Faculty - Concordia University

Craig Townsend, PhD

Associate Professor and Chair, Geography, Planning and Environment

Biography Teaching Activities Selected publications

Phone:	(514) 848-2424 ext. 5191
Email:	craig.townsend@concordia.ca
Craig Townsend's Explore Concordia page

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 230 - Urbanization: Global and Historical Perspectives

URBS 310 - Urban Transportation

URBS 470 - Public Infrastructure Finance for Planners

Graduate Student Supervision

In Progress:

Bonczek, Justine (MSc) Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies) Bicycle Lanes and Pedestrian Streets in Canada 2021-present

Dass, Noel. MSc (Geography, Urban and Environmental Studies). Politics of Road Pricing. 2018-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:

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

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.

Pourali, M., C. Townsend, A. Kross, A. Guindon, J.A.G Jaeger. (2022). Urban sprawl in Canada: Values in all 33 census metropolitan areas and corresponding 469 census subdivisions between 1991 and 2011. Data in Brief. 41. pp. 1-12.

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.

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.