Toronto: The Accidental Metropolis

This event was originally scheduled for February 6

Toronto is evolving with a style and character unique in the world, widely recognized for its livability. Now its economic power and its critical and largely successful function as a crucible of immigrant settlement is becoming more and more evident. Remarkably, the emergence of Canada’s cities on the world stage, and Toronto’s rise to the top dozen in global status, has been largely accidental. How did this happen?

On June 20, 2018, the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance and the Canadian Tax Foundation co-sponsored a keynote address by world-renowned urban planner Joe Berridge which traced Toronto’s trajectory as “the accidental metropolis” and discussed where Toronto – and Canadian cities generally – are headed in the years to come.

Speaker

Joe Berridge is an urban planner and city builder who has had an integral role in the development of some of the largest and most complex urban planning and regeneration projects in Canada, the U.S., the U.K., and Asia. As a partner at Urban Strategies, Joe has been a strategic planner for the development of the city centres of Manchester, Belfast, and Cardiff and heavily involved in the master planning for the waterfronts of Toronto, New York, Singapore, Cork, and London’s East Docklands. He is an adjunct professor in Geography and Planning at the University of Toronto. His book, Perfect City, will be published by The Sutherland House in January 2019.

Moderator

Heather Evans is the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of the Canadian Tax Foundation. Upon joining the Foundation in 2016, she brought over 25 years of experience as a tax professional in both law and accounting firms, and served as National Managing Partner, Tax, for Deloitte from 2012 to 2016. An active speaker and writer on tax matters, she has also taught at Western Law School and at Osgoode Hall Law School.

This event is co-sponsored by the Institute on Municipal Finance and Governance and the Canadian Tax Foundation with support from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

View Joe Berridge’s presentation 

View video from the event

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