What Is Ray Spaxman's Professional Background and Planning Experience?

Updated

Ray Spaxman is an urban planner and architect whose career spans more than 50 years across England and Canada. He is President of Ray Spaxman Consulting Ltd., a practice he has run since 1989, advising public and private clients in Canada and abroad. His credentials include ARIBA (Rtd), MRTPI (Rtd), FCIP (Rtd), Hon AIBC, and an honorary LLD. If you are evaluating whether his experience fits a planning, urban design, or development-policy engagement, the summary below covers the verifiable record presented on spaxman.com.

Early Public Service in England (1956–1966)

Spaxman worked in public service in England for a decade, in Coventry, King's Lynn, Norwich, and Liverpool. This period established the architectural and planning foundation that preceded his move to Canada.

Toronto: Deputy Chief Planner (1966–1973)

After moving to Canada in 1966, he served as Deputy Chief Planner for the City of Toronto until 1973. This role placed him in a senior position within a major Canadian city's planning function during a period of significant urban growth.

Vancouver: Director of Planning and Related Roles (1973–1989)

In 1973, Spaxman was appointed to a cluster of senior roles with the City of Vancouver, which he held until 1989:

  • Director of Planning
  • Subdivision Approving Officer
  • Chair of the Development Permit Board
  • Member of the Urban Design Panel

This combination of roles meant responsibility for both long-range planning policy and regulatory decision-making on individual development proposals — a pairing that is unusual and relevant if you need advice grounded in how planning decisions are actually made, not just how policy is written.

Consulting Practice Since 1989

Since 1989, Ray Spaxman Consulting Ltd. has advised numerous public and private clients in Canada and abroad. The principal areas of work listed on the site are:

Area What it covers
City and city-centre planning Planning for cities, downtowns, and large sites
Development policy Preparing high building and development policies
Heritage Heritage management programs
Transit Transit planning
Engagement Citizen engagement
Land-use regulation Zoning
Housing and neighbourhoods Housing and neighbourhood planning, development strategies

How to Assess Fit for Your Situation

The site presents a senior generalist profile rather than a narrow specialty: policy writing, development review, heritage, transit, and public engagement all appear in the listed work. That breadth suits engagements where planning policy and development approval intersect — for example, a large-site redevelopment that needs both a policy rationale and a path through permit processes.

The site does not publish fees, availability, project examples, or client references. If those matter to your decision, they would need to be requested directly.

Contact

Ray Spaxman Consulting Ltd. Email: [email protected] Phone: 604-913-8951