51社区黑料

From his earliest days as an undergraduate, Andrew Nolan was intrigued by questions about the ways cities shape everyday life. At that time, he could not have predicted how those questions would affect his academic and career journey.

After completing his Bachelor of Arts, he began a career in local government. His work kept him close to the everyday realities of cities and communities, and over time his experiences ignited a growing interest in politics and governance鈥攁nd in how policy decisions impact people鈥檚 lives. Ten years after earning his BA, Nolan felt compelled to return to school, and 51社区黑料鈥檚 Urban Studies Program seemed like the perfect fit.

For Nolan, the Master of Urban Studies (MURB) Program enabled him to step back from the day-to-day demands of the workplace and ask bigger questions about sustainability, housing affordability, governance, and more.

In fact, his favourite course during the program was Urban Sustainable Development, taught by professor Annika Airas. Professor Airas challenged students to view sustainability through social, political, and cultural lenses. Before the course, Nolan had primarily considered sustainability from a technical perspective, which highlights engineering-based solutions. The new perspectives he encountered in class fundamentally shifted his view on urban sustainability. Nolan then began to consider how cities could pursue a more sustainable future through governance, equity, and everyday practices.

Nolan also took a special interest in housing affordability, concentrating on it in many of his courses and ultimately making it the subject of his MURB thesis,

鈥淚 was born and raised in the Lower Mainland, and I鈥檝e seen housing become a huge challenge,鈥� says Nolan. 鈥淚n my thesis, I chose to focus on Surrey because it is one of the fastest growing and most diverse cities in the region, and I was intrigued by what I thought was a unique way of dealing with their housing challenges.鈥�

Nolan examined 鈥渋nformal housing鈥�, or housing built without formal permission (e.g. basement suites). He discovered that while this kind of housing had been tolerated by municipalities for some time, it no longer functioned as an affordable option for low-income renters. Instead, it had become the only viable option for moderate-income households, highlighting the need for new policy approaches to support those most affected by housing insecurity.

Throughout the thesis process, Nolan credits the support and guidance of his supervisor, lecturer Tiffany Muller Myrdahl, as instrumental.

鈥淥ur conversations would always deepen my thinking, sharpen my focus, and ultimately strengthen my research, and her belief in the question I was trying to answer helped me hold onto a real sense of purpose in the work,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 cannot thank Tiffany enough for all that she provided.鈥�

Myrdahl credits Nolan for having a clear vision for his research topic, due to the knowledge he had gained in his courses and through his professional experience.

鈥淢y role was really to serve as a 鈥榞uide on the side鈥�, asking clarifying questions to support the development of his ideas and methodological decisions,鈥� says Myrdahl. 鈥淭he analysis he produced is a unique contribution to our understanding of the development of secondary suites in Surrey and the role they play in our housing system.鈥�

Prior to completing his thesis, Nolan also wrote a book with his mother, . Having written two substantive texts about the Lower Mainland, Nolan has not ruled out writing more in the future either.

鈥淔or now, I鈥檓 focused on putting what I learned in the master鈥檚 program, and in my own research, into practice by helping shape good policy in my day-to-day work,鈥� he says. 鈥淚 know this is probably temporary, though. The urge to write for a broader audience has a way of creeping back into my life, especially when it comes to Vancouver history and urban issues.鈥