Amy Twigge-Molecey, PhD, OUQ, MCIP.

Biography

Dr. Twigge-Molecey has been a lecturer in the Department of Geography, Planning and the Environment at Concordia University since 2009. She/they holds a BA in Gender & Sexuality Studies and a Masters of Urban Planning, both from McGill University and a PhD in Urban Studies from the Institut nationale de la recherche scientifique - Centre urbanisation, culture et société (INRS-UCS). Amy is an accredited urban planner and member of Ordre des urbanistes du Quebec and of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Additionally, she/they are an Adjunct Professor in the School of Urban Planning at McGill University. When Amy is not teaching in Montreal, she is an ACMG Apprentice Hiking Guide in the Canadian Rockies. 

URBS 393: Law & Regulation in Urban Planning. This course provides an introduction to the basic set of planning tools available to the practicing planner. Planning practice is situated within the context of the Canadian constitution and the provincial Quebec planning law, the Land Use Planning and Development Act (LUPDA). The course is divided into topical areas relevant to urban and regional planning. Law and regulations in land use control are discussed, including official RCM plans (regional planning), local plans (local planning), revision of plans and interim control, local zoning bylaws, subdivision bylaws, discretionary planning tools (variance, holding zones, site plans, spot zoning and incentive zoning), and public participation and grounds for judicial review of municipal actions. The final part of the course adopts amore critical perspective on land-use regulation, exploring how it has been exploited to sustain the interests of the powerful in contemporary society.

URBS 300: Neighbourhood & Community Planning. This course examines theories, issues and techniques of community-level planning in urban and suburban environments. Particular place-based or identity based communities and their participation in planning processes are considered. Models of community change and local development are reviewed along with the policies and supportive infrastructure in cities, including Montreal. Local governance, decision-making, and public participation are considered in light of municipal and regional institutions which currently predominate in Canada’s metropolitan areas.

URBS 420: Social & Cultural Geographies of Montreal. This course explores the social and cultural geographies of Montreal with particular emphasis on how the spatial distribution of communities influences urban planning and public policy at the local and regional levels. Complex webs of identities and solidarities informed by socio-economic, linguistic, ethno-cultural, and sexual orientation factors shape the city living experience of individuals and populations alike. Through lectures, discussions, assignments and field trips, students are introduced to a variety of analytical perspectives that investigate the socio-cultural dynamics that contribute to shaping urban settlements, human-environment interactions and local social networks.

GEOG 485: Feminist Geographies. This course analyzes gender and socio‑spatial relations of power. Specifically, this course engages with feminist thought through its intersections with anti‑racist, queer, and emancipatory geographies. This is a discussion‑based seminar which includes personal reflection on space, identity and difference, resistance and agency, as well as broader global and historical contexts.

URBS 450: Urban Economic Restructuring. The course provides a review of contemporary theories on the socio-spatial, organizational and political implications of the economic restructuring of advanced capitalist economies, supplemented with empirical case studies, with a particular focus on Western inner-cities. Particular attention will be paid to policies adopted at the municipal level to try and mitigate economic difficulties associated with economic restructuring, as well as shifts in municipal governance implicit in this wider transition.

URBS 498 N: Planning Property & Neighbourhood Change. This course provides an overview of the political and economic forces shaping neighbourhood change, supplemented with empirical case studies, with a particular focus on Western inner-cities. Particular attention will be paid to planning policies adopted at the municipal level to navigate the transition from managerial to entrepreneurial cities and how local neighbourhood changes are embedded within wider political-economic currents.

Twigge-Molecey, A. (2014). "Exploring Resident Experiences of Indirect Displacement in a Neighbourhood Undergoing Gentrification: The Case of Saint-Henri in Montreal." Canadian Journal of Urban Research 23(1): 1-22.

Twigge-Molecey, A. (2013). The Spatial Patterning of Wealth and Poverty in the Montréal Region, 1971–2006: A Literature Review. Toronto, Cities Centre - University of Toronto.

Rose, Damaris and Amy Twigge-Molecey. (2013) A City-Region Growing Apart? Taking Stock of Income Disparity in Greater Montréal, 1970-2005. 65pp. University of Toronto, Cities Centre, Research Paper RP222.

Twigge-Molecey, A. (2009). Is gentrification taking place in the neighbourhoods surrounding the MUHC? A census-based analysis of relevant indicators. Analysis Report RR09-02E. Montréal, CURA Making Megaprojects Work for Communities - Mégaprojets au service des communautés: 80.