2022
Placemaking and placekeeping, while widely recognized as being an important element of community and real estate development and planning, are generally seen as something that the GTA only rarely does well. Over the past 8 months, the Curtner Leadership Program focused on placemaking and placekeeping in a planning, land use and development context. Program participants were immersed in monthly sessions focused on specific related topics, identify and discuss problems, issues and challenges and provide holistic and inclusive solutions with real examples and emerging best practices. In addition to the monthly sessions, the participants worked in groups to develop the first iteration of a specific plan for an assigned place within the GTA. These plans were presented at a public Town Hall at the end of the program in June 2022.

The 2021-2022 Program highlight was an (optional) in-person visit to Montreal (Spring 2022 and at an additional cost), supplemented with some virtual visits, to explore real-life examples of placemaking and placekeeping in the city, and heard from and interacted with the on-the-ground leaders responsible for this work.

2022 Curtner Urban Leadership Program Directory

Class of 2022 Curtner Urban Leadership Program participants:
Abbie Kar, Senior Planner Urban Design, Development Services Commission, City of Markham
Alexander Furneaux, Project Manager, LURA Consulting
Ana Casas, Architectural Designer, B+H Architects
Anne James, Urban Planner, Bousfields Inc.
Astrid Greaves, Urban Designer, IBI Group
Ben Van Impe, Senior Consultant, Tate Economic Research Inc.
Christina Glass, Manager, Development, Hullmark
Derek Luk, Analyst
Joaquin Sevillano, Lead Designer, Land Art Design Landscacpe Architecture Inc.
Jordana Wright, Managing Director, Activate Space
Kelsey Carriere, Senior Project Manager, Park People
Matt Andrews, Urban Planner, IBI Group
Mattson Meere, Senior Planner, Urban Design, City of Marham
Michael Vickers, Senior Program Lead, Arts, Culture & Creative Industry Development Agency-Brampton
Nedal Machou, Design Manager – Mixed-Use & Urban Developments, Hariri Pontarini Architects
Oliver Hierlihy, Director of Operations, Waterfront BIA
Praneti Kulkarni,  Agency Manager, STEPS Public Art
Renee Desjardins, Senior Project Manager, Reserve Properties Limited
Ritee Haider, Planner, IBI Group
Roxy Shiell, Senior Associate (Urban Design), Bousfields Inc.
Shamir Panchal, Design Lead, BDP Quadrangle
Shan Li, Senior Urban Designer, City of Toronto
Shan Yang, Landscape Architect, B+H Architects
Stephen Brophy, Associate, Urban Designer, Urban Strategies Inc
Swathika Anandan, Urban Designer, City of Toronto