John van Nostrand

John van Nostrand is a Founding Principal and now Principal Emeritus of SvN with four decades of experience. His impact spans projects across North America, Africa, and Latin America, where he has evolved communities ranging from 150 to 150,000 residents in both developed and developing countries.

John has established SvN's reputation for tackling complex urban challenges where no ready-made solutions exist. He fosters the firm's commitment to community-focused development that continues to shape cities globally, grounded in the belief that thoughtful design can address the most pressing urban challenges of our time.

John is recognized worldwide for expertise and leadership in planning and design of affordable housing, community infrastructure, and transportation. His distinguished career includes receiving the World Leadership Award for Town Planning, the Daniel Burnham Award from the American Planning Association, the World Habitat Award from UN-Habitat, numerous Awards of Excellence from the OAA, RAIC, CIP and OPPI, and several City of Toronto Urban Design Awards. He is the founder of Two Steps Home, a nonprofit corporation founded to help resolve the unsheltered crisis in Toronto.