In 2018, City Council appointed Michael to the Vancouver Heritage Commission. Until 2018, he was Senior Downtown Planner for the City of Vancouver primarily focused on planning in the downtown peninsula and the West End. He has been an Adjunct Professor teaching Housing and Community Planning Policy at the University of British Columbia for 18 years. He was elected President of the Canadian Institute of Planners in 2013 and previously served as the Vice-President of the Planning Institute of BC. He has presented and written extensively on urban history, design, planning, music policy, skateboarding, demographics and housing. Currently, he is is shooting a documentary on the history of live music venues in Vancouver with Mark Pickersgill. He has been invited to speak and advise on urban issues in Berlin, New York, Seattle, Philadelphia, Portland, Memphis, Atlanta, Fort Worth, Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Halifax, Los Angeles and other cities. He has also received a number of awards for achievements in planning and his volunteer contributions to the planning profession and community-based planning.
