David Bell Email & Phone Number

Vancouver, Canada Area

Professional planner and co-lead of the Land Economics practice at Urban Systems Ltd. Based out of the Vancouver office, I work with our team to provide planning and development advisory to First Nation, public sector and private sector development clients across Canada. We undertake market and financial analyses for a broad range of land use types and development formats to support clients in assessing the viability of land use plans, policies, and site-specific development opportunities.Our team collaborates with other Urban Systems professionals across a wide range of disciplines (civil engineering, GIS, active transportation, asset management, housing policy and development management) to deliver action-oriented strategies that support resilient developments in rural and urban settings.

Vancouver, B.C.

As a senior member of the Colliers International Consulting team, I helped both public and private sector clients optimize their planning and development efforts, often on complex multi-use projects with a strong retail-commercial component. Particular areas of focus in the private sector ranged from site specific development opportunity assessments and highest and best use studies to commercial land needs assessments for major land holdings and comprehensive retail strategies for larger mixed-use projects and master planned communities. My public sector work at Colliers focused on strategic real estate analysis in support of policy initiatives ranging from OCP reviews and Downtown Plans to neighbourhood and community land use planning studies, and investigations of transportation network improvement impacts and related transit-oriented development opportunities. While at Colliers I co-developed and co-authored Colliers' Spring and Fall Retail Reports for Canada with Director of Retail Consulting James Smerdon.

David assisted clients in both the public and private sectors in formulating appropriate and economically beneficial retail-commercial strategies for their properties, both locally and internationally. While weighted toward projects and clients in Western Canada, David's experience also included development opportunity and planning/design studies for projects in Russia, India, China, and Libya.

Through UMA/AECOM's Planning division, assisted clients in the public and private sectors, as well as First Nations, in optimizing their land assets through effective development planning. Conducted land use marketability studies, development opportunity assessments, financial analysis. Particular focus on Transit-Oriented Developments, Transportation-Related Development Impact Assessments, Commercial Land Use Needs for Master Planned Communities.

Provided clients in the public and private sectors with real estate development strategies for their existing and anticipated land holdings. Developed specializations in retail market and impact analysis, development proformas, highest & best use studies, and mixed-use development opportunities.

Researched housing market and competitive residential developments for the Marketing & Sales group and project-specific development managers.

Bcom., Urban Land Economics

Activities and Societies: Business Policy Team Member representing UBC at ICSC competition at Queens University in 1995. Editor of Faculty.

Environmental Studies

Pre-Architecture stream: Design, Art History, Architectural Theory, Environmental Economics, Math for Architects

Education record