Professor Dr. Raphaël Fischler

Biography

Raphaël Fischler has been blending research, teaching, professional practice, and administration since 1994. He was trained in architecture and urban planning at Eindhoven University of Technology and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and pursued doctoral studies in urbanism and land use planning as well as social sciences at UC Berkeley. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology, he became a professor at McGill University's School of Urban Planning, where he directed for six years and led graduate studies for approximately fifteen years. His projects and reflections in planning have extended to the Faculty of Engineering and McGill University. Fischler served as Dean of the Faculty of Environmental Design from June 1, 2018, to May 31, 2023. His research focuses on the history, theory, and pedagogy of urbanism, alongside practices and policies of urbanism in Montreal. Fischler has developed expertise in zoning—the urban regulation technique—tracing its genealogy before the 20th century and analyzing its adoption early in this century. He places importance on project-based teaching to foster reflective practice and skill acquisition for professionals to navigate unique, complex situations filled with uncertainties and value conflicts. He has advised federal, provincial, and municipal agencies on metropolitan development, real estate development, and housing regulations, across spatial scales from buildings to regions.

Research Interests

Awards