ASPEN Community Developments

Internship Opportunity: Affordable Housing & Land Suitability Planning Intern

Organization: ASPEN 
Project: City of Leduc – Affordable Housing Land Readiness Program
Location: Hybrid 
Duration: ~1 year (June 2026-June 2027) 
Hours: ~400
Compensation: $11,000

About ASPEN

ASPEN is building the neighborhoods of the future. We combine innovative financing, climate resilient design, and creative ownership options to build beautiful and affordable neighborhoods.

ASPEN is serving as the affordable housing, land suitability, and implementation planning lead on a City of Leduc initiative aimed at enabling near-term housing delivery and establishing a repeatable framework for future municipal land activation.

This position hinges on a accepted RFP which will be confirmed by no later than May 4th, 2026.

Project Overview: City of Leduc Affordable Housing & Land Readiness Program

The City of Leduc is advancing a multi-phase program to prepare municipally owned land for affordable and missing middle housing development. The program emphasizes analytical land suitability assessment, policy alignment, implementation-ready tools for Administration and Council, and market-facing materials to attract development partners.

ASPEN’s scope focuses on turning analysis into actionable, Council-ready and market-ready materials, ensuring the City can initiate the program by Q1 2027, with a complete Implementation Plan delivered by June 30, 2027.

Internship Role Overview

The Affordable Housing & Land Suitability Planning Intern will work directly with ASPEN staff on applied planning and implementation work for the City of Leduc project. The role is centred on land suitability analysis, affordable housing policy evaluation, and preparation of implementation-ready materials.

This is a hands-on internship designed to expose the student to the full arc from analysis to decision-ready municipal outputs.

Core Internship Responsibilities

Land Suitability Mapping & Policy Evaluation
• Support development of a land suitability mapping and policy evaluation matrix for City-owned lands
• Assist in assessing land performance across different affordable and missing middle housing typologies
• Research and document planning, policy, and development considerations affecting feasibility

Implementation-Ready Program Materials
• Assist in drafting implementation-ready materials for Administration and Council use by Q1 2027
• Contribute to evaluation matrices, policy and procedural templates, and supporting visuals

Policies & Procedures to Attract Development Partners
• Support research and drafting of policies positioning municipal lands for industry partners
• Assist with materials that attract developers and non-profit housing partners

Analytical Framework & Documentation
• Support documentation of assumptions, methods, and analytical logic
• Assist in aligning outputs with June 30, 2027 Implementation Plan requirements

Learning Outcomes

Through this internship, the student will gain experience with land suitability analysis, affordable housing implementation planning, Council- and market-ready program development, evaluation matrix design, and professional planning documentation grounded in real municipal land and timelines.

Qualifications

Required:
• Enrollment in UBC’s Master of Community and Regional Planning (MCRP) program
• Eligibility for the SCARP Internship Program
• Strong interest in affordable housing, land use planning, and municipal implementation
• Strong research, analytical, and writing skills

Assets:
• Coursework or experience in housing, land economics, or policy analysis
• Familiarity with evaluation frameworks or parcel-based analysis

Supervision & Mentorship

The intern will be supervised by ASPEN staff with regular check-ins, clear learning objectives, and guided feedback. The internship will meet SCARP requirements for supervised, hands-on professional experience.

How to Apply

Please submit a resume and a brief statement of interest outlining relevant coursework and interest in affordable housing and land readiness to accounting@realizesolutions.ca. Reference “ASPEN – City of Leduc SCARP Internship” in your application.