Universities, Cities and Prosperity: An Agenda for the Future

In this video, University of Toronto President Meric Gertler delivers a public talk at IMFG, as part of the ongoing Big City, Big Ideas lecture series organized by IMFG at its partners, entitled “Universities, Cities and Prosperity: An Agenda for the Future.” The event was moderated by Alan Broadbent.

A strong university helps build a strong city, and vice versa. Universities impart innovative dynamism and resilience to the economies of urban regions. They are stabilizing forces on urban economies, and on the local neighbourhoods they inhabit. And they connect their host regions to the world. We see this in leading city-regions around the globe: from Boston to Beijing, from San Francisco to São Paulo. But how do you build and nurture these relationships? And what role should the University of Toronto play in our region’s future?