About
Samantha Leger is a post-doctoral fellow with the University of Toronto, having recently completed her PhD in Urban Planning from the University of Waterloo. Her research interests revolve around mobility justice and designing inclusive streetscapes, with her PhD dissertation focused on exploring the everyday mobility practices and tactics performed by neurodivergent people and how planners can accommodate neuro-inclusive transportation practices and policies into their work. She also has 5+ years of experience in transportation and urban planning practice and is a Registered Professional Planner (RPP) and full member of the Canadian Institute of Planners. Through both her practical and academic roles, Samantha is a passionate advocate of the critical intersections between transportation, urban design, and public health and centers her work on the paths toward more just mobilities futures.
When not working, you can find Samantha at home with her pet rabbit, Banana or wandering/ biking through Toronto, taking (very amateur) film photos, or scoping out new bookstores and coffee shops.
Current position
As a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) funded post-doctoral fellow, Samantha is working on a project entitled “Enabling mobility justice: interrogating how sustainable transportation practices plan for neurodivergence and invisible dis/ability”. This work builds on her PhD research, and examines how urban planning strategies engage with planning for pluralistic disabilities, and the path towards more inclusive transportation systems and spaces, for all.
Degrees attained
- PhD in Urban Planning from the University of Waterloo, 2025
- M.Res in Interdisciplinary Urban Design from the Bartlett School of Planning (University College London), 2020
- B.ES in Environmental Studies (Specialized in Urban Planning + Design) from the University of Waterloo, 2018
Work experience
- Urban Planner, TAKE Consulting (part-time/casual), June 2025-Present
- Urban Planner, CIMA+ (part-time), September 2021-March 2024
- Graduate Research Assistant for Mobilizing Justice: Towards evidence-based transportation-equity policy. September 2022-2025
- Graduate Research Assistant for Communities left behind? A timely examination of school closure controversies for justice-informed decision-making on the fate of public schools in Ontario. September 2020-December 2020
- Transportation Planner, WSP Canada (full-time), June 2018-September 2019
Samantha Leger, Ph.D, RPP MCIP 