spaxman.com

Ray Spaxman Consulting Ltd. advises both public and private clients in Canada and abroad. The practice is led by Ray Spaxman, whose consulting work since 1989 draws on more than 50 years of architectural, urban design and planning experience, including senior public-service roles in England and Canada and later private practice. If you are a municipality, developer, institution or community group seeking planning advice on cities, centres, large sites or related policy, this practice is positioned for that kind of work.

Client types

The website describes the client base as “numerous public and private clients.” That broad framing suggests the practice is not limited to one sector. In practical terms, the listed work areas point to engagements such as:

• Public-sector planning bodies needing advice on city planning, city-centre planning, large-site planning, zoning, housing and neighbourhood planning, or development strategies.
• Private clients such as developers or landowners working through development policy, high-building policy, heritage management or transit-related planning questions.
• Mixed or community-facing work, including citizen engagement, which often involves public authorities, private proponents and community stakeholders together.

The site does not name individual clients or list specific project references, so the exact mix of public versus private work is not published.

Regions served

The practice is explicitly described as advising clients in Canada and abroad since 1989. Ray Spaxman’s public-service background spans:

• England (1956–1966): Coventry, King’s Lynn, Norwich and Liverpool.
• Canada (1966 onward): Deputy Chief Planner for the City of Toronto until 1973; then Director of Planning, Subdivision Approving Officer, Chair of the Development Permit Board and member of the Urban Design Panel for the City of Vancouver until 1989.

That history explains the Canada base and the international reach, but the website does not specify which countries outside Canada have been served or whether work is delivered remotely or on site.

Work areas that define fit

The principal works listed are the clearest signal of what the practice takes on:

If your question falls outside these areas—for example, detailed architectural design services—the site does not present that as an offering.

How to check whether the practice fits your situation

Because client names, regions outside Canada and fee arrangements are not published, the practical step is to make direct contact and describe your project. The site provides:

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

When you inquire, state your client type (public or private), the jurisdiction, and which of the listed work areas your project involves. That lets the practice confirm whether the engagement matches its experience. The website does not state pricing, availability or response times, so those points need to be raised directly.

Ray Spaxman Consulting Ltd. advises on city, city-centre and large-site planning; high-building and development policy; heritage management; transit planning; citizen engagement; zoning; and housing and neighbourhood planning and development strategies. The practice is led by Ray Spaxman, whose background combines senior public-service roles and private consulting, and it serves both public and private clients in Canada and abroad. If your project falls within those areas and you want advice grounded in long senior planning experience, this is the relevant fit; the site does not list fees, service packages or availability, so scope and terms need to be confirmed directly.

The advisory areas in detail

The website groups the principal works into the following areas:

These are described as the principal works undertaken since 1989 for numerous public and private clients in Canada and abroad.

Why the background matters to the fit

The advisory offer rests on more than 50 years of architectural, urban design and planning practice. Ray Spaxman served in public service in England from 1956 to 1966 (Coventry, King's Lynn, Norwich and Liverpool), moved to Canada in 1966, and was Deputy Chief Planner for the City of Toronto until 1973. He then served the City of Vancouver until 1989 as Director of Planning, Subdivision Approving Officer, Chair of the Development Permit Board and member of the Urban Design Panel. Since 1989 he has advised public and private clients.

That history maps directly onto the listed services: development permit and subdivision experience connects to zoning and development policy; urban design panel work connects to high-building and design policy; and long municipal service connects to citizen engagement and neighbourhood planning. For a project that needs someone who has sat on both the regulatory and the consulting side of planning decisions, this profile is the main reason to consider the firm.

How to judge whether it matches your project

Use the list above as a checklist. A project fits well if it involves one or more of: a city or downtown plan, a large site, tall-building or development policy, a heritage program, transit planning, a citizen-engagement process, zoning, or housing and neighbourhood strategy. A project that is purely architectural design, engineering, or outside planning policy is not described on the site as a service.

Two practical points to confirm before engaging:

• Client type and geography. The practice states it has advised public and private clients in Canada and abroad, so both sectors are in scope; confirm your jurisdiction directly.
• Scope, fees and availability. The website provides no pricing, package or scheduling information. Do not assume any engagement terms from the site.

Contact

The site lists direct contact details for Ray Spaxman:

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 604-913-8951

A useful first message would name the planning area from the table above, the scale of the site or city, whether you are a public or private client, and the decision or document you need advice on. That lets the firm tell you quickly whether the work is in scope.

