Christopher De Sousa

Dr. Christopher De Sousa is a professor in the School of Urban and Regional Planning at Toronto Metropolitan University and has served as both school director (2011 to 2018) and associate director (undergraduate programs, 2022 to 2024). 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 PhD 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.

Dr. 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 is currently working on a multi-year research project examining the funding and financing of brownfields redevelopment in Canada funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. His earlier research has been supported 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 Toronto Metropolitan University, UW-Milwaukee, and private foundations. Dr. De Sousa’s recent book is entitled Sustainable Brownfields Development: Building a Sustainable Future on Sites of our Polluting Past (external link)  and published by Routledge. His work has also appeared in prominent planning, geography, environmental, and urban studies journals, such as Landscape and Urban Planning, Local Environment, Environment and Planning B, the Professional Geographer, Economic Development Quarterly, the Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, and Urban Studies. Bibliometric studies examining international research on brownfields, contaminated land, and sustainable brownfield redevelopment by Lin, Zhu, Ahmad & Han (2019) and Zheng & Masrabaye (2023) highlight Dr. De Sousa’s contributions based on citations, influence, and productivity.

Dr. De Sousa is actively involved with government agencies and nonprofits. He is the past President of the Canadian Brownfields Network, a Steering Committee Member of the US Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) Brownfields/Land Reuse Health Initiative, jury chair for the Canadian Brownie (Brownfield) Awards, and on the Executive Committee for TMU’s Center for Urban Research and Land Development. He was the proud recipient of Canada’s Brownfielder of the Year award in 2018.