSHRC, as well as by UW-Milwaukee, Toronto Metropolitan University, and private foundations. De Sousa’s new book is entitled Sustainable Brownfields Development: Building a Sustainable Future on Sites of our Polluting Past (external link, opens in new window)  and published by Routledge. His work has also appeared in prominent journals in planning, geography, environmental and urban studies such as Landscape and Urban Planning, Environment and Planning B, the Professional Geographer, Local Environment, Economic Development Quarterly, the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, and Urban Studies.

De Sousa is actively involved with government agencies and nonprofits in Canada and the United States that address urban-environmental issues. He was awarded the Canadian Brownfielder of the Year in 2018. He currently serves as Past President of the Canadian Brownfields Network, is a Steering Committee member on the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry Brownfields/Land Reuse Health Initiative, and serves on the Executive Committee for the Centre for Urban Research and Land Development.

Teaching responsibilities:

  • PLG 100: Introduction to Urban and Regional Planning
  • PLG 200: Planning Principles
  • PLG 530/730: Field Research Project
  • PLG 620/8109: Planning Client-Based Studio
  • PLE 865/8312 Brownfields and Sustainable Redevelopment
  • PLE 785: Field Placement

Teaching interests:

  • Sustainability
  • Environmental management and planning
  • Research design
  • Brownfields and infill development

Research interests:

  • Brownfields Redevelopment
  • Sustainability Reporting
  • Parks Planning and Development
  • Green Building and Development

Research projects:

  • Brownfields Remediation and Redevelopment in Ontario, PI, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Insight Grant
  • NRTEE 15 year update study: National Brownfield Redevelopment, PI, MITACS Accelerate Grant
  • Brownfielder of the Year award, Canadian Brownfields Network and Actual Media, 2018
  • National Center for Environmental Health – ATSDR Honor Award for excellence in frontline public health service presented to members of the ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) Steering Committee, Brownfields/Land Reuse Health Initiative, 2014
  • City of Milwaukee and Mayor Tom Barrett Official Recognition, Member of the City of Milwaukee Green Team, 2011
  • MCIP member, Canadian Institute of Planners
  • OPPI member, Ontario Professional Planners Institute
  • RPP, Registered Professional Planner