Penny Gurstein is Professor and Director of the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of British Columbia. She specializes in the socio-cultural aspects of community planning with particular emphasis on those who are the most marginalized in planning processes. Her research interests focus on planning for equitable and healthy communities; and technology, work and society. She takes a qualitative and community-based approach to her research. Recent projects investigate the impact of outsourcing on workers and communities, in Canada and internationally (www.chs.ubc.ca/emergence/) and the impact of government reduction of social services on single parent families on income assistance. Current research focuses on climate justice and building community resilience.