North American Cities in Changing Times: Rethinking the Urban Core for the City of the Future
Friday, October 27, 2023
The rise of remote work has upended traditional thinking about the role of the urban core and what society might need and want from urban spaces. Some cities have weathered these changes better than others by attracting new residents and investment from firms and other institutions. At the same time, cities across North America are grappling with widening inequality, soaring living costs, and uneven recovery. What might be causing these differences? How can cities take these opportunities to remake the urban core in a more just and equitable way so all residents can thrive — and what can cities learn from each other?
This workshop brings together scholars and policy leaders from across the United States and Canada for a discussion about the future of the urban core in select North American cities. Using a comparative lens, two panels will examine how the COVID-19 pandemic and subsequent economic recovery have shifted narratives around development in urban centers. We will speculate on future development possibilities, and propose possible solutions to current and potential challenges to urban revival.
While academically oriented, this workshop is open to the public and welcomes students, planning professionals, policy stakeholders, and community members. The workshop aims to begin to create a North American cross border community with interests in urbanism and Canada in the San Francisco Bay Area and beyond.
Keynote Speaker:
Dr. Karen Chapple, Director, School of Cities, University of Toronto
Panelists:
Jennifer Barrett, Managing Director, Programs, Planning and Policy, Canadian Urban Institute Panelist
Molly Harris, Principal Strategy Officer, London Borough of Lambeth
Dr. Tom Kemeny, Associate Professor, Munk School of Global Affairs & Public Policy, University of Toronto
Sujata Srivastava, San Francisco Director, SPUR
Egon Terplan, Lecturer, UC Berkeley College of Enviromental Design
Andy Yan, Director, City Program, Simon Fraser University
Moderators:
Dr. Gordon Douglas, Associate Professor, San José State University
Eric Eidlin, Station Planning Manager, City of San José