Wesley Sean Regan

University of British Columbia School of Community & Regional Planning (SCARP)

Based in

Canada
North America

Wes Regan is a PhD Candidate at the University of British Columbia’s School for Community and Regional Planning. His work prior to his dissertation research spanned multiple levels of government while occasionally veering into the world of politics, community advocacy, and citizen journalism. His research focuses on the nature of trust/distrust between governments and publics as it relates to planning, with particular attention to social media and digital mis/dis-information, conspiracism (conspiratorial framings and narratives opposing planning and related public policy) and the forms of contention they engender visa-vis techno-affective politics. Building on the work of Dr. Karen Trapenberg Frick (UC Berkeley) Wes draws on affect theory, post-structuralist theories of agonism/agonistic pluralism, communicative planning theories and the growing body of academic work on conspiracism and anti-governmental extremism, maintaining a focus on practical questions of public facing professional planning practices in volatile, emotional, and hostile settings.

Wes served on the Federal Council of the Green Party of Canada from 2016 to 2019 and was a Green Party Candidate in the 2015 Federal Election, serving as the Party Critic for Housing and Urban Affairs. His commentary on Canadian politics and energy policy, economic development, and urban issues have been featured in the National Observer, Policy Options, the Province, Plan Canada and other Canadian newspapers and magazines. His dissertation research examining the backlash to planning and the 15-Minute City in 2022-2023 is supported by a Social Sciences and Humanities Council Doctoral Fellowship and generous funding from the J. Armand Bombardier Sustainable Transport Fellowship, and Li Tze Fong Memorial Fellowship.

In 2016 Wes was awarded the Simon Fraser University President’s Award for Leadership in Sustainability for his work to build the capacity of urban food growers and develop local food systems infrastructure, and for his attention to social sustainability and economic inclusion relating to green jobs and low-barrier socially inclusive employment in Vancouver.