Mitchell is an award-winning community builder who specializes in healthy urban planning, design, placemaking and engagement.
He has developed innovative public space wellbeing assessments, deep engagement approaches, and unique experiments on social trust that have supported resilient communities in Metro Vancouver and beyond. He has also used policy change and placemaking to nurture life in streets, laneways and other unloved spaces. Through these efforts he has helped create smiles from Vancouver to Vijayawada and Denver to Rotterdam.
Mitchell received his Masters of Science in Urban and Regional Planning at Stockholm University in Sweden. His work and insights have been featured on Next City, WIRED, CBC News, BBC World and more.
Mitchell loves riding bikes, and snowboarding. He is a passionate Vancouverite who is grateful to be living on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.
Projects Mitchell has worked on
Power of placemaking research and engagement – Canada Healthy Communities Initiative
Mary Anne’s Place community engagement and design audit – Placemaker Communities
Sea to Sky health vision and master plan – Vancouver Coastal Health
Budget 2024 engagement – City of Surrey
Focus Newton community engagement and placemaking – City of Surrey
Open streets public life study – City of North Vancouver
Seniors Housing Strategy – City of Vancouver
Accessibility Plan – City of Richmond
Accessibility Plan – City of Regina
Accessibility legislation engagement for Alberta – Office of the Advocate for Persons with Disabilities
Community wayfinding strategy – City of Richmond
Campus placemaking master plan – Zamorano University, Honduras
Community arts & culture framework – City of Fort St. John
Rossland economic data visualization and communications – City of Rossland
Sea2City design challenge – City of Vancouver
Richmond permanent patio program development – City of Richmond
Uptown active transportation and public realm improvements – City of New Westminster
Agnes Street Greenway activations – City of New Westminster
Crosstown Greenway: Youth-led placemaking for safer streets – City of New Westminster
Spring Garden Road wellbeing assessment methodology – City of Halifax
Laneway transformation strategy – Downtown Vancouver Business Improvement Area
Streets for people – City of New Westminster
Rapid placemaking to bring back main street – Canadian Urban Institute
Major urban parks audit and assessment – Mexico City Ministry of Environment
Inspired by nature: Creative placemaking master plan – Town of Superior
Walkable Rotterdam – City of Rotterdam
Designing for difference – City of Vancouver
Pavement-to-plaza wellbeing assessment – City of Vancouver
Happy City Denver experiments – Denver Theatre District
Granville Island 2040 – Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation