|
The Urban Symposium will be held at the Thompson Hotel, Toronto,
April 19 and 20, 2012.The Symposium will open on Thursday at 1:00 -
2:30 pm for onsite registration with Thursday's session scheduled
to start at 2:30 pm. A working dinner and discussion at the
Thompson Hotel to follow. Friday registration will be open at 7:30 am
with sessions from 8:15 am to 4:30 pm.
Join urban visionaries from Ontario and beyond at the Thompson Hotel
in Toronto on April 19 & 20, 2012. AMO’s fifth annual
Urban Symposium provides a forum for sharing new ideas and strategies
that build better communities.
As Ontario continues to urbanize, growing cities and towns are facing
issues and challenges that they had never encountered before. Our
conference theme, “The Art of the Possible” focuses on the
opportunities such challenges present and provides helpful guideposts to
navigate an urban future.
Thursday April 19, 2012
The program will
commence at 2:30 pm
Vibrant Mixed Use Urbanity:
Toronto’s King West Neighbourhood
- Thomas Burns, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer,
Allied Properties REIT
- Michael Emory, President and CEO, Allied Properties REIT
- Peter Freed, Founder, Freed Developments
- Moderator: Rob Spanier, Senior Vice President,
LiveWorkLearnPlay
Once a gritty industrial zone, King West has
had an incredibly spectacular makeover in the last decade.
Transformed by economic shifts, inspired developers, and the
City’s 1996 King-Spadina Redevelopment Plan, today’s King
West will inspire any urbanite seeking vibrancy and renewal for their
community.
Just what did it take to make King West such a
successful part of Toronto’s fabric? What lessons can apply
to your municipality? Hear from some of the key firms behind
King’s redevelopment including Freed Developments, builders of the
Thompson Hotel complex and many of the area’s condominium
projects, and Allied Properties REIT, owners of over 650,000 square feet
of office and retail space in the King West neighbourhood. This session
is introduced and moderated by LiveWorkLearnPlay’s Rob Spanier, a
mixed-use community development expert involved in neighbourhood
projects throughout North America.
A Case Study Walking Tour of Renewal:
Toronto’s King West Neighbourhood
Join your three celebrated hosts for a dynamic tour of this
neighbourhood’s retail, office, and residential spaces.
Michael Emory, CEO and Thomas
Burns, COO of Allied Properties REIT lead an urban office
and retail tour of this ever-changing street. Allied Properties
REIT holds 13 properties in the heart of King West and manages just
under 60 million square feet of urban office in Québec City,
Montréal, Ottawa, Toronto, Kitchener, Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton,
Vancouver and Victoria.
In 2000 Peter Freed grasped the residential
development possibilities of Toronto’s King Street West
district. The area began attracting creative agencies with its
abandoned, brick-and-beam warehouses and the first signs of an
entertainment district began to emerge. From his debut project at 66
Portland to the Thompson Hotel and Residences, Peter Freed has been a
significant player in the area’s renewal. Peter will lead a
residential focused tour of today’s King West.
Reflection and
Dinner
Hosted by Gary McNamara, President, AMO reflect on the outcomes of the
walking tour and what learning outcomes have been reached.
Friday April 20,
2012
Welcome and Opening
Remarks
The Art of the
Possible
As Chair of the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance,
John Tory has a history of convening civic leaders to tackle tough
issues. Come hear his perspectives on the changing Ontario
political environment and the new realities marked by the Don Drummond
Report and the 2012 Provincial Budget. Tory will also address the
importance of building collective leadership beyond municipal
boundaries. As a former principal secretary to Premier Bill Davis,
Toronto mayoral candidate, Member of the Order of Ontario, and talk show
host - Mr. Tory will offer a municipal prescription to achieving the art
of the possible in a new era.
Retooling Community Sustainably for the
21st Century
The international design magazine Wallpaper included Avi
Friedman in its list of 10 people “most likely to change the way
we live.” Join this renowned professor and architect as he
explores the perfect storm of challenges that await cities at the dawn
of the 21st century. These include the retirement of the
“Baby Boom” generation, world economic integration, and
global warming. How should cities and individuals retool
themselves as a result? Join Dr. Friedman as he discusses blue prints
for change.
With Respect to Old Age: Why New Thinking
is Needed for Older Adults
In twenty years, the population aged 65 and over will
double. The implications of this demographic shift for
municipalities cannot be underestimated. Dr. Sinha’s
expertise in health policy and the care of the elderly will help your
community navigate this shift. With a Doctorate in Sociology at
the University of Oxford’s Institute of Ageing and as a past
fellow at in Clinical Geriatrics at the Johns Hopkins University School
of Medicine, Dr. Samir Sinha will highlight some of the ways in which
your municipality can support the right mix of care for an ageing
population.
In a Minefield: A Global
Economic Tour
Not much can hide the sound of global economic forces
knocking on your city hall’s front door. Just what are these
forces, where do they come from, and what do they mean for the
provincial and national economies? Economist Sonya Gulati will
explore the economic circumstances of Europe, the United States, and
emerging markets. She paints a picture that challenges what the
“art of the possible” will mean to your community in the
years ahead.
Rockford’s Redevelopment: Realizing
the Possible
With residential population and commercial concentration
shifting to the suburbs, Rockford’s city center has experienced a
decline. In 2009, LiveWorkLearnPlay and the Rock River Development
Partnership joined up to help return Rockford’s City Center to its
former glory and position as the heart of the broader community.
Drawing on their experience, Mayor Morrissey will look at the steps
involved to achieve a more enjoyable and well-used space.
At Issue with Chantal Hébert: Is
there a Federal Urban Agenda?
Chantal Hébert convenes her own Urban Symposium
“At Issue” panel to answer your top questions about national
politics. What should municipal leaders, Ontarians, and Canadians expect
from the Conservative majority government? Joining us within weeks of
the 2012 Federal Budget, Chantal’s address promises to be a lively
and insightful discussion about the road ahead. Her journalism
career started in Toronto covering Queen’s Park during the Davis
era and has since included covering Parliament Hill for many newspapers
including The Ottawa Citizen, the National Post, Le Devoir and La
Presse. Well respected for her direct approach, Ms.
Hébert delivered the 2008 Michener Lecture at Queen’s
University and is the recipient of several prestigious awards including
an honourary degree from Bishop’s
University.
Closing
Remarks
|
