Symposium Program 2017

MONDAY APRIL 24 – DAY 1

8:00am OPENING KEYNOTE: GLOBAL GIANTS LOCAL HEROES

A celebration of international land use leadership rooted in the Toronto Region. Featuring a “super panel” of corporate giants and global city building leaders and investors who call Toronto home and the world their market. The panel will put a spotlight on our region’s urban leadership and impact around the world.

Moderator: Jan De Silva, President & CEO, Toronto Region Board of Trade

Panel: 
Jim Berry, Senior Vice President, HATCH
Michael Cooper, President and Chief Responsible Officer, Dream
David Thom, President/Managing Director, IBI Group
Michael Turner, Head of Canada, Oxford Properties Group

9:00am ELECTRIC CITIES

The ELECTRIC CITIES panel will kick off this year’s symposium by spotlighting the need and potential for city-building in place-making, mobility and technology to have global impact by engaging communities, supporting civil society and fostering economic prosperity.

Moderator: Sevaun Palvetzian, Chief Executive Officer, CivicAction

Panel:
Cyndi Rottenberg-Walker, Partner, Urban Strategies Inc.
Leslie Woo, Chief Planning Officer, Metrolinx
Mark Kindrachuk, President & Founder, Intermarket Real Estate Group

10:30am CONCURRENT SESSIONS (Attend 1 of 3)

SESSION A1
WATER PROOF: EXPLORING THE IMPACT OF WATER AND ADAPTABLE PLANS FOR RESILIENT CITIES

Rapidly rising water levels, water deficiencies, and violent storm events are some of the most destructive issues to hit urban centres – and they’re increasing in frequency. What are the critical vulnerabilities and what can be done to build more resilient cities?

Moderator: Lisa Bate, Regional Managing Principal, North America, B+H Architects

Panel:
Matthijs Bouw, President,  One Architecture + Urbanism
Seana Irvine, Chief Strategist, Evergreen
Brian Denney, Chief Executive Officer, Toronto Region Conservation Authority

SESSION B1
DISRUPTIONS AND INNOVATIONS

The rise of public expectations coupled with the heightened pace of technological innovation is transforming how we move across our cities and regions.  This session provides an overview of innovations driving disruption to mobility and discusses the challenges to achieving anticipated benefits.

Moderator: Paul Kulig, Urban Design + Transportation Leaders, Toronto, Perkins+Will

Panel:
Scott Corwin, Managing Director, Future Mobility Leader, Deloitte Consulting
Sue Zielinski, Independent Consultant

SESSION C1
BUILDING INSTEAD OF DISRUPTING: CAN TECHNOLOGY INTEGRATE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS TO CREATE MOBILITY AS A SERVICE (MAAS)?

In the wake of disruptive technologies like Uber and driverless cars and the rising popularity of private ride-sharing services, are our public transit systems threatened? The rapid expansion of these services are offering people more mobility choices than ever before. But can these private services work together with public transit? The panel will examine opportunities to bring together all forms of transportation into one seamless experience for commuters.

Moderator: Mary-Francis Turner, President, York Region Rapid Transit Commission

Panel:
Bob Laramy, Director, Strategy & Enterprise Practices, Metrolinx, PRESTO Division
Sheldon McCormick, General Manager, Uber
Kevin McLaughlin, Vice President,  Business Development, Blanc Labs

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11:30am  CONCURRENT SESSIONS (Attend 1 of 3)
SESSION A2
DIY PLACEMAKING – TAPPING INTO CITIZEN CAPACITY TO INNOVATE AND EFFECT CHANGE

From pop-up parkettes to laneway beautification projects, temporary art installations to guerilla bike lanes, independent groups are leading the charge to change the communities they live in. Are these projects Band-Aid solutions to larger urban issues or are they indicators of the untapped civic potential of residents to grow our cities from the bottom up?

