NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF GUELPH
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The City is excited to host a conversation with Brent Toderian to discuss what it means to grow in more innovative and sustainable ways.
“A future-ready Guelph means exploring how and where and when the city can grow over the next 30 years,” explains Krista Walkey, Guelph’s general manager of Planning and Building Services. “This conversation will get people thinking about what sustainable growth really means, and how the choices we make today can support or stall our efforts.”
Planning for Guelph: In conversation with Brent Toderian takes place virtually on Thursday, June 23 at 6:30 p.m. Join the conversation here
Changemaker will share planning insights
Drawing from his wealth of knowledge and experience in smart, sustainable planning and design, Brent will touch on several of the City’s long-term plans for managing growth, including the Urban Forest Policy, the Transportation Master Plan and the proposed Comprehensive Zoning Bylaw. Brent will spend the week leading up to the event working with City staff, and his presentation will include candid observations and insights on what he heard and learned. Everything will be up for discussion—parking, driveways, active transportation, the race to zero—a holistic review from a well-respected peer in the field of urban planning.
“Thirty years ago, I started my city planning career in the Guelph-Kitchener-Waterloo area—I lived in all three cities—and I’m happy to now be able to provide a fresh perspective around Guelph’s big opportunities,” notes Brent. “I’m known for my constructive bluntness, so you can expect direct and practical advice, but also a lot of big ideas and inspiration from creative cities of every size around the world.”
Attendees will have a chance to ask questions after Brent’s presentation. The event will be recorded, live-streamed on the City’s YouTube channel, and posted online after the event.
Mayor Guthrie looks forward to the event. “What role do we as citizens have to play when it comes to creating a livable city? What does sustainable growth mean for our budgets and taxpayer dollars? If we’re going to meet provincial growth forecasts of a population of 208,000 and 116,000 jobs by 2051, we need to ask these and many more questions.”
This event is timely; the City is currently updating its strategy for growth, including its zoning bylaw, to comply with the Ontario government’s plan for managing growth in the Greater Golden Horseshoe.
About Brent Toderian
A global thought-leader on advanced urbanism and a renowned urban planning advisor to cities around the world, Brent Toderian’s influential work through his firm TODERIAN UrbanWORKS champions more sustainable, healthy, livable and equitable city-building. The former chief city planner for Vancouver BC, Brent has advised countless cities in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and Latin America. He was the founding President of the Council for Canadian Urbanism and is a leading voice in many city-building organizations and platforms around the world. He is frequently featured in national and global media, from the Globe & Mail to the BBC and New York Times, and has frequently written about cities for many publications, most recently Fast Company Magazine. In 2017 he was voted one of the 100 most influential urbanists of all time by the highly regarded international platform PLANETIZEN.
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