A career in planning always seemed to be a foregone conclusion for Steven Webber. Early on, an urban geography course in high school crystallized his fascination with cities. Steven recalls his teacher discussing the growth and change of cities over time and he wondered how this process would affect his hometown of North York. From an undergraduate degree in urban geography at the University of Toronto, to a master’s in planning at UCLA followed by a PhD at USC, Steven remained committed to uncovering the complex inner workings of cities throughout his education.

Steven is quick to point out the instrumental role ULI has played in both his educational and professional growth. As a doctoral student at USC, Steven first encountered ULI when the organization provided him with research funding. Now an educator and a planning professional, Steven’s involvement with ULI has endured. He places a strong emphasis on ULI in his role as a professor at Ryerson University and encourages his students to become active in the ULI community. Crediting their fresh eyes, Steven sees students as valuable assets when it comes to tackling contemporary planning issues. While students are learning planning approaches in the classroom, they draw from their different experiences and enrich the dialogue with unencumbered perspectives.

Steven is particularly passionate about the studio course he instructs at Ryerson. Studio affords students an opportunity to participate directly in the planning process by acting as consultants to real-world clients. Studios are often centred on current planning challenges in the city. When Steven learned of York Region’s Make Rental Happen campaign, he proposed York Region become a client. Students prepared a report that evaluated the incentives necessary to encourage the provision of rental housing on behalf of private developers. The report also proposed a set of proposals to create a systematic way for York Region to address larger housing issues.

When ULI Toronto Executive Director Richard Joy learned of the affordable housing studio another studio opportunity emerged. This semester studio students will be presenting ULI Toronto with a GTA-wide analysis of the current programs that encourage private construction of rental housing. Students will also include a model for how municipalities can approach developers with the idea of rental housing.

When asked about his perspective on the overall status of our fair city, Steven argues that with a bit of will Toronto can get to the next step. When talking with people outside of Toronto, Steven notes our positive reputation as an innovative and forward-thinking city. Steven explains that while this point of view is not untrue, our planners and schools need to eliminate safe, status quo thinking and embrace bold, new ways of doing. With a healthy confluence of academic research, practical planning and the addition of the clear-eyed student perspectives, the outlook is good.