Moderator: Dave Meslin, Creative Director, Toronto Public Space Committee

Panel:
Jonathan Berk, New England Director, Patronicity
Alexis Kane Speer, Executive Director, The STEPS Initiative
Michelle Senayah, Co-Founder & Director, The Laneway Project

SESSION B2
GETTING AROUND THE SUBURBS: HOW DO WE MOVE AWAY FROM AN OLD MODEL THAT IS JUST NOT GOOD ENOUGH

Not everyone has bought into this paradigm of new mobility. For decades, provincial policies have directed growth to denser urban areas supported by enhanced mobility.  Suburban office parks and malls continue to pop up and global corporations continue to locate outside the urban cores. Sprawling residential developments still rely on the automobile for access. What are we missing? What are the right-sized mobility solutions?

Moderator: John Lorinc, Freelance Journalist

Panel:
Pamela Blais, Principal, Metropole Consultants Ltd.
Wes Guckert, President, The Traffic Group
Caroline Karvonen, Environmental Coordinator, Alectra Utilities Corporation
John MacKenzie, Deputy City Manager, Planning & Growth Management, City of Vaughan

SESSION C2
FINTECH DISRUPTION: HOW CROWD FUNDING CAN WORK TO FINANCE REAL ESTATE IN CANADA

Crowd funding has been very successful in the USA and is now in Canada. How has this disruptive technology changed the lending landscape and what opportunities does it provide for new developments? This session will explore the differences between the American and Canadian regulations, what developers and existing lenders think of this new technology – and how crowd funding could work for your next project.

Moderator: Julianne Gu, Associate, McCarthy Tétrault LLP

Panel:
Shawn Feldon, Director, Mortgage Investments, KingSett Capital
Garret MacGillivray, Chief Technology Officer, R2CROWD
Hitesh Rathod, Chief Executive Officer, NexusCrowd Inc.

1:30pm KEYNOTE: START UP CITY

Gabe Klein is the Co-Founder of CityFi, an entrepreneur, author, investor and former government official and the former Commissioner of the Chicago and Washington DC Departments of Transportation. In 2014, he was a Senior Visiting Fellow at ULI. Author of Start-Up City: Inspiring Private and Public Entrepreneurship, Getting Projects Done, and Having Fun.

Following his presentation Gabe will be conducting a book signing in the foyer close to the registration desk.

2:30pm CONCURRENT SESSION (Attend 1 of 3)
SESSION A3
MISSING LINKS – RECLAIMING LINEAR INFRASTRUCTURE TO CONNECT AND ENERGIZE COMMUNITIES

Cities all over are turning formerly divisive infrastructure like rail lines and highways into new public spaces that link communities and provide amenities that serve their growing urban populations.  How can we learn from the best of these examples to advance and accelerate Toronto’s transformation?

Moderator: Jacquelyn Hayward Gulati, Director, Transportation Infrastructure Management, City of Toronto

Panel:
Geoff Cape, Chief Executive Officer, Evergreen
Scott Dobson, Friends of the Toronto Railpath
Helena Grdadolnik, Director, Workshop Architecture
Marc Ryan, Principal & Co-Founder, PUBLIC WORK

SESSION B3
BEATING THE EQUITY CONUNDRUM

The cost of housing and accessibility to transportation are two oft-cited factors that lead to social and economic inequity in our cities. How do each of them contribute to inequity – and is one a greater driver than the other? Our panelists tease out the issues in a spirited debate.

Moderator: Dina Graser

Panel:
Cherise Burda, Executive Director, Ryerson City Building Institute
Margie Carlson, Deputy Executive Director, Ontario Non-Profit Housing Association
Ahmed El-Geneidy, Associate Professor, School of Urban & Regional Planning, McGill University
Matti Siemiatycki, Associate Professor, School of Geography & Planning, University of Toronto

SESSION C3
HOW IS TECHNOLOGY SOLVING URBAN PROBLEMS? OPPORTUNITIES FROM REGIONAL TO LOCAL LEVELS

Technology has enabled all types of industries to streamline and improve their businesses. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data; as well as the increased use of sensors, robots and drones – what benefits are now available to the real estate industry? The panel will examine large scale Regional opportunities; as well as the impact on local solutions for individual projects.

