Mr. Yan has worked extensively with non-profit groups and urban planning projects in Vancouver, San Francisco, New York City, Los Angeles and New Orleans. He specializes in urban regeneration, applied demographics, geographic information systems, neighbourhood development, public outreach and social media. Mr. Yan is the recipient of the 2015 Royal Architecture Institute of Canada’s Advocates of Architecture awards. He has been reappointed to the City of Vancouver’s City Planning Commission for his second term, and is also a former member of the City of Vancouver's Development Permit Board Advisory Panel and the Academic Roundtable for the City of Vancouver’s Mayor’s Task Force on Housing Affordability. Mr. Yan has also held several roles in community service. He has served on the board of directors for the Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood House and the David Suzuki Foundation’s Climate Council. He is a senior urban planner with Bing Thom Architects.