About us
Elkplan Design combines expertise in engagement, urban design and community planning to support the city building work of cities, non-profits, technical consultants, and First Nations.
We offer design services that are grounded in a strong working knowledge of local government and communication design. We specialize in creating friendly illustrated materials to communicate complex ideas, and live graphic recording that connects with diverse audiences.
We help people in your community share and visualize ideas, concerns and hopes for the future to support their participation in engagement activities.
Our approach illuminates community engagement processes and improves information sharing through friendly, vibrant illustrations, live drawing, and easy to follow document designs.
Kristen Elkow, Principal + Founder
Kristen (she/her) is passionate about visualizing people’s ideas, reframing technical materials to reach new audiences, and building collaborative solutions to community challenges. Her work is informed by her background as an artist, and complementary training in graphic facilitation, community engagement, urban design, city planning, and communication design.
Training and Designations
Kristen is registered with the Planning Institute of British Columbia (MCIP, RPP), has a Bachelor of Urban and Regional Planning from Toronto Metropolitan University, a Bachelor of Science from University of Manitoba, and a Masters of Urban Design from the University of British Columbia. She has completed the IAP2 Planning training module, as well as training in graphic facilitation from the Grove and Drawing Change.
Experience
Kristen established Elk Community Planning and Design in 2018. She has a wide range of experiences developing creative visuals and as a graphic facilitator for municipal clients, First Nations, and non-profits. Her work has included projects designed for diverse audiences such as youth, Indigenous stakeholders, and technical experts (in fields such as infill development, city planning and construction, climate change science, health policy).
She has had the opportunity to recently contribute to Kitsumkalum’s new community design guidelines, a Placemaking and Events Strategy for the Abbotsford Downtown Business Association, the City of Calgary’s Fare Gate Study, and the City of Red Deer’s Land Use Bylaw Review engagement program.
In addition, Kristen brings over 14 years of experience working as a municipal planner with communities in Canada - including for Tsawwassen First Nation, the City of Edmonton, the City of Coquitlam, the City of Vancouver, and the Town of Canmore. Her work has included writing regulations, policies and urban design guidelines, leading complex development permit application reviews, and designing and facilitating engagement programs.
Kristen has been selected to sit on the City of Richmond’s 2024-2025 Public Art Selection Panelist Roster, the City of Nanaimo’s 2024-2026 Urban Design Roster, TransLink's 2024-2027 Public Art Roster, and was awarded an honourable mention for her artwork exploring mental health and nature in cities in the Reimagining Architecture and Urbanism in the Post-Pandemic World competition in 2022.