Moderator: Marcy Burchfield, Executive Director, Neptis Foundation

Panel:
Francesca Birks, Foresight + Innovation Lead, Arup Canada
Amy Erixon, Principal & Managing Director, Avison Young
Walter Hughes, Vice President, Humphreys & Partners Architects, L.P.

3:30pm CONCURRENT SESSION (Attend 1 of 3)
SESSION A4
FOOD FOR THOUGHT – GROWING REAL ESTATE APPETITES

Food is an attraction, builds community and is fundamental to life.  From integrated urban agriculture to farmer’s markets to food halls, food is increasingly key to establishing and strengthening real estate markets and creating the foundation for great neighbourhoods.

Moderator: Rob Spanier, Partner & Principal, LiveWorkLearnPlay

Panel:
Hans Baldauf, Founding Principal, BCV Architects
Jonathan Downey, Co-Founder, London Union
Mazyar Mortazavi, President & CEO, TAS
Sam Schatz, Managing Director Corporate Development, AeroFarms

SESSION B4
POST FOSSIL CITY

City building has leaped to the forefront of the climate change challenge, sparking an international innovation race to design economically competitive, socially equitable, and environmentally sustainable urban regions, and the ultimate integration of mobility and community. Last month, Waterfront Toronto launched what it seeks to be a globally precedent setting, climate-positive community called Quayside. This panel will put an international lens on Toronto’s bold leadership ambition.

Moderator: Ryan Falconer, Integrated Planning Leader, Arup Canada

Panel:
Will Fleissig, President & CEO, Waterfront Toronto
Maarten Hajer, Professor of Urban Futures, Utrecht University
Jenny McMinn, Vice-President, BuildGreen Solutions Inc.

SESSION C4
IMPLEMENTING VIRTUAL REALITY (VR) IN THE DEVELOPMENT PROCESS: IS SEEING – BELIEVING?

Virtual Reality (VR) technology is rapidly transforming the world of real estate development. VR has shifted from a technical use to creating a physical, emotional presence. From concept to design development to marketing, VR has changed the way we see things. Find out for yourself in this experiential and interactive session demonstrating how VR can be integrated into the real estate development process.

Moderator: Norm Li, Principal, Norm Li

Panel:
Vince Hui, Associate Professor, Ryerson University
David Menard, Product Owner, Autodesk Revit Live, Autodesk
Kenneth Pimentel, Senior Product Manager, Epic Games

5:30pm- 8:45pm MEET THE CHIEFS DINNER GALA – DELTA HOTEL – SOCO BALLROOM

ULI Toronto’s 3rd annual regional gala event for the professional land use community celebrating the synergies between the private and public sectors.

We invite you to an evening with senior municipal and provincial planning and development officials of the Toronto Region. Attendees will enjoy a cocktail reception, dinner, and a special ELECTRIC CITIES panel discussion focused on urban intensification and the region’s rapidly expanding electrified transit infrastructure.

5:30PM – 6:30PM – Cocktail Reception
6:30PM – 7:30PM – Dinner
7:30PM – 8:45PM – Panel Discussion

TUESDAY APRIL 25 2017 – DAY 2

7:55am OPENING KEYNOTE: THE NEW URBAN CRISIS

Richard Florida, Author, The New Urban Crisis

8:45am MORNING ADDRESS: PREMIER KATHLEEN WYNNE

Premier Kathleen Wynne, Province of Ontario

9:30am CONCURRENT SESSIONS (Attend 1 of 3)

SESSION A5
DIAMOND IN THE ROUGH – TRANSFORMATIVE PLACE-MAKING ON THE CITY’S EDGE

Making great places is easiest where you have an established real estate market that supports a mix of uses, good mobility choices and an existing physical context. How do we do it when some of these essential features are missing? In the northwest GTA, three significant landowners, each with unique anchors, are thinking anew about how to get this right as they look to urbanize their lands and create community vibrancy in a challenging area of the city.

Moderator: Joe Berridge, Partner, Urban Strategies Inc.