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:

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

To reach Ray Spaxman Consulting Ltd., use the two contact channels listed on the firm's website: email [email protected] or phone 604-913-8951. The site does not publish a street address, contact form, or other channels, so these are the only direct routes it gives you.

Contact details at a glance

Before you write or call

The site identifies the practice as that of Ray Spaxman, President of Ray Spaxman Consulting Ltd., an urban planning consultancy. Knowing the scope helps you frame your inquiry so it reaches the right kind of work:

• Who you are reaching: Ray Spaxman, a planner and urban designer with more than 50 years of architectural, urban design, and planning practice.
• Public-sector background: Public service in England from 1956 to 1966 (Coventry, King's Lynn, Norwich, and Liverpool); Deputy Chief Planner for the City of Toronto until 1973; then Director of Planning, Subdivision Approving Officer, Chair of the Development Permit Board, and member of the Urban Design Panel for the City of Vancouver until 1989.
• Consulting since 1989: Advice to numerous public and private clients in Canada and abroad.
• Principal areas of work: Planning for cities, city centres, and large sites; high building and development policies; heritage management programs; transit planning; citizen engagement; zoning; housing and neighbourhood planning; and development strategies.

Matching your request to one of these areas in your first sentence gives the recipient the context needed to route or respond to it.

A short message template

The page gives no stated response time or preferred format, so keep an initial email brief and specific:

Subject: Inquiry — [your project type, e.g., neighbourhood planning / heritage program]

Dear Mr. Spaxman,

I am writing about [one or two sentences on your project or question].
[One sentence on your organization and location.]
Could you let me know whether this falls within your advisory work,
and what information you would need from us to discuss it?

You can reach me at [phone] or by reply to this email.

[Name, organization, location]

For a phone inquiry, the same structure works: state who you are, the location and type of project, and the specific question, then ask whether a follow-up call or email with more detail would be useful.

Common sticking points

• No published address: If you need to send documents by post or verify a physical office, the page does not provide one; ask for mailing details in your first message.
• Single named contact: The email and phone are presented as Ray's direct contacts, not a general office line, so address correspondence to him.
• Website requires JavaScript: The site notes that JavaScript must be enabled in your browser to view it fully. If the page appears blank, enable JavaScript and reload before assuming the contact details are missing.
• No pricing or availability information: The page does not state fees, engagement terms, or availability, so raise these questions directly rather than expecting them on the site.

spaxman.com is the website of Ray Spaxman Consulting Ltd., the professional consulting practice of urban planner Ray Spaxman. The site presents him as a planning advisor drawing on more than 50 years of architectural, urban design and planning practice, combining senior public-service experience with private practice. It is a single-practitioner consultancy profile rather than a firm with a published service catalogue or fee schedule.

Who the site represents

The page identifies Ray Spaxman as President of Ray Spaxman Consulting Ltd. and lists these credentials:

• LLD (Hon)
• ARIBA (Rtd)
• MRTPI (Rtd)
• FCIP (Rtd)
• Hon AIBC

The "(Rtd)" markers indicate retired status in those professional bodies; the page does not explain what each designation permits in current practice, so treat them as background credentials rather than as evidence of active licensure.

Stated experience

According to the site, Spaxman's career spans two phases:

What advice the practice says it provides

The site lists these principal areas of work:

• Planning for cities, city centres and large sites
• Preparing high building and development policies
• Heritage management programs
• Transit planning
• Citizen engagement
• Zoning
• Housing and neighbourhood planning
• Development strategies

This is a description of past and current work, not a menu of packaged services. The page gives no information on engagement formats, timelines, availability or fees.

Contact details published on the page

• Email: [email protected]
• Phone: 604-913-8951

These are the only contact channels shown. The site does not mention a contact form, office address or booking process.

Practical notes for visitors

• JavaScript: the page displays a notice that JavaScript is disabled in your browser and asks you to enable it. If the page looks incomplete, check your browser settings first.
• Site build: the footer credits the Maskitto Light WordPress theme by Shufflehound, customized by jdstaples systems consultants.
• Scope of information: the site is a profile page. It does not publish rates, a client list, case studies or sample documents, so anyone assessing fit will need to make direct contact.

Who this site is relevant to

The site is aimed at public and private clients seeking planning advice on cities, centres, large sites, tall-building policy, heritage, transit, engagement, zoning or housing and neighbourhood strategy. If your question is about a specific project, the page gives you a direct email and phone number to open that conversation; it does not let you evaluate cost or availability without asking.