Introducing UBC’s New Director of Planning, Development Services.
Grant Miller joined UBC’s Campus and Community Planning team in 2015 as the new Director of Planning, Development Services. He and his team are responsible for ensuring that buildings at UBC are built to be safe, and that campus projects contribute to a complete community where people can live, work, learn and play.
Grant joins UBC with 18 years of municipal planning experience in Vancouver. His background includes current planning, policy development, area planning and transit oriented development.
Q: What was your first job, and what life-long lesson did you learn from it?
I was a gas jockey in high school. “Can I check your oil sir?” That job taught me that gasoline can cause catastrophic damage to a diesel engine and that draining a fuel tank seems to take forever when an unhappy customer is watching.
Q: Before joining UBC, where did you work?
I spent many years with the City of Vancouver Planning Department developing area plans and policies and managing a team of Planners responsible for assessing rezoning applications.
Q: How would you describe your role at UBC to a student?
My responsibilities are focused on ensuring all buildings and open spaces follow the Vancouver Campus Plan, which provides a guide for current and future development on campus.
Q: What makes working at UBC different from working for a municipality?
In the municipal environment private developers are motivated to bring projects to market as quickly as possible to minimize financing costs. UBC’s ambitious development timelines are adapted to the rhythms of the academic calendar and are ultimately in service of the academic mission.
Q: What projects are you most excited to work on at UBC?
I am very excited to see the staff and faculty rental units being developed on University Boulevard. They will bring additional energy to the campus core by creating a social and academic hub that includes housing, services, retail outlets, recreation facilities and great access to transit. I have been hearing from people who appreciate the increasing energy in the area and want to live close to the action.
Q: As a leader in the planning profession, what advice would you give a person interested in a planning career?
While planning contemplates a diversity of subject matters, central to the majority of the work is communication and collaboration. Listen actively, be curious, and enjoy the people you will be fortunate to meet along the way.
Q: What might someone be surprised to know about you?
I am a designer and maker of things when time permits. From furniture and cabinetry to a tent mounted to the roof of my old Subaru wagon.