Panel:
Garth Essery, Vice President, Property Development, Woodbine Entertainment Group
Angelo Presta, Senior Director, Capital Development & Facilities Management, Humber College
Eileen Waechter, Director, Airport Planning & Investment, GTAA

SESSION B5
MEGA PROJECTS: WORLD LEADERS

Today’s multi-billion dollar capital transportation investment can’t be completed soon enough.  This urban metropolis is becoming a world leader in the delivery of transit and infrastructure projects. What is unique to these projects? What are the transferable lessons for the rest of the world? And, how can the country capitalize on this growth industry?

Moderator: Jamie Torres Springer, Senior Principal, HR&A Advisors, Inc

Panel:
Lorna Day, Director, Urban Design, City of Toronto
Lisa Rochon, Architecture Critic & Principal, citylab
Jason Thorne, General Manager, Planning & Economic Development, City of Hamilton

SESSION C5
TECHNOLOGY ADVANCES IN CONSTRUCTION: WHY CAN’T WE ADOPT NEW METHODS FASTER?

The construction industry is one the last sectors to innovate with new technology – but why can’t we take advantages of new opportunities faster? The panel will review current new technologies ranging from innovative use of wood with cross-laminated timber (CLT) structures, to buildings constructed with 3D printers; as well as using augmented reality in the building process. The main question to be explored is how we adopt these new systems faster.

Moderators:
Dermot Sweeny, Principal, Sweeny &Co. Architects Inc.
Graeme Scott,  AVP Development, Manulife and John Hancock Real Estate, Manulife Real Estate

Panel:
Mania Aghaei Meibodi, Principal, Meonia Architectural Design
Michael Verity, Principal, Boszko & Verity Inc.
Richard Witt, Principal, Quadrangle Architects

10:30am CONCURRENT SESSIONS (Attend 1 of 3)

SESSION A6
6 IN 60 – TRANSFORMING IDEAS OF PLACE IN JUST 60 MINUTES

In a fast-paced “idea relay”, this session will showcase leading edge projects that provide unique solutions to today’s urban challenges.  In rapid succession, 6 place-making pioneers will each have 8 minutes to present and juxtapose their initiatives in policy, design, advocacy, culture and development.  These will show how place, culture and high value are connected with each other and the success of the contemporary city.

Moderator: Kendra FitzRandolph, Development Coordinator, Hullmark Developments Ltd.

Panel:
Ilana Altman, Executive Director, The Pavilion Project
Layne Hinton, Co-Curator, Art Spin
Alex Josephson, Co-Founder, PARTISANS
Janna Levitt, Partner, LGA Architects
Roland Rom Colthoff, Principal, RAW Design
Carolyn Rowan, Manager, Community Projects, PATCH Project

SESSION B6
A NEW GLOBAL URBAN AGENDA?

At United Nations Habitat III in Quito 2016, nations around the world called for affordable, accessible, sustainable urban mobility as part of the New Urban Agenda. Included in this is the call to create a wide range of mobility options, the integration of land use and mobility planning, and the support for new shared mobility technology. Investments and public policy will be need to support this New Urban Agenda. How are cities and nations currently meeting this need and preparing for the future?

Moderator: Richard Gilbert, Transportation Planner, Author

Panel:
Mayor Bonnie Crombie, City of Mississauga
Patricia McCarney, President & CEO, World Council on City Data & Director,  Global Cities Institute, University of Toronto
Alan Mitchell, Executive Director, Cities Global Centre of Excellence, KPMG LLP

SESSION C6
WATERLOO REGION AS A LEADER  IN INNOVATION: WHAT CAN WE LEARN FROM THEIR SUCCESS?

Waterloo Region has become a leader in innovation and boasts one of the most successful technology ecosystems in Canada. How did this Region rebound so well after Blackberry and what can we learn from their experiences? The Region is now completing a massive new Light Rail Transit (LRT) project that will promote even more growth in area. The panel will delve into how this Region has become an innovation hotbed and their plans for continued success.

