SCARP's mission is to generate and transform knowledge into action by planning in partnership to improve lives and communities and the quality of built and natural environments. We exist to train the next generation of planners in the most innovative and community-driven methods of professional planning, and to forge partnerships in communities that enable transformative change that benefits all populations. SCARP pioneered the integrated approach to planning for development. Our Masters degrees have long been accredited by the Canadian Institute of Planners and the American Institute of Certified Planners (SCARP PAB Report 2009 and SCARP CIP Report 2010). We are an associate member of the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. (PAB final Assessment report and Accreditation Letter and CIP assessment report). Information on Planning Schools, Planning Education & Planning Careers can be found in the ACSP's Guide to Undergraduate & Graduate Education In Urban & Regional Planning. SCARP benefits from a strong relationship with the Planning Institute of British Columbia and the Canadian Institute of Planners. The affiliation includes reciprocal institutional development, faculty membership and student mentorship. As one of the largest graduate planning programs in Canada, SCARP has the equivalent of 11 full time faculty and 100 students. Our teaching program is characterized by both diversity and integration. We are small enough that students and faculty are able to enjoy regular one-on-one contact. We work, live and play in one of the most scenic urban settings in the world. Vancouver is home to a culture of environmentalism and pluralism with a long history of activism and action. It is also home to formidable socio-economic problems in the Downtown Eastside and elsewhere. Our work is endlessly challenging and there is no shortage of both issues to tackle, and inspiration to draw from, in our lively and dynamic city.