Jeff Birchall, PhD, RPP, MCIP

Associate Professor, Faculty of Science - Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Admin

Curriculum Vitæ

Contact Overview Courses Activities Publications

Contact

Associate Professor, Faculty of Science - Earth & Atmospheric Sciences Admin

Email: sjbircha@ualberta.ca
Phone: (780) 248-5758
Address: 3-115 Tory (H.M.) Building
11211 Saskatchewan Drive NW

Edmonton AB

T6G 2H4

Overview

Area of Study / Keywords

Local climate impacts climate adaptation resilience planning local governance

About

I am an Associate Professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning, Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences. I have broad research and teaching experience in climate/ environmental change and planning, and specific expertise in local governance and sustainability. I have a range of academic and public sector experience, with an education that includes study in human geography (BA) and planning (BES), and advanced study in climate change (MES) and sustainability (PhD).

I am a registered professional planner through the Alberta Professional Planners Institute (RPP) and the Canadian Institute of Planners (MCIP).

I am the Director of the Climate Adaptation and Resilience Lab (CARL) and serve as Lead of the UArctic Thematic Network on Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience (https://www.uarctic.org/organization/thematic-networks/local-scale-planning-climate-change-and-resilience/)

Research

My research program, while grounded in community planning, is interdisciplinary in scope, and explores the broad theme of environmental resilience at the local scale.

My work on environmental resilience primarily examines local scale governance, and decision dynamics around motivational factors and extent of local planning for climate change risk reduction. Specifically, I am interested in localized environmental impacts (eg. weak shore-fast ice, permafrost thaw, erosion, flooding, wildfire) and how they affect critical infrastructure (eg. seawalls, roads, utilities, assets) and the built form (eg. land use, zoning), how this relates to planning decisions, and what this means for community well-being and safety. Research is largely driven by key actor and local stakeholder engagement, and includes site assessments and the examination of strategic planning documents. Ultimately, the aim of my research is the (co-) production of policy relevant knowledge/ outcomes, and translating theory into practice in a useful, locally informed way.

Courses

PLAN 410 - Professional Planning Practice and Ethics

The professional practice of planning is covered including the role of planners in society and professional ethics for planners. Prerequisite: PLAN 310 or HGP 310. Not available for students with credit in HGP 410. Restricted to Planning Major and Planning Specialization students.

Fall Term 2024

PLAN 485 - Advanced Topics in Planning

Exploring planning theories in the context of contemporary events phenomena. Prerequisite or Corequisite: PLAN 310 or HGP 310. Variable content course which may be repeated if topic(s) vary.

Winter Term 2025

PLAN 500 - Planning for Resilient Cities and Regions

The role of adaptive and resilience oriented planning to contribute to the development of regions that can sustain themselves and prosper through change and uncertainty. Sections offered at an increased rate of fee assessment; refer to the Tuition and Fees page in the University Regulations sections of the Calendar.

Winter Term 2025

PLAN 511 - Professional Practice and Ethics

The professional practice of planning is covered including the role of planners in society and professional ethics for planners. Sections offered at an increased rate of fee assessment; refer to the Tuition and Fees page in the University Regulations sections of the Calendar.

Fall Term 2024

Browse more courses taught by Jeff Birchall

Scholarly Activities

Research - Coastal Community Climate Change Resilience - Arctic Coast

Started: 201805

Case studies include communities in Yukon (Haines Junction, Whitehorse, Dawson City), Alaska (Nome, Homer)

Research - Coastal Community Climate Change Resilience - Atlantic Coast

Started: 201705

Case studies include communities in New Brunswick (Fredericton), Nova Scotia (Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Halifax), PEI (Charlottetown)

Research - Coastal Community Climate Change Resilience - Pacific Coast

Started: 201606

Case studies include communities in British Columbia (Cities: Victoria, Surrey, North Vancouver, Nanaimo; Regional Districts: Comox Valley, Nanaimo, Alberi-Clayoquot, Cowichan Valley)

Research - International Thematic Network Lead - Local-scale Planning, Climate Change and Resilience

New international network on climate change led by UAlberta scientist

Featured Publications

Climate change adaptation planning: Breaking down barriers through comprehensive educational frameworks

Birchall, SJ., MacDonald, S., Bonnett, N.

Journal of Planning Education and Research. 2024 March; 10.1177/0739456X241242059

Strengthening health-focused climate adaptation in Canada: Barriers and interventions

Rose, Desiree; Birchall, S. Jeff

Canadian Geographies. 2023 December; 10.1111/cag.12894

Key Elements of defensible space land use bylaw provisions in wildland-urban interface communities

Muffly, J., Birchall, SJ.

International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction. 2023 September; 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103988

Denial and discretion as a governance process: How actor perceptions of risk and responsibility hinder adaptation to climate change

Birchall, SJ, Kehler, S

Environmental Science and Policy. 2023 June; 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.05.017

Climate change adaptation: How short-term political priorities trample public well-being

Kehler, S., Birchall, SJ.

Environmental Science & Policy. 2023 May; 10.1016/j.envsci.2023.05.012

The influence of governance structure on local resilience: Enabling and constraining factors for climate change adaptation in practice

Birchall, SJ., Bonnett, N., Kehler, S.

Urban Climate. 2023 January; 10.1016/j.uclim.2022.101348

Growing resilient: The potential of urban agriculture for increasing food security and improving earthquake recovery

Slater, T., Birchall, SJ.

Cities. 2022 September; 10.1016/j.cities.2022.103930

Fostering resilience and adapting to climate change the Canadian North: Implications for infrastructure in the proposed Canadian Northern Corridor

S Jeff Birchall; Sarah Kehler, Nicole Bonnett

School of Public Policy Publications (University of Calgary). 2022 June; (Canadian Northern Corridor Special Series) 10.11575/sppp.v15i1.74463

Arctic and northern community governance: The need for local planning and design as resilience strategy

Kristof van Assche, S. Jeff Birchall, Monica Gruezmacher

Land Use Policy. 2022 February; 10.1016/j.landusepol.2022.106062

The influence of regional strategic policy on municipal climate adaptation planning

Bonnett, N., Birchall, SJ.

Regional Studies. 2022 February; 10.1080/00343404.2022.2049224

An assessment of systems, agents, and institutions in building community resilience to climate change: A case study of Charlottetown, Canada

Birchall, SJ., MacDonald, S., Baran, N.

Urban Climate. 2022 January; 10.1016/j.uclim.2021.101062

Social vulnerability and climate change adaptation: The critical importance of moving beyond technocratic policy approaches

Kehler, S. Birchall, SJ.

Environmental Science & Policy. 2021 August; 10.1016/j.envsci.2021.07.025

Challenges to climate change adaptation in coastal small towns: Examples from Ghana, Uruguay, Finland, Denmark, and Alaska

Fitton, J., Addo, K.A, Jayson-Quashigah, P-N., Nagy, G., Gutierrez, O., Panario, D., Carro, I., Seijo, L., Segura, C., Verocai, J.E., Luoma, S., Klien, J., Zhang, T-T, Birchall, SJ., Stempel, P.

Ocean and Coastal Management. 2021 June;