Craig Townsend, PhD

Associate Professor and Chair, Geography, Planning and Environment

Research areas: Transportation policy, projects and politics; built environment characteristics of Canada's metropolitan areas; urban sprawl and the effect of legally protecting non-urban land; urban planning in the developing world.

Contact information

Email:

craig.townsend@concordia.ca

Biography

Craig Townsend is Associate Professor and Chair in the Department of Geography, Planning and Environment. His current research is on changes to the form of suburbs in Canada’s large metropolitan areas and the impacts of legislated protection of non-urban land on urban growth. He is particularly interested in public transportation infrastructure and its links to the form of cities. He has carried out studies on urban transport infrastructure in Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand, and is currently part of a project investigating urban mobility in India.

Teaching Activities

Courses Taught (Last 5 Years)

URBS 310 - Urban Transportation

URBS 470 - Public Infrastructure Finance for Planners

URBS 481 - Urban Planning in the Developing World

Graduate Student Supervision

Current:

Frojmovic, Michel. PhD (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). Recent Changes to Place of Work in Canada’s Metropolitan Areas

Baby, Jacob. PhD (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). A History of Policies Affecting Walking in Three Indian Cities. (co-supervision with Govind Gopakumar). 2022-present.

Ramachandran, Sreelakshmi. PhD (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). Urban Living Labs as a New Form of Policy Innovation in India. (co-supervision with Govind Gopakumar). 2022-present.

Joseph, Yogi. PhD (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). Exclusionary Effects of Transport Infrastructure on Slow Movers in an Indian City. (co-supervision with Govind Gopakumar). 2017-present.

Completed:

Bonczek, Justine. MSc (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies) Overcoming“Bikelash”: Successful Implementation of an Urban Bicycle Highway in Montréal. 2023

Eftekhari, Yasaman. MSc (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). The Effects of Urban Rail Rapid Transit Station Types on Housing Prices in Toronto and Vancouver, Canada. 2018.

Min, Wan. MSc (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). Modifiable Area Unit Problem (MAUP) Effects on Assessment of Accessibility by Public Transit. 2016.

Revington, Nick. MSc (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). Market Rental Housing Affordability and Accessibility to Rapid Transit in Montreal and Vancouver. 2015.

Durning, Matthew. MSc (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). A Direct Ridership Model for Rail Rapid Transit in Canada. 2015.

Mehreen, Rushdia. MSc (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). How are inner-city population densities affected by freeways? A study of eight Canadian cities. (Co-supervision with Jochen Jaeger). 2014.

Cherry, Tristan. MSc (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). Missing the bus: An assessment of metro-bus transfers in Bangkok, Thailand. 2012.

Yan, He. MSc (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). An Evaluation of Proposed Light Rail Transit Impacts on Land Use in Nanning, China. 2008.

Selected publications

Published Papers and Book Chapters

Reid, MB, M Fritsch, R. Tittler, C. Townsend, W. Bukowski, R. Persram, J.A.G. Jaeger (2025) Sharing cities with the future: How concerned are young Montrealers today about the implications of their residential choices for future generations? Canadian Geographies

Filion, P., R. Tomalty, C. Townsend (2022) Changes in the Built Form of Canada's Suburbs Plan Canada. 62(2) Summer. pp. 19-23.

Townsend,C. and Gopakumar, G. (2022). Urban Transport Infrastructure, pp. 353-370 in Bain, A.L. & Peake, L. (eds) Urbanization a Global Context Second Edition, Don Mills: Oxford University Press.

Townsend, C. & Ellis-Young, M. (2018). Urban Population Density and Freeways in North America: A Re-Assessment. Journal of Transport Geography. 73, pp. 75-83.t

Townsend, C. (2018). Book review of The Urban Transport Crisis in Emerging Economies, D. Pojani, D. Stead (Eds.), (2017). Journal of Transport Geography. 72. pp. 270-271.

Townsend, C. (2017). Global Convergence and Divergence in Urban Transportation. pp. 409-425 in Bain, A.L. & Peake, L. (eds.) Urbanization in a Global Context. Don Mills: Oxford University Press.

Revington, N. & Townsend, C. (2016). Market Rental Housing Affordability and Rapid Transit Catchments: Application of a New Measure in Canada. Housing Policy Debate. 26(4-5). pp. 864-886.

Durning, M. & Townsend, C. (2015). Direct Ridership Model of Rail Rapid Transit Systems in Canada. Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board. 2537. pp. 96-102.

Townsend, C. (2014). Spatial Measurement of Transit Service Frequency in Canada. Journeys. pp. 33-43.

Cherry, T. & Townsend, C. (2012). Assessment of Potential Improvements to Metro-Bus Transfers in Bangkok, Thailand. Transportation Research Record. 2276, pp. 116-122.

Townsend, C. & Zacharias, J. (2010). Built environment and pedestrian behavior at rail rapid transit stations in Bangkok.Transportation. 37. pp. 317-330.

Kenworthy, J. & Townsend, C. (2009). Montreal’s Dualistic Transport Character: Why Montreal Needs Upgraded Transit and Not More High Capacity Roads, pp. 27-33 in Gauthier, P., Jaeger, J. & Prince, J.(eds.) Montreal at the Crossroads, Montreal: Black Rose.