History

Originally known simply as “Shift“, the conference was founded by Professor Emeritus Frank Palermo over 30 years ago, and has traditionally been led by students from the Dalhousie University School of Planning.

Past conferences have covered a variety of themes. The 2024 SHIFT conference was focused on “Growing Pains”. This theme intended to recognize the conflicts Halifax was facing between a rapidly growing city and the natural, human and built environments. In 2023, the theme “Raising All Boats” focused on Halifax’s rapid growth and what can be done to share the benefits equitably. 

In 2024, the Dalhousie School of Planning and the Licensed Professional Planners Association of Nova Scotia (LPPANS) entered into a partnership to deliver a conference that could further the aims of the longstanding conference while also expanding its offering to professional planners across the Province. The result was SHIFT+,  a conference committed to learning and looking ahead to what’s next and what’s possible by joining perspectives from professional practice with the academic lens of planners-to-be.