Ren Thomas

Ren Thomas enjoys studying complex questions concerning urban growth and development. She is particularly interested in structural changes in cities, the impact of immigration upon Canadian cities, housing policy, and public transit provision. Her dissertation,"Resiliency in Housing and Transportation Choices: The Experiences of Filipino Immigrants in Toronto" explored all of these issues. It can be found at: https://circle.ubc.ca/handle/2429/36897

Ren has worked in a number of research settings in both the housing and transportation fields. Most recently, she worked with the BC Non-Profit Housing Association and the UBC School of Population and Public Health on a SSHRC-funded project, a program evaluation for a housing society on Vancouver Island. During her Masters degree, Ren worked at Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia (SPARC BC), disseminating research on housing affordability and homelessness. From 2002-2005 she worked in the Research Division at Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC), on sustainable communities research projects and in research dissemination. At Mustel Group, a market research firm, Ren worked on the BCAA Travel Survey, Edmonton U-Pass Study, Greater Vancouver Goods Movement Study and the South of Fraser Area Transit Plan Follow-up Study. During her Masters degree, she did an internship at the South Coast British Columbia Transportation Authority (TransLink), which contributed to her thesis on the travel patterns of youth and young adults in Vancouver and Surrey. She also worked on a website featuring articles and best practices in active transportation for the Federation of Canadian Municipalities. Her undergraduate degree and work experience in landscape architecture have also given her experience in urban design, graphic design and environmental impact assessment.

PLAN 425 (Fall) 2008 and 2009