Moderator: Tony LaMantia, President & CEO, WaterlooEDC

Panel:
Sandy Acchione, Chief Financial Officer & SVP, Intermarket Real Estate Group
Heather Galt, Vice President, Talent Initiatives & Executive in Residence, Communitech
Brenda Halloran, Former Mayor, City of Waterloo

12:00pm FROM HIGH-LINE TO MILLENNIUM PARK: HOW MAJOR PARKS TRANSFORM THE URBAN EXPERIENCE

Demand for open public space has fast become the urban challenge of our time as global cities seek to accommodate employment and population growth in their central cores. Cities across North America and the world are securing large tracts of public realm space to meet demands of labour attractiveness, economic competitiveness, tourism, urban development and renewal. Learn from the experience of these major, recent, large scale public realm projects and what their lessons may be for Toronto in its consideration of the 21 acre Rail Deck Park in the center city.

Opening Remarks: Mayor John Tory, City of Toronto

Moderator: Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner & Executive Director, City of Toronto

Panel:
Jesse Brackenbury, Executive Director, Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy
Daniel Jongtien, Architect,  Benthem Crouwel Architects
Matt Nielson, Deputy Commissioner – Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events: Chicago Millennium Park
Jamie Torres Springer, Senior Principal, HR&A Advisors, Inc.

DESIGN FOR UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH: CITY OF TORONTO SYMPOSIUM

The City of Toronto is at a time of unprecedented growth and at a critical junction in its city-building history. Inventive design solutions will be needed to support intensification as our city grows.

2:30pm  INTRODUCTION: A PIVOTAL MOMENT – CITY BUILDING IN TORONTO

At the helm of one of the busiest planning departments in North America, the Chief Planner will introduce emerging city trends, issues and initiatives that will shape the city. The Director of Urban Design will also give an overview on how we got here and future ambitions. Find out the latest on projects that will influence development in Toronto and the issues that need solutions. With the increase in population, the need for collective problem-solving has never been greater.

Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner & Executive Director, City of Toronto

2:50pm  HOW WE GOT HERE

The Director of Urban Design will give an overview on how we got here and future
ambitions such as Rail Deck Park. With the increase in population, the need for collective problem-solving has never been greater.

Lorna Day, Director, Urban Design, City of Toronto

3:05pm  DESIGN SOLUTIONS – PUBLIC REALM

As the city intensifies, there is an urgent need to keep up with the pace of development with our public realm. At the forefront of this issue is Adam Nicklin of PUBLIC WORK, an internationally-acclaimed urban design and landscape firm. Learn about inventive projects at both the city-wide and community scales, and upcoming transformations for the city’s open spaces and streetscapes, such as the downtown TO Core public realm plan, the Under-the-Gardiner park and King St West.

Adam Nicklin, Founding Partner, PUBLIC WORK

3:30pm DESIGN SOLUTIONS – ARCHITECTURE

In addition to large scale city building initiatives, we must not lose sight of how
design impacts us the most, powerfully affecting quality of life. Work from one of
Canada’s most innovative and acclaimed firms, Shim-Sutcliffe Architects, will be
presented by Brigitte Shim, recipient of the Order of Canada and numerous Governor General’s medals in Architecture.

Brigitte Shim, Founding Partner, Shim-Sutcliffe Architects

3:50pm PANEL DISCUSSION

Moderator:  Alex Bozikovic, The Globe and Mail architecture critic and author of Toronto Architecture: A City Guide

Panel:
Jennifer Keesmaat, Chief Planner & Executive Director, City of Toronto
Michael Leckman, Principal, Diamond Schmitt Architects
Adam Nicklin, Principal, PUBLIC WORK
Brigitte Shim, Founding Partner, Shim-Sutcliffe Architects

CITY OF TORONTO FREE PUBLIC EVENT

New York City’s High Line and Recent Work: Elizabeth Diller of Diller Scofidio + Renfro

ISABEL BADER THEATRE

5:30pm – 7:00pm Elizabeth Diller Presentation

Elizabeth Diller is a founding partner of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, an interdisciplinary studio that works at the intersection of architecture, the visual arts, and the performing arts. Elizabeth will discuss the studio’s transformative civic and cultural projects in New York, including the High Line and the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts Redevelopment, as well as The Shed, an unprecedented center for artistic invention in construction at Hudson Yards – all compelling urban projects directly relevant to Toronto’s aspirations of visionary planning and ambitious growth.