me at resora, a 1,638-acre former plantation owned by new communities inc. in albany, georgia. born out of the southern civil rights movement in the united states, new communities inc. is internationally recognized as the first incorporated community land trust (CLT).
keisha st. louis-mcburnie is an urban planner, researcher and writer based in toronto, ontario, canada.
born and raised in co-operative housing to trinidadian and grenadian parents, keisha holds an honours bachelor of arts (hons. b.a.) in political science and urban studies with high distinction and a master of science in planning (mscpl), both from the university of toronto.
her work seeks to advance reparative approaches to planning, design and engagement. this includes, first, a broad focus on power and alternative, community-driven models for equitable economic and social development, and second, a specific focus on practices that centre solidarity, co-operative ownership and collective stewardship.
across the public, private and non-profit sectors, she has held a number of roles focused on neighbourhood change, anti-displacement and community development in toronto neighbourhoods, such as moss park, st. james town, regent park, jane and finch, mount dennis and little jamaica.
today, her professional practice and scholarship is focused on black land and housing justice in canada, as she provides planning capacity and support to the country’s growing movement of black-led and -serving community land trusts (CLTS).
as an undergraduate student, keisha received the co-operative housing federation of toronto (chft)’s diversity scholarship award. in 2019 and 2020 respectively, she was also awarded a joseph armand bombardier canada graduate scholarship—master’s (cgs-m) by the social sciences and humanities research council (sshrc), as well as an ontario graduate scholarship (ogs).
In 2021, keisha became a Sessional Instructor in the University of Toronto’s John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design and Department of Geography and Planning, where she co-designed and co-teaches a graduate course entitled Planning and Designing for Community Power.
her academic and professional contributions have been recognized by the Canadian Institute of Planners (CIP) and ontario Professional Planners Institute (oppi), including being the inaugural recipient of the planon emerging leadership award which celebrates future leaders of tomorrow in the planning profession.
teaching
“pla1516h f special topics: planning and designing for community power”
- department of geography and planning at the university of toronto (2024-present)
“urd1202h f/s selected topics in urban design: planning and designing for community power”
- daniels faculty of architecture, landscape and design at the university of toronto (2022-2024)
media features
“The Canadian government is building housing cooperatives again. Can the U.S. follow suit?”
- the architect’s newspaper (may 2025)
“how the affordable housing crisis takes a turn”
- west end phoenix (mar 2023)
“new downtown councillors will have a tough job from day one – managing development”
- the local (oct 2022)
“the city says it’s trying to save little jamaica. so, why is it letting developers tear it down?”
- toronto star (oct 2021)
“what it will really take to rename toronto’s dundas street”
- maclean’s (sept 2021)
“how to fix toronto’s housing affordability crisis? four urban planning students share their solutions”
- toronto star (june 2020)
“meet u of t student city-builders who are shaping toronto’s future”
- university of toronto news (dec 2018)
“u of t students travel the world as sidewalk fellows to help shape the city’s waterfront vision”
- university of toronto news (aug 2018)
“young leaders demand more than ‘status quo’ budget at toronto city hall”
- toronto star (dec 2017)
writing
“think big, think bold, think black: lessons from the 2024 liberated land trust tour”
- canadian network of community land trusts (aug 2024)
“growing in place framework: preventing black displacement in neighbourhoods across toronto”
- city of toronto, confronting anti-black racism unit and community development unit / black planners and urbanists association (may 2024)
“comparing notes: anti-displacement organizing from little jamaica to chinatown”
- university of toronto, school of cities affordable housing challenge project (nov 2022)
“building in the material world”
- spacing, published in magazine issue 60 (sept 2022)
“regent park: a progress report”
- spacing / metcalf foundation (dec 2021)
“bootstraps and institutions: growing canada’s co-operative housing sector in the age of the national housing strategy” (available upon request)
- university of toronto, department of geography and planning (april 2021)
“the work of crisis framing: claims of social justice obscuring a history and, likely future, of uneven investment in moss park, toronto”
- journal of urban affairs (jan 2021)
“place-keeping in little jamaica: commercial displacement prevention strategies”
- university of toronto, department of geography and planning / black urbanism TORONTO (dec 2020)
“coming clean on regent park’s social development plan”
- SPACING (SEPT 2020), published in magazine issue 55 (dec 2020)
“farewell, regent park”
- spacing (sept 2020)
“1182 & 1221 king street west: another chapter in the fight against gentrification and the neoliberal city in south parkdale”
- dencity: the undergraduate journal of urban studies at the university of toronto (april 2019)
“sidewalk toronto fellows report”
- sidewalk labs and waterfront toronto (oct 2018)