Michael MacLean is a co-founder of OSO planning + design, a participatory designer and an interdisciplinary artist, based in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Michael’s practice at OSO is deeply informed by his research on participatory design-build methodologies, his years of youth work in Northern communities, and his interdisciplinary art and design practice rooted in place-based experiences and materials. His core value + goal is opening up the planning and design field to include communities in the processes and decisions that shape the world that we all share. Michael holds a Master's of Environmental Design Studies (Design-Build) from Dalhousie University School of Architecture and a Bachelor's in Fine Arts in Design from Concordia University. His work has gained recognition in exhibitions, public projects, competitions, and publications across Canada and Internationally.In his role at OSO, Michael has led a broad portfolio of projects that range in scale, approach and deliverables. Projects include prominent public artworks, downtown plazas and furniture, mobile educational infrastructure, consulting, and design-build projects of all kinds. His responsibilities have included project management, financial + administrative management, coordinating teams of collaborators, engagement strategy design, technical design, graphic design + communication, partnership-building, and more.