It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Linda Allen, CitySpaces’ co-founder and President of 35 years. As we struggle with this tremendous loss we take solace in her legacy, which lives on in each of the communities she impacted, with the planners she supported, and with our CitySpaces family. We feel immense gratitude for her vision, mentorship, perspective, and humanity.
Originally from Ontario, Linda moved to BC in the 1980's, where she co-founded CitySpaces Consulting in 1985 with Gwyn Symmons. Linda was CitySpaces’ visionary and established the firm’s commitment to “building lasting and livable communities.” Our core values, areas of practice, and focus on social sustainability were founded on her ideals.
As a community planner, Linda crafted numerous plans, strategies, and policy documents, including authoring sections of the Local Government Act, which continually guides municipalities to include affordable housing and special needs housing in their Official Community Plans. She was a creative thinker and problem solver, encouraging clients and colleagues to identify real solutions, to draw on innovation and good practice, and ultimately to achieve better communities.
Linda always enjoyed travelling to new communities, highlighting what was unique and special about each place and encouraging them to build on the foundation of their past while moving toward a more healthy and inclusive future. As one of the most effective writers we knew, Linda was a master at taking complex data and strong analysis and relaying it into materials and documents that were widely accessible and easily understood.
She made countless contributions as a leader, planner, volunteer, mentor, mother, and friend – including her former role as the President of the Planning Institute of BC, and as an inducted Fellow with the Canadian Institute of Planners. Linda prioritized mentoring and supporting students and young professionals. She set the highest standards and ethics in her practice, and inspired and encouraged many young planners to take initiative and drive change in their own communities. In 2020, Linda Allen received a life membership designation with the Planning Institute of BC.
Linda was kind-hearted and deeply cared about people. She tirelessly advocated for those with disabilities, those experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, and those with mental health issues. Through her values-based approach and commitment to affordable housing, effective solutions to homelessness, and good quality community planning, Linda made a lasting imprint on the communities she served and helped to improve the lives of thousands of Canadians.
She never failed to impress us with her aptitude, style, spunk, and her wide array of interests, from baseball and jazz to fashion and gardening. Linda was much loved by her family, friends, and colleagues. We will deeply miss her, but are grateful to have known her and for all that she gave us. We will always cherish the memories and experiences we shared.
Sincerely,
Jada and